One touch of nature makes the whole world kin.

There is this much of poetical sensibility—­of a sense of natural beauty—­at the core of almost every human heart.  The monarch shares it with the peasant, and Nature takes care that as the thirst for her society is the universal passion, the power of gratifying it shall be more or less within the reach of all.[115]

Our present Chief Justice, Sir Lawrence Peel, who has set so excellent an example to his countrymen here in respect to Horticultural pursuits and the tasteful embellishment of what we call our “compounds” and who, like Sir William Jones and Sir Thomas Noon Talfourd, sees no reason why Themis should be hostile to the Muses, has obliged me with the following stanzas on the moral or rather religious influence of a garden.  They form a highly appropriate and acceptable contribution to this volume.

I HEARD THY VOICE IN THE GARDEN.

    That voice yet speaketh, heed it well—­
    But not in tones of wrath it chideth,
    The moss rose, and the lily smell
    Of God—­in them his voice abideth.

    There is a blessing on the spot
    The poor man decks—­the sun delighteth
    To smile upon each homely plot,
    And why?  The voice of God inviteth.

    God knows that he is worshipped there,
    The chaliced cowslip’s graceful bending
    Is mute devotion, and the air
    Is sweet with incense of her lending.

    The primrose, aye the children’s pet,
    Pale bride, yet proud of its uprooting,
    The crocus, snowdrop, violet
    And sweet-briar with its soft leaves shooting.

    There nestles each—­a Preacher each—­
    (Oh heart of man! be slow to harden)
    Each cottage flower in sooth doth teach
    God walketh with us in the garden.

I am surprized that in this city (of Calcutta) where so many kinds of experiments in education have been proposed, the directors of public instruction have never thought of attaching tasteful Gardens to the Government Colleges—­especially where Botany is in the regular course of Collegiate studies.  The Company’s Botanic Garden being on the other side of the river and at an inconvenient distance from the city cannot be much resorted to by any one whose time is precious.  An attempt was made not long ago to have the Garden of the Horticultural Society (now forming part of the Company’s Botanic Garden) on this side of the river, but the public subscriptions that were called for to meet the necessary expenses were so inadequate to the purpose that the money realized was returned to the subscribers, and the idea relinquished, to the great regret of many of the inhabitants of Calcutta who would have been delighted to possess such a place of recreation and instruction within a few minutes’ drive.

Hindu students, unlike English boys in general, remind us of Beattie’s Minstrel:—­