downwards, like a carrot or a parsnip. | In two or three years, when planted in this way, they are fit to take up for use, and may be employed, fresh, in making horseradish vinegar, or for the table. Scraped horseradish is an agreeable ally to a sirloin of beef, be it hot or cold. In thus associating it with the table, it may conjure up the remembrance of many a domestic gathering, where the father of the family has lifted up his hands and heart in supplication to God in grace before meat, that the bodies and souls of the assembled group might be strengthened to live to his glory. The admonition of the apostle is an important one, "Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God," I Cor. x. 31. Another kitchen-garden plant, grow ing fast into reputation, is the sea kale, (Crambe maritima,) a native of our sea shore, and a few years ago quite neglected; but now cultivated and sold, when blanched, at a considerable price. It grows about eighteen inches high, blowing in May and June, with a white long blossom; the filaments of the stamens are forked; the seed pod is blunt; the leaves are of a sea-green colour, roundish, and many toothed; the stem is quite smooth. A very common garden flower, of this order, is the umbelled candy tuft, (Iberis umbellata,) a hardy annual from the south of Europe, one foot high, and blowing from June till July. The blossom is in form of an umbelled bouquet, the two outer petals being the largest; the seed pods have two pointed lobes; the leaves are spear shaped and taper pointed, the lower being saw toothed, and the upper entire. It varies like most cultivated plants in the colour of the flowers, from dark purple to light rose colour. In the summer of 1839, the writer saw a plant of candy tuft, in a garden near Croydon, with flowers of a very dark crimson purple, similar to that of port wine; but this might be considered rare. One of the smallest of our British plants, which comes into flower almost as early as the snowdrop, belongs to this order, and is called spring wort, (Erophila vulgaris, or Draba verna.) It is very common on the tops of old walls, and on barren heaths and commons, rising from half an inch to two or three inches high. The blossom is very small and white, the petals being two parted, and the calyx equal. The stem from the root is covered with flowers from five to fifteen in number; the seed pods are shorter than the stalk, with flat valves and few seeds, without edges. The leaves spread over the ground in form of a star. It spreads and hides with flowerets free, This lesson will be in agreement with that Christian charity which "suffereth long, and is kind," which “beareth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things," 1 Cor. xiii. 4, 7. Dyers' wood, (Isatis tinctoria,) which belongs to this order, has been supposed to be a native of this country, because it is always found with us in and about cultivated fields, and, according to Linnæus, it is a maritime plant. But we learn from Pliny, that the ancient Britons painted their bodies with it. It is now used by dyers for dyeing blue, and as the basis of black and several other colours. It is said that queen Elizabeth took offence at the scent of this herb, and on that account issued an edict prohibiting its cultivation. Hakluyt says, we were dependent upon France for a supply of wood in 1576; but he adds, that in 1582, "thus was wood brought in and came to good perfection, to the great loss of the French." It is still occasionally cultivated, the seed being sown on wellprepared land, in good heart; fresh broken, old pasture land being preferred, and the great object is to have large leaves; consequently, the culture given to spinach would succeed best on the Norfolk turnip culture, thinning the plants out, so that they might not touch each other, and keeping them clear from weeds. The seeds are sown in July, the plants, when they come up, are weeded and thinned; and next July, or earlier, the first crop of leaves may be gathered, and two or three other gatherings in the course of the season, ploughing down the whole in autumn. leaves are pressed and treated much in the same way as the indigo plants, in the preparation of indigo. The The herb honesty (Lunaria viennis) is another plant of this order, cultivated for curiosity. It is a native of corn fields in Germany, and the writer has seen it frequently along the banks of the Rhine. It blows with us from May till June, with a light purple or -lilac blossom, the calyx almost in form of | two pouches; the petals nearly entire; the stamens not toothed; the seed pods are broad, flat, and moon like. The seeds should be sown in spring or au tumn. those heretofore raised in this country; and seed of these may be procured at most of the shops and nurseries, though it is rather expensive. The queen stock, or Brompton stock, or giant stock, is a biennial, differing from the annual ten weeks' stock, chiefly in its biennial time of flowering, and larger size of the plants, though they are derived from another species, and said to be a native of Britain. In the second order, we find the universal favourite in gardens, the common wall flower, (Cheiranthus cheiri,) or hand flower, as the Linnæan term for it means in Latinized Greek, taken from its being so commonly gathered for The cuckoo flowers (Cardamine pranosegays. It is a native of the south of tensis) is a plant belonging to this order. Europe, and is not hardy enough to stand It is one of our commonest meadow flowour severest winters, though, in shelter-ers, blowing from