K ye queen
has, of nun's work, of fruit and flowers, that her mother did put up
for her, and now she has 'em both for her chapel and her rooms. I do
not know whether they be the four seasons of the year, but they say
they are done so well, that they that see 'em can hardly think 'em
other than the real.'"[A]

[A] In the collection of private family letters of the Duke of
Devonshire, at Chiswick Lodge: copied by courteous permission of his
Grace.

From the year last named until 1736 I have been unable to trace any
knowledge of this elegant art.

When wax flowers were again introduced by an Italian, they were clumsily
manufactured in comparison to those seen in the present age of
improvement; for I had the opportunity of inspecting some of their
"miserable remains" but a few years since. Still I must acknowledge I
discovered some taste and much ingenuity in their construction, and am
not too proud to own that I benefited even by examining these very
inferior productions. I feel quite satisfied that the art of wax flower
modelling is almost still in its infancy. It is no longer regarded as an
amusement only. It is enumerated with other accomplishments essential to
female education. It assists botanical studies, and promotes the views
of flower painters, either in oil or water colours; even in drawing, wax
flowers will be found excellent auxiliaries, far preferable as copies to
the even surface of plates. I have myself been much gratified by
furnishing flowers in wax to some of our first flower painters, who have
assured me that they have proved of great utility, in cases where the
evanescent properties of the flower of nature prevented the possibility
of committing their similitude to canvas ere their beauty had faded. It
affords me no small degree of satisfaction also, that my flowers were
found useful as copies for some of the beautiful carved work in the late
great and ever memorable Exhibition. I have also supplied them as
illustrations to botanical lectures.

In thus referring to the utility of wax flowers, I am reminded of a
partially unfavourable prejudice which has lately sprung up, from an
article which first appeared in a Manchester paper, and which was
subsequently copied into _The Times_, and other papers. It is possible
ladies may be induced to abandon this delightful amusement, upon reading
such a statement as the subjoined extract:--

"THE DANGER OF MODELLING IN WAX.--Few person