removed the living part into another tub, and attended it with great care. As it advanced he laid down the branches which took root, and he distributed the plants amongst his friends and men of eminence. Thus the laurel became known throughout Europe. Clusius's plant died without flowering; but another which he gave to Aicholtz flowered in May 1583; and also another a few years

afterwards with Joachim Camerarius at Nuremberg. *

The laurel is not mentioned by Gerard in 1597, and we may therefore conclude that it was not then known in England. Parkinson says, in his "Garden of Pleasant Flowers," which was published in 1629, that it grew in the garden of Master James Cole at Highgate, where it had blossomed and ripened fruit, and that it was preserved by throwing a blanket over it every winter. Cole was a merchant in London, who appears to have bestowed much pains and expense in collecting rare plants. Gerard calls him his "loving friend," on which account we conclude he had not received the laurel when he published his Herbal; yet we find that Cole, as well as Gerard, was in friendly correspondence with

* Clus. Hist.

Clusius, and we cannot well account for the length of intervening time before they received plants of the laurel. Clusius died in April 1609; and, as Parkinson says, in 1629, Cole's laurel had then "flowered divers times, and borne ripe fruit also," he must have received it early in the seventeenth century.

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Parkinson tells us, that he had procured the laurel from Master Cole, and that he had also received its seed from Italy, under the title of Laurus regia, the " King's bay;" but it having no affinity with the bay, Bellonius named it Laurocerasus, " and I should," says Parkinson, have placed it in my orchard amongst the sorts of cherries; but the beautifulnesse of the plant caused me rather to insert it here, in the Garden of Pleasant Flowers.'

Evelyn says, that he was told by a noble personage, that the laurel was first brought to England by the Countess of Arundel, wife to Thomas Earl of Arundel and Surry, to whom this country is indebted for the Arundelian Marbles.

In referring to the history of this ancient family, we find that the Countess of Arundel set out for Italy in 1614, for the purpose of accompanying her two sons to England. It is, therefore, probable that this evergreen

might have been introduced by her at that time, as it is noticed that wherever she passed she was treated with honours that had never been before paid to an English subject.

The laurel was become common in this country in 1664, as Evelyn observes, that "from the use we commonly put the laurocerasus, the cherry bay, to, it seems as if it had been only destined for hedges, and to cover bare walls." Ray, in 1688, relates, that it was then very common in English gardens and plantations; that it flowered and fruited very well; was very patient of cold, and braved our winters even in an exposed situation.

This evergreen grows naturally on the eastern borders of the Black Sea, particularly in the vicinity of Trebisond, as also on the Caucasian mountains, which extend from the Black to the Caspian Sea. It grows also on some mountains in Persia, and in Crimea. It seems to love a moist soil, and to thrive in our atmosphere much better than in most parts of the Continent. At the present time it is even rare in the gardens around Paris; and a very small plant of it at the tomb of Delille is all we observed at Père la Chaise. It is the Cerasus lauro-cerasus of M. Jussieu, the celebrated botanist; but it is commonly

known in France by the name of Laurieramandier, Almond-laurel, because the leaves give the flavour of bitter almonds and it is also called Laurier-au-lait, Milk-laurel, from its being used to flavour milk. It was formerly much used in this country to give a flavour to puddings and custards, &c.; but this practice is much less frequent since it has been ascertained to be a deadly poison. We should therefore caution all persons against its use, and particularly cooks; for in case of accident, they would be tried for the murder of the sufferer as much as if they had used any other poisonous drug. Dr. Darwin says, "The distilled water from laurél leaves is, perhaps, the most sudden poison we are acquainted with in this country. I have seen about two spoonfuls of it destroy a large pointer dog in less than ten minutes. In a small dose it is said to promote intoxication. On this account there is reason to believe it acts in the same manner as opium and vinous spirit; but that the dose is not so well ascertained." As our shrubbery is meant to amuse, we forbear mentioning the dreadful consequences that have ensued from the baneful juice of this leaf; but we feel it a duty to caution those who may have been in the habit of using it, particularly as custards and pud

dings are generally eaten by children, whose constitutions may suffer through life from the injury done them by this mode of giving a relish to their diet.

The laurel is rather a heavy than a graceful shrub, but the beauty of its green leaves will always ensure it a situation in ornamental plantations. The foliage is of the most agreeable yellow green, being brighter than that of either the orange or lemon; and as the greater number of evergreen plants are of a dark or bluish green, and many of them with a tint of reddish brown, nothing in point of colour can therefore be more desirable than the laurel to relieve the sameness which would otherwise too often predominate in our winter greens. The common laurel has flowers in April and May, and although small; their appearing in clusters has a good effect, particularly when the trees have acquired age, so as to produce their white petals in abund

ance.

The laurel, when trained as a tree with one stem, has a very superior appearance to the common bush, particularly when it can be carried to a considerable height before it branches out; and to obtain this effect more speedily, it is recommended to graft the laurel on a common cherry stock, or upon