The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1842-04-22 00:00:00

service

THE GARDENER

Much that has been said about human suffering, the dis-
tress of the mechanics of England, specifying some of them,
such as weavers, printers, &c., yet nothing, that I can find,
has been said about the humble gardener. Perhaps he is
beneath the commiseration of the great folk of the earth, vet
for what reason I cannot say, since his toils (some of which
I shall endeavour to enumerate) and his privations are as
great as those of the loudest complainant. First of all let us
endeavour to show, in part, the toilsome responsibility of
the practical gardener. He has, in the first place, to contend
with the elements, with frost, severe storms of bail, rain, &c. ;
next, the innumerable multitude of winged and creeping in-
sects, together with the sparrow, the tit, and the finch ; then
comes the snail, that pest of gardens, and the wireworm.
caterpillar, &c. All these lift up their heel, or rather their
snout, against him. But mark, as much is required at his
hand as though these pests did not exist! At the early
season of the year, nay, when his peas are fit for the table,
(that is if they have escaped the enemy beneath,) we will
suppose all to leave the garden for about an hour, or, perhaps,
less time will suffice, to give opportunity to a detachment of
sparrows that have been in ambush to sally out upon them,
and literally gut every pod, and leave the gardener (swine
like) nothing but the husks. The snail, if possible, is a more
formidable enemy, for in his early foraying, unless he is on
the spot when other people are in bed, his tender productions
are sure to fall a prey to him. As Gay says—
" When bordering pinks and roses bloom,
And every garden breathes perfume,
The snail looks round on flower and tree,
And cries all these were made for me."

And he seems to act upon this proposition, for there von will
find them with their knives out—as the gardeners term it—
mowing down all before them. But the chief source of com-
plaint is his privations. There are a few exceptions, 'tis

true, such as Paxton, of Chatsworth, &c., but contrast with
them the great number that are going from house to house,
soliciting employment, with an old scythe and spade upon
their shoulders—next to begging their bread. It is objected
these are men never engrafted into the science; it may be
true in some instances, but what becomes of the many who
have started fair, that out of wages amounting to no more
than ten shillings per week, have to buy books to furnish
their heads with necessary information, while their stomachs
must be content with a turnip, or some such matter, instead
of roast beef for dinner? What, I ask, becomes of a ma-
jority of them, when this struggle is over, and they
are fit for situations ? Why an unexpected one succeeds ;
and thus they go on till they arrive at the level, or job,
of a scavenger. In short, there is no man worse paid
for his labour than the gardener, considering the hours
that he makes, and is looked upon with ineffable scorn. The
ladies, I must say, are generally the greatest admirers of
flowers; while the men of learning pass them by. It is

inconveniences

of gardeners even in place, and in all the affluence they can
expect to enjoy; but a war may be pronounced against all
that are either out of place, or that marry prematurely.
Their only consolation is the beauty of the vegetable king-
dom ; and it may be here remarked, that mankind at large
are very slow to patronise a study that is spoken of in holy
Writ, for, says our Saviour, " Consider the lilies how they
grow ; they toil not, neither do they spin ; and yet I say
unto yon, that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed
like one of these." Here, then, we have it a direct com-
mand from God; and he promises, by way of remuneration,
that we shall find something there that surpasseth even the
glory of Solomon. It is also evident, from the writings of
some of our most eminent poets, that they were conversant
with vegetable physiology ; and what more expands the ideas?
What do Milton and Shakspeare say ? Do they not, in their
choicest productions, scatter here and there fragments of
what they acquired in the study of plants? It is said of the
latter that he rats actually a gardener—at least that he spent
a considerable portion of his early life in that occupation.
In Romeo and Juliet he says—

" I must uptill this osier cage of ours,
With baneful weeds and precious juiced flowers ;

shewing that he was acquainted with not only the weeds, but
flowers ; and I pity that want of taste in any mortal that
deprives him of so great an enjoyment. Where was Adam
placed, our great progenitor? Was it in a manufactory ? a
theatre ? or a banqueting hall? No, 't was a garden. The
Israelites murmured against Moses for depriving them of
the productions of the gardens of Egypt. "We remember,"
said they, " the fish which we did eat in Egypt freely, the
cucumbers and the melons and the leeks and the onions and
the garlick." Again, where did our blessed Lord find re-
tirement to weep over the sins of the world ? In the garden
of Gethsemane. Where did Mahomet think proper to direct
the attention of his followers, but to a garden ? We can,
therefore, to keep the gardener in countenance, cull from the
many a few individuals who had taste sufficient to admire
and appreciate the works of God, even the most humble and
insignificant plant, " the hyssop that springeth out of the
wall." This is a season of the year that forces these reflec-
tions upon one's mind, now that Nature is regaining her
verdant hue, and the lark, soaring aloft, animates the skies
with the warbling of his little throat. These things ought to
learn us to " look through nature up to nature's God."
J. S.

The conservatives intend going on with the petition against
the return of Sir John Hobhouse and Sir George Larpent,
for Nottingham. Bribery, as at Sudbury, is the ground of
complaint.
One of Lord Ellenborough's first acts, as governor-general
of India, has been to order the restoration of batta to the
Madras sepoys.—Allas.
The Chancellor of the Exchequer is nearly recovered from
his late attack of gout.—Standard.

