The Sun.
London, England, 1864-09-07 00:00:00

Flowers in the Parks,

For the last two summers an attempt has been
made, and successfully made, to grow flowers in the
London parks. Formerly there seems to have been
an official tradition that the London smoke and soot
would destroy flower life, or that London mobs
would pluck the flowers and trample down the plants,
or that the London people didn't care for flowers.
All these notions have been dispelled; and now among
the improvements which have been effected under
:successive Commissioners of Works, one of the most
pleasant is the pretty garden which you may now
find in most of the parks. The flower walk on the
east side of Hyde Park has been a blaze of colour
during the season. Its glories are now on the wane,
bat enough remains to show how very attractive and
beautiful it has been. On the narrow strip of
ground which has been laid out for flower cultiva-
tion there were formerly a few shrubs planted with
no regard to order or effect, and in the hot weather
always looking peculiar dusty and dingy. In
their place are now banks of flowers, disposed
riband fashion, with a setting of smooth-shaven
turf, so fresh and green that it seems to have
defied the drought. The beds show a pleasing
variety of arrangement and of colour. In the
longest and most effective you find a broad band of
scarlet and yellow, of purple and white stretching
without a break far away in the distance. Others,
smaller, but hardly less glittering, are parted by the
graceful Lacombe oak. Some have a central back
of foliage plants or evergreens, and against this
dark background the flowers on either side stand
out more gay and glittering than ever. Geraniums
and calceolarias are the most showy ; but the white
centauria as an edging, and the crimson leaved
pants which of late have given our gardens a new
and striking contrast in colour, are introduced with
excellent effect. Addison thought there were as
many kinds of gardening as of poetry, " Your
makers of parterres and flower-gardens are epi-
grammatists and sonnetteers in their art ; contrivers
of bowers and grottoes, treillages and cascades, are
romance writers," and Wise and Londoun he
reckoned our heroic poets. The narrow limits
available for floral arrangement bordering Park-
lane made the adoption of the sonnet style ine-
vitable,but great pains have been taken to avoid stiff-
ness and formality. The fine plane trees and elms
along the walk are old friends, and their very irre■
gularity is pleasant. Above Grosvenor-gate they
are found more thickly, and here the flower beds
are necessarily more broken, and gardening becomes
subordinate to forestry. The site of the old re-
servoir is more formally and less successfully laid
out ; but the flower walk has become a most attrac-
tive promenade, and now, when everybody is sup-
posed to be out of town, and "society" trembles lest
it should be seen within bow-shot of Hyde Park-
corner, thousands of poor people find pleasure in
the still brilliant colours of the bedding plants, and
in the pretty arrangement by which the flowers here
are made to look their best.

