JANUARY. 
13 
Having made a thorough tour of the gardens and grounds, I mounted 
the carriage, and we drove to the celebrated forest of Fontainbleau, 
which we reached after a short drive. Its commencement did not 
present to us any very striking features, but as we advanced it gradually 
assumed a more picturesque appearance, and on both sides of us there 
were occasional gigantic Beeches, with Oaks of the finest proportions, 
standing out in bold relief from the general woodland scenery. Many 
of these Oaks have names given to them, and amongst them one called 
La Reine, and another Charlemagne, were conspicuous for their height 
and straightness. Pursuing our course along the drive we came to a 
very beautiful spot, groups of picturesque trees and shrubs, intermingled 
with the most gigantic and grotesque boulders of sandstone rock over¬ 
laying each other, and standing upraised upon some small point of 
balance, in a manner which Nature’s hand alone could accomplish; 
from one stone there was a continued dropping of water. We now 
pursued our course, wending our way sometimes down a sharp 
inclination into a dell, and anon rising to some elevated point, from 
which there was a beautiful view of the forest. Proceeding thus for 
some miles we at length reached a large expanse of rocky surface, still 
more bold and effective than the first. Here we descended from the 
carriage and pursued a narrow trackway, winding among these curious 
rocks till we reached a precipice commanding a vast extent of country, 
and showing the mazy and tortuous path by which we had come. 
Here, too, we were shown a brigand’s cave, from which (happily for 
us) all vestiges of these worthies—save the smoke-stained roof—had 
disappeared. After imagining what a treat it must be to be prisoners 
in such a “ forlorn hope,” and thanking our lucky stars, we returned 
to the carriage, and driving through an immensity of forest scenery, 
occasionally stopping at some fine point of view, or to admire the stately 
proportions of some giant of an Oak, we arrived at Fontainbleau at dusk, 
and were seen en route for Paris by railway, arriving there at 8 P.M., 
after a most delightful day’s amusement. 
I went the following day to see M. Jamin, at Bourg la Reine, a few 
miles from Paris, and was fortunate in finding M. Jamin, fils, at home. 
From him I received the most polite attention, and he gave me letters 
of introduction to the Royal Garden at Versailles. He showed me 
over his very extensive nursery of fruit-trees and Roses. He rents a 
long wall on a railway embankment for training his fruit trees upon. 
He has fine quarters of Almond stocks, which are raised from seed in 
baskets, in houses, and then transplanted into the quarters, where they 
make fine plants, and are budded in the following year with Peach 
buds. Two buds are put into each stock, one of a tender and the 
other of a hardy kind, so that if one fails the other generally succeeds; 
thus ensuring a crop of fruit trees. 
I saw here young trees commencing to be trained on the palmate 
simple, and also palmate double plan. His Roses were very fine, and 
he gave me a nice bouquet of them. And here let me pay my tribute 
of admiration and gratitude to all those persons in France to whom I 
was professionally introduced; from one and all I received the most 
marked attention, accompanied by a kind courtesy which we Englishmen 
