August 7. 
COUNTRY GENTLEMAN’S COMPANION. 
SOT 
which seem to have grown up from seed sown broad-cast, 
are left to scramble to the light as best they may. 
But notwithstanding the false principles which regulate 
some things here, Versailles is a fine place in its way. It is 
not much like Ivew, or Kensington, or Chiswick. It has 
not the captivating beauty of English park scenery; and 
though it is not wanting in lawns, such as they are, 
Washington Irving’s picture of English landscape gardening 
is not applicable here. There is not the solemn pomp of 
groves and woodland glades, with the deer trooping in 
silent herds across them; the hare bounding away to the 
covert, or the pheasant suddenly bursting upon the wing ; 
the brook taught to wind in natural meanderings, or expand 
into a glassy lake; the sequestered pool, reflecting the 
quivering trees, with the yellow leaf sleeping on its bosom, 
and the trout roaming fearlessly about its limpid waters; 
while some rustic temple, or sylvan statue, grown green and 
dark with age, gives an air of classic sanctity to the seclusion. 
There is little or nothing in this way to be seen at Versailles. 
On the contrary, everything seems to have been done with 
the rule and compasses. With the exception of some 
flower clumps near the Chateau, all is even, stiff, and 
formal. And though there is much that may be called 
grand, there is not the grandeur of nature assisted by 
art. The style is only in keeping with the rich fantastique 
costumes of a by-gone age, or the rigid etiquette of an 
ancient court. Very spacious and noble, indeed, must these 
long, straight avenues have been in the days of Louis Quatorze, 
for instance. One might imagine that luxurious monarch, 
with his queen, prancing gaily down the broad grass way, 
attended by grand marshals, barons, dukes, foreign princes 
and ambassadors; the horses richly caparisoned; the ladies 
and cavaliers covered with gold and diamonds, costly velvet, 
and lace, and nodding plumes. Now', times are changed; 
and we see everybody—even the great—arrayed only in 
simple and unostentatious bourgois. The brilliant cavalcade 
is no longer seen at Versailles; and there is now but little 
of the royal laugh or courtly chatter for the echoes of her 
stately pollards. But still, nothing can equal the bronze 
and marble vases, and statues of Colossal dimensions, with 
which the ground is freely studded in every direction; and 
nothing can surpass the magnificent fountains which meet 
the eye at every turn, and send their refreshing spray far 
into the warm atmosphere. The fountains, of course, are 
only in full play on certain days, and the most attractive of 
them only play for about twenty minutes or half-an-hour; 
but a vast supply of water is tlirow'n out during that short 
time. The public are generally informed a day or tw r o before¬ 
hand when the fountains are to be in full play, and thousands 
of people go to see them. The smaller ones begin about 
two o’clock, and the water keeps gradually rising higher 
and higher until it attains its greatest altitude. About four 
or five o’clock, after expectation has become suspense, 
the large fountains—called here, Les Grandes JEaux —sud¬ 
denly send forth their liquid columns, to the great delight 
of the motley multitude gathered round the spacious basin. 
This is ahvays the grand /male at Versailles. Here the 
ground has the form of a vast amphitheatre, and there is 
plenty of room for everybody. At the time of my visit there 
might be about 10,000 persons present, all in their holiday 
attire, and as happy as if they all had a respectable balance 
at their banker’s, as Wilkie v'ould have said. A denouement 
is always more or less exciting. The moment of unveiling 
a statue is more ‘piquant than the view of it. One feels an 
inexpressible thrill when the head of a grand procession just 
rounds the point which brings it into view'. The best of the 
sight at Versailles is when the fountains just begin to play, 
and, accordingly, people flock to this part of the grounds, 
and take up their places, long before the hour arrives for 
turning on the water. Sometimes one or two of the jets 
begin to throw out. Then there is a wonderful commotion, 
followed by a deatli-like stillness, and every eye is strained. 
But old Neptune, who seems, from the prominent position 
he occupies, to be at the head of the management, is not 
quite ready, and these isolated ebullitions are suppressed. 
