156 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, June 14, 1859. 
regard as the gardeners of England. I have visited this country 
at different intervals and marked its progress, and in nothing 
have I noticed it so much as in the decorative art of the gar¬ 
dener. I believe we are more indebted to the gardener in this 
country than those who have lived in the country are aware of. 
There are one or two things expressed in the Report that I 
should like to see expunged. I see it called the ‘ trade ’ of 
gardening. Now when I consider the scientific knowledge, the 
general attainments, the great skill, the particular accomplish¬ 
ments necessary to make a gardener, I don’t see why we should 
call him a ‘ tradesman.’ Not that I advance him to the learned 
professions, but I would put him among the liberal professions 
of England. There is also another word in the Report which I 
should like to see expunged, and that is, that this Society is 
called a ‘ charity.’ It is no such thing as a charity. There is 
a great deal in words, more than we think—a great deal in the 
station of a man, and I would therefore advance the gardener 
himself to the dignity of a profession. This would raise him in 
the estimation of his employers; and whilst he and they con¬ 
tribute largely out of their profits to the wants of their aged 
body, it is very wrong to call it a charity. This Society, by 
an abstract which has been placed before me, I am told was 
founded in the year 1838, but did not make any progress until 
1840; since then it has steadily and gradually progressed. 
Well, this Society may not certainly have been called by that 
name before 1848, but it existed long before then, for our first 
forefather Adam was a gardener; and I believe myself that if 
the female gardener had not eaten before she had seen the 
beautiful fruit which has been distributed here at this par- ; 
ticular season of the year, she would hardly have risked so 
much for an Apple. It must have been very inferior in flavour 
to the fruit which has been spread before us to-day; still a 
moral may bo drawn from it, which is that a gardener may 
admonish his wife not to touch forbidden fruit. The pen¬ 
sioners of this Society, I see, are allowed to reside in any part 
of the United Kingdom. Well, there is very little in that: 
but I see by the number on the pension list that the average 
age is 73 years. Gardening must be a very healthful occupa¬ 
tion. If the average age is 73, a great many must he over 100 
years old. I strongly recommend the occupation of a gar¬ 
dener. I see again that no man can he placed on the list of 
pensioners unless his character will hear the. strictest investi¬ 
gation. Well, I think the Society are not likely to have many 
applicants, for I never yet saw the man whose character would 
stand the test of the strictest investigation, and I should be 
very sorry to trust my character to such an examination. The 
stock is invested in government funds, and the Treasurer is [ 
called Robert Wrench, Esq. A capital name, as he will be 
wanted to put the screw on occasionally; but I hope it will be 
unnecessary in this case to put the screw on anybody. That’s 
the business part of it: and now, ladies and gentlemen, allow 
me for one minute more. I hope I don't intrude myself too 
long upon you. You must recollect that this is the object for which 
we have met here to-day—it is to aid the benevolent institution 
of the Gardeners’ Society. I said before that we arc more 
indebted to the gardeners of this country—much more than 
we are aware of. I have beeu, on a small scale, myself a prac- j 
tical gardener; and I know that the progress of farming is 
built on the experience of the gardener. Now, there are three 
important things which you all know must be done if you 
wish to succeed in farming or gardening, and they are—make 
your land dry, let it he warm, and keep it clean. Those three 
great axioms we owe to the principles of underdraining shown 
us by the market-gardeners; the deep trenching and the deep 
and beautiful cultivation which they practise. Therefore let 
us give praise where it is due. Here to-day we are honoured, 
as every Society must be honoured who has the good fortune 
to have it, and as every Society must receive a great advantage 
from it—I mean by the presence of the ladies, f am delighted 
they are here, because a reciprocal benefit is derived, both by 
the ladies from the gardener, and the gardener from the ladies. 
