The Sun.
London, England, 1866-05-10 00:00:00

Royal Botanic Society of London.

The first of the general exhibitions of flowers and
fruit in the gardens of this society for the present
season took place yesterday, and, owing to the fine-
ness of the day„'wa,s numerously attended. Amongst
the distinguished visitors were the Prince and
Princess of Wales, the Duchess and Princess Mary
of Cambridge, and Prince Teck (who were received
by the President, the Bishop of Winchester and
Oxford, Earl Mansfield, Sir W. Stirling, and other
members of the council), the Marchioness of Nor-
manby, the Countess of Gainsborough, Prince
Soltykoff, Baroness Rothschild, Earl of Sherborne,
Baron Brunnow, Lords Sefton, Sheffield, Lans-
downe, Miss Burdett Coutts, Hon. Mrs. Stonor, the
Danish, American, Italian, Austrian, Brazilian,
Spanish, and Russian Ambassadors, &c. The ex-
hibition, which was an unusually fine one, took
place in the grand marquee, the plants being
arranged in amphitheatre form upon the grassy
mounds. The beautifully bright and showy tints
of the flowers were admirably relieved by judi-
ciously placed Cape heaths, and numerous
other exotic plants celebrated for their foliage. The
azaleas, pelargoniums, and roses were very fine—
some specimens of the latter measuring nearly six
inches across. The calceolarias were not numerous,
but of good quality ; there were some pretty auri-
cular and pansies in pots, and the variegated gera-
niums were much admired. Of orchids there was
not a large collection, but there were many good
plants amongst them. The stove and greenhouse
plants, heaths, exotics, ferns, and plants remarkable
for the beauty of their leaves, were both numerous
and good. Amongst the noticeable and rare plants
may be mentioned the clerodendron Balfourii, the
flowers of which are white and red; the auricula,
named after the late John Leech, Nidularium
Pinelli ; the selaginella mertensi (variegated) ; the
Maranta .splendens ; the primula intermedia ;
a bright purple primrose for garden growth ; the
immulnus duplex, very well marked and pretty; the
rhododendron bianca, a white flowered dwarf rho-
dodendron. The ananas Porteana, a new variety of
pineapple, attracted notice, as did some fine i}ew
azaleas, called Refine des Roses. Some variegated
grass, which has a pretty effect as a border plant,
the leaves being almost white, and the dianthus
Dampieri, a very curious plant, the flowers, being
somewhat like lobster's claws, hung point down-
wards, were also much admired. The bands of the
Ist and 2d Life Guards were in attendance up to 6
o'clock, about which time the company dispersed.

THE DOVER GARRISON.--Lieutenant-General Sir
Robert Garrett, K.C.8., K.H., commanding the troops of
the Shorncliffe division,onTuesday made a general inspec-
tion of all the troops in Dover garrison, upon the parade-
ground adjacent to the Castle-hill Fort. The troops in-
spected were the 13th brigade Royal Artillery, under the
command of Colonel Elwyn ; the Royal Engineer; com-
manded by Colonel Chapman; the 74th Highlander; under
the command of Lieutenant-Colonel 31‘Lood ; and the 44th
Regiment, under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel
Allfahon, C.B. 3lajor-General Ellice, C. 8., assisted the
general in his inspection, and there was also a largo staff
of officers present. The inspection and evolutions .were
witnessed by a large concourse of spectators.