Then, just when people have made up their minds to wait 
half-an-hour longer, all the jets suddenly throw out, the 
water rising, in some places, perpendicularly to the height 
of thirty and forty feet; in others obliquely, and falling in 
graceful curves into the basin again. 
In about half-an-hour more the fountains hnvo ceased to 
play; the Chateau has been cleared; the people are nearly 
all gone ; the sentinels who have been guarding the flower¬ 
beds have been relieved,and Versailles is again in magnificent 
solitude.—P. E. Runt. 
DIELYTRA SPECTABILIS SEED.—CLOTH OF 
GOLD ROSE. 
As Mr. Beaton has spoken, at page 270, of the raising of 
plants from seeds of Dielytra spectabilis, a packet of which I 
had the pleasure of sending him; and as he appears to have 
been unsuccessful, I shall be glad, if he wishes it, to forward 
him a few more seeds of this year’s growth. At the same time, 
I beg to state that I have two strong plants from the same 
lot of seeds of which I sent him a part, and a third, self- 
sowrn, from the parent plant. 
As to seeding the old plants, I find that all seed equally, 
though not freely, wherever their situation may be. I have 
tried in vain to make it seed more freely both by opening 
the corolla and by applying its own pollen as well as that of 
other species. 
In reply to the question of “ Verax,” at page 279, I beg to 
state that I have a plant of the Cloth of Gold Dose corres¬ 
ponding in every respect, both as to age, height, situation, 
and bloom, with his ; it has become bare at bottom, but, for 
bis satisfaction, I may tell him that I cut away, last winter, 
the whole of the wood for about ten feet from the top, and 
that this summer it has thrown out, close to the ground, 
numbers of strong, young shoots, nearly all of them covered 
with bloom, and it is now well clothed. The blooms are 
very dissimilar in colour, some being much darker than 
others. 
The seed of Dielytra was sown last year, and did not come 
up till this spring.—A. R., Bromley Common. 
I have just read your article on the Dielytra spectabilis 
seedling in this week’s number of The Cottage Garoeker. 
It so happens, that I wrote to the Editor offering some 
fresh seed, which I will now enclose, taking it for granted 
they will be acceptable. 
I have a strong plant, which I bought three years ago this 
last spring, in a pot, in full flower. After the flowers had 
faded I planted it out in a piece of hollow Elm. It sent up 
some fresh flower-shoots, but did not seed; it remained in 
the Elm all the winter with only a covering of ashes. Last 
year it flowered beautifully, and ripened its seed as if it were 
a matter of course. Some of the seeds I sent you ; but I 
do not think it could have been improved by my process of 
dlying, which I, in my ignorance, adopted—that of placing 
the pods in the eye of the sun in a window for a fortnight, 
if not longer, before you had them. A gardener in the 
parish, to whom I gave some, raised five plants, which are 
tolerably strong ; all others, myself included, failed to raise 
any. The seed I now' enclose was picked on the 10th ; and 
I have sown some which, perhaps, may show more vitality 
than last year's saving. 
I might as well tell you the history of a seedling the gar¬ 
dener gave me. To prove its hardy nature, I planted it out 
in the border, and in a few days, whether from the attack of 
a slug, or an accidental bruise, it was prostrated. I mourned 
for it as gone; but in the course of a week or so a little 
shoot w'as visible, and it is now looking healthy, though quite 
unprotected. My friend, the gardener, has his seedlings 
still in pots in the conservatory.—E. H. C., Kinysbridye. 
THE ROYAL AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY’S 
EXHIBITION AT CARLISLE. 
This Exhibition continued from the 19th to the 27th of 
July. 
To give a general idea of the extent of the show', we may 
mention that the implement yard covered a space of five 
acres, and occupied about two-thirds of the whole ground. 
There were 120 entries of machines, embracing almost every 
agricultural mechanical application that ingenuity has yet 
discovered. Many, of course, w r ere familiar to every one, but 