April till May, when ed situations, it does not suffer much the cuckoo is first heard, whence, most from frost. It blows with us from probably, the name. The blossom is March, or earlier, during the earlier whitish purple, or rather white, with summer months, and, in particular in-purplish lines, similar to the blossom stances, throughout the year. The of the wood sorrel. The summit of the calyx is double pouched at the base; the pistil is furnished with a head, the style summits of the pistils have their lobes very short; the stem leaves numerous bent back; the seed pods are line like and divided, the divisions being line like, and roundish, opening from the base. or spear shaped and entire; the root The leaves are spear shaped and entire. | leaves are winged, with the leafits roundThe fine double varieties, particularly the ish, tasting like cresses, and may be large yellow one, introduced a few years eaten as such when young and tender. ago from Belgium, must be propagated They have frequently the purple like by cuttings, as they do not produce seed. green of one variety of water cresses. The single ones vary in colour, from bright yellow to deep iron brown, popularly called blood colour. It is a very singular circumstance, that though this plant will grow on the tops of the driest walls, no plant sooner flags and withers for want of water, when it is grown in flower pots. The ten weeks' stock (Mathiala annua) is very similar to the wall flower in habit, and is no less generally esteemed as a border flower or for the greenhouse or window. Like the wallflower, it is a native of the south of Europe, and according to the time of sowing, may be seen in blossom at most seasons of the year. The summit of the pistil is approaching and thickest; the seed pods rather cylindrical, and without glands; the stem is erect, branched, but not shrubby like the wallflower; the leaves are spear shaped, blunt, and hoary, giving the plant a whitish appearance. The sorts with double flowers are most esteemed, though these cannot be insured when the plants are raised, as they usually are, from seed; and cuttings do not furnish good plants. The colours vary considerably, from white to scarlet and dark purple. Varieties from Germany and Russia have been recently introduced, with much finer flowers than The water cress (Nasturtium officinale) is a very common native plant in ditches and slow-running streams, with a gravelly bottom, thriving best in water within the influence of the sea tide. On the sea shore at St. Adresse, in Normandy, the writer noticed a remarkably luxuriant patch of water cresses, just within reach of the highest spring tides. In stagnant ditches, again, the plant will grow, but not with any great luxuriance, and then produces small leaves, tough and dry, instead of the succulent leaves grown in running water, with a gravelly bottom. It blows from May till July, with a white blossom, the calyx equal at the base, and spreading; the summit of the pistil is two lobed; the seed pod is roundish, short, and declining; the leaves are many cleft, with oblong and rather heart-shaped divisions, unequally diluted. Several varieties are grown by market gardeners, such as the pale green, which is the hardiest, and has the least flavour; and the brown or purple, which is most esteemed, but is less hardy than the green. A singular and not unaffecting sight is occasionally seen in the suburbs of London, when a hard winter takes place. Women and girls go about, in the frost and snow, with tufts of water cresses tied to the end of long sticks, calling at every house, and singing in a dolorous tone, the words "Poor watercressers ! Remember the poor watercressers! We're all frozed out! Poor watercressers!" He must have a hard heart, who can witness this sight on a snowy morning, with the thermometer below zero, without being moved by it. SIXTEENTH CLASS. 66 MONADELPHIA. In this class are arranged plants, whose flowers have from three to many stamens, with their filaments united into a tube around the pistil, and thus forming one brotherhood," as the term Monadelphia implies. There are seven orders. 1. Triandria, with three stamens, as tiger flowers. 2. Pentandria, with five stamens, as passion flower. 3. Octandria, with eight stamens. 4. Decandria, with seven stamens. 5. Endecandria, with eight stamens. 6. Dodecandria, with ten stamens. 7. Polyandria, with many stamens. As an illustration of the second order, the common field stork's bill (Erodimus) may be taken. It is not uncommon on hilly pastures, by waysides, and on the sea coast, and is easily distinguished by its reddish flowers, and the long beak-like seed. with a large pink flower, and trailing branches spreading on the ground. The writer once saw a very large wild patch of this fine plant on the hills about Port Patrick, in Wigtonshire. The blue (G. pratense) is also a very fine flower, larger still than the preceding, and very common in some localities, but rare in others. As illustrative of the last order, we find the hollyhock, (Althea rosea,) a native of China, very commonly cultivated as a flower in our gardens; and the wild mallow, (Malva sylvestris,) one of the showiest flowers which grows by our waysides. Oh! the hollyhock! A writer has pithily said, “No garden should be without a hollyhock, whether it belong to a prince or a peasant. Stately and aspiring, and requiring space, it yet wisely accommodateth itself to its circumstances, adorning alike the gay parterre and the cottage door. Whether puce, crimson, scarlet, yellow, or white, it is