caps and gowns, &c. &c. These various suits had, each of them, a block of wood, which they clothed and fitted to a nicety. I could not pretend to say whether it was that they had grown so; or that these supports were added, as gardeners stake peas. But whichever was the case, the blocks had an extremely natural appearance.

Between these raiments, and some Boards of Aldermen, (which were actually alive,) I perceived what I at first took for a crop of cauliflowers, but which, on closer inspection, turned out to be a fine collection of wigs. The gardener, (whose name was Busby,) was occupied in some curious attempts to produce mules,* between full-bottoms and threetails ;—which, if he succeeded, would admirably suit some gentlemen of the Bar.

In the Hortus Vestiarius, indeed, many nice processes were going on. I saw one man planting fans ; which were now close; (and indeed mere sticks ;) but were expected to expand, and be in full blow in the Summer. Another was employed in sowing bracelets, necklaces, and earrings. I thought this latter gave me a handful of seed-pearl, which I immediately put up. This fancy, as I presume, was connected

* I might write hybrid; but it too much, in sound, resembles high-bred; an epithet which, even now, would not suit some gentlemen of the Bar; and which, it is to be feared, will become every day, less and less appropriate.

2

with the fact of my having fallen asleep with a paper of comfits in my waistcoat pocket. Not far from the earrings was a bed of pelisses, planted at intervals, and just appearing above ground; with rows of muffs and tippets sown in drills between. These, it was expected, would soon be in, and last the Winter and there was an edging of Ribband grass, and lace plant, for a Spring crop, next the walk.

M.

P. S. Gentle Reader, if you be yourself awake, please to take notice that I am not; and on the contrary, intend to continue sleeping for another Number. No noise therefore, of censure or approbation, for the present.

(Dream to be concluded in the next.)

NUMBER XXXII.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 12th, 1807.

DREAM CONCLUDED.

Opere in longo, fas est obrepere somnum. HOR.

Drowsy the Writer, like his Reader, grows:
Readers, I give, then let me take-repose.

I WILL not, after the example of waking Travellers, fatigue my Readers with a long account of the shawl or muslin frutex, (which latter is grafted into a stock of the cotton shrub ;) but cannot forbear mentioning, that what I had mistaken for an orchard in full bloom, turned out on my nearer approach, to be a thick plantation of the Ribband Tree; (whose foliage is preferred to the herbaceous fillets already noticed ;) and that what I had supposed to be a gaudy collection of Hollyhocks, proved on closer inspection to be a lively brake of Cap-thorns, in full blow. On the walk beside them, lay a basket of bulbous roots; from which one of the gardeners assured me he expected a fashionable crop of gipsy hats and bonnets, in the season. He at the same time called my atten

tion to a bed of watches, which he was weeding; and which he said were getting on but slowly. They grew after the manner of turnips; the chain and seals appearing above ground.

As for the blooms which I have mentioned, the Professor, observing me surprised to find his garden so forward at this time, told me that to have it in such forwardness, he had expended near a thousand mouthfuls of sunshine; towards supplying which, the country was laid under cucumbers, for miles on the other side of the Metropolis. He added, that it had occurred to him to pepper some of the last beams before he poured them out; and that the experiment had succeeded completely.

It was in the feminine district of the Hortus Vestiarius, that I saw the Novel Tree; a few of the leaves of which I was prevailed upon to taste; but found such of them as were not insipid, extremely nauseous. There fell from these a continual drip, which as far as I could understand,* was Nonsense. The Tree evidently wanted pruning; or rather perhaps required to be cut down; since whatever fruits it bore, were of poisonous quality.

In another quarter of the ground, three trees of the same genus, but a widely different species, were pointed out to me by the Gardener already mentioned:

*

Perhaps "could not understand"-would be a better form of expression.

who seemed to be an intelligent man. According to the fashion of Botanical nomenclature, one of these was called Richardsonia; another Fieldingius; and the third Smollettius Rodericus. The leaves of ́the first my informer described as of a medicinal and cloying taste; but as excellent for conserves: those of the second as sufficiently wholesome, and of a most agreeable and acid flavour: and the third as pleasantly sharp and racy, but with, occasionally, a certain coarseness and acerbity of taste; and sometimes so dirty, as to require wiping before they could be used.

In their neighbourhood was a mournful thicket of the cypress kind, which formed a most extraordinary cabinet de verdure; resembling an ancient castle, with its towers, moat, and draw-bridge. I was just about to express my disapprobation of the revival of obsolete bad taste, when the Gardener informed me, that the shrub at which I had been looking was called Radcliffia: that lights were observed to glimmer through its recesses in the night; and though many alleged that these were merely glow-worms, and that in fact there was nothing in it; on the contrary, others had for a long time supposed it to be haunted. I answered it, would have been better, and far more credible, that it had;* and passed on to the Genlisia;

* I cannot avoid thinking it would be less incredible that some of the appearances recorded in the Mysteries of Udolpho were