They discovered that they had been for years grossly insulted by their neighbours (Aimee Vibert was almost sure that a young Potato had winked his eye at her), and the time for revenge was come. No, not revenge, but for enlightenment and amelioration; seeing that these blessings must inevitably attend their intercourse with any other nation, and that, consequently, an invasion, with a touch of fire and sword, was beyond a doubt the most delightful thing that could happen to the barbarians over the way. Geant des Batailles (Hybrid Perpetual) waved the Standard of Marengo (ditto), and they sallied forth at once. They routed the Rhubarb, they carried the Asparagus with resistless force, they cut down the Raspberries to a cane. They annexed that vegetable kingdom, and they retain it still.

* See his 'Amateur's Guide,' ninth edition, p. 32. I may here express my gratitude to Mr Rivers for a copy of his first catalogue, and for the dates and facts, which I have repeated, concerning the old Rosarians.

Yes, everything was made to subserve the Rose. My good old father, whose delight was in agriculture, calmly watched the robbery of his farm, merely remarking, with a quaint gravity and kindly satire, that, "not doubting for a moment the lucrative wisdom of applying the best manure in unlimited quantities to the common hedgerow Brier, he ventured, nevertheless, to express his hope that I would leave a little for the Wheat".

Simultaneously with this love of the Rose, there deepened in my heart an indignant conviction that the flower of flowers did not receive its due share of public honours. I noticed that the lovers of the Carnation had exhibitions of Carnations only, and that the worshippers of the Tulip ignored all other idols. I saw that the Queen of Autumn refused the alliance of each foreign potentate, when she led out her fighting troops in crimson and gold gorgeous. The Chrysanthemum, alone in her glory, made the halls of Stoke Newington gay. Even the vulgar hairy Gooseberry maintained an exhibition of its own; and I knew a cottager whose kitchen was hung round with copper kettles, the prizes which he had won with his Roaring Lions, his Londons, Thumpers, and Crowm-Bobs. Was the Queen of Summer, forsooth, to be degraded into a lady-in-waiting? Was the royal supremacy to be lost? No - like "Lars Porserma of Clusium, When by his gods he swore, That the great house of Tarquin Should suffer wrong no more " - I vowed that her Majesty should have her own again, and in a court » of unparalleled and unassisted splendour should declare herself monarch of the floral world.

Carrying out this loyal resolution, I forthwith suggested in the pages of 'The Florist' (April 1857), to all Rose-growers, amateur and professional, "that we should hold near some central station a Grand National Rose-Show - a feast of Roses, at which the whole brotherhood might meet in love and unity, to drink, out of cups of silver, success to the queen of flowers." And I must confess that, when I had made this proposal to the world, I rather purred internally with self-approbation. I felt confident that the world would be pleased. Would the world send me a deputation 1 Should I be chaired at the London flower-shows'? Perhaps I should be made a baronet. For some days after the publication of the magazine I waited anxiously at home. I opened my letters nervously, but the public made no sign. Had it gone wild with joy, or were its emotions too deep for words? "Weeks passed and it still was mute. I was disappointed. I had thought better of mankind, but I was disappointed, even as that dog of Thompson's, whose sad story is told in these parts as a warning to the over-sanguine. He heard one morning the sound of familiar footsteps approaching at the hour of food.

He said to himself, "What jolly dogs are we!': he rushed towards the door, jumping and frisking, for he thought they were bringing him his breakfast; and . . . they took him oat and hanged him.

The suspense in both cases was extremely disagreeable, but I had this advantage, that mine was too brief to be fatal. I had power to cut the knot, and I exercised it by writing to our chief Rosarians the simple question, "Will you help me in establishing a National Rose-Show?': Then were all my doubts and disappointments dispelled, and the winter of my discontent made glorious summer, for the answers which I received, as soon as mails could bring them, might be summed up in one word, "Heartily." The three men, the triumviri, whose sympathy and aid I most desired - Mr Rivers, king of rosists, Mr Charles Turner, prince of florists, and Mr William Paul, who was not only a successful writer upon the Rose, but at that time presided, practically, over the glorious Rose-fieids of Cheshunt - promised to work with me; and the rest to whom I wrote (not many at first, because too many captains spoil the field-day, and too many huntsmen lose the fox) assented readily to all I asked from them. I was quite happy, quite certain of success, when I had read these letters; and I remember that in the exuberance of my joy I attempted foolishly a perilous experiment, which quickly ended in bloodshed - I began to whistle in the act of shaving!

Shortly afterwards we met in London, as members of her Majesty Queen Rose's Council. The council chamber (Webb's Hotel, Piccadilly) was hardly so spacious, or so perfectly exempt from noise, as became such an august assembly, but our eyes and our ears were with the Rose. We commenced with a proceeding most deeply interesting to every British heart - we unanimously ordered dinner. Then we went to work. We resolved that there should be a Grand National Rose-Show, and that we would raise the necessary funds by subscribing £5 each, as a commencement, and by soliciting subscriptions. That the first show should be held in London about the 1st day of July 1858. That the prizes, silver cups, should be awarded to three classes of exhibitors - namely, to growers for sale, to amateurs regularly employing a gardener, and to amateurs not regularly, etc. We then discussed minor details, and having agreed to reassemble when our financial prospects were more clearly developed, we parted.