The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1851-03-12
Private History of the Palace of Glass,
Intended for the Exhibition of the In
dustry of all Nations" in London, May
1851.


One New Years Day, in the year 1887
a traveller was proceeding, in native boat
on difficult exploration up the river Bcr-
hice in Dcmerara, when, on arriving at q
point where the river expanded and formed
currentleSs basin. his attention was attract
ed to the southern margin Of the lake 10y
an extraordinary object. lie caused his
crew to paddle quickly towards it. The
nearer he approached, the higher his curios-
ity was raised. Though an accomplished
botanisf, and especially familiar with the
Flora Of South America, he had never seen
anything like it before. 1t was Titanic
waler-p!ani. in size and shape unlike any
other known plant.-"I felt as a botanist,'
says Sir Robert Schombureh, " and felt my
self rewarded ALL calamities were forgot.
ten. A gigantic leaf from five 10 six feet
in diameter, salver>shapcd, with broad rim,
of a lighl-green above, aud a vivid crimson
below rested upon the water Quite in
character with the wonderful leaf was the
luXuriant flower, consisting Of an immense
number of petals, passing in alternate tints
from pure white to rose and pink" and, in
some instances, measuring fifteen inches
across The smooth water was covered
with blossoms, and, as rowed from one to
an other, ] always observed something new
TO admire"
Such flowers Polyphemus must have ga
thercd for Galatea's nosegay; but Sir Rob
cit Schomburgh, not content with mere ilow-
ers, dug up whole plants and sent first
them. and afterwards seeds, TO England,
where the magnificent lily was named the
Victoria Regia." After some unsuccessful
attempts, The task Of forcing il to blossom in
an artificial climate, was confined to Mr.
Paxton, the celebrated horticuturist of the
Duke Of Devonshire's cele braied Chats
worth.
Mr. Paxton-a man of high scientific at
talnmcnts- is not a mere academic saraaL
His Alma Mater is nature. When the Vic
toria Rcgia was TO be fowered, Mr., Paxton
determined, to initiate Nature so closely as
to make that innocent offspring of the Great
Mother fancy itself back again in the broad
waters and under the burning heats of Brit
ish Guiana. lie deceived the roots by i'm
bedding them in a hillock of burned loan
and peat; he deludcd the great luLberly
leaves by letting them float in a tank, to
which he communicated, by means of a lit
tic wheel, the gentle ripple of their own
tranquil river, and he coaxed the flowers
into bloom by manufacturing a Berbician
climate in a Tiny South America, under a
glass case
With that glass case our history properly
commences. In imitation of philosophic
French Cook, who began chapter on stew.
ed apples with an essay OH the Creation we
have thought it wise TO start with the parent
age ard CESSATION before proceeding to the
birth and development of the Great Giant
in Hyde Park ; for, by curious opposition,
the first parent Of the most extensive build
ing in Europe was the largest known floral
structure in the world Although, co-rela-
lively, they differ as widely as the popular
disparity Of ST. Pdu's and China orange
yet the one proceeded from the other. as
consequently as oaks grow from acorns.
Mr., Paxton had already effected many
improvements in horticultural buildings; the
workmanship of which has always been un-
necessarily massive. With the conviction
that glass houses are not Egyptian tomhs
built for darkness and eternity, he set about
making them lighter than of old, both as re-
CARDS aclinism and architecture. lie discard |
ed as much as practicable all ponderous
and opake materials He pared away all |
clumsy sash hbars, whose broad shadows rob |
bed plants of the suns light and heat during |
the best parts OF the day; he abolished dirty |
aud leaking oyerlsps. by using large pan cs,
and inserting them in wooden grooves, rem
dered waler-tght by spaiing use Of putty. |
Lastly, finding, that into the ordinary slop- |
ing roof the sunbeams enter al an Indirect |
and Improbable angle, MIR. Paxton invent
ed horizontal glazing composed of angu-
lar ridges the glass presenting itself to the
suns rays so as TO admit them to the plants
in straight line at almost any time of day
but especially early and late.
In green-houie constructed with some of
these Improvements, and acclimalcd as we
have already explained, a Victoria Regia
was Dlnnted on The tenth of August IAle
So well had everything been prepared for its
that it flourished as vigorously as
IL it had been restored to It's native soil and
climate. Itsgrowih and deveopemeni we're