DECEMBER. 
269 
TO OUR/ READERS. 
We have much pleasure in announcing to our readers that we have 
arranged to give a series of Plates of Fruits as well as Flowers in our 
next year’s Volume, by a new process, in a style of execution which has 
never yet been surpassed for fidelity of representation both in drawing 
and colouring. A specimen will appear in the January Number. 
OUR MONTHLY CHRONICLE. 
International Exhibition and Congress 
of 1866.—The time when this is to be held 
has at last been definitively settled for the 
22nd, 23rd, 24th, and 25th of next May. The 
support received has been most encouraging. 
His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales has 
consented to become President, and among the 
Vice-Presidents are the Dukes of Marlborough, 
Rutland, and Buccleuch, and many other in¬ 
fluential noblemen and gentlemen. The dona¬ 
tions already amount to upwards of £2700, 
and nearly £4000 have been guaranteed. 
With such support the prospect is most en¬ 
couraging, and there can be now little reason 
to doubt of the entire success of the project, 
more especially as fresh supporters continue 
to give in their adherence. We are also happy 
to be enabled to state that Professor De Can¬ 
dolle has been unanimously elected President 
of the Congress; and with a botanist of such 
renown at its head, it is to be hoped that the 
transactions of the Congress will excite greater 
interest, and be productive of more solid re¬ 
sults, than some of those recently held on the 
Continent. 
Edinburgh Horticultural Society.— 
This prosperous young Society will, in all 
probability, soon be united to the Caledonian 
Horticultural Society. The amalgamation of 
the two had been mooted for some time pre¬ 
vious to the Edinburgh Show, which was so 
successfully carried out by the younger So¬ 
ciety, and the subject was adverted to at the 
dinner after the Show; but some of those 
present, though not altogether opposed to 
such a step, were inclined to question its ex¬ 
pediency. Now, however, the matter is all 
but decided, for at the annual meeting of the 
Edinburgh Horticultural the report of a 
joint committee of the two Societies was 
read, and unanimously adopted, and it only 
remains for the Caledonian Society to do the 
same. The recommendations of the report 
are, that the amalgamated Society be called 
the Royal Caledonian Horticultural Society ; 
that its President be the Duke of Buccleuch, 
and its Vice-Presidents the Duke of Argyle, 
and the Earls of Dalkeith, Stair, and Had¬ 
dington ; that the Council consist of four 
amateurs, four nurserymen, and four practi¬ 
cal gardeners ; and that the annual subscrip¬ 
tion be one guinea, and for gardeners 10s. and 
5s. The Chairman of the meeting, Mr. Thom¬ 
son, in moving the adoption of the above re¬ 
port, stated his belief that the union of the 
two Societies would be beneficial to both. The 
funds of the Society, which is thus on the 
eve of being united to the Caledonian, are in 
a most prosperous condition, for, according to 
the statement of accounts laid before the meet¬ 
ing, after an expenditure of no less than 
£520 10s. 6d. in prizes, and £275 13s. 2d. in 
other ways, there is a balance in hand of 
£317 7s. Id. ; the total receipts,7 including 
a ‘balance from the previous year, being 
£1113 10s. 9 d. 
Testimonial to the Rev. S. Reynolds 
Hole.— A subscription has been set on foot to 
present a testimonial to that eminent rosarian 
the Rev. S. Reynolds Hole, of CauntonManor, 
to whose exertions the National Rose Show 
owes its origin. Such a project cannot fail to 
be well supported, not merely by the lovers 
of that flower which he has done so much to 
popularise, but by many besides, who have 
the advantage of knowing his kindly disposi¬ 
tion and of perusing his genial writings. The 
Secretaries are the Rev. H. Dombrain, Deal, 
and Mr. Charles Turner, Slough. 
Southampton Horticultural Society.— 
The first of a series of monthly meetings, in 
connection with the above Society, was held 
at the Carlton Rooms, November 13th, Capt. 
O’Shea in the chair. A considerable number 
of subjects were staged for exhibition, among 
which were some fine pans of Mosses, from 
Major Lacy; a splendid white double 
Primula, flaked and spotted with purple, 
shown by Mr. Blandford; a handsome speci¬ 
men of the beautiful Sonerila margaritacea, 
by Mr. Boyce, gardener to H. P. Buchan, 
Esq. ; while from Messrs. Windebank and 
Kingsbury came a fine plant of the Echeveria 
metallica; a variegated Primula, with well- 
marked foliage, and a small specimen of the 
variegated Chrysanthemum, sent out by Mr. 
Bull, of Chelsea: also a box of twenty-four 
Chrysanthemum blooms. From Mr. Higgs, 
gardener to R. Driver, Esq., came a box of 
twenty-four Chrysanthemums, and an in¬ 
teresting collection of twenty sorts of Apples. 
Very fine samples of Apples, Pears, Medlars, 
and Grapes, were also exhibited by other 
