t, as they take upon themselves to punish, if it
have an evil tendency.'

Whether the promoters are right or wrong in their views, will be best
proved by the result; meantime, they put forth some good names as
provisional president, vice-president, and managers, and propose that
the Institute shall comprise four branches--namely, a Protective
Society, a Philanthropic and Provident Fund, an Educational
Association, and a Life-Assurance Department. The subscribers are to
consist of two classes: those who give contributions for the benefit
of the Institute, and those who seek to benefit themselves. The former
are to be asked to insure their lives, for different rates of premium,
the amounts to fall into the corporation at the decease of the
subscribers; and thus a fund would be raised out of which, on certain
conditions, participating subscribers would be able to secure a
provision for old age, or premature decay of mental power, the means
of educating their children, and leaving a _solatium_ to their widows.
If all this can be carried out, and if literary men, as a class, are
capable of all that the prospectus of the new scheme implies, how much
of distress and heart-breaking misery will be saved to society!

There are several subjects which, having recently been brought before
our Horticultural Society, have somewhat interested gardening folk. At
one of the meetings, there was exhibited 'a very fine specimen of
common mignonette,' which 'was stated to have been a single plant
pricked out into a pot in January 1851, and shifted on until it had
attained a large size. It was mentioned, that mignonette is not an
annual, as many imagine it to be; but that it will become a woody
shrub, and last for years, provided it is well managed, and kept free
from frost and damp.' So runs the report in the society's journal.

There was, likewise, an exhibition of black Hamburg grapes by Mr Fry,
a Kentish gardener, who made thereupon some observations, which appear
to be deserving of wider circulation. The grapes were grown in a
building seldom heated artificially, and were much attacked by mildew
during the last two seasons, on which prompt measures were taken to
diffuse perfectly dry 'sulphur vivum' throughout the house by means of
a sulphurator, until fruit and foliage were completely but lightly
coated. 'Fires were lighted, and the temperature kept up to from 80 to
90 degrees, ventilation being considerably diminished, and water in