The Sun.
London, England, 1823-09-26 00:00:00

THE AGE OF THE OAK.

In " Major Rooke's Sketch of the Forest of Sherwood" are
some very curious particulars concerning the manner of mark:
ing the age of the Oak. In: Clipstone Park, in Nottingham-
shire, is an oak called the Parliament Oak, from a tradition of
a Parliament having heen hold there by King Edward I. Near
Blidworth, there is a large and ancient elm, called Langton
, Arbour, which even some centuries ago was sufficiently re-
markable to give a name to one of the forest walks, and to have
, a keeper appointed to it.—Major Hooke tells us that in cutting
down some timber in Birkland and Bilhaugh, letters have been
found cut or stamped in the body of the trees, denoting the
King's reign in which they were thus marked. It seems that the
bark was cut off and the letters cut in, after which the next year's
wood grew over It, but without adhering where the bark had been
cut. The cyphers are of James the First, of William and Mary,
and one of King John ! One of these, with James's cypher,
was about one foot within the tree, and one foot from the centre ;
it was cut down in 1786. This tree must have been two feet
in diameter, or two yards in circumference, when the mark was
cut. A tree of this size is generally estimated at one hundred
and twenty years growth,, which number, subtracted from the
middle year of James's reign, would make 1492 the date of the
planag of the tree, The tree with William and Mary had
the mark about nine inches within the tree, and three feet three
inches from the centre: cut down also in 1786. The mark of
John was eighteen inches within the tree, and something more
than a foot from the centre: it was cut down in 1791 ; but the
middle year of John's reign was 1207, from which, if we sub.
tract 120, the number of years requisite for a tree of two feet in
diameter to arrive at that growth, it will make the date of its
planting 1085, or about twenty years after the Conquest.
The tree, theretbre, when cut down in 1791, must have
been 706 years old, a fact scarcely credible; for it ap.
pears front the trees whose marks are better authenti-
cated, that those exactly of the same size, when marked, had
increased twelve inches in diameter in 173 years, whilst
this tree had increased 'no more than eighteen inches in 584
years. Major Hooke saes that several trees with this mark
had been cut down, so that deception or mistake is scarcely
passible. This accurate delineator accounts for these pheno-
mena, by supposing (as the increasing wood never adheres
where the bark had been taken Off), that the sap which
rises front the roots through the capillary tubes of the wood,
to the branches, returns in its circulation between the Lim and
the bark. " I have often (says he) examined many of the
ancient hollow trees in Birkland and Bilhaughi, and al.
ways found that where the barktrentained, even on their mud-
fated trunks, there they frequently put out small branches with '
leaves ; but where that necessary covering of the returning
sap was wanting, there was no appearance of Vegetation." j

It will be seen that measures are in progress
for increasing
the facility of communication be-
tween this port Old the South • of Ireland ; and
we fecl pleasure in inserting, at the request of a
highly valued Correspondent, the subjoined state-
ment of the advantage 4
which are hence likely
to accrue, as' well. to. .13rh,tol aS to that fruitful
portion of the Sister Kingdom :----7,-
" When the acknowledged superiority of' steam-navigation
over vessels impelled by wind alone is contemplated, it is not too
much to anticipate the incalculable source Of advantase. it will be
to every branch of trade where regularity and expedition are an
important consideration. To none can it be greater than to the •
exporters of Live Stock, who require speed, certainty, and
safety. The export of cattle, however, as now carried on, is
marked by the most inconvenient, vexatious, and even ruinous 1
delays, uncertainty, and risk.
The state of the wind often
compels the shipper to abandon his undertaking, and it is no un-
common circumstance to find him obliged to re-land a valuable
cargo, to die great injury of the cattle, and after considerable
. expence has been incurred. For this reason very fat cattle are
rarely, if ever, shipped ; and even the danger of bruised ribs is
KO great, that the risk is seldom warranted. We observe, with
pleasure, that an opportunity now oilers itself by which this
mischievous and
expensive evil may be speedily removed. '3 he
late repeal of the salt-Tax renders it still more necessary that
increased facilities should be allbrded for. the import of live
stock, and Bristol is More favourably circumstanced for thiS
trade than tiny other in the kingdom, from its proximity to the
South ut Ireland , the staple of which is the pros uie of her coil,
abounding in oxen, caws, sheep, pigs, poultry, corn, butter,
bacon, eggs, tallow,
articles ma);
Bristol weekly'rnarket without any injury or uncertainty, In
return,
rape, Sce., which may be brought to the
be aka, such as woollens, •
cotton, leather, iron, • - 'also Fast-India and West-Italia
, copper:' 4
produce, naps, tobacco, coals, bale and shop goods, &c. at less
expence t,Latt by any other conveyance, and with 'expedition
and certainty place the shopkeepers of every part of the South
'of Ireland on the same footing with the inland towns of Eng_
land, °P9ing a most productive commerce to Bristol, and of
profi:td tae ProprietorsofSteatu-Tioders."—(ll>ise! Gebs;;:ver.)

The COLUMNAR MARBLE, and BURNING SPRING.

