240 
THR FLORIST AND POMOLOGIST. 
plentifully. Near Locli Ranza are the ruins of a royal castle, and on its moulder¬ 
ing walls may be found the Ceterach officinarum and the Asplenium trichomanes. 
The noblest of British Ferns, the Osmunda regalis, grows to a large size in 
Arran in damp situations. The root of one plant was brought to me with 
fronds 8 feet high, and was too large to bring away. The beautiful annual plant 
Erythraea centaurium grows plentifully on the sides of the hills near the sea. 
It forms dense heads of pretty pink flowers, and if manageable would make a 
nice bedding plant. 
Nearly all the Island of Arran belongs to the ducal house of Hamilton, and 
the late Duke was a great benefactor to its inhabitants by erecting handsome 
hotels at Invercloy and Corrie. His Grace, likewise, built a new castle at 
Brodick, and the young plantations and shrubberies planted round it, and by 
the shore road, are thriving amazingly. The scattered huts of the Highlanders 
at Brodick village have been pulled down, and neat houses and villas have 
taken their places, on the other side of the bay at Invercloy. Brodick Castle 
is situated on the base of Goatfell, the highest mountain in the island. It 
rises abruptly, and forms an obtuse pyramid, nearly 3000 feet in altitude, and 
is a prominent feature in the island when seen at a distance. From its preci¬ 
pitous sides the glens of Rosa and Sannox slope off*, and nowhere in the king¬ 
dom can more romantic or beautiful scenery be seen. Glen Ranza, in the north 
end of the island, is likewise very beautiful, but not so extensive as the others. 
To the geologist the Island of Arran presents the most unique succession of 
strata of perhaps any island of equal extent in the kingdom. Crystals and 
Cairngorm pebbles are found in quantities on the mountains, being disintegrated 
from the granite and mica slate which compose their summits and sides. 
Formerly a mine of barytes was worked near Glen Sannox, but it is now 
discontinued, on account of spoiling the scenery of the glen. 
The Islands of Bute and the Cumbraes are likewise situated in the Firth of 
Clyde to the south-east of Arran, and are said to enjoy the mildest climate in 
Scotland. To the Fern-collector they likewise offer a fine field for collecting 
some of the rarer species. 
William Tillery. 
IN ME DIAS RES. 
It is due to “ my fair correspondent ” that I should express a little more 
clearly the last clause of the paragraph in my paper with the above heading 
that appeared in last month’s Florist and Pomologist, in which I gave her 
brief hints for the cultivation of her Tulips. What I meant to recommend was 
this:—To bury the Tulips in ashes, out of doors, as I presume she will her 
Hyacinths, and when they have started into growth about an inch or so in 
length, to remove them either to a conservatory or a sitting-room for them to 
flower. Because I have seen so many miserable failures ensue from amateur 
cultivators growing Tulips solely within-doors in sand or moss, I wished to 
guard her against the possibility of such ill-success. 
I am favoured with a communication from her. To her first request that I 
will address her as “ Stella,” I most readily comply. One of her favourite 
books is “Thackeray’s Lectures on the English Humourists,” and she loves, as 
every true woman must love, to dwell on the slight sketch of that charming 
creature as struck off by such a noble spirit as that of our great, though dead, 
satirist. With him, she “ casts a flower of pity on that grave,” and echoes his 
sentiment from the depth of her womanly heart—“ The brightest part of 
Swift’s story, the pure star in that dark and tempestuous life of Swift, is his 
love for Hester Johnson.” 
