THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN'S COMPANION. —June 24, 1850. 217 
WEEKLY CALENDAR. 
Weather near London in 1855. 
JUNE 24—30, 1856. 
— 
Sun 
Sun Moon Moon’s 
Clock 
Day of 
\v 
Barometer. 
Thermo. 
Wind. Rain in 
Sets. K.&S, Age. 
bf. Sun. 
Year. 
Inches. 
1 
24 
To 
Mids. Day. Nativ. Jn. Baft. 
30.178—30.108 
71—43 
N.W. — 
- -- - 
45 a 3 
19 a 8 11 69 22 
2 7 
1 76 
25 
W 
Anobimu paniciuni. 
30.lfi8-30.149 
68—52 
s.w. — 
46 
19 morn. (££ 
2 19 
177 
20 
Tu 
Anobium molle. 
30.201 —30.224 
77—56 
N.W.I — 
19 0 11 24 
O qo 
178 
27 
F 
Anobium plinoides. 
30.357—30.224 
81—45 
S.W. — 
47 
19 0 24 25 
2 44 
179 
28 
s 
Queen Victoria Con. 1838. 
30.274—30.204 
79-53 
K. - 
47 
19 0 4 0 2fi 
2 67 
180 
29 
Son 
0 Sunday after Trinity. 
30.072-29.874 
79-61 
S.E. ! — 
48 
19 1 1 27 
3 9 
181 
:.o 
M 
[St. Peter. 
30.027—30 928 
76—52 
S.W. — 
48 
18 1 29 28 
3 21 
182 
Meteorology of the Week.—A t Chiswick, from observations during: the lasttwenty-eicrht year*, the average highest and lowest tern- 
peratures ol these days are 72.0 , ami 60.6° 
respectively. The greatest heat, G3°, occurred on the 27tli, in 1626; and the 
lowest cold, 35° 
| on 
Lhe JOth, in !84g. During the period 109 days were fine, 
and on 87 rain fell. 
THE CRYSTAL PALACE.— June 18 th. 
It was a significant, sign of the times for Her Majesty 
the Queen to have fixed on the Waterloo-day for the 
“ opening of the great fountains and the entire system 
of water works ” at the Crystal Palane. That “ system ” 
—the Paxtoniau system of water-works—is even more 
original in its grand simplicity, and more widely dif¬ 
ferent from the systems in France and Italy, and from 
all others of which we have accounts from the days of 
Solomon, than the Crystal Palace itself is from the works 
I of the great genii of architecture. And yet there is 
one little fountain in England, which, above all other 
fountains and “systems” of fountains, attracts the 
attention of the beautiful, the good, the great, and the 
wise in this country, and that fountain is the “ fountain 
of honour” in these realms, Queen Victoria. Instead of 
drawiug down electricity from the clouds, as Franklin 
did, yon might draw down the clouds themselves, and 
show, before the Queen, bow and whence the “ roar of 
thunder” and the “ flash of lightning” originate, with¬ 
out arresting the attention of the multitudes from that 
little fountain. 
The fountains on the terrace and in the central basin 
were playing decimally, at one tenth of their power, the 
whole day, until Her Majesty and suite arrived in three 
open carriages-and-four, with outriders, about a quarter 
past five o’clock, when more than 20,000 persons were 
dotted, grouped, or clustered together like bees in dif¬ 
ferent parts of the grounds, and were worked up to the 
highest pitch of enthusiasm ready to receive Her 
Majesty. 
The day was a regular Queen’s day throughout; but 
an ominous black cloud rose in the west just as the 
Queen left London, and threatened awfully for a short 
time; but just then the wind freshened up to a gentle 
breeze, as if on purpose to make a regular Scotch mist, 
and something more, to leeward of the jets and foun¬ 
tains, and dispersed the black clouds as fast as they 
reached the zenith of Sydenham. 
The royal standard was now hoisted on the flag-staff 
on the summit of the “ Rose Mount.” The band struck 
up on the south shore of the lower lakes, and Her 
Majesty was seen traversing the upper parts of the 
garden from east to west. The signal for the turn-cocks 
was now given, and the hissing jets, to the number of 
nearly 12,000, began slowly to pour out the water in 
different shapes, sizes, and directions. Sir Joseph 
Paxton might be seen, mounted on a spirited little 
brown charger, accompanying the royal cortege round 
the bottom of the Rose Mount, and across the head 
waters of the southern lake. When they reached op¬ 
posite the grand jet in the centre of this lake they halted 
for awhile, admiring the grand display amidst deafening 
cheers, which were all but drowned by the noise of the 
fountains. The scenes of the day were now at their 
highest pitch; the whole south sides of the lakes were 
literally swarming with life, music, and shot silk ; but 
it soon becamo manifest that the gentle zephyr was not 
propitiated for the occasion: she added power to her 
fans, which drove the sparkling element across the lake, 
and on and over ten thousand dresses in an instant. 
The baud took to their heels across the lawn, leaving 
their music-stools in torrents; the dresses were pulled 
up over the shoulders and little bonnets as by magic ; 
and, for awhile, we seemed to be under a flying petticoat- 
government around the circuit of the lakes. A lady, 
who stood just before my face, and whom I took for the 
Princess of Baden, exclaimed, as she flew up the bank, 
“ Oh, good gracious alive! see what a pickle my dress is 
in already !” But it is a bad wind which does not blow 
good for somebody. The “ trade ” will have to make 
good sundry broken Rhododendrons and other shrubs, 
and those who could “ stand it” were in sole possession 
of the most favourable part of the road for seeing the 
Queen, who sat in the first carriage with the Prince of 
Baden on her left, and the Prince of Prussia sat on the 
left of Prince Albert, with their backs to the horses. 
The Queen was all life and looks, as usual. Prince 
Albert looked well pleased, but not the least excited; 
and it was wonderful how steady and serious the young 
Prince of Prussia carried himself amidst such roar and 
enthusiasm ; but 1 overheard some ladies say, that was 
very becoming just now, and that it was a good sign to 
see a young man look so just before he “ popped the 
question." At all events, the two German princes had 
thus seen that the British crown is quite safe, and the 
wearer of it is happy-looking amidst 20,000 subjects, 
without a sword or bayonet in sight; and having seen 
that, let us hope they will remember it if ever they re¬ 
ceive an earthly crown themselves. After the “ tour of 
the lakes” wo lost sight of the royal suite, and it was 
curious to see how soon the multitude began to forget 
the realities of a Scotch mist, the presence of an 
English Sovereign, and the triumphs of practical science, 
betaking themselves across the ridges, or along the bottom 
valley, to see and consider things and periods beyond 
the flood. The triumphs were most complete and most 
satisfactory, but the wind got up just in time to mar the 
full effects intended by the water-temples, cascades, and 
waterfalls. It thus seems there must he a clear calm 
day to see the glassy films in tinted shades come down 
the domed temples, the rush and foam of cataracts 
along the cascades, and the Niagara of the waterfalls. 
But the new Paxtoniau system of water works, without 
the accessories of architecture and sculpture, was per¬ 
fection itself to the last drop. * D. Beaton. 
New White Grape. —Mr. Carpenter, the gardener at 
Barr Hall, near Birmingham, has sent Mr. Beaton a 
bunch of a White seedling Grape, which he raised from 
the Black Hamburgh. It is a distinct Grape, much 
flattened at the eye, and is of a clear amber colour, with 
flavour as rich as that of the Black Hamburgh. Mr. 
Beaton thinks the pollen of the Sweet-water Grape 
produced this seedling, and that it is well worth growing. 
No. CCGCIY, Vo l. XVI, 