The nuptials of the Prince Royal of Sardinia with the
Archduchess Maria Adelaide of Austria were celebrated on
the 12th instant.

It is said that the Duke D'Aumale and the Prince de
Joinville are shortly to leave the French capital on a visit to
Her Majesty, and will make a general tour to visit the public
establishments in this country.

The Secretary at War, Sir Henry Hardinge, has deter-
mined to Establish Savings' Banks throughout the army,
and an act of Parliament for that purpose will be brought in
shortly by the gallant general.

THE DUBLIN ELECTION.—Mr. Caldwell bas been sen-
tenced to two years' imprisonment in the common gaol for
the assault upon Mrs. .Corbett. The prisoner most em-
phatically protested his innocence.

CHILD MURDER.—A woman of the name of Elizabeth
Barrett has been committed for trial for the wilful murder of
her own child, only nine months old. The prisoner was an
inmate of the Stockport Workhouse, and
the infant Was
found in a privy.

On Saturday the Vice-Chancellor of England decided in
the case of Bridges v. Branfil, that though
there had been o
fraud, the parties who had a right to claim relief against it
being dead, the bill must be dismissed. The parties before
the court left it without imputation on their character.
A clergyman in a parish church not 100 miles from
having put a notice into the clerk's band a few Sundeanyl;
and
slcoooele,
stating that the services would be morning and Rogerev improved
morning and afternoon alternately,
upon it, and said that the service would be to
—Salisbury Herald.
us is looking up,
THE VEGETABLE MARKET.--Asparagus is
Peas were
d direction.
and radishes are taking a downwar
were buoy-
ant new Potatoes
honest
'' all eternity
almost nothing at the opening;
A rush of bulls through the market ant in the basket, but turned outarnattbilaedr
it but all the established
apple stalls and other minor s ah dreadfulea v Vieffecthe u settling.pon
though the run occasioned a panic
houses stood their ground,
F _NDIA.—...e followingnchextract from a private
AFFAIRS 0 I
Hyderabad, February ,
will, brief as it is, show
prevails even amongst those native princes
11, ---Pi4
the, feeling which
the closest allies of the British
_go-
etot rs.
among
letter,
We have now supped full of horrors.' I
dateds°me ofifyt dheeraPr r
go-
vernment :—'
think in England of the Envoy's head on
wonder what they
C. bol The Nizam is thought the best
of the gates of a o •
who are supposed to be
one -- '- ' l'sb amongst the princes of India. General
ally of the g
"client at Hyderabad) wrote ,o tell him officially
massacre, saying
lie was certain he would be shocked
of the 1 the conduct of the Affghans in having murdered
to Ilea!' °m.Nashten. His reply was hardly written with
Sir W•' • ' ... coldly saying
Fraser (the resident at
official politene_s: . very
the death of his blend, with no comments on the behaviour
of the Affghans. This speaks volumes."
A LESSON FOR FAMILIES.—The viciousness of servants is
a matter of common complaint, and it would be well to con-
ws i
adne rt
owfhdeitahcei rp
Imi
auecihn otfhiet
thmaanyangeetntat t
ot rfi be toauttaabblliesh mae
nculpable
the case of Good, for instance, his master's house seems to
,havehen b
he ee npal
ecaoarne
dp,legt
got
t drunk libertyhall.aa
he pleased, drove hishe pleased, slept in or out as
jaunting master's carriageexeors
excursions
os aboutio i t .as
To
oe
ahow pleased,the
taking his women on
complete freedom of the man's movements
that
doings, the
cook states that lie slept in the house,
.but be used often
to hear him get u and go out in the night. Such liberty as
the fellow appear_ps to have. had would be enoufih to spoil. a
good servant, and to a profligate villain it gave full swing.—
Examiner.'

[imperial parliament.

F LORDS

le was

MONDAY

re that tt

irs of t

a to show, at

as emanating

INGHAM
Aware a
e feared

wed ti:

is me

id-reading of the Corn

welt upon an arg9men

,ufficient weight attached W it.
;,,,,,nrtance to consider whe-

ed, and if the lower
thrown out of culti-
31e to obtain a supply
:urope they could
nd Mecklenburg

as not an

obtained from War-

gument would

he one hand

of all protection were mis-

,duction in the price of food,

idles very
lit it would be so very de-

then proceede

'est mode of procedure was to

duce in the shape of a

consequences of a

tome, and this could

ag according to the price in

.3 to diminish

rn, but care was taken not to
at injurious to the agriculturist.

from a

ce expressly on the prin-
le contended that Sir R.
id lost for ever, as a mi-

though they

1 in •order to.keep the late

gricultural classes were in
ad was about to be cut off,

one by a guil:.

or a fixed duty. The-go-
rought forward most mis-

be felt called upon, therefore, to
the consequences likely to ensue if

assive instruments

noble lord concluded by

cond time that day six

Dented on the strong lan-
aking of Sir Robert
e agriculturists had
n led to expect an alteration,

w no alternative but
ned to have it. The

derable length,
injurious to the

;ion in rstating,ranging him-
altural banner, that the go-
classes in bringing forward

sure with

was of the capabilities

consequences likely to

rn to compete with hOme

Lt the matter would not rest with
bat that ere long they would be
)re. He warned their lordships'
reduced the agricultural classes