Two years ago the Avenue, Regent's-park, was a
damp, dismal walk, which people wbo feared ague
and rheumatism carefully avoided. According to the
reports of Dr Lindley and Mr Clutton, the trees
were suffering, as human beings suffer, from over•
crowding and want of air. Sime one says of tree-
planting that, after all, it is the axe which gives the
finishing touch to the picturesque ; and so it was
here, for when two rows of stunted horse-chestnuts
and limes were felled it was found not only that the
health of the survivors was improved, but that a
fine prospect was opened up. Between the two rows
of tall elms and horse-chestnuts which were left
standing it was decided to form a garden, and this
has accordingly been done after considerable labour,
but with a result which would have recompensed a far
greater expenditure of time and trouble. For the
clayey subsoil was substituted good mould, and
special care was taken to satisfy the appetites of
the various shrubs by supplying them with the
food they like best. There is here a more formal
style of garden than in Hyde-park, and that the
beds should be intersected by numerous and ample
walks is a necessity, for on the days when the
band plays close by, some 40,000 or 50,000 people
are assembled here, and it becomes difficult to
keep moving. Here, again, the flowers are grouped
in
ribands, arranged with an artist's eye to colour,
the gradations of silver-white, orange, purple, and
scarlet seeming designed to produce a prismatic
effect. Instead of being mixed with other colours,
the yellow calceolaria is massed here and there, and
gives warmth and brilliance to the whole group. The
shrubs and foliage plants present a great variety,
ane grow in great luxuriance. Nearly all the former
are flowering shrubs, these being wisely preferred to
the rarer novelties of late so much in request. The
specimens of yucca recurva and the standard hollies
—green, golden, and silver, on straight stems—are
especially noticeable. The point d'appui of the
gardens is a large tazza filled with flowers and sup-
ported by four griffins. This is planed in the centre
of a large curbed bed, and 30 smaller tazzas and vases
are grouped in different parts of the garden iu hara
mony with its peculiar style. There are fine beds of
foliage plants, such as the castor-oil plant, the Fer•
dinandia. eminens, Cannaa, and Centaurea. These
have thriven well in their new homes. Thus Fer.
dinandias that were six inches high when planted
are now six feet high ; some of the csstorsoil plants
are five feet high, and the Caladiums, Centanrias,
and Amaranthus have made rapid progress. Blue
and yellow pansies, nasturtiums, blue lobelia, and
bar-mint are planted in long ribands, in a double
row, backed by tall blue larkspur and scarlet pop•
pies, with ribands of aucuba japonica, rhododen-
dron ponticum, and Persian lilac; and behind these
again stand groups of standard almonds, thorns,
laburnum, the mock orange, sweet briar, and other
flowering shrubs, all enclosed by a hornbeam hedge
trained as a trellis. A few Lombardy poplars, with
their silvery sicker, break the monotony, and add
greatly to the apparent extent of the narrow strip
of ground. In the summer the flowers and shrubs,
flanked by the horse•chestnuts in fell blossom and
the fine elms, made a glorious show ; and in another
year or two, if the care and attention hitherto be-
stowed on this garden are continued, it will vie
with any that Paris, with all its advantages of cli-
mate and of soil, has yet produced. We should add
that the Avenue-garden was firmed under the direc-
tion of Mr. Markham Nesfield, whose services were
rendered gratuitously, and ought not to be passed
without acknowledgment. At the termination of the
west garden a gardener's cottage is being built
from the deaigns of Mr. W. Eden Nesfield, and wil
form a pretty feature in the landscape. But the
imr.rovement of improvements would be the throw-
ing open of the gardens north of Portland-place.
If this were done, as Nash seems to have designed,
and if a few trees were cut down and a way made
through, the Avenue-garden would form a vista
exactly in line with Regent's-street and Portland-
place, and London would have a line of street and
garden and tree-avenue unsurpassed in any Euro-
pean capital.

Crossing the river we reach Battersea Park,
where the chow of flowers has probably snpas3ed
that of both the West-end parks, while the rare
foliage plants furnish a feast of form and colour,
and shake ont's faith in all traditions tending to
prove that the English climate is harsh and un-
genial. The sub-tropical garden is one of the
wonders of London, and shows how much may
be done by careful cultivation. Two years
ago it was a wilderness. Though the park
had long been formed, this particular site re-
mained, in high way phrase, " undedicated."
It was then proposed to dispossess the snipe, and
mike a geometrical garden, with the usual set stiff
walks and beds. Happily this selleme was aban-
doned, and it was determined to form instead a
garden in the English style, combining rare foliage

(Before Mr Sergeant Gaselee.)

THE SUN, LONDON, WEDNESDAY EVENING, SEPTEMBER 7, 1864.

MIDDLESEX SESSIONS—Sept. 6.

Philip Muller, 51, a skindresser, and a German, was in-
dicted for feloniously assaulting and wounding Chas. Jones,
with intent to do him some grievous bodily harm. _

Mr Harry Palmer prosecuted. Mr Metcalfe, instructed
by Mr T. Beard for the German Legal Protection Society,
defended the prisoner.
It appeared from the evidence that the prisoner and pro-
secutor were together in the NVheatsheaf public-house, in
Leman-street, Whitechapel, on the afternoon of Saturday,
the 27th of August, and while there a girl, named Martha
Bell, went into the taproom for the purpose of roasting some
broad. While she was doing so the prisoner went up to her,
put his arm round her waist, and indecently assaulted her,
The prosecutor remonstrated with him as to his unmanly
conduct, telling him that he ought to be ashamed of himself,
and especially so if he was a married man. The prisoner
swore at and then struck him on the chest, The prosecutor
retreated, when the prisoner struck at him with a knife,
inflicting a severe wound on the forehead, which penetrated
to the bone. Ho then ran away,but was pursued and given
into custody. The prosecutor was taken to the London
Hospital, where his wound was dressed, and he left. It
was an incised wound, and penetrated to the bone.
Mr Metcalfe said he could not struggle against a convic-
tion, but he had been retained by the German Legal Protec•
tion Society to protect poor Germans, and this man had
been reported to them as of a very quiet nature, but he took
too much beer, and then committed this offence.
This assertion of the learned counsel was contradicted by
the witnesses, who said that when the assault took place
the prisoner was perfectly sober.
The Jury then returned a verdict of guilty,
Mr Sergeant Gaselee severely commented upon the con-
duct of the prisoner in first committing an indecent assault
upon a child of tender years, and then stabbing the prose•
cutor with a knife, which was a most serious offence. In
England they sometimes allowed an excuse for the use of
the fist, but never when the knife was used, and it was
nothing to the crelit of the prisoner thatihe had not com-
mitted a far more serious offence. ,That he had not done so
was the act of Providence and not his own. and therefore
the sentence of the Court upon him was that he be impri-
soned and kept to hard labour for 12 months. _ _