They give a refined taste, by the means of their art, to the 
ladies of the land, for they do that work which cannot be done 
without skill; and the ladies, on the other hand, are the great 
patronisers of the gardeners. Show me a lady that is fund of 
gardening and I will show you a lady of refined taste, and 
those domestic qualities by which you can judge of her cha¬ 
racter. It is a very great advantage and honour to the gardener 
having had the ladies here, and I think the ladies are in 
their proper sphere when patronising the gardener, who is 
contributing so much to their taste and enjoyment. There are 
two words in this Report which I have said I object to, and here 
are some more. There is a plant called ‘ Prime Minister,’ and I 
should like to hear what Lord Derby would say to this descrip¬ 
tion of Lord Palmerston, or vice versa — ‘ Orange-crimson 
mouth, fine form, excellent spike,’ whatever that is, and ‘ a 
good bedder.’ Then I find in the description of a highly 
respectable gentleman—who may bring an action for damages 
—here is ‘ Lord Raglan ’ described as ‘having a fine eye, not 
constant, and with rather loose habits.’ There is another 
gentleman who is connected, as the head, with almost all the 
religious and philanthropic societies in London—I mean the 
‘Eml of Shaftesbury.’ No more worthy man is to he found; 
but he is described here as ‘ a fine plant, showing the white of 
his eyes.’ Wiili respect to the ladies, I don’t think they ought 
to be exposed in this way. There is the ‘ Princess Matilda,’ 
whoever she is, ‘ has a rosy blush, and is very free.’ One lady, 
whose name I shall not give, is celebrated for her ‘beautiful 
white neck.’ Then there is ‘Mrs. Church.’ She has ‘a full 
throat, great constancy, and may be depended on.’ Now what 
a character that is, for there are very few that 1 may he de¬ 
pended on.’ Notwithstanding these latter words that might 
he altered, there is a great deal to admire, a great deal to 
applaud, and a great deal of scientific knowledge in the gar¬ 
dener. I should like to know of any man in his profession 
who gives more scientific practical advice than Mr. Beaton in 
The Cottage Gardener.* The object of this meeting is to 
raise a subscription to aid this benevolent institution; it is 
no charity, and I should be sorry to call it a charity. ‘ In¬ 
stitution ’ is not the word you would choose to express a 
charity by. The ladies are the patronisers in this country 
of the gardeners and the garden—they are, in fact, the great 
patronisers of gardening — and they could patronise nothing 
better. Now, there is one subject I wish to make mention of, 
and that is, that when people employ a gardener—and no one 
employs them unless persons of property—I hope the gardener 
will say, ‘ IVe have a Society, and 1 hope you will, in addition 
to my salary, contribute a guinea a-year to the funds.’ If the 
gardener asks his employers to contribute a sum that is not to 
go into his own pocket, but to help to provide for his brethren 
in their old age, he will suffer no depreciation, and find very 
few to refuse. I throw out the suggestipn. Had I happened 
to have been a humble member of the House of Commons at 
the time when Mr. Disraeli talked of a TOO savings’ bank quali¬ 
fication for a vote, had I the means, I would have given a vote 
to every gardener in England. Ladies and gentlemen, I shall 
conclude a somewhat lengthened speech by recommending to 
your notice the interests of the Gardeners’ Benevolent Asso¬ 
ciation; and that it is well worthy and entitled to your sup¬ 
port, I am sure you will all agree with me.” 
The toast of the evening was received in every way worthy of 
the object. 
The Rev. H. M. Beli.ew, in a few appropriate observations, 
proposed the health of the Chairman amid loud cheers. He 
adverted to the extreme pleasure he derived from the pages of 
“ Sam Slick,” at Oxford, and the pride he felt in having the 
author presiding over them that day. He congratulated the 
company in being privileged to drink the health of a man so dis¬ 
tinguished as their honourable Chairman [cheers]. When he 
saw a man so distinguished in literature and in law, coming 
amongst them in his green old age, he was glad of it, and re¬ 
commended them to drink his health right “ Slick” off'. 
The toast was drunk with rounds of cheers, which were re¬ 
peated several times. 
The Chairman in replying to the toast said, “I assure you 
that I never rose before with a difficulty to express what I feel 
upon occasions of this kind greater than I do at this moment. I 
thank you with all my heart for the very kind reception you have 
given to my name—-a reception I c.au never forget. The rev. 
gentleman who proposed my health, has gratified mein one par¬ 
ticular- thing, and that is that he has understood the motives 
from which those books of mine have sprung. I should despise 
myself as much as anybody could, and look with indifference 
and contempt upon myself, if 1 had written a mere jest book. I 
addressed myself to my countrymen to point out virtues as 
well as errors, and I, therefore, put a little sugar on the pill 
before they swallowed it. It is a trick of trade : the druggists 
understand it, and why should not authors ? When severe ad¬ 
vice is given to people, it is put oft' to another day; I choose a 
vein of humour, and while laughing at what I wrote, it might be 
that some of those morals I wish to teach were thus inculcated. 
* Why has the Gardeners’ Chronicle, in its report, omitted this para¬ 
graph ? 
