epiphyllum, rhipsalis, and other varieties of cactaceous and epiphyllous genera; the aloe, cycas, agave, cereus, side-saddle flower, Venus' fly-trap, sun-dew, nepenthes, lycopodium, &c. all remarkable either for the beauty or peculiarity of their habits and structures.

Rare exotics need not, however, be sought after. "The plants to furnish it," says Mr Ward, "can be procured abundantly in the woods in the neighbourhood of London. Of these I will mention a few. The common ivy grows most beautifully, and can be trained over any part of the case, agreeably to the pleasure of the owner. The primroses, in early spring, will abundantly repay the labour of fetching them, continuing for seven or eight weeks in succession to flower as sweetly as in their native woods. So likewise does the wood-sorrel, the anemone, the honeysuckle, and a host of other plants, independently of numerous species of mosses and of ferns. Some of these latter are more valuable than others, in consequence of the longer duration of their fronds, such as Lastrea dilatata, and its numerous varieties. There are likewise many cultivated plants procurable at little or no cost, which grow without the slightest trouble, such as the Lycopodium denticulatum, the common musk-plant, myrtles, jasmines, &c. All the vacant spaces in the case may be employed in raising small salads, radishes, &c.; and I think that a man would be a bad manager who could not, in the course of a twelvemonth, pay for his case out of its proceeds. These remarks apply chiefly to situations where there is but little solar light. Where there is more sun, a greater number and variety of flowering plants will be found to thrive, such as several kinds of roses, passion-flowers, geraniums, &c. with numerous beautiful annuals, namely, Ipomea coccinea, the species of Nemophila, Convolvulus, and a host of others: the vegetation, in fact, can be diversified in an endless degree, not only in proportion to the differing degrees of light and heat, but likewise by varying the quantity of moisture; thus, with precisely the same aspect, ferns and bog plants might be grown in one case, and aloes, cactuses, mesembryanthemums, and other succulent plants in another."

It is apparent, then, from what we have stated, that every one, rich or poor, the tenant of one humble apartment, or the possessor of a splendid mansion, can equally indulge, according to his means, in the culture of what is lovely, fresh, and fragrant in the vegetable creation. If he cannot afford a Ward's case, he can obtain at least his wooden box, or pot of earthenware; and if he cannot purchase what is rare and strange, he can have around him what is equally lovely and fragrant, as the common geraniums, hydrangeas, fuchsias, verbenas, musk-plants, lilies of the Nile, and a hundred others which will flourish luxuriantly in the humblest cabin. If his means will not afford ornamental pots

and elegant stands, he can at least keep clean and orderly such as he has; always remembering, that the luxuriant and healthy plant will be an ornament of itself, though grown in an old teapot, while the most expensive vase will not compensate for a poor stunted and neglected vegetable. The love and taste for what is beautiful and graceful and healthful in nature, is the great object to be gained; filth, disorderly habits, and dissipation, are inconsistent with that love; and where it exists genuinely and strong, there also will be cherished the greater regard for external decency and order; and these, in turn, will lead to more elevated thoughts, and to tastes and habits far removed from all that is mean and sensual. There is perhaps no pursuit which leads the mind more directly to an appreciation of that wisdom and goodness which pervade Creation than the study of the vegetable kingdom, in which infinite variety, beauty and elegance, singularity of structure, the nicest adaptations, and the most pre-eminent utility, meet us at every step, and compel us to observe and learn, even when often the least disposed to inquiry or reflection. But waving all these, the nurture of plants is an object for the amusement and recreation of the female and invalid; something to engage the attention, something to cherish, and something wherewith to decorate and perfume their dwellings, when the means are perhaps denied them of adding more expensive ornaments of taste and fashion. Take it even in the light of a mere recreation for an idle moment, it is at least an innocent and cheerful one; one that never interferes with the comfort of a neighbour, or brings to the cultivator one tear of mortification or regret.

YONS has for ages been the principal seat of the silk manufacture in France, for which its situation is favourable. Placed on a level tract of ground, bounded by the Rhone on the east and the Saone on the west -the two rivers uniting at its southern extremity-it possesses the means of ready water communication with the silk-producing districts of the south of France and Italy, as well as with the country in the interior. In the course of time, the town has spread from its original peninsular situation to the opposite banks of the two rivers. Beyond the Saone is the hill of Fourviers, covered to the top with a populous suburb. The not less extensive suburbs of Brotteaux and Guillotière stretch from the east bank of the Rhone. On this side of the Rhone the land is level, being the verge of the great plain which spreads in this direction to the borders of Switzerland and Savoy. The northern extremity of the peninsula on which Lyons is built rises to a considerable eminence, and is clad with a densely-built suburb, called La Croix Rousse, presenting_an imposing background to the city as seen from the south. The population of the town and its suburbs is about 165,000.

