being fifty-six feet and a half in circumference, or about eighteen feet in diameter.

The yew tree at Mucruss abbey, in Ireland, has a trunk about six feet and a half in circumference, and fourteen feet high, which terminates in a head that fills the area of the cloisters.

In England and Wales, some very large specimens are mentioned. According to Evelyn, the Crowhurst yew was thirty feet in circumference; that at Braburne churchyard, in Kent, was nearly twenty feet diameter, although it had been dismantled by storms; and at Sutton, near Winchester, there was, as Evelyn quaintly says, "such another monster." At Hedsor, in Buckinghamshire, there was lately, if there be not still, one in health and vigour, full twenty-seven feet in diameter. In the woods of Cliefden, near Hedsor, there are some extraordinary remains of these trees, whose roots, apparently of vast age, twine about the chalk rocks in the most fantastic shapes.

Considering the immense size to which the yew grows, and the strength, durability, and even beauty of its timber, one cannot help regretting that, when those great trees shall have yielded, as yield they must, to the destructive power of time, there should not be a succession. It is true that, in consequence of the great improvement of the iron manufacture, and the cheapness of that article, it can be applied to many purposes for which the great strength of the yew was well adapted.

The custom of clipping yews into fantastic shapes was much practised in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Some of our churchyards still have their yew-trees thus cut into the pretended likenesses of birds and beasts. At Bedfont, in Middlesex, there are two celebrated trees, whose branches are annually shaped into something like the form of a peacock,

with a date shewing when this piece of useless labour was first performed. We think it is 1708. The Romans, as we learn from Pliny's letters, cut their evergreens into the fantastic shapes of birds and beasts. Lord Bacon, with his wonted good sense, protested against this practice, which was the fashion of his time. 66 I, for my part," he says in his Essays, "do not like images cut out in juniper and other garden stuff; they be for children."

Cypress-Cupressus sempervirens.

Of the CYPRESS, of which there are twenty-two species, it will be necessary to mention only two,--the Evergreen Cypress (Cupressus sempervirens), and the White Cedar (Cupressus thyoides). Of the first, there are two varieties, the upright and the spreading, the last growing to the larger size, and being consequently the more valuable, as a timber tree. It is a native of the south eastern countries of Europe, of the Levant, of China, and of several other parts of Asia. It thrives best in a warm, sandy, or gravelly

soil; and though it has not been much cultivated in England as a timber tree, yet it seems well adapted for many situations in the southern parts of the kingdom. It is true that, in the early stages of its growth, it has been supposed to fall a victim to the keen frosts of our climate; yet Evelyn says, that he had upwards of a thousand cypress trees in his garden, and did not lose more than three or four of them during the uncommonly severe winters of 1663 and 1665.

Of all timber, that of the cypress is generally supposed to be the most durable, superior even to that of the cedar itself. The doors of St. Peter's Church at Rome, which had been formed of this material in the time of Constantine, shewed no sign of decay when, after the lapse of eleven hundred years, Pope Eugenius IV. took them down to replace them by gates of brass. In order to preserve the remains of their heroes, the Athenians buried them in coffins of cypress; and the chests or coffins in which the Egyptian mummies are found are usually of the same material. Cypress is a handsome timber. Though hard, it is elastic; and, therefore, would answer well for musical instruments. For furniture, it would be equal even to mahogany; for, though not so beautiful in its colour, it is stronger, resists the worm equally, and its odour repels insects from whatever may be contained in a cabinet or chest made of it. For building, there is no timber superior to the cypress, which lasts almost as long as stone itself; accordingly, where it is found in great abundance, it is very much used for that purpose. The cypress is reputed to live to a great age; and, though the precise period has not been ascertained, the fact of its being planted over the graves of the dead, and carried in funeral processions, as an emblem of immortality, is a proof that its duration must be very considerable.

White Cedar-Cupressus thyoides.

The White Cedar is a native of America, where it grows to a considerable size; but it grows slowly, being eighty years old before it is fit for timber, and even then, though it answers well for hoops, small boats, roofing, and some other purposes, it does not appear very worthy of cultivation as a timber tree. But it is hardy, and forms a good variety in clumps of evergreens.

Of the Juniper, there are twenty-two species, of which only the Barbadoes juniper, Barbadoes cedar, the Bermuda cedar, and the Red cedar, rise to be large trees.

The Barbadoes Cedar (Juniperus Barbadensis) grows to be a large tree, and is used for ship-building and other purposes; but, being a native of the tropical regions, it cannot be cultivated with profit as a forest tree in England. The Bermuda juniper also attains a considerable size; its timber is more red than that of the former; and, as it is a native of

colder regions, it thrives better in England. It is very abundant in the islands after which it is named, and forms there one of the most valuable timber trees. The wood is close-grained, and has a strong odour, highly offensive to insects; it is, therefore, well adapted for furniture in warm climates.

The Red Cedar (Juniperus Virginiana) is a native of North America, the West India islands, and Japan. In Jamaica, it grows to a very large size, and forms one of the best timber trees in the island. It is close and firm, though easily split; the internal wood is dark red, and the odour of it is very strong, so that it answers well for the internal parts of cabinet-work, as well as for the wainscoting of rooms.

The common juniper is a shrub found in most of the cold parts of Europe. It seldom (with the exception of a variety found in Sweden) deserves to be called a tree; but the wood that it does produce is compact and fragrant; and the berries, which take two years to grow, are employed in the arts.

SUBSTANCES, EXTRACTED FROM THE PINES AND
THE KINDRED TRIBES, AND MADE USE

OF IN THE ARTS.

There are very few of this numerous order of trees that, in addition to their timber, do not afford some substance valuable to man.

The common pine yields turpentine by incision into the living tree; and tar is made by distilling billets of the wood in an oven. This tar, being boiled to evaporate the water, forms pitch. The goodness of the timber determines the goodness of the extract;—that of Norway being better than that of Scotland or of Canada, although, from the inferior value of the timber in the latter place, tar may be procured much cheaper. It is probable that tar and pitch may be obtained from the whole family of the pines,