The Express.
London, England, 1862-06-12 00:00:00

HORTICULTUALL SOCIETY.

The second grand flower show of the season took
placeyesterday, in the Society's gardens, under much
more favourable auspices, as regarded weather,
than the previous show. The show consisted of
the usual collections of greenhouse plants, orchids,
azaleas, roses in pots, Cape heaths, &c. Pelargo-
niums were here adequately represented, and there
appeared to be, generally speaking, the greatest
abundance and variety of all the products of scien-
tific gardening. The fruit was a splendid show,
and was so crowded as to be nearly unapproach-
able during the greatest portion of the day. Some
black Hamburg grapes, which had been grown on
the roof of a house in Mount-street, attracted very
considerable notice. The company began to arrive
at a little after three o'clock, and continued
to pour in until five o'clock, when every corner of
the gardens was crowded. Before five o'clock up-
wards of 10,000 visitors had passed the turnstiles.
We were glad to perceive that the long-protracted
works of the garden seemed at last to be approach-
ing completion. The walks and parterres seem now
to be finished, and their effect is much improved by
the presence of water, which flows in abundance
from the various fountains. The equestrian statue
of Carlo Alberto, which, our readers will recollect,
was inaugurated at Turin in July of last year, is
now uncovered, and takes considerably from
the hitherto empty look of the garden.
The King is supposed to be start-
ing for the Italian campaign, and is
supported at the pedestal by allegorical groups and
Istatues of Piedmontese soldiers. The recent severe
criticism on the works of Baron Marochetti gives
great additional interest to this group, and yes-
terday caused it to be very much surrounded and
scrutinised. Amongst the visitors were the Royal
Princesses, her Royal Highness the Duchess of
Cambridge, Marchioness of Kildare, Lady Con-
stance Grosvenor, Lady Dorothy Nevill, Sir Went-
worth Dilke, Lord and Lady Ducie, Bishop of
Winchester, Duke of Buocleuch, Sir Joseph Paz-
ton, Lord H. Lennox, the Countess de Mornay, &c.
Sir Wentworth Dilke, one of the vice-presidents
of the society, having this year again offered wises
for the decoration of the dinner table with flowers
and fruit, so numerous were the competitors (46 in
all? and so nearly equal were the various groups in
pant of merit, that the judges—Lady Constance
Grosvenor, the Marchioness of Ki'dare, and Lady
Dorothy Nevill, assisted 10, Professor Westma-
cott, R A., acting as secretary—had great difficulty
in awarding the prizes. The following were, how-
ever, at last declared to be the successful com-
petitors :—First Prize, Mrs, W. Thompson ; Second
ins, Mrs. H. Pickering ; Third Prize, Mrs.
Fawcett. Commended : Mira Veitch, Mrs. A.
Salter, and Mrs. J. H. Lermitte.
Three military bands attended and played at
intervals during the afternoon.

THE THAYra Enamenterwr.—ln addition to the
apposition of the crows lessees and the Duke of Bucclenclo,
petitions have been presented to the committee ailing an
thill subject, praying for special protection to their pro-
portke along the northern side of the river, mud au connected
with their jurisdiction from the Metropolitan Board of
Works, City of London Corporation, city Commisemers of
Sewers, Coaserveten of the Thames, Westminster Steam-
boat and Pier Company, Charing-cross Railway, London,
Chatham, and Dover Railway ; Vestry of St. Martina,
Marquis of Salisbury, Duke of Norfolk, Earl Radoor, City
Cies Compaq, Waterman and Lightermea's Company,
Herald's Whip. Mr. Drummond, proprietor d Adelphi-
tames ; residents of streets in Strand abutting ea the pro-
posed embankment, National Mercantile Assurance Com-
pany, Orated Junction Wharf Company, Meagre Barraud,
td, and Co. ; Moir and Co., and ether wherlagere. The
total number of petitions before the wanseittee mamma
to 22.