around. It is a flower of small promise and great performance; it boasts not, though it abounds with excellence. Thus should it be with the Christian character. Meek and lowly, and unobtrusive in itself, yet diffusing widely around the spirit of peace, love, gratitude, joy, and praise. autumn. The flowers are of a fine purple colour, growing on a close truss-like spike. The calyx is twelve toothed, in form of a tube, unequal at the base; the corolla has six petals arising from the calyx; the capsule has two cells and many seeds. It would be a pretty addition to the flower garden; but would not probably thrive unless planted in Another species of this genus, not unmoisture, similar to its native place of common in a wild state, is the dyer's growth. weed, (Reseda lateala,) used in dying Another plant of this order is hazel-yellow, and in making Dutch pink. wort, (Assarum Europæum,) a native perennial, by no means common, flowering in May. The flowers are dusky purple, and grow close to the ground, at the base of the leaves, so as to be almost concealed. The calyx placed on the capsule is bell shaped, and three cleft, the divisions being turned inwards. There is no corolla. The capsule is egg-oblong, six celled, and contains few seeds. In the second order, we find a very popular wild herb, the agrimony, (Agrimonia eupatoria,) which is by no means uncommon in fields, pastures, and hedge banks, in various parts of the kingdom, flowering in June and July, or later. The blossoms are of a yellow colour, and grow in a tall spike, or rather bunch. The calyx is five toothed; the corolla has five concave notched petals; the capsule has a fleshy receptacle, with two egg-oblong flat seeds. It is gathered and dried to make medicinal tea for various complaints, but is only a very weak demulcent stimulant, and in no reputation among professional men. In the third order, one of the most common garden plants is mignionette, (Reseda adorata,) which is a native of the north of Africa, blowing from June till it is killed by the frost. When once sown in a garden border, at least in the south of England, it will continue to sow itself, year after year, without any trouble of resowing. The flowers are fragrant, and of a greenish yellow colour, but without petals; the fence of flower scales is many leaved, and spreading; the leaves with three-lobed divisions. There are fertile flowers in a centre surrounded with barren flowers, which are fringed and furnished with petals. It is often forced into early flowering by means of heat; and in the greenhouse may be made to flower during winter. As the lark or the nightingale for song among birds, is the mignionette, for scent, among flowers. Humble, modest, and retiring, it spreads a grateful influence Sun spurge, (Euphorbia helioscopia,) or wort root, belonging to this order, is a common weed in fields and gardens, multiplying prodigiously in some places, in consequence of its seeding with profusion. It is a very pretty pale green plant: the flowers appearing in July and later, in a broad wheel-like umbel, five cleft and forked; the fencing bractea, or flower scale of one leaf; the corolla without petals; the leaves pale green, wedge shaped, smooth, and saw-toothed on the margin. Like the rest of the genus, the whole plant, when wounded or broken, gives out a thick milky juice, which is very acrid, and will blister the skin. It is used by country people to destroy worts and freckles. The sixth order is illustrated by the common house leek, (Sempervivum Tectorum,) and has from twelve to twenty pistils. The calyx has twelve concave, acute, and permanent divisions; the corolla has twelve oblong, spearshaped, acute, concave petals, a little longer than the calyx; the capsules are twelve in number, with many seeds. The leaves are fringed, and the offsets spreading. It is an evergreen perennial, blowing from July to September, with flesh-coloured blossoms on a stiff spike. Baron Haller, who has minutely described this plant, found it in its wild state on the Swiss Alps. It is common in most parts of Europe, on the roofs of houses, and the tops of walls, and is also found on rocks. It was formerly used from the atmosphere for the purposes of vegetation. It is for this reason, that unless in extremely hot weather, gardeners seldom water succulent plants, like houseleeks, as moisture is apt to rot them if the sun does not quickly dry it up. The houseleek may be made to cover a whole coping, by sticking on the offsets with clay or cow dung. Though this homely plant occupies but a mean station in the garden, it has the merit of assuaging pain, in case of burns, and of making savoury the poor man's bowl. The meaning of the term Icosandria is "twenty stamens;" but the student must not trust to this precise number for the character of the class, as it may vary considerably. The indispensable character is, that the stamens should be inserted in the calyx, and not in the receptacle nor corolla. There are three orders. 1. Monogynia, with one pistil, as the plum, cherry, and myrtle. 2. Pentagynia, with five pistils, as the pear tree, hawthorn, and meadow sweet. 