32 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRi” GENTLEMAN, October 18, 1859. 
probably, by strange and terrible monsters, natives of those 
sunless regions ? But these impenetrable recesses are destined 
to keep their own secrets, unless, indeed, this super-scientific age 
should produce some gentleman ingenious enough to discover the 
means of exploring them : little else would be required, except to 
find some other gentleman bold enough to undertake the voyage 
of discovery. Eor the present we must be content to remain 
dwellers on the threshold, to pick up a few shells from the shore, 
to pluck a few flowers from the sea-margin, and by them to form 
some judgment on the riches of the interior. And even in this 
comparatively limited sphere of action we shall find enough, and 
more than enough, to engage our attention, and to satisfy our 
curiosity for as many sea-side excursions as are likely to fall to 
the share of the youngest of us at present engaged therein. 
The common Wrack or sea weed, covered with the mist-like 
“sand-skippers” (of which tiny specimen of sea-animation we 
shall give a detailed account hereafter), those, wonderfully- 
organised animal-flowers, the “ Sea Anemones,” the strange 
blending of animal, vegetable, and mineral life — for there are 
stony plants, aye, and stony animals, too, with a thousand other 
fantastic and inconceivable phenomena, which will form an almost 
inexhaustible source of wonder and delight, and of what is far 
better—sound and interesting information. 
All technicalities will be, as far as practicable, scrupulously 
avoided, these unpretending chapters not being intended for 
those experienced in the subject under treatment, nor do they 
profess or pretend to add, in any way, to the stock of knowledge 
laid up by the labours and researches of others. Their sole aim 
is to afford such assistance, and to impart such information as 
may be serviceable to those who are desirous of forming a more 
familiar acquaintance with the structure, habits, instincts, and 
peculiarities of the apparently insignificant, but in reality most 
important and wonderful objects to be found on the seashore—to 
lay open, in short, to the uninitiated another page of the mys¬ 
terious volume of creation. 
Nor let the reader apprehend that the page is either a dry or a 
tedious one. At every step will start tap some strange and fan¬ 
tastic novelty to repay bis progress, and to entice him onwards. 
Surprise and delight will attend his every movement, and the 
reshit of his inquiries will furnish him with the means of lighten¬ 
ing many an after hour, by recalling the pleasant labours of his 
summer rambles ; more especially if he will be at the pains of 
collecting specimens of such plants and animals as he may meet 
with, an easy and economical method of doing which will be 
hereafter suggested. 
Nor arc the fairer portion of the seaside-visitors by any means 
excluded from this interesting pursuit; on the contrary, from the 
fragile organisation of many of the little creatures wo arc about 
to describe, the delicate touch of a lady’s hand would be more 
desirable for their safe examination than the rougher manipu¬ 
lation of her attendant cavalier. Therefore, a sister can accom¬ 
pany her brother, or, when practicable and permissible (“ Ask 
mamma,” being always understood), the one “ nearer and dearer j” 
and so,hand-in-hand,unravel themysteries of theseaside of Nature. 
Accuracy of description, and adoption of the simplest terms 
to convey the necessary information, will be especially attended 
to. The alarming classical names, both of animals and plants, 
which arc enough to scare the unscientific reader from the page 
(as may be readily conceived when the common Whelk is called 
Buccinum undatum , and the commonest species of sea weed 
Fucus vesiculosus) will be banished from the body of the work, 
although, for the benefit of such as may bo curious to know 
them, they will be given in parentheses. 
It is proposed to commence with the lowest order of objects 
remarked on the seashore,—namely, starting from the earliest 
appearance of animal life, to advance upwards, by a regular gra¬ 
dation, from its lowest to its highest form within the scope of 
our work, which is not intended to embrace any creatures that 
are not ordinarily seen in the elegant aquaria now ornamenting 
so many of our drawing-rooms, and whose miniature ocean with 
its occupants is a never-failing, never-tiring source of entertain¬ 
ment and instruction.—W. 