always elegant; never forgets that it is a hollyhock." Oh that we were all Christian hollyhocks! never forgetting ourselves, but continually blooming and blossoming in every Christian grace. GLAD TIDINGS. THE purport of the Christian ministry is joyful; it is the glad tidings of the kingdom of God. Though God from the beginning of time had maintained his authority as a great King over all the earth, the Jewish prophecies announced a period when his kingdom, or, according to an apter version, his reign, should emphatically approach. That period was now arrived. Now the Lord was making bare his arm; now was the Divine autho The common garden pot geraniums illustrate the fourth order, and consist of very numerous species; but owing to improvements in botanical arrangement, these are no longer called geraniums by botanists, but Pelargonium. Among the old favourites are the horseshoe, (P. zonale,) known from the brown circle on the leaves in form of a horseshoe, and the parent of many of the finest hybrid scarlet flowered varieties introduced by crossing. The flowers of the old ori-rity displayed more widely; now the ginal plant are small, and not now esteemed. The oak leaved, (P. quercifolium,) and the gooseberry leaved, (P. grossularisides,) are now rapidly disappearing. In the sixth order are placed the plants now called geraniums, or crow's bill, many of them natives of this country, and very common as weeds by waysides, and in cornfields, such as the cut leaved, (Geranium_dissectum,) dove's foot, (G. molle,) and the shining leaved, (G. lucidum ;) but the finest of our native geraniums is the scarlet, (G. sanguineum,) very common in gardens, framer of the Mosaic economy dissolved it, and a dispensation more spiritual, more comprehensive, and durable was established. These were the grand facts Jesus taught, these the glad tidings proclaimed by the gospel. The gospel! it is the reign of grace; grace! it is the source of salvation. What are glad tidings-pardon to the guilty? Then the gospel is glad tidings, for it declares God to be reconciling the world to himself, not imputing their trespasses. What are glad tidings-to be informed of deliverance from sin? Then the gospel is glad tidings; for therein be have just indulged, is perfectly natural in my present sphere, and very likely (such is man!) the readiest way to cure me of such impulsive openheartedness, would be to give me the means of embodying my imaginary benevolence. There is a something in the very nature of riches that prompts the owner of them to increase, rather than to diminish his possessions; so that, often in the same degree in which we have power to assist others, we have only the inclination to serve ourselves. Instances, many instances, occur to the contrary; but they are the exceptions to the general rule. lievers are assured, sin shall not have dominion over them. Christ was manifested to take away sin; he gave himself for his church, see Eph. v. 25-27. What are glad tidings-the proclamation of protection and friendship? Then the gospel is glad tidings; for in it God invites us to come out from sinners, and to be separate, for then he will receive us as his sons and daughters. What are glad tidings life from the dead? Then the gospel is glad tidings; for it informs us that Christ hath abolished death, and brought life and immortality to light; that whoso believeth in him shall not While thus indulging my reflections, perish, but have everlasting life. What, I am seated on one of the benches in St. I demand finally, are glad tidings-the James's park, opposite the lake; the arrival of a blessing in which multi- proud palace of Buckingham is on my tudes are interested? Then the gospel right; the goodly towers of the abbey of is glad tidings, for it is addressed to Westminster on my left; with a promenevery nation; it comprehends bond and ade, in the fore ground, of well dressed free, the refined and the rude, male people, and beyond it, the clear sun-lit, and female, Jew, Mohammedan, Pagan; wind-ruffled water, on which aquatic aged, young, rich, poor, moral, pro- fowls of different kinds are sporting joyfligate. Hence sinners, though oft re- ously. I have, before now, when seated jected, we renew our addresses, in the here, under favourable circumstances, hope that you will one day be con-thought that few scenes in the world, vinced: 'tis your privilege to listen. Hence, believers, we exhort you to be stedfast, immoveable, etc., and having received such a ministry, we faint not, but go on our way rejoicing.-Joseph Hughes. THE PERAMBULATOR. THE PARKS. HAD I a park of a thousand acres, well wooded with spreading oaks and towering elms, well watered with crystal lakes, and well stocked with fleet red deer, how gladly would I open my gates, and widen my pathways, that others might share in my gratifications! And had I a goodly mansion in the midst, with noble halls and suites of apartments, and ten thousand a year to spend, how hospitably would I entertain those who are less abundantly provided for than myself! My dainty morsels should not be eaten alone, I would open my doors to the traveller! By this time the reader will be quite satisfied that I neither have an extended park, a goodly mansion, and ten thousand a year, nor any very clear prospect of suddenly coming into possession of the same. Such a burst of disinterestedness and generosity, as that in which I of a limited extent, could be finer than this; and feelings of a similar kind are exercising an influence over me now. The parks, as breathing places to the