3. Polygynia, with many pistils, as the strawberry, rose, and bramble. soon have many more varieties of the plant than are at present cultivated. A pear orchard, whether in blossom or bearing, is a fine sight. The blossom of the pear has not the richness and profusion of the apple; but the tree usually grows in a more elegant shape, its toptowering branches, bent downwards with their load of clustering fruit, are very attractive. The pear, of which perry is generally made, is far from being agreeable to the taste. The bird cherry (P. padus) is not the origin of the garden cherry, but a peculiar species, which bears bunches of highly fragrant white flowers, followed by a small stone fruit of a very peculiar flavour, which has never been improved by cultivation, though it seems to be more capable of improvement than the common cherry, from its possessing a much higher and richer flavour. The peach tree (Amygdalus Persica) belongs to this order, and is said to be a native of Asia, flowering in our gardens in March and April. The flowers, which are rose red, appear before the leaves, as do those of the plum. The calyx is five cleft; the corolla has five petals; and the leaves are narrow, pointed, and saw toothed. Though the native of a warmer climate, it bears our winter sufficiently well, though, in order to have the fruit in perfection, it is the better for being protected by matting and the like from the nipping frosts of our cold springs. The almond tree (A. communis) is a species of the same genus as the peach. It is a native of Barbary and the Holy Land, particularly the banks of the Jordan, and flowers in our shrubberies in March and April. The flowers, which are rose red or white, appear before the leaves, and grow on short footstalks. The calyx is tubular, with a five-parted lip; the corolla has five petals, oval and complex; the fruit is a nut covered with a sort of As an illustration of the first order, the student could not have a better example than the various species of Prunus, some of which grow in every wood, copse, hedge, or garden in the empire. It comprehends the plum, damson, cherry, bullace, sloe, and the poisonous cherry laurel. The plum tree, (P. domestica,) is indigenous to this country, and grows about twenty feet high, blow-leathery envelope. There are two varieing in March and April, with a white blossom appearing before the leaves. The calyx has five divisions, and the corolla five petals; the leaves are spear shaped, and rolled lengthways; the branches are thornless. The varieties are produced by crossing and seedling: plants may be brought into a bearing The cherry laurel (Prunus laurostate, in two or three years, by budding cerasus) is a very common evergreen in them on standard stocks, as first prac- our shubberies; a native of the Levant tised by professor Van Mons, of Lou- and the mountainous parts of Persia and vain, with regard to the pear tree. If the Crimea. It was introduced into this were done to any extent, we might | Europe in 1576, by the celebrated botanist ties of the fruit, the sweet almond and the bitter almond, the latter containing a portion of the well-known deadly poison, prussic acid. Bitter almonds are therefore dangerous, if eaten in any quantity, or used for any sort of edible preparations. Cluvius, who received it from Constantinople. It was a scarce plant in England in the reign of Charles I., and a merchant, who had a plant of it in his garden, at Highgate, defended it every winter from the severity of the weather, by covering it with a blanket. Now it would appear that the species has become inured to the severity of our climate, as nobody thinks of protecting them, and they are rarely killed by the hardest frost. From the leaves of the cherry laurel, by distillation, a most deadly poison is extracted, containing prussic acid. This poison was first discovered in 1728, as recorded by Dr. Madden, of Dublin, in the thirty-seventh volume of the Transactions of the Royal Society of London. For a considerable time distilled cherry-laurel water was employed to give an agreeable nutty flavour to creams, jellies, and puddings; and was also put into liqueurs, such as noyeau and ratafia, in the proportion of one part of laurel water, to four parts of brandy. This was not observed to produce any deleterious consequences till September, 1728, when a servant named Martha Boyce, living with a person that sold great quantities of the water, got a bottle of it from her mistress, and gave it to her mother, Anne Boyce, as a very rich cordial. Anne Boyce made a present of it to Frances Eaton, her sister, who was a shopkeeper in the town, and who, she thought, might oblige her customers with it. Accordingly, in a few days, she gave about two ounces of it to a woman named Mary Whalley, who had bought some goods of her. Mary Whalley drank about two thirds of what was filled out, and went away: Frances Eaton drank what remained of the two ounces. Mary Whalley went to another shop to make purchases, and in about a quarter of an hour after she had drank the water, she complained of a violent disorder in her stomach, so that she had to be carried home, and died in about an hour. The shopkeeper, Frances Eaton, sent word to her sister, Anne Boyce, of what had happened, who came to her in consequence, and affirmed it was not possible, that the cordial, as she called it, could have caused the death of the woman Whalley; and to convince her, she filled out about three spoonsful, and drank it off. She continued talking to Frances Eaton about two minutes longer, and so earnest was she to persuade her that the water was inoffensive, that she filled out two spoonsful more, which she likewise drank off; but before she was well seated in her chair, she expired. It is well worth the attention of the young