understand that he was free, he hastened to his two friends to impart the glad tidings to them. At first they received it with the most cordial delight; but when, a moment after, they reflected on the contrast which their own hopeless condition presented, they gave way to a feeling of despair. Lopouloff did all he could to cheer them, and offered a part of the sum sent by the Emperor for travelling expenses. This they refused. "We do not want it," was the reply of the elder prisoner; "I have still the piece of money which your daughter refused at her departure."

Preparations were soon made for the departure of Lopouloff and his wife from the region of punishment to which they had been so many years condemned. Their first destination was the convent at Nijeni, where Prascovie had promised to meet them. On the night before their departure, they had taken an affecting farewell of their two friends, and had bid adieu to the rest of their neighbours, when Lopouloff was roused from his bed by a state courier. On opening the packet delivered to him by that officer, he instantly perceived to his great joy that it contained the pardon of the unfortunates, whose release was the only thing wanted to complete his sum of happiness. He instantly repaired to their cabin, and having communicated his errand, was a joyful witness of their happiness. They fell on their knees, and after thanking the Almighty for their deliverance, prayed that every blessing might be showered upon the head of their benefactress, Prascovie.

We now draw the history of the Siberian heroine to a conclusion, and we wish it were in our power, consistently with truth, to do so in that pleasing manner which has been adopted by Madame Cottin. Lopouloff and his wife met their daughter, as appointed, at the convent of Nijeni; and after the first emotions of joy had subsided, she informed them that it was her resolution to show her thankfulness to God for her father's release, by becoming a nun, and residing in the convent during the remainder of her existence. The happiness of the parents was much qualified by this unforeseen intelligence; but seeing that their daughter's resolve was unalterably fixed, they gave an unwilling consent. They passed eight days together at the convent in an alternation of joy and sorrow. Amidst the solemn rites with which that ceremony is accompanied, Prascovie took the veil, devoting the rest of her days to religious retirement. The slender means which Lopouloff possessed, prevented him from living at Nijeni; and his wife having relations at Wladimir, they repaired thither to end their days in the sweets of liberty. The final parting was indeed sorrowful.

It was the fate of the gentle Prascovie not to live to an old age in the retirement she had chosen. She died on the 8th of December 1809, in a hermitage near the convent.

DOMESTIC FLOWER-CULTURE.

B

Y domestic flower-culture we mean the endeavour to grow rare and ornamental varieties of flowering and other plants in every available situation connected with our dwellings. Be it window-recess, balcony, staircase, porch, or tiny front plot, it matters not, provided there be less or more an exposure to light and sunshine. Some such place is at the disposal of almost every one who enjoys the shelter of a roof, whether he is an inhabitant of the open country or the crowded city, the tenant of a single apartment, or the proprietor of a lordly mansion. The culture thus alluded to forms one of the most delightful recreations in which the enlightened mind can engage; it is innocent and cheerful; can be cheaply obtained; and, like other rational pastimes, may lead to pursuits of a more profitable nature. We intend, therefore, to glance at some of its advantages, and to show how any one may engage in it with success by attending to certain rules, and to a selection of plants suitable to the kind of situation at his command.

ADVANTAGES.

The beauty and variety of flowers, the fragrance and freshness which we are insensibly led to associate with them, have long been themes for the poet and naturalist; but really not more so than the subject deserves. The endless forms in which plants appear, their adaptations to certain situations, the peculiar properties which many species possess, though all grow on the same soil, the wonderful metamorphoses which they undergo from seed to plant, and from plant and flower to seed again, not to speak of the amenity and beauty with which they invest the landscape, or of the utility they confer as articles of food, medicine, and clothing, are all subjects of never-failing interest to a reflective mind. But every one has not the opportunity of enjoying this contemplation in the field; and even if he had, the produce of one climate differs so widely from that of another, that his own district would furnish him with a mere fraction of the numerous vegetable families. Knowledge, however, has so far overcome this difficulty; for, by the aid of the sheltered garden, the conservatory, and hothouse, the genera of any country can be brought within the compass of a few superficial acres. What can be thus accomplished by the scientific gardener, may be imitated on a small scale by domestic culture, and with comparatively less expense, as our apartments yield that shelter and temperature which it costs the gardener so much to obtain. The individual, therefore, who can rear in his window-recess, in his lobby, or around his porch, the shrubs and flowers of his own and other lands, has always a subject for contemplation be

fore him; something to engage the attention, and to preserve the mind from the listlessness of ennui, or from positively pernicious pursuits. Any member of a family who has a little stand of plants to water, to clean, and prune, has always a pleasant daily recreation before him; his love and care increase with these objects; the simple duty becomes necessary to his existence; and he has thus, what so many are miserable for the want of, namely, something to occupy hours of listlessness or leisure. Again, plants are objects of beauty and ornament. Why is yonder lowly cottage more lovely and inviting than the large farmhouse on the other side of the river? Simply because its walls are trellised with the rose and honeysuckle, and its porch with the clambering hop, whose dark-green contrasts so finely with the whitewashed front; while the latter is as cold and uninviting as bare stonewalls can make it. So it is with any apartment, however humble. The little stand of flowers in the window recess, with their green leaves and brilliant blossoms, add a charm and freshness to the place; and we will answer for it, that wherever these are, the furniture, though mean, will be clean and neatly arranged.

