126 THE ESSEX NATURALIST
"ORANGE BOVEN"
Under the cartoon of John Hall appear the words "Orange
Boven." It was many years before I discovered what they
meant. I had a vague idea that they had something to do with
Holland and some 30 years ago a Dutch friend told me that
the phrase was a loyal exclamation meaning "Up the House of
Orange." Years passed and I could not find out anything more
until, in 1941, to my great joy I was enabled to run the expression
to earth.
It appears that the sudden and unexpected arrival in Decem-
ber, 1813, of deputies from Holland to invite this country to
assist in driving Bonaparte's connections from the Netherlands
occasioned an extraordinary sensation in London. In conse-
quence T. J. Dibdin, the playwright, was called upon by the
management of the Drury Lane Theatre to produce something
appropriate to the patriotic occasion. This he did under the
appellation of Orange Boven or More Good News. The inter-
lude was produced at the above theatre on December 19th, 1813.
On the following day a burletta Orange Boven or the Embarkation
for Holland was produced at the Surrey Theatre.
In the same month John Hall organised a public banquet,
held at the City of London Tavern, Bishopsgate Street, to cele-
brate the emancipation of Holland. The Duke of Clarence
occupied the chair, supported by many Earls, Viscounts, Lords,
M.P.S, etc. The current newspapers give a very long account of
the gathering with names of some of the more important persons
present. The dinner consisted of two courses and a dessert with
foreign wines of every description. Tickets, which were only to
be obtained of the Stewards, who were leading City men, cost £3.
EXOTIC TREES IN GREAT BRITAIN
BY FRANK W. JANE, PH.D., D.SC., F.L.S.
[Presidential Address delivered April 3rd, 1948]
IN so far as it gives me almost unlimited scope, the title of my
address is a useful one, for it is obvious that the trees in
Britain which are not native are legion. So comprehensive a
survey of our exotic trees was, however, far from my mind when
I selected the title and it was my desire to treat of those trees which,
having been introduced into this country, have become part of the
British landscape. Here, immediately, difficulties arise. Some
trees, like the Sycamore, have, to all intents, joined our British
flora and are in fact far more successful than some of its older