[From a Traveller's Journal.]
From the Lake I proceeded the next morning
toward the north east end of Westmorland, hav-
ing passed the night in a sound sleep under the
trees by the water side, but was forced by the
precipices to shape my course, from four in the
morning till eight, to the north west, and then
the road turned east-north-east, till I came to a
great glen, where a river made a rumbling noise,
over rocks and inequalities of many kinds, and
formed a very wild and wonderful scene. The
river was broad and deep, and, on easy descent
to it, was an assemblage of stones, that ran in
length about a hundred feet, in breadth thirty,
and somewhat resembling the Giant's Causeway,
in the'county of Antrim and province of Ulster,
in Ireland ; nine miles north-east from the pretty
town of Coleraine, celebrated in song. The assem-
blage of stones I am speaking of are columns
with several corners, that rise three yards above
the ground, and are joined as if by art ; the
points being convex and concave, and thereby
lying one within another. These columns have
five and six sides, a few of them seven ; and a
number of them nicely and exactly placed to-
gether, make one large pillar from one foot to
two in -diameter. They are so nicely joined,
that although they have five and six sides,
yet their contexture is so adapted as to leave
no vacuity between them : the prominent angles
of one pillar fitting, and falling exactly into the
hollOws left them between two others, and the
plain sides exactly answer to one another ; so
that those pedagons and pentagons of columnar
marble appear as if finished by the hands of the
most masterly workman. Ali the pillars stood
exactly perpendicular to the plane of the horizon.
This marble is one of the noblest productions of
nature, and of all the fOssil kingdom the most
astonishing body. If art is requisite for the for-
mation of many things we see daily done with
elegance and beauty then certaintly mind itself,
even the supreme mind, must have caused such
effects as these astonishing marble pillars, which
lie in vast compound perpendicular columns at
great depths in the earth (none in beds of strata
like the other marbles),and rise in such beautiful
joints and angles, well fitted together, more than
six and thirty feet above ground in some places.
No other way could those wonderful productions
have come into being but by that intelligent, ac-
tive power who speaks intelligibly to every nation
by his works. To talk, as some people do, that
necessity, which destroys the very idea of intelli-
gentan utter absurdity—or the sea, according to
and designing activity—or chuirce„which is
Millar/2er, generated and formed this genus of
marble, and so wonderfully distinguished it from
all the othe'r marmora. To talk, I say, of the
sea, a chance, a necessity, doing this, or any
thing of so wonderful a kind, is to produce
schemes founded in ignorance and eversive of
true knowledge, instead of giving a rational in-
telligible account of the formation of the world,
its 'order and appearances, In this wonderful
production, a due attention perceives infinite art
and power. Did we want that variety of things
which employ the consideration ot rational men,
and force the tongues of thinking men to acknow-
ledge creating power, this marble alone would be
sufficient to demonstrate equal power directed by
infinite wisdom. This is the basaltes of the an-
cients certainly, and is a very elegant and beau-
tiful marble of a fine deep glossy black, like high
polished steel, and undoubtedly this was the
touch-stone of the ancients. Another extraor-
dinary thing I saw in a valley not far from that
where the basaltes stand, is a boisterous burn-
ing spring. It rises with great noise, and issues
out with a force sufficient to turn many mills.
The water is clear and cold, but to the taste
unpleasant, like a bad egg. I judged, from
the nature of its motion, that the water would
take lire, and having lit my torch, soon put it in
flames. The fire was fierce, and the water ran
down the vale in a blaze. It was a river of
fire for a considerable way, till it sunk under
ground among some rocks, and thereby disap-
peared. After it had burnt some time, I took
some boughs from a tree, and tying them toge-
ther, beat the surface of the well for a few mi-
nutes, and the [miming ceased. The water was
not hot, as one might expect, but cold as the
coldest spring could be. There are a great num-
ber of such springs in the world, but this is the
largest i ever saw or heard of. There is one
near Broxley, in Shrophire, and one in the pain.
tinate of Cracow of the Lesser Poland. And as
to the extinguishing this fire, by beating it with
twigs, is by reason that as the inflammability
of such springs is to be ascribed to sulphur, and
to its exhalations bursting out of the water ; so
this floating flame, which is too subtle to
heat the water, is stifled by involving these
Spirits in the aqueous 'particles, by brushing
the surface with broom. It is related that
at one time, when the Polish spring was
kindled by lightning, the people neglected
to put it out, and the stream proceeded on
lire for almost three years, and reduced all
the neighbourhood to Ashes. It is really won*.
derful to see such a river of fire, and adora-
ble must be that power who has caused such
things. To say that matter and motion circurn-
9cribe and regulate such powers is idle to the
tast degree. It is an inversion of reason. The
very existence of the water and sulphur of this
spring must be by the power of the Creator con-
stantly put forth upon it, which causes the parts
to be what we call such things, and the motion
of both must be an impression : for motion is not
essential to matter. Nothing else could produce
them, and a cause there must be equal to the
various and wonderful effects of both, a cause
that is infinite, wise, and powerful. The Deity
is every where present, and every where active.
His power is incessantly working, gives exis-
tence to the various creatures, and produces the
most noble phenomena in Nature. All we see,
all we feel, fire and water, the universal variety
of inanimate and animate creatures; are only the
effects of his creating power, constantly repeat-
ed. The existence of the whole world is a con-
tinual new creation ; and, therefore, it becomes
the bounden duty of all rational creatures to
worship This Almighty Power, as well for his works
of Creation as for the ways of his Providence.