"It is necessary," (says our author,) "to observe that the village of Mill Hill, where I lately resided, is situated upon a high ridge, at the head of two vallies, in which some of the sources of the little brook, called the Brent, arise; and the garden, in which these Dahlias were cultivated, is well screened from the weather by high trees. Being rather above the level at which the exhalations of the adjacent country pass off, the early autumnal and late spring frosts never reach it; at least they have been so mild during the six years I lived there, as never to have cut off cucumber plants, potatoes, french beans, tropaolums, till long after others of the same species had been killed in the vallies [valleys]. In hoar frosts, the top of Harrow Hill, Bushy Heath, Elstree, and Totteridge, are commonly seen green, or illuminated by the sun, when the rest of the neighbourhood is white as snow, or obscured in a sea fog. The medium temperature of this delightful spot, and I believe of most other grounds equally elevated, during the months of December, January, and February, is considerably milder than in any valley, perhaps never less than from 1 to 5 degrees: in extremely severe frosts, the difference is still more apparent, so that when the cold has been down to 12 and 9 degrees of Fahrenheit's thermometer in London, it has only been 20 and 16 there; and this is likewise proved by the more tender exotic plants still remaining in the garden, some of them 60 and 70 years old. The common broad-leaved myrtle against a wall there, quickly grows to 6 feet in height without any covering, and the cupressus sempervirens, as well as arbutus unedo, are rarely scorched, and never killed. The summer temperature of Mill Hill, on the contrary, is as much cooler than that of the vallies [valleys], as its winter temperature is milder; and it suffers greatly in dry seasons from the want of those dews, which refresh the latter; both circumstances unfavourable to the success of such perennial plants as the Dahlias: nevertheless they have apparently succeeded better here than in any other place." P. 96.

We must refer those who wish to cultivate these flowers, which are so pleasing, at a time when almost all others are withered, to Mr. Salisbury's ingenious paper, or to Macdonald's Gardener's Dictionary, in which they were first noticed as flourishing in this country.

Mr. Knight presents the society with "A Description of a Forcing House for Grapes; with Observations on the best Method of constructing them for other Fruits." This is a very imperfect essay, and in some respects not very philosophical. It is asserted, "that form which admits the greatest quantity of light through the least breadth of glass, must be the best." This is an obvious truth; but it does not thence follow, as the author seems to think, that side glass in a hot-house is either unnecessary or injurious. The best elevation of the glass in latitude 52 he considers to be an angle of 34 degrees, in which

it comes in contact with the brick wall at both top and bottom. Yet it cannot be denied, that both light and heat may be admitted by side glasses during the day, which, however, should be covered during the night. Mr. Knight candidly admits, that the plan of his vinery would not suit peaches or nectarines. For the bleeding of vines, he has found four parts of scraped cheese and one of pure calcareous earth wrought together, and pressed strongly into the pores of the wood, an effectual remedy. One improvement, however, in this plan, we shall mention; it is that of having the glasses, in order to let in air, made to lift up like hatches or folding doors, rather than sliding in the usual way. In this manner, the glasses do not obstruct the passage of the light, as they would if doubled by drawing over each other.

Mr. Salisbury's "Short Account of Nectarines and Peaches naturally produced on the same Branch," is rather historical than physiological. The author relates six instances of such anomalies, but rejects the opinion of the gardeners, who attribute them to the pollen of neighbouring nectarinetrees brought by bees, as the young fruit is smooth or downy long before it is impregnated. He admits, however, "the important consequences which ensue when the stigma of one plant imbibes the pollen belonging to another; but these are only manifested in the succeeding generation." Varieties, species, and even genera, may have been impregnated in this manner; although Linné's theory allows that the new vegetable will resemble its father, or that from which the pollen came, in stem and leaves; but its mother, or that upon which the stigma is situated, in flowers and fruit. The pollen of vegetables, it is well known, may be transported from one country to another; and, when kept dry and excluded from the external air, can be preserved from year to year. This has long been practised in the countries where dates are a principal article of food. Mr. Salisburyconcludes, that these "variations proceed from laws in vegetation, of which we are yet ignorant; but which are immediately connected with the transudation of the sap through the cuticle, and it is possible, that this may even affect the flavour of two fruits -upon the same branch."

The last paper, in this part of these Transactions, is “A Method of hastening the Maturation of Grapes, by J. Williams, Esq. in a Letter to Sir J. Banks." This method concists merely in cutting off a circle of bark, from one to two

tenths of an inch broad, round the stock of the vine, in the months of July or August, after the grapes are perfectly formed. The bark is to be entirely cleared off and the alburnum left naked under this small circle, which occasions the grapes to ripen at least three weeks earlier, and also to grow much larger. The experiment, however, cannot be adopted on weak plants, and even on the strongest it should be performed with great care, lest the vine should be unable to form new bark over the part before winter, otherwise it is in great danger of being destroyed by the cold.

After examining the preceding papers, we cannot withhold our wish that the public will soon be gratified by the appearance of another part of the "Transactions of the Horticultural Society;" a society which can do no injury, but may do very considerable good. We should suppose, that those noblemen and gentlemen who cannot themselves attend to such business, will encourage their gardeners to become fellows of such a laudable institution, and thus enlighten a class of men whose pride of experience has hitherto prevented them from acquiring any rational or philosophical principles of horticulture.