botanist, to notice the well-ascertained fact, that whenever the stamens are inserted into the calyx, whether the number be few or many, the fruit has invariably been found to be wholesome; and as this is the case with the cherry laurel, it might seem to form an exception to the rule. The fruit of this tree, however, is not found to be poisonous, like the leaves from which the poisonous water is distilled. As illustrative of the second order, the hawthorn or may bush (Cratægus oxycantha) may be selected as a good example, being common in every hedge and copse throughout the kingdom. It grows from ten to twenty feet high, and blows in May and June, with finely fragrant flowers, originally of a white colour, but varying by cultivation, to a rose red, and scarlet; the latter being a recently introduced variety of great beauty. The calyx is furnished with fine teeth, spear pointed, and nearly smooth; the fruit is red, fleshy, of an oblong form, and crowned by the teeth of the calyx around a thickened disk. The leaves are blunt, somewhat three parted, saw toothed, smooth, and sometimes shining. "In yonder vale a hawthorn blows, That ne'er repines at frosts or snows; Content with what the season brings, Down in the dale the linnet sings; Though coarse and scant what it requires, Nor more, nor better it desires. The swain that holds the useful plough, Though deep the mire he must go through, Whistles and sings, and thinks that he Shall happiest among mortals be. Nor bird, nor bush, nor ploughman knows, The pear tree (Pyrus communis) is, in its wild state, a native of Britain, and though not very common, may be found near the metropolis, in the woods beyond Dulwich, flowering in May with a white blossom. It is this which is the origin of the numerous garden varieties of the cultivated pear. In what manner the flavour of fruits is altered by soil and situation, is not at all known, either to practical men, or philosophical botanists. The same grape and the same hill pro duce, two celebrated wines, hermitage and coté-roti, quite distinct in qualities. The golden-pippin apple, supposed to be worn out in Herefordshire, continued a few years ago to grow in the stable yard, St. James's, and to produce its fruit in high perfection. The old little yellow warty golden pippin, however, is now comparatively gone; yet other golden pippins are produced on healthy trees, in proper situations, but the fruit is larger and not so finely flavoured. That the old tree, which now produces this little yellow apple, produced it also of the same size and flavour when it was young, is scarcely possible. The swan's-egg pear is well known, at this time, to be annually diminishing in size, while, at the same time, its flavour is proportionally increased in richness. Poor blind Jenny! Well do I recollect thy singular appearance, and often, when a child, have I tottered to thee with my penny for a bun from thy treasury of sweets; and, as thou hast let down thy basket from thy head with up-turned but almost sightless eyes, I have gazed on thee with pity, and a wonder yet more intense, how thou couldst find thy way from thy cottage to the neighbouring town to procure this relishing abundance; and I have wished that I could give thee more light, that thou mightest fetch it more quickly, and see, with as clear a vision as myself, the wonderful works of God. My readers may gather from this spontaneous apostrophe that poor Jenny was the purveyor of sweetmeats for the little villagers. She was not, properly speaking, blind; but what glimmering of that best of Heaven's material blessings she possessed, just enabled her to grope her way along the high road, and perhaps to increase her sense of her own great deprivation by some perception of the inestimable advantage en In the third order, we find ranked the numerous species of rose, (Rosa,) on which large volumes, ay, numerous volumes have been written and published. The general botanical character of the rose is, that the calyx has one leaf, with globular border and five expanding divisions, the segments long, spear-joyed by others. How limited it was, shaped, and narrow. The corolla has five petals, inversely heart shaped, as long as the calyx, and fixed to its neck. The stamens are numerous, and very short. The pistils, with the germen at the base, are also numerous. Besides the many species, there are almost innumerable varieties, increasing every year by the process of crossing; and some of the nursery catalogues name more than five hundred sorts. Perhaps the moss rose is not exceeded in beauty by the fairest flowers in creation, though it would be difficult to define what constitutes beauty in the vegetable world. Where is an ugly flower? O Christian, may thy graces e'er be found VILLAGE CHARACTERS.