Charles Dawson, 24, lighterman, was indicted for steal-
ing 21 bottles of brandy, the property of Fred. Stutchbury,
from a certain barge called the Frederick, in the port of
London.

The case was cleaaly made eut. A previous conviction of
two years' imprisonment for felony was then proved against
him.

Mr Sergeant Gaselee said under tho new act he had no
alternative but to sentence the prisoner to be kept in penal
servitude for seven years.
John Quoid, 28, boiler maker, was indicted for mali-
ciously inflicting grievous bodily harm upon Charles Cole.
Mr Bssley, instructed by Mr Beard, prosecuted ; Mr
Collins defended the prisoner.
_ _

Mr Besley, in opening the caso for the prosecution, said
the prisoner was indicted for assaulting the prosecutor and
doing him some grievous bodily harm ; and although they
had been sworn to try a misdemeanor, they would find that
this was a case that would demand their most serious atten-
tion when they saw the state the prosecutor was in, so
severely wounded as to be unable to appear in the witness-
box to give his evidence. The deplorable affair took place
so far back as the month of May last ; but that time would
be accounted for in a great measure when they learned that
the prosecutor had been upwards of seven weeks an inmate
of St. Bartholomew's Hospital. It appeared on Wednes-
day evening, May 7th, the prisoner entered the house of
the prosecutor, who is the proprietor of the Windsor Castle
Tavern, in the City-road, being at the time the worse for
liquor and asked to be served with more drink. This was
very properly refused ; but, like more of his class, the
prisoner thought he could get what be required by
making use of the most foul and disgusting language, and
when asked to desist, he became more violent, and
threatened personal injury to anyone who should inter-
fere with him, and went so far as to threaten their lives.
The prosecutor's mother, who was in the bar, tried to per-
suade him to go away, but to no effect. Finding that good
words were thrown away on the prisoner, the prosecutor
went round to the front of the bar, opened the door, and told
the prisoner to go. The prisoner then in the most savage
manner rushed on the prosecutor, seized him by the neck,
and when outside the house tried to strangle him. The pri-
soner then threw him down, and fell upon him with all his
force. The prosecutor got up and tried to get away from
I him, and go into the house by the side door, when the
prisoner rushed at h m, kicked him three times on the leg,
the effect of which was to break it in two places. The pri-
soner then ran away, but was pursued by a witness named
Hackle, who was passing at the time, and when overtaken by
him, prisoner kicked him in a most savage manner, and at
the same time used threats of a very violent nature, and he
seemed more like a wild beast than a man. The prosecutor
was taken to St. Bartholomew's Hospital, where he kept his
bed for several weeks, during which time his life was in
great danger, and he would probably suffer through the
injury for the remainder of his life,
The prosecutor was brought into court, walking with a
pair of crutches, and being accommodated with a seat on
the floor of the court, gave in evidence the facts above stated,
and his evidence was confirmed by several other witnesses.
Mr Bowater John Vernon, house surgeon at St. Bartholo-
mew's Hospital, said about eleven o'clock on the night of
the 7th of May the prosecutor was brought to the hospital.
His left leg was broken in two places below the knee. Both
bones were broken, and the whole of the leg was very much
bruised. Mr Cole was quite sober. For some days after
he was very ill, and for a week his life was in danger. He
remained in bed in the hospital testa the 15th of July, and
then he was discharged a cripple. He was for a portion of
the time suffering under delirium tremens. It would be
some time before ho would recover. and one leg would be
shorter than the other for the rest of his life.
In cross-examination by Mr Collins, he said that tho
broken leg would still be a very useful one, but it would
always be a little shorter than the other. The prosecutor
had delirium tremens, and but for this his leg would have
been amputated.
Mr Collin: —Then it was a very good thing for him that
he had delirium tremens, as it saved his leg.
Mr Vernon—ln his case it did, for if ho had not had it
his leg would have been amputated.
Mr Collins—'l hen delirium tremens saved his leg. Had
he not had it his leg would have been cut off ?

probably his leg would have been cut
off.