(To he continued .) j 
OUT-DOOR GRAPES. 
At the last meeting of the British Pomological Society 
it was resolved not to send a deputation to see if there 
were a “ trick ” in my way of growing Black Grapes out 
of doors. Whether that resolve was in consideration of 
my larder and cellar, or, rather, that I might offer a 
deputation to dine off a gammon of bacon, in place of a 
baron of beef or saddle of mutton, I know not. But they 
sent down a plenipotentiary—a man with full powers to 
turn over every leaf in my book—and a man, too, who 
could not, and would not, dine upon a gammon or drink 
the juice of the unripe berry. 
When the best friend I ever had among the florists 
told me to my face that “ he did not believe one word ” of 
that about growing such Grapes, as I exhibited at Willis’s 
Rooms, out of doors, I little expected his doubts would 
ever have come to such a pitch as I am brought to this 
day, to be under the practical necessity of declaring 
myself wholly beaten in my strongest tower. I once 
entertained the proud idea that no man on earth could 
ever beat me in growing Grapes out of doors in this 
climate, but a sailor of more fortune than common has 
done the thing. Captain Hopkins, of Surbiton Hill, 
who was under canvas for nine-and-thirty years in the 
East India and China trade, and who has seen the 
Grape under many aspects and aspirations, is the man 
for the Marquis’s gardener, who, if he would not believe 
me, or my own Black JEspcrione Grape3, could hardly 
be supposed to believe his own eyes if he were to see 
Captain Hopkins’s Black Hamburgh Grapes on his walls 
on Surbiton Hill quite as forward and much finer than 
my _E 'speriones under the Hill and at Willis’s Rooms. 
After settling all that related to the inquiries of the 
British Pomological Society in my garden, it was a ques¬ 
tion whether I would let their commissioner into the 
secret of my sorrow at being only the second best Grape 
grower in Surbiton, and thus add to the pleasure of the 
author of the Bowood Muscat, who might get out of his 
fix by saying he had heard of Captain Hopkins’s success, 
and. did not believe one word of it anent my Grapes. 
Besides the duty of fair play in a public writer, the 
thing is sure not to end here; and if I did not take the 
liberty of introducing the inquirer after the truth into 
the presence of Grapes superior to my own with, my 
next-door neighbour, I ought to give up my claims to a 
Scottish clanship. 
The selfsame Grape, for which I received seven distinct 
and different names at Willis's Rooms, turns out to he 
the JEsperione of Langley; the commissioner was not five 
minutes before he decided the point—not, as far as I 
could, see, by a comparison of points so much as by his 
own intuitive perception. Envoy extraordinary would 
suit his name, if not his mission. The moment he saw 
Captain Hopkins s Grapes, “ but these are Hamburghs," 
as his first remark. They were Hamburghs, sure enough, 
so much more complete is my defeat. They are from 
cuttings taken from the large celebrated Hampton Court 
Vine by the Captain’s father, who, if he had not told us 
he was in his eightieth year, we should have put him down 
at about sixty, and a mere youth in his enthusiasm for 
gardening. He says the Captain lias been so long 
accustomed to command, that he will now have his own 
way in the garden: and that way seems also, sure 
enough, to be to lower the sails of his rivals. 
Tne history of the two kinds of Grapes for the last few 
years will show two things—first, that the air and climate 
or Surbiton are very good, very healthy, and excelled 
hardly on our south coast—for Grapes, at any rate ; and 
in the. second place, we ought to give it iu such a way as 
to be instructive to those who would grow Grapes out of 
doors, and may be less fortunate in respect to climate; 
for, it I understood the plenipotentiary of the British 
Pomological Society, that body is going to take up the 
subject in earnest, and (diamond cut diamond) are to 
exnioit their Grapes before it at the Hanover Square 
Rooms on the 26th inst., and where I shall play second 
hddle, if no one else be more fortunate to come in between 
me and Captain Hopkins. 
Mr. Hoare had his vineyard and wrote his treatise at 