In the course of the revolution of 1793, Lyons suffered severely in consequence of having opposed the decrees of the National Convention. On being captured, after a bombardment with red-hot shot and shells, many of its public buildings were vengefully destroyed, and whole streets were left in ruins. Besides this destruction of property, 30,000 persons perished within the walls, but many more were afterwards put to death

by order of Couthon, Collot d'Herbois, and other revolutionary leaders. Since this terrific period, Lyons has risen from its ashes, and is now one of the handsomest provincial towns in France. Built of stone, and with spacious quays fronting the rivers, it is a city elegant in external appearance, while to the stranger walking through its streets, the great height and massiveness of the houses make it not less striking. Its Hotel de Ville, or town-hall, is a fine old building, standing at one side of a square, called the Place des Terreaux, near the centre of the town. Its great public hospital, on the quay fronting the Rhone, is one of the largest buildings of the kind in Europe; and its principal square, a large open area, called the Place Bellecour, is surrounded with edifices which can be compared only to some of the most handsome structures of Paris. The houses of Lyons resemble those of Paris and Edinburgh. Rising to a height of six or seven storeys, each floor is the distinct dwelling of one or more families; the inhabitants reaching their respective places of residence by a spacious common stair, built of stone. In these floors the manufacture of silk is carried on. There are no factories in Lyons; no great collections of workmen in an edifice, as in the manufacturing towns of England. The business of manufacturing is conducted in private dwellings; looms and other apparatus being usually disposed in one apartment, and the family of the weaver in another. The tall houses of the suburb La Croix Rousse are chiefly occupied in this manner by weavers and their families.

THE SILK TRADE OF LYONS.

The silk manufacture was introduced from Italy into France in the fifteenth century; and a century later, in the reign of Francis I., in consequence of the settlement of Italian weavers at Lyons, that city attained a distinction in the manufacture which it has ever since maintained. At first, the trade was conducted on a small scale; and, in dread of losing that which they had attained, the silk manufacturers of Lyons earnestly petitioned the government to protect them by the exclusion of foreign goods. It being necessary to conciliate the Italian states, such propositions were not listened to or carried into effect, and the trade was left in a great measure free. Contrary to expectation, the refusal to grant the restrictions prayed for did not ruin the silk trade of Lyons. The competition aroused the efforts and emulation of the Lyonnese designers and weavers; they learned how to equal the Italians, and even to produce better silks than those with which Genoa had been accustomed to supply Europe. They likewise acquired the art of fabricating velvets, plain, or figured with gold or silver; and finally attained that perfection which gave celebrity to their city.

During the eighteenth century, the manufacture of silk became the largest trade in France, both as respects native con

sumption and export. Increasing during the early part of the present century, it has latterly beer in a somewhat critical condition, in consequence of the rivalry of Prussia, Italy, Switzerland, and more especially Great Britain. In Northern Italy and Switzerland, the weavers are simple in their tastes and habits; they are accustomed to a humble style of living, and having slender means of employment, they are contented with a lower rate of wages than would suffice for decent support in France or England. In Great Britain, the ability to compete successfully in the silk trade arises from the possession of enormous capital, with the most improved and easily-acquired machinery. With these means at command, and with an active body of operatives, the English have latterly been taking much of the French silk trade; and the more they take, the smaller is the share of foreign orders left for the silk manufacturers and weavers of France.

Competed against by the low wages of the Swiss, and the money and machinery, not to speak of the ready outlets of the English, the only reason why the Lyonnese have hitherto maintained so successfully the struggle in which they are engaged, is the superiority of their designs. The designers are, indeed, the soul of the silk manufactory: their talent gives beauty to goods, the principal value of which lies in the pattern; and to cultivate and encourage this talent, is considered a matter of the first importance. Schools of art are open to pupils for education in various branches of the fine arts, including instructions in mise en curte, or the communicating of designs on paper to the silk fabric. Besides attendance at these schools, the pupils have free access to picture galleries, museums of objects of taste, public libraries, and botanical gardens, where the finest flowers in combination may be studied. By these means, added to the incidental improvement of taste from the prevalence of ornament in churches and other public edifices, the richest and most beautiful patterns, with the most correct harmony of colours, are at the command of the silk manufacturers of Lyons.

Placing the designers and the manufacturers at the head of the Lyonnese silk trade, the class which stands next in rank is that of the chefs d'ateliers; that is, chiefs of work-rooms; but, for convenience, we may style them master weavers. These men receive the webs to be wrought from the manufacturers, undertaking to weave them at a certain rate, according to the patterns which are given them. Some of the stuffs are exceedingly complex in design, and require great mechanical skill in preparation. To arrange a web in a loom, will in some instances require six weeks or two months. Besides being the arranger of the web, the master weaver is also sometimes its worker. He owns two or three, and occasionally as many as six or eight looms, some of which are worked by himself and his family, the rest by compagnons, or assistants, and by apprentices. Both on account of his lending the loom and his arranging the fabric, the