and codeia, which produce the anodyne | peony, (Paonia officinalis,) a very effects of opium, without some of its more disagreeable consequences.

general favourite in gardens; when double, having much the appearance of a very large rose, or rather of a dahlia, and flowering, too, in May, at a season when these are not to be seen. The blossom is deep rose red; the calyx with five leaves; the corolla with five petals; the style of the pistil is wanting; the capsule is many seeded, like a pod, downy and nearly straight.

The corn poppy (P. rhaus) is a very common weed in cornfields, conspicuous from its very bright scarlet flowers, which are used in making syrup of poppy. The plant flowers in June and the following months. The calyx has two rough concave leaves, falling off after the flower has expanded; the corolla has four large petals (when single) of a bright scarlet colour; the seed vessel is urn shaped, one celled, and contains many seeds. It does not seem to possess the anodyne properties of the white poppy. Double varieties are much cultivated in gardens, varying in colour, like almost all plants, which are subject-spike; there is no calyx; the corolla has ed to various modes of cultivation.

In the third order, we find arranged the aconite, (Aconitum napellus,) which is not a native of Britain; but is to be found in almost every garden, blowing in May and the following months, according to soil and situation. The blossom is dark purplish blue, and forms a tall

five petals, the upper one being arched so as to protect the stamens from rain. The leaves are deeply divided. The root is a cone, in form of a small turnip. It is a deadly poison, and accidents have occurred by gardeners thoughtlessly chewing the leaves. The new alkaloid, aconitina, a very frightful poison, is procured from the plant. Several other species, such as the panicled aconite, (A. paniculatum,) are cultivated for medicinal purposes.

Corn poppies in the open fields are exceedingly attractive in their appearance. Waving to and fro in the breeze and the sunshine, these flowers look as though they had wandered abroad from the garden, to keep holiday in the sunshine, to companionize with the cornstalks, and rejoice with the golden grain. What a goodly sight is that of a field of corn ripe for the sickle! Nourished by the ground, refreshed by the dew and descending shower, and ripened by the The various sorts of larkspur (Decsunny ray, the waving harvest glad-phinium) belong to this order, of which dens the spectator's eye. Well may his the common dwarf annual one (D. ajatongue and his heart exclaim, "Good cis) may be taken as an example. It is a art thou, O God!" "Thou crownest the native of Switzerland, rising about two year with thy goodness; and thy paths feet high, and blowing in June and July, drop fatness," Psa. lxv. 11. with a pink, purple, blue, or white blossom, varieties produced by cultivation. The five petals have each a forked spur, from which the name is derived.

The sunrose (Helianthemum vulgare, formerly Cistus Helianthemum) is a very pretty plant of this order, by no means uncommon in dry hilly pastures in England and Scotland, such as in Derbyshire, Cumberland, the Pentland hills near Edinburgh, Gleniffer Braes near Paisley, in all of which localities the writer of this has gathered it in flower. It is a trailing native evergreen shrubby herb, half a foot high, producing a golden yellow blossom in a loose spike. The calyx has five unequal divisions; the stamens are upright, bending down as soon as touched, like the leaves of the sensitive plant; the corolla with five petals of a roundish form; the stipules fringed and spear shaped. The leaves are egg oblong, and slightly rolled back. There is a garden variety, with double flowers, cultivated to ornament rock work.

In the second order is placed the

As illustrative of the fourth order, we find winter's bark tree, (Wintera aromatica,) an evergreen from South America, the flowers of which grow two or more together, on white footstalks; the calyx is three lobed; the corolla has from six to twelve erect petals; the fruit is a light green berry, spotted with black, and containing black seeds. The bark is grey and wrinkled on the trunk, smooth and green on the branches, and is esteemed in medicine.