-No. V. LET it not, gentle reader, enter into thy imagination that I have chosen the title of this record in derision of the subject of it. The old and the young, who comprised our village community, have selected the cognomen for me; for to them was she known, and known only as "Blind Jenny." The entire vicinity recognized her by that name, and her very tombstone records it. was shown by an accident which occurred to her many years before I knew her, and which was the consequence of her infirmity, namely, the loss of a leg, which, obliging her to stump about upon a wooden substitute, gave, in addition to her lack of sight, a still greater peculiarity to her appearance. But, though blind and halt, she was, as before intimated, the village walking shop of conserves. Early in the morning might she be seen coming slowly down, with an old red cloak hanging loosely over her shoulders, a stick in her hand, and that basket on her head which was to return crammed with the sweets that children love. And, as she was coming down, she would, ever and anon, stop at the doors of her more respectable patrons to inquire if any thing were wanting elsewhere than from the shop of the confectioner. Her orders obtained, she would then march deliberately down the hill, on whose brow our village is situated, followed by the eager gaze of many an urchin gourmand. But if they gazed after her at her departure thus eagerly, how much more intensely did they watch for her return. As that period approached, the young troop might be observed assembling on the village heights, and amusing themselves by tossing into the air the pence ultimately destined to find their way into, blind Jenny's pocket. At length she comes, and the wished-for basket is lifted from her head. Forming a merry group around her, they feast their eyes on her stores, and each in his turn receives his palatable purchase. And it is really surprising to observe the involuntary order maintained amongst that thoughtless troop. There is no striving to be served first, no dipping a sly hand into the basket, which, were they so inclined, might be easily accomplished without the slightest suspicion on poor Jenny's part. It seemed, indeed, as if they respected her, and felt pity for her misfortunes. And this was no wonder, the feeling seemed reciprocal; she treated her little patrons as kindly as if they were her own children. For them smooth and kind words flowed from her lips in rich abundance; and few would have guessed, whilst seeing her surrounded by her young customers, what an under current of calculating, worthless, evil feelings ran in old Jenny's breast. But these were not the only patrons she possessed: all the old ladies in the village, in pity to her misfortunes, ordered their daily tea cakes of her; and when these were served, Jenny would trudge from inn to inn to wait upon and joke with the loungers there. And here the character of blind Jenny begins to unfold itself; and it is one of no ordinary kind. It might have been imagined that her appearance and misfortunes would have rendered her an object only of pity to mankind; and that compassion, if not disgust, would have been the principle influencing the conduct of man towards her. But it was otherwise: blind and halt as she was, Jenny had her admirers; and, to her disgrace be it recorded, that she lived for many a long year a sad life of guilt and shame. Her conduct, indeed, was so openly flagrant, that I have frequently wondered that the many prudes," (as she called them behind their backs,) who patronized her by the purchase of her tea cakes, did not withhold their patronage. But this was never done. Some, I have heard, would occasionally remonstrate with her; but Jenny's glib tongue, vigorous in retort, or oily in persuasion, as circumstances required, soon silenced their reproaches, and the colloquy not unfrequently ended in the censor becoming the almoner. She was a poor, blind, and lame woman, she would say, who wished to steer clear of the parish, and was, therefore, compelled to mingle with such society to obtain a livelihood, for on their purchases rested her chief dependence. And, then, in pity to her, they opened their purse, and gave her something to keep her at home. But home had no charms for the benighted Jenny: to her hardened heart and unenlightened mind, it conveyed no ideas of comfort or quiet; it was no link between earth and heaven. The same round of giddy pleasures was therefore still trodden by her; and if any remonstrated, the customary appeal to their charitable feelings produced the old effect, and additional means were extorted for the enjoyment of the old reckless and ungodly habits. By the system of deception she practised, Jenny gratified two evil propensities, the love of sinful pleasure, and the lust of gold. For the latter, she had a strong and permanent attachment, and she was fast amassing, by her sinful mode of living, no inconsiderable sum. This statement may, at first sight, seem incompatible with her habits. But a few words of explanation will remove the seeming inconsistency. That which Jenny drank she never paid for. And this formed one of the unanswerable arguments by which she kept her sober patrons. They will make me take the poison," she would say; "I know it is wrong, but they will not deal with me if I refuse." And then the hand of charity was again stretched forth, to enable her to remain at home and quit her evil pursuits. But Jenny hied from them to the society of the profligate, knowing that she could, at any time, recall the waning favour of her patronesses by a little flattery, and a few sentences such as we have quoted, interlarded with occasional tears and sighs. A life such as I have depicted, so unprincipled, so hypocritical, so wicked, did poor blind Jenny lead, for upwards of sixty years, during which "Virtue in vain besought her, And time no lesson brought her;" but as the homely saying has it, "That is a long lane which has no turning"that is a wild life in which there is no reformation. So Jenny, after this period had elapsed, seemed to think; and, therefore, she, the hardened and profligate, has taken a step out of her usual |