inhabitants, are, indeed, important appendages to the metropolis. Here the sovereign and her subjects find healthy exercise and agreeable recreation. St. James's Park is used more for promenading than for riding or driving, though the carriage communication, between Buckingham palace and that of St. James's, is very frequent. In the reign of Henry VIII., the park was nothing more than a desolate marsh. It was enlarged and planted with lime trees by Charles II., who contracted the water into a canal, and formed, likewise, a decoy and other ponds for water fowl. In one part of the park, there once was a hollow smooth walk, enclosed with a border of wood on each side, and ended at one extremity by a hoop of iron. Here a certain game at ball was much played, and it was from this that the place afterwards took the name of "mall." Between a hundred and fifty and two hundred years ago king Charles 11. might have been seen in that part of the park called Bird-cage walk, playing with his spaniels, and other dogs, feeding his ducks, and talking in a familiar manner with his subjects. He had an aviary near the place. The more swampy part of the park was then called Duck Island. Never, perhaps, did St. James's park present so splendid an appearance as on the coronation of queen Victoria. The queen with her attendants, the royal carriages, the ambassadors vying with each other in the magnificence of their carriages and equipages. The field marshals and general officers in full uniform with their troops; the military bands, the flags, and streamers; and the innumerable multitudes assembled, formed | a spectacle inconceivably imposing. Just before the queen made her appearance in her state carriage, a heron rose up from the lake, winged its way far above the assembled throng, and sailed majestically round and round over the palace walls. As I gazed on the noble bird, which had attracted the attention of tens of thousands, I thought to myself, "In olden times great importance was attached, on particular occasions, to the flight of birds. Now, if that heron should alight for a moment on the pediment of the palace, or on the flagstaff bearing the standard, it would be regarded as an omen for good, and the event would be handed down to posterity." The green park is, perhaps, less frequented than any other. A walk along the carriage road, by the side of it, has brought me to the triumphal arches, for such they are frequently called, at Hydepark-corner. Apsley house, the mansion of the duke of Wellington, with its iron gates and barred windows, stands like a fortress at the entrance of Hyde park; but I must relate an anecdote of Apsley house, that some time ago appeared in the London journals. old apple woman prospered greatly; for the shed was built, and her business surprisingly increased. The situation was a good one for the purpose, and she carried on a very profitable trade. In the course of years, the old soldier died, and the lord chancellor, who was looking around him, at the time, for a suitable piece of ground where he might build himself a mansion, fixed his mind on this very spot. The old woman was sadly alarmed when she saw her poor shed pulled down, and preparations made to build up a great house where it stood; and away she went to a son, an attorney's clerk, to consult with him as to what course she ought to take. The son was shrewd enough to see, at once, the advantage that might be gained by remaining quiet in the matter; so he advised his mother to say nothing until the great mansion should be completed. No sooner was the house finished, than the son waited on the lord chancellor to complain of the trespass committed on his mother's property, and to claim a recompence for the injury that had been sustained. When the chancellor saw that the claim was undeniable, he directly offered a few hundred pounds by way of compensation; but this was altogether refused; the old woman, advised by her son, would by no means settle the affair on such easy terms. After some deliberation, a ground rent of four hundred pounds a year was demanded, and his lordship, at last, agreed to the terms. It is added, that to this very day Apsley House yields a ground rent of four hundred pounds yearly to the descendants of the old apple woman. The bronze figure of Achilles on the granite pedestal, which meets the eye on entering the archway into the park, was erected in honour of the duke of Wellington. It is considered as a fine specimen of art, and is very generally ad It is said that as George II. was riding on horseback, one day, in Hyde park, he met an old soldier, who had fought with him in the battle of Dettingen: with this soldier he entered into free dis-mired. course. After talking together for some time, the king asked the veteran what he could do for him? "Why, please your majesty," said the soldier, "my wife keeps an apple stall on the bit of waste ground as you enter the park, and if your majesty would be pleased to make us a grant of it, we might build a little shed, and improve our trade." The request, a very moderate one, was at once granted. In a little time the Of all the royal parks, no one is so extensive as Hyde Park, nor can such an assemblage of carriages and fine horses be seen in any other place in the whole world, as are here daily witnessed during the summer months: to a stranger they appear absolutely numberless, and the wonder rises in the mind, that there should be rich people enough to keep so many costly equipages. Two hundred years back, Hyde Park contained as many as eighteen hundred |