In the fifth order, we find arranged the common columbine, (Aquilegia vulgaris,) a native of this country, but rather rare in a wild state, probably because it is, when discovered, transplanted into flower gardens. The writer only once met with it in a large broad patch among furze, in the vicinity of

Blarney castle, in Ireland. It is said to occur frequently in Derbyshire and Westmoreland; but though the writer has botanized in most parts of both those counties, he never met with it. It is a perennial, rising three feet high, and blowing in July with a bluish flower; that found wild in Ireland was white, having a spur behind, somewhat bent inwards. The capsules are velvety, and the seeds black; the leaves nearly smooth; the stem upright, branched, and somewhat angular. From its seeding profusely, it sows itself in gardens, so as to become a weed.

In the sixth order, one of the best known plants is the common buttercup, (Ranunculus bulbosus,) which is to be found profusely in almost every pasture field in the kingdom. The very name of buttercup takes us back to the days of our youth. What goodly, what golden hours have we not all of us passed in the fields, with the sun and the blue sky above our heads, and the green grass and bright yellow buttercups under our feet! If we were not sufficiently grateful then for our enjoyment, let us, even now, for it is not too late, acknowledge, with the mercies of our riper years, the blithesome pleasures of our childhood.

The sun that shone upon our brow
In childhood, shines upon us now;

nual, with pale green divided leaves, and scarlet flowers; and windflower, (Anemone hortensis,) which sports into so many beautiful varieties.

FOURTEENTH CLASS. DIDYNAMIA.

In this class are arranged plants whose flowers have four stamens, two longer and two shorter, forming two powers, as the term Didynamia implies. There are two orders. 1. Gymnospermia, with naked seeds, as ground ivy and mint. 2. Argiospermia, with covered seeds, as foxglove and snapdragon.

Among the most common plants, of the first order, we find mint, (Mentha,) some of the species of which are to be found in every field and garden, for where once introduced, it is no easy matter to eradicate them. Common, or spear mint (M. viridis) is the sort used in the kitchen, and is a native of this country, flowering in August, and ripening seed late in autumn. The flowers are small, of a purple colour, and grow in whirled spikes in the axes of the leaves. The calyx is cylindrical, furrowed, and five toothed; the corolla is funnel shaped, and four cleft. Other common species are peppermint, (M. piperita,) which is darker coloured, and grows in moist ground; pennyroyal, (M. pulegium,) which grows in a spreading manner on the ground; and cornmint, (M. arvensis,) common in cornfields, with an odour and flavour less agreeable than the other species.

Thyme (Thymus serpyllum) is a trailing evergreen perennial, a native of this country, growing on dry heaths and hilly pastures, and flowering from June till August, with a purple blossom, the flowers growing in a head, and the stems lying down. The leaves are flat, blunt, fringed at the base, and the whole plant is fragrant.

and the same Almighty hand, that scattered the pathway of youth with flowers, is yet dealing around us unnumbered mercies. The root bulges below the crown, somewhat like a turnip radish, a circumstance which readily distinguishes it from the creeping one, (R. repens,) or the acrid one, (R. acris ;) but without taking up the root, it may at once be recognized by the leaves of the calyx, which are bent downwards and back from the petals in R. bulbosus, and in no other species. It blows from May till A very common plant of this order is June, and sometimes later, rendering ground ivy, (Glechoma hederacea, Linthe meadows yellow with its golden næus; or, Nepeta glechoma, Bentham,) blossoms. The leaves are rayed and an evergreen creeping perennial, which three cut, with three cleft divisions, and grows in lanes, copses, and on hedge are smaller and paler green than in R. banks, blowing from March till May, acris and R. repens, though not so pale and increasing its runners profusely and delicate as in R. auricoma, which throughout the summer. The calyx is grows in copses. R. flammula, the in form of a tube, with five teeth; marsh buttercup, has brownish green upper lip of the corolla is cleft, and the strap-shaped leaves. They are all acrid lower three lobed; the leaves are kidney and poisonous, though not very power-shaped, and scolloped. The whole plant fully so. is fragrant, and is popularly used for making tea.