Woman: or Ida of Athens. By Miss Owenson, author of "The Wild Irish Girl," "Novice of St. Dominick," &c. 4 Vols. 12mo. Longman and Co. 1809.

WHEN we last noticed the productions of this lady, we expressed a hope, that her evident good sense would in future lead her to offer to the public only such pages, as we might peruse with pleasure, and recommend with propriety. Animated by this desire, we read the work before us, in which, if the same proofs of talent exist, an increased number of errors are also discernible; errors, which we insist are the more reprehensible, as the author has not the excuse of ignorance or inability to plead in her defence. The powers of her mind are of no inferior class, and her knowledge of the world and the world's ways by no means limited; she cannot overstep the barriers of morality and propriety, without being conscious of the deviation; and is therefore more culpable than others, whose fancy may be vivid, but whose reasoning faculties are feeble. Miss Owenson, to a brilliant imagination unites, even, subtlety of intellect and extensive inform

ation. She is no "child of nature," bewildered and misled by the innocent mistakes of unlearned simplicity; but a compound of art and education, bold in opinion, undaunted in decision, and unchecked by the wholesome reprovings of sedater judgment.

Her vanity, at least, equals her accomplishments; and while we admire the lustre of her talents, we execrate the purpose to which she has daringly devoted them, and consider them as ignes fatui luring the unwary from safety and from peace. We know little of the private history of Miss Owenson; but she takes no small pains to assure us, that she is very young, and she retains a maidén appellation. Where then has she gathered her voluptuous imagery, her indecent allusions, her dangerous sophistry, her "reasoning pride," on subjects which she should not profess to comprehend? From the avowed Sapphos and Corinnas of the present day, such themes, though they could not have failed to disgust, would have created no surprise; but that a woman, just entering into life, should unfit herself for its proper paths, by early and unnecessary emancipation from the fetters of modest and maidenly reserve, excites at once our wonder and indignation, and may, if she is as beautiful as young, expose her to insults from any libertine into whose hands her light sentiments may chance to fall.

All public writers are amenable to society for the principles which they disseminate, and should be cherished, or branded, with deserved ignominy, in proportion as they tend to the good, or to the injury, of the rising generation. Our laws in this respect are just: the vender of an indecent. pamphlet, or one who dares offend the eye of modesty by the exposure of unpermitted representation, is severely punished; yet, in comparison, these are harmless, or bear their own antidote, when opposed to the deadly poison conveyed into the unsuspecting bosom of youth, by such a writer às Miss Owenson, whose plausible reasonings, faise conclusions, and flowery periods, inwrap the germinating seeds of corruption and depravity, while they speak of angel purity, intuitive delicacy, and unerring rectitude.

That this lady may become a useful as well as pleasing novel writer, is still our opinion; and we hope the vanity, rather than the corruption, of her heart, has thus led her to discard the modesty of her sex, and disgrace the best gift of nature. We allow it to be fair and just, that women should think for themselves, and act from the dictates of their own judgment, which is often competent to every.

purpose in life; but we can never tolerate the unblushing licence of language, which degrades them, and insults the public.

Miss Owenson professes to be a post haste writer; scorning to correct the effusions of a riotous fancy, and throwing before à captivated world the crude imaginings of her prolific brain. This may be true: but the assertion is disrespectful, and shows consummate self-conceit. Our best and wisest literary characters have thought it proper, ere they laid their works of fancy or reflexion before the public, to revise and retouch with the hand of careful attention every rough-drawn page, to prune the exuberant shoots of genius, and give to every sentence all the polish and purity of moral refinement; and although anxious to obtain the meed of approbation, they studied still more to deserve it. Miss Owenson, on the contrary, full of selfimportance, has ventured to conclude, that her hand-gallop sentiments must be received with favour, because penned with veteran effrontery.

We have heard, but hesitate in our belief, that she has received from her publishers no less a sum than seven hundred pounds for "Ida of Athens!" If this be true, we may be permitted to observe, that the discrimination of these gentlemen has not, in this instance, kept pace with their liberality and indulgence. Though ushered into the world in four volumes, they might properly be compressed into two, or three at most; so that the bargain has been every way most favourable to the author. The story itself is unequal and unconnected; it derives its principal interest from the introduction of Grecian manners, and points of history, well calculated to draw attention and excite emotion; here she has profited largely from the writings of De Tott, Savary, De Guys, Sonini, &c. whose descriptions and ⚫ observations she has interwoven with much ingenuity; but the general effect is injured by the pompous inflation of the style, and by numerous inaccuracies. Our language, as in common use, appears not sufficiently copious for the sublime rhapsodies of this high-flown delineator of ideal sensations; and certainly, in addition to the notes at the close of each volume, a glossary, or dictionary of reference, should have been affixed; for to those, long accustomed to the simplicity of usual and accepted phraseology, such is absolutely necessary before they can read with pleasure or advantage cloysteral for cloystered-sensient for sensitive-sensuous for sensual-impassionate for impas