September 2. 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
351 
scription at the appointed time, is entitled to show for any 
one steward’s prize at a show; but seldom any person is 
allowed to win more than one steward’s prize at one show, 
unless he be a Maiden Grower , that is, one who has never 
won a prize ; in that ease they may take a maiden prize 
(M. P.) ; and this privilege is given to maiden growers, to 
take a steward’s prize with the same l'ruit, if it is large 
enough. You will also see that is the Best Beaten 
Berry. Colts’ Kettles and Maiden Growers' Kettles are one 
and the same thing. 
You will perceive the word premium to some of the kinds; 
those are new kinds that have been let out two years, and 
the persons who let them out give 10s. Cd. as a premium 
for the best three weighed in, viz. 5s., 3s., 2s. 6d. 
FORSYTH MSS. 
{Continued from page 329.) 
The fleet arrived at Bombay at the end of December, 
and Mr. Paterson wrote immediately to Mr. Forsyth, 
informing him of the character of the war with Hyder 
Ally, in which he was now about to take a part, and ex¬ 
pressing a fear that his military duties would leave him 
“ no great opportunity of making any collection ” of 
specimens in natural history. His movements, after 
leaving Bombay, in March, are thus detailed in a letter 
to Mr. Forsyth, dated June 10th, 1782, from Trin- 
comalee. 
I have been very busy these several days in writing a 
short account of my different excursions to Mr. John 
Hunter, since I left England, and mentioned my compli¬ 
ments in his letter to you, not thinking I should have time 
to write to you before the vessel sailed. But, after con¬ 
sideration, I should never forgive myself in neglecting you, 
who I shall be everlastingly indebted to for the many obli¬ 
gations I labour under. You will think it something strange 
that I did not send you the few seeds I have collected at 
this place ; but it is not for want of inclination. My worthy 
friend, Colonel Fullarton, seemed to be desirous of sending 
some things for Mr. Banks (afterwards Sir Joseph), and 
at the same time wished me to send them in my own name. 
I know you will say that I have forgotten my friends, but I 
hope that time will convince you of my good sentiments. 
I have a very good collection of seeds and specimens at 
Madras, which you may depend upon having, if it please 
God I ever get to that place. I dare say that, if you mention 
this to Mr. Hunter, you will get some of the seeds, which, 
I believe, are curious, and likewise see the short account of 
Johanna and Elephanta, with the ground plan of the 
caverns of that island; and, to make up for the whole, I 
shall give you a short account of our engagement with the 
French. I wrote you in my last letter from Madras, that 
we were then in orders to embark on board the men- 
of-war, which we did on the 28th of March, and on the 29th 
we sailed to the southward, nine sail of the line. On the 
31st we fell in with the Sultan and Magnanime from 
England, with a convoy of six sail of Indiamen. The 
Indiamen proceeded to Madras, and our fleet, which now 
consisted of eleven sail of the line, to the southward. On 
the 5th of April we drove a French store ship on shore at 
Tranquebar, a Danish settlement on this coast, where we 
had intelligence of the enemy’s fleet passing five days 
before. The admiral (Hughes) therefore proceeded on for 
Trincomale, to land the troops he had on board for that 
garrison. 
On the 9th of April we saw the enemy to leeward of us, 
but took no notice of them, and by their different manoeuvres 
they got to windward of us, and between us and our intended 
port. At noon they were very near us, bearing down, and 
at the same time forming their line, upon which the admiral 
made the signal for our fleet to form a line of battle ahead. 
At twenty minutes past one the van began to engage, and 
at two, both fleets were engaged, which continued very 
hot on both sides till sunset, and several shots were fired, 
till it became quite dark, when they both anchored so close to 
one another, that it was hard to distinguish the English 
from the French fleet. As we had a little rain in the after¬ 
noon the ship was very wet and uncomfortable ; but, never¬ 
theless, we remained at our quarters on the wet deck for 
the night. In the morning we perfectly saw that we were 
within random shot of the enemy, but they soon got their 
ships about three miles from us, when they formed their 
line, and at the same time we were employed forming the 
line also. 
I shall just mention a few particulars that happened 
during the action. The Monmouth, a sixty-four, which was 
ahead of the admiral, loofed up on purpose to support that 
ship, got out of the line, and so near the enemy, that she 
had three ships playing upon her for some time. She had 
her main and mizen masts shot away, ten guns dismounted, 
forty-six men killed on the spot. This was the only ship 
that suffered by the enemy, but several of the others suf¬ 
fered by accidents that happened by explosions. In the 
Superb, which was the admiral’s ship, an explosion happened 
on the main deck, which killed and wounded about fifty 
men. In the Burford, the ship I was in, we had six men 
killed by the enemy ; an explosion also happened here, 
which killed three, and wounded seventeen. I cannot give 
you an account of the general loss of the fleet, but I believe 
the French lost more men than we did. The French 
admiral’s ship was so much hurt that he was obliged to 
leave her during the action. We were so near the shore, that 
some of the enemy’s, as well as our own ships, struck on 
the ground. Both the fleets remained at this place for nine 
days repairing their damages, during which time it was 
shocking to behold the number of dead bodies floating on 
the water—some without their heads, and others without 
arms, and their skin entirely burnt from their flesh. I shall 
say no more on this disagreeable subject, only mention 
that the French sailed the 21st, and our fleet the 22nd, 
and arrived at this place the 24th, when we landed our sick 
and wounded, and all this time have been repairing our 
ships, and getting masts in the Monmouth. We expect to 
sail in a lew days, and it is believed towards Madras, as we 
hear that the French are gone that way; and it is most 
probable that we will have another brush with them before 
we get to Madias. 
This place, being lately taken from the Dutch, is entirely 
deserted by the natives, as well as the inhabitants, so that 
we are under the necessity of sending out parties of men 
for eighteen or twenty miles to bring in cattle for the fleet. 
I have the pleasure of acquainting you that I am in fair 
way of being a lieutenant in a short time, if it please God I 
keep my health, which is very much against a European 
constitution in this country. But I have been exposed 
every day to the sun, and now am in as good state of health 
as ever I was in. We have lost many good fellows since we 
left Madras. 
GOSSIP. 
This department shall be occupied to-day with a few 
more extracts from that most agreeable and instructive 
volume, Mr. Fortune's Visit to the Tea Districts of 
China and India. 
Funereal Cypress {Cypressus funehris). —The most beau¬ 
tiful tree found in this district is a species of weeping 
cypress, which I had never met with in any other part of 
China, and which was quite new to me. It was during one 
of my daily rambles that I saw the first specimen. About 
half-a-mile distant from where I was, I observed a noble¬ 
looking fir-tree, about sixty feet in height, having a stem as 
straight as the Norfolk Island pine, and weeping branches 
like the willow of St. Helena. Its branches grew at first at 
right angles to the main stem, then described a graceful 
curve upwards, and bent again at their points. From these 
main branches others long and slender hung down perpen¬ 
dicularly, and gave the whole tree a weeping and graceful 
form. It reminded me of some of those large and gorgeous 
chandeliers, sometimes seen in theatres and public hulls in 
Europe. What could it be ? It evidently belonged to the pine 
tribe, and was more handsome and ornamental than them 
all. I walked, no,—to tell the plain truth, I ran up to the 
