It was first introduced by Mr. John Bell, in 1784, but being lost, was again raised from seed sent from the Berlin garden to Messrs. Whitley and Co., of the Fulham nursery, where it flowered in August, 1817, and was found sufficiently hardy to stand in a sheltered border in the open ground.

The root of our native Yellow Water-Flag, Iris Pseudo-Acorus, that flowers so abundantly in our fens and marshes during the month of June, had formerly a place in the "London Pharmacopoeia,” under the name of Gladiolus luteus. It is much - praised by Ettmuller, as a very certain and powerful styptic in spitting and vomiting of blood. At present this acrid root is but little used in medicine. It is of so powerfully astringent a nature, that it may be employed as a substitute for galls in making ink.

The common blue or purple Flower de Luce of our gardens, Iris Germanica, yields a most beautiful paint for water-colours, for which purpose the flower-petals are collected before they are fully expanded, "and pounded in a stone mortar with a stone-capped or wooden pestle-then put into a glass, and placed for some days in a cellar or other moist place after the space of about a fortnight, the mass, which is now become liquid, is to be set

K 5

over the fire in a glass pot, till about a third part is consumed; then some rock-alum is to be put into it, more or less, till it becomes clear, and acquires its fine blue colour; after which it is poured into shells for use."-Martyn's Miller.

The root of this Flower de Luce was formerly used to prevent beer becoming stale, by suspending it in the cask; and it was in like manner suspended in casks of wine, to communicate both its taste and smell to the liquor.

AURICULA. Primula Auricula.

Natural Order Precia. A Genus of the Pentandria

Monogynia Class.

Auriculas, enrich'd

With shining meal o'er all their velvet leaves.

THOMSON.

Queen of the snowy Alps, in glittering pride
She rears her palace on the mountain's side;
There, as bright sun-beams light her spangled throne,
Attendant sylphs the aërial empress own;
Expand their purple plumes, and raised in air,
Wave their green banners to protect the fair;
Imperial beauty, with resistless sway,

Tames the rude bears, and bids their tribes obey;
Roar round each crystall'd cliff and moss-girt plain,
And guard in shaggy troops her bright domain.
Delighted Boreas views her from afar,
And drives in stormy state his ebon car;
Low at her feet the boist'rous monarch bows,
And breathes his passion 'mid descending snows,
While timid Zephyr flies through flelds of air,
Scarce daring to approach the hill-encircled fair.

SHAW.

THIS favourite offspring of vernal Flora is a native of the icy summits of the Alps, from whence the Flemish gardeners first procured it, and brought it into cultivation, before its beauties were known in other distant lands, or regarded in its native country. But when it was once ascertained to be a plant on

which Nature plays her frolics, and which she loves to paint in all the varieties of whimsicality and diversity of rich hues, it was eagerly sought after by all the florists of Europe, and was soon brought to the highest state of perfection by the English cultivators, who, in the flowering of the Auricula, have left even the Flemings far in the back-ground.

At what exact period this Primula of the mountains was first brought to England is uncertain, but Gerard speaks of it as no stranger in 1597, and observes, "it do grow in our London gardens." This author calls it Beare's-eares, or Mountaine Cowslips, and Auricula Ursiflora. The leaves of this plant are thought to resemble the ears of the bear, on which account it received the Latin name of Auricula Ursi, and the French Oreille d'ours, as well as the Italian Orecchia d'orso.

It is thought to be the Alisma of Dioscorides. Matthiolus and Pena call it Sanicula Alpina, from its character of healing wounds. It has also been named Paralytica by old herbalists, on account of its being esteemed a remedy for the palsy.

When this plant was established as a favourite in the garden, it was sought for on most of the mountains of the continent. Carolus Clusius found it on the mountains of Germany, and it has since been discovered in Switzerland, Carniola, Savoy and Piedmont.

The art of floriculture has been so happily bestowed upon the Auricula as to render it one of the flowers of highest esteem; and it is deservedly admired for its rich velvet corollas, some of which are of the darkest purple, others of a fine blue, bright yellow, delicate lilac, olive brown, pure white, variegated, bordered or mottled as variously as the Tulip; and as it is a flower often exhibited for prizes at Auricula-shows, we shall give what is now considered as the criterion of a perfect and fine flower of this kind.

"The stem must be erect and strong, and of a height to carry the bunch of flowers above the foliage of the plant. The peduncles, or foot-stalks, of the flowers, should also be strong and elastic, and of a proportionable length to the size and quantity of pips, which should not be less than seven in number, that the bunch may be rather round, close, and compact. The component parts of the pip are the tube, (with its stamens and anthers,) the eye, and the exterior circle, containing the ground colour, with its marginal edge: these three should be all well proportioned, which they are when the diameter of the tube be one part, the eye three, and the whole pip six, or nearly so. All the connoisseurs of the Auricula agree that the pips should be round, but this seldom happens; and if they be so nearly round as not to deserve the ap