In this order, we find some very common garden flowers, such as pheasant's eye, (Adonis autumnalis,) a pretty an

the

Lavender (Lavandula spica) is another well-known plant of this order,

being an evergreen shrubby herb, intro- | grows on old walls, and is also one of the duced into our gardens from the south commonest flowering plants cultivated in of Europe, and flowering with us from our gardens. It blows from June till it June throughout the autumn. The is killed by the frost. The blossom flowers, which are pale blue, of a pecu- grows on a bunched spike, and like many liar shade, grow in whirls, in a close cultivated flowers, varies greatly in cospike; the calyx is egg oblong, and lour, from dark blood crimson, through slightly toothed; the corolla has the up- pale rose red, to white or yellowish per lip cloven, and the lower lip three white; and many are variegated with cleft; the four seeds are at the bottom white and red stripes, or blotches. The of the tube. The flowers are employed calyx has five leaves; the corolla is withfor distilling lavender water, which is ex- out spur, the upper lip being in two ditensively esteemed as a perfume. They visions and bent backwards; the capsule also enter into the composition of the is slanting at the base, without valves, celebrated Eau de Cologne. and opening at the extremity by three pores. There are numerous species of Antirrhinum cultivated as flowers.

Sweet marjoram, (Origanum majorana,) belonging to this order, is a native of Syria and the south of Europe, commonly cultivated as a sweet herb in our gardens, flowering in July and August. The flowers, which are small and white, grow in compact spikes. The calyx has five acute teeth; the corolla is two lipped, the upper lip being erect, and the lower lip three cleft. The whole plant is cut when it begins to flower, and is dried for The common marjoram, (O. vulgare,) a native of Britain, is also fragrant; but is only used to distil an essential oil.

use.

Illustrative of the second order, one of the best known plants is the foxglove, (Digitalis purpurea,) commonly found wild in woods, and copses, and hedge banks in most parts of the country, and frequently cultivated in gardens for the beauty of its flowers. It is a biennial, flowering from June till August; the blossoms, which are large, and red or white, growing on a tall showy spike, all on one side. The calyx is five parted, the uppermost division being the narrowest; the corolla has one large bell-shaped petal, spotted and hairy within, the upper lip being slightly cleft. The capsule has a double partition, with many seeds. The leaves are broad and rugose. The whole plant, and particularly the leaves, gathered when the plant is in flower, is powerfully medicinal, and much employed, by skilful physicians, to diminish the action of the heart, and to lower the pulse in high inflammatory affections, fevers, and consumption of the lungs. It is a dangerous remedy, however, for the ignorant to tamper with, as an over dose might readily destroy the life of the patient. Happily it has never become a popular herb.

Snapdragon (Antirrhinum majus) is a plant belonging to this order, which

J. R.

SUNSET IN SWITZERLAND.

THE quiet and the repose of the evening was perfect. The cottagers already seemed to be sunk into rest, there was no stir among them. The solitary toll of a bell from some church, whose spire pointed towards heaven, to which the house of prayer is the way, was often the only sound that met our ear. The valleys opened upon us: at almost every turn of the road we came upon new combinations of scenery, new outlets among the mountains; yet we were on a road perfectly level, and those heights formed our side scene, and a beautiful one indeed. I was charmed by observing the effect of the clouds that floated around them, or rested on their summits, as the day drew nearer and nearer towards its close. Sometimes these veils of vapour dropped upon and wholly concealed them from our sight; then they shifted, rose gradually, or passed on, alternately discovering or concealing the sides and summits of the mountains, or now partially disclosing some beautiful valley, enriched with woods that appear of the deepest purple against a sky of liquid gold. Now and then might be seen some light spot of verdure that might not unaptly be compared to an emerald set in the diadem of the mountain's brow. Indeed, never till I travelled in these elevated regions, more especially in Switzerland, did I see effects in nature equal in lustre and in the depth and richness of their colouring to the jewels and precious stones of the earth. But not to jewels alone might the glories produced by such a sunset as this be compared. The clouds shifted so continually, that there was

no end