Mr Collins—Then do you cut off people's legs if they do
not
vrn
happeenotn_ohave delirium tremens?
ws should have endeavoured to save the
man's life by cutting off his leg.
Mr Collins said in such a case he would advise persons
who might have a broken leg never to go to St. Bartholo-
mew's Hospital, or they would have it cut off unless they
had got delirium tremens.
This was the case for the prosecution.
Mr Collins, for the prisoner, said it appeared, according
to the evidence of the surgeon of St. Bartholomew's Hos-
pital, he would have cut off the leg of the prosecutor, there-
tore it was fortunate for him that he had that dreadful
malady. Under such circumstances the learned counsel
would advise people to be very shy in putting themselves
under the care of this surgeon of St. Bartholomew's Hos-
pital if they had a broken leg, and unfortunately did not
have delirium tremens. He then went on to contend that
there was no malicious intention, and hoped the
jury would
consider that the case only amounted to a common assault.
The jury found the prisoner guilty of an assault for the
purpose of causing bodily harm.
Mr Sergeant Gaselee said this was a very brutal act, as
he (the prisoner) had rendered this man a cripple for life.
The sentence of the Court upon him was, that he be im-
prisoned and kept to hard labour for 18 calendar months.
George Fenwick, 34, shoemaker, iaederick Newland, 22,
Sayer,3o, bootinaker,
labourer, Ellen Evans, 27, Edward
and John Davis, 23, boot-closer, were indicted for being
found by night, without lawful excuse, in the possession of
a jemmy and other implements of housebreaking, with in-
tent to commit a felony.
Mr Grantham prosecuted ; the prisoners were unde-
fended,

George Ranger, 10 G,
he was with Inspector Potter on
said on the 18th August, at half.
past 12 o'clock at night,
Clerkenwell-green near to the Sessions-house, in plain
clothes, when he saw the
male
prisoners at the bar. They
followed them into Leather-lane, from there into Bald-
win's-gardens, and from there into Baldwin's-place. There
they were mot by two females, of whom the prisoner was
one. He stood still for some minutes, and saw Fenwick
then lay under a cart and
watched them. While he was watching them he saw
and Davis pass him, and he
Fenwick pass a jemmy to Newland. Saw Newland try
to force a doOr, about three yards from the cart under
which ho was lying, with the jemmy. He crept out of
his hiding place to see if he could find another constable.
Came close to him and gave the
alarm, and the others ran away.
(Buckstone), and as he was
speaking to him Fenwick
He saw Police-constable 148 G
kb bllowed Fenwick and Newland
He saw Sayers pass
something to Evans.
to Liquorpond-street, and there took them both into cua.
tody. He told them that he charged them, with others, for
attempting to break open a warehouse in Baldwin'a-place,
and they said they knew nothing about it. Having left the
prisoners at the station house, he went back and found marks
of violence on the door. fie afterwards saw the female pri-
saner with another man not in custody. He took her into
custody, and asked her what she had got about her, and
she said " Nothing." He charged her with being concerned
with Newland and Fenwick in committing a robbery. He
afterwards asked her if she had got any skeleton keys about
her, and she said she had not. As the prisoners were run-
ning away he heard something drop which sounded like a
jemmy,
dospe ,
eant
arhswnse
brought
cdsr kot
hatuhaat i
gi nveohdinput
Inspector Potter, of the G. division, said he was with the
prisoners
into
toheu
sonwe eatel
hrar stndeodat
sta-
tion nhi
getnde
last witness on the night in question, who was in private
ocllut)oobsktethoerhedctoosylE,ua. astc:tHdrh}s,eieenniti
loslw.terafiutse
addresses given by them, ho went to Fenwicles lodgings,
I isekßi t see
at
ainnghde Ranger
him.xn:Nt to.
saw
awil;Hvl oaa ennFt
No 4, Verulam-street, Gray's lon-lane, where he found
two skeleton keys, a small chisel, and a portion of a centre-
bit. He was preßeE{t when the wowau Evans was brought