The labouring poor are often upbraided for the filthiness of their apartments, and for want of taste in the arrangements of their dwellings; and it grieves us to acknowledge that the charge is in general but too well founded. There is too little self-respect among them too general a disregard for that which is lovely and ornamental, as if these things were incompatible with their humble condition. To elevate the universal taste for that which is decent and orderly, will require a wider dissemination of knowledge than we now possess; yet much might be done to establish better habits, by encouraging such pursuits as the rearing of objects of health and beauty within their dwellings. The individual who prides himself on the favourite plants that blossom on his window-sill, will see that that window be in such order as shall show them off to advantage; and the taste that leads to the establishment of cleanliness in one corner, will not be long in spreading to the most secret nook of the apartment. No one who knows how much a clean and comfortable dwelling leads to the formation of domestic habits, will undervalue this fact; and the establishment of domestic habits among our labouring artisans would almost be equivalent to the establishment of virtue itself. But, independent of all this, the individual who cherishes his little array of flowers in his window, will often repair to the hills and river-sides in search of new favourites; he will insensibly acquire a love for nature, and find his enjoyment in the Horticultural Society's show-room, or in the public experimental garden, instead of in the haunts of idleness and dissipation.

The in-door culture of plants is also intimately connected with the sanitary condition of our dwellings. The oxygen of the atmosphere is indispensable to the respiration of animals; it

purifies their blood, and affords them internal heat; and, united with certain elements, is expired in the form of carbonic acid gas (a compound of oxygen and carbon). This gas, which is deleterious to animal life, constitutes the main nourishment of plants which absorb it, appropriate its carbon, and restore its oxygen to the atmosphere, again to be breathed in purity by men and animals. It is true that pure air is necessary alike to the life of plants and animals; but the amount of oxygen absorbed by the former is by no means equal to that which they restore, and thus through their agency the atmosphere is kept in healthy equilibrium. It is only during the day, and under the influence of light, however, that carbonic acid is employed for the nutrition of plants; that which they absorb during night is returned into the atmosphere with the water, which is continually evaporating from the surface of the leaves. From this explanation it will be understood how the night air of an apartment containing flowers is said to be less healthy than the atmosphere which pervades it during the day; though under ordinary states of ventilation, no danger need be apprehended from this source.* Besides their directly purifying influence, plants also tend indirectly to the health of dwelling apartments. For their sake the window that contains them will be oftener cleaned, the sash will be more frequently thrown open, and the air and sunshine intended for them will also lighten and purify the interior of the apartment.

REQUISITES.

It may perhaps be objected that such a recreation requires more time than the working-man can bestow; that it is too expensive for his means; and that it requires a greater knowledge of horticulture than he is likely to possess. To all these objections we answer-No. If his little conservatory is once in a healthy condition, a very small amount of care will be sufficient to preserve it so. A few minutes before or after breakfast will keep a large array of plants in excellent order; and the duty may be intrusted to any grown-up member of a family. We know a surgeon in an extensive provincial practice-one of the most laborious of callings-and yet this gentleman has

*From recent experiments on the respiration of plants, Mr Haseldine Pepys has arrived at the following general conclusions:-1. That vegetation is always operating to restore the surrounding atmospheric air to its natural condition, by the absorption of carbonic acid, and the disengagement of oxygenous gas; that this action is promoted by the influence of light, but that it continues to be exerted, although more slowly, even in the dark. 2. That carbonic acid is never disengaged during the healthy condition of the leaf. 3. That the fluid so abundantly exhaled by plants in their vegetation, is pure water, and contains no trace of carbonic acid. Should this be the case, growing plants cannot, under any condition, impair the purity of the atmosphere, but rather the reverse; unless, to be sure, the odours which they emit be too powerful to be agreeable.

managed, during the last ten or twelve years, to conduct the most extensive conservatory of cactaceae and epiphytes in Scotland, besides constructing most of the shelving and erection with his own hands. As to the expense, it is a mere trifle, unless the individual indulges in the purchase of new and pet varieties, as advertised by the nurseryman. Common flower-pots can be had from any pottery from one penny to sixpence each, and ornamental ones for about a third more. The soil costs nothing; and a very respectable show of geraniums, hydrangeas, monthly roses, verbenas, scented myrtles, fuchsias, cactuses, aloes, and the like, may be had by exchanging slips with neighbouring cultivators, or originally from some gardener for a trifle.

As to the amount of horticultural skill: it is not necessary that it be of a very learned description. It is true that particular plants require particular treatment as to moisture, exposure to sunlight, &c.—that some climb, others creep-some require support, others float on water-some remain evergreen, others demand periods of dormancy or rest; but all this can be learned of any gardener from whom the particular plant is obtained. Indeed, care and regularity are more required than botanical skill, as may be seen by the frequent displays of plants to be met with in the houses of individuals who never read a line of horticulture in their lives. Let any one look at the immense variety of plants grown in the windows of the more tasteful of our artisans and labourers, and then all his objections as to skill will vanish in an instant. We daily pass by windows in the suburbs of Edinburgh in which are crowded, often with less taste than is desirable, geraniums, hydrangeas, roses, verbenas, scented myrtles, fuchsias, lilies of the Nile, &c.; and no one will pretend to say that the culture of these is the result of anything but a due attention to the simple requisites of heat, light, and moisture. We were once tempted to solicit an inspection of about two score beautiful plants which we saw airing in front of a little road-side cottage, and found that the whole of these had been reared and nurtured by an invalid daughter, who acquired her knowledge of the habits of her pets from a young gardener who occasionally passed that way on his Saturdays' visits to his parents. Here was a triumph of attention and good taste — the perfection of a recreation but for which the life of this youthful invalid would have been miserable.

GENERAL DIRECTIONS.

Certain conditions of air, light, heat, and moisture, are indispensable to the growth and perfection of every plant. Besides these conditions, land plants require the aid of soil, from which they receive certain mineral or inorganic ingredients; but soil is not necessary to all vegetation, for sea-weeds and floating aquatics are independent of this element, and many plants will flourish and propagate even suspended in air. Air, light, heat, and moisture,