The Sun.
London, England, 1857-04-09 00:00:00

LONDON, II URS DA ).-,ATEIk,,TING, APRIL 9, 1867.

)
fl RENT WESTERN RAILWAY.-LOANS
NO(' cn DE BENTURES.—The Directors are prepared to receive
Tenders for Loans of Money, to pay off existing Debentures, on the
following terms, viz. :—At 5/. per cent , for a period of three years ;
4/. 158. per cent. for five years ; or U. 10s. per cent., for seven years.
Applications to be made to the undersigned.
...., _ .

CHAS. A. SA.UN DERS, Secretary,
Paddington Station, 3d April, 1857.

ANK OF DEPOSIT,
Na. 3, PALL-MALL EAST, LONDON.
Established A.D. 1844.
Parties desirous of INVESTING MONEY are requested to
examine the plan of the Bank of Deposit.
Prospectuses and Forms for Opening Accounts sent free on appli-
cation.

PETER MORRISON, Managing Director.

ANK -OF LO -N • D ON,
)i Threadneedle-street, and 450, West Strand.
CIRCULAR NOTES and LETTERS of CREDIT, free ofexoanse,
Are issued by this Bank, payable ry its Correspondents in all the
principal Cities and Towns on the Continent of Europe, in the British
Colonies and Dependencies, and in Foreign Parts.
DE POSIT'ACCOUNTS.—The Bank of England having raised the
discount rate to XS% per cent., this Bank now allows £514 per cent.
Interest on sums depasited with three days' notice of withdrawal.
CURRENT ACCOUNTS are received with allowance of interest
to customers, and every description of legitimate banking business
undertaken.

By order. •
MATTHEW MARSHALL. Jnn., Manager,
BENJAMIN SCOTT, Secretary.
Threadneedle-streets April 6, 1857.

OFFICE OF THE GAS LIMIT AND COKE CO.,
HOIISEFERRY-ROAD, WESTMINSTER, Sth April, 1857.
N'OTICE IS HEREBY That a HALF-
.LI -YE ItLY GENER COURT of the proprietors of this
Company will be held on FRIDAY, the Ist day of May next, at 11
o'el.ek in the forenoon, at the Company's Gas Works, Horseferry.
road, Westminster.

By order. C. BURLS, Secretary
N.B. The chair will be taken at 12 o'clock precisely.

y ONDON, HARWICH, and CONTINENTAL
STEAM PACKET COMPANi" (Limited).
LONDON to ROTTERDAM in TWELVE HOURS by the NEW
ROUTE to the Continent, forming the connecting link between the
Dutch• Rhenish and the Eastt.rn Counties Railways.
The Steamers of this Company will commence running between
HARWICH and ROTTERDAM, with passengers and goods, on
SATURDAY, April 25.

For further particulars as to freight, &c., apply at the Company's
offices, 44, Moorzate-street (E.C.) ; of Oliver John Williams, Esq.,
Harwich ; and of H. P. Maples, shipping agent to the Company, 4,
Arthur-street East (8.C.)

THE NIGHTINGALE FUND.—It is intended
to close this Fund during the first week in May, and to lay a
detailed Report of proceedings before the Public, when the Trustees
appointed by Miss Nightingale will receive the amount subscribed as
a record of " Nationsl Gratitude" and to enable her to establish an
Institution for the Training, Sustenance, and Protection of Nurses
and Hospital Attendants.

It is, therefore, respectfully requested that all outstanding sub-
sc:iptions be forwarded to the Honorary Secretaries; and that local
Secretaries :ti•ill be pleased to make up their accounts in order that
they may be properly.acknowledged and recorded.

SIDNEY HERBERT, / Honorary
S. C..HALL, I Secretaries,
Office of the Nightingale Fund, 5, Parliament-street,
. .

Westminster.

ALT and: Co.'s EAST „INDIA PALE and
101 BURTON ALES. BREwEiY-BURTON-ON-TRENT.

STORES:— ,
L0ND0N......
LIVERPOOL .. • ......... y-street.
MANCHESTER
SHEFFIELD .. 12, George-street.
BIRMINGHAM- ... Old Court•house, High-street.
BRISTOL.. ..
DUBLIN.
EDINBURGH .. ...... .....- Porthopetoun Warehouse.
GLASGOW St. Vincent-place.
These Ales, in Casks of Eighteen Gallons and upwards, and in
Bottle, obtained from all respectable Bottlers.

GREAT HANDEL FESTIVAL •AT THE
CRYSTAL PALACE. Under the especial
patronage of Her Majesty the QUEEN and H.R.H. PRINCE
ALBERT. Notice is given, that 'applications for tickets for
places, reserved andnumbered as stated, are one guinea each
for each performance, or at two guineas and a half for one
place for the series of three performances, can now be re-
ceived, and the places secured in numerical order, at the
Crystal Palace, or by letter addressed to the Secretary there ;
at the Temporary Offices of the Company, 79, Lombard-
street ; and at the Central Ticket Office, No. 2, Exeter-hall.
The scats which are at present disposable consist of four
blocks of 500 places, each in the most eligible position in tho
centre of the great Transept, the front row being about 40
feet, and the back 140 feet from the conductor's seat. These
2,000 scats are all equally good, and no one place has any ad-
vantage over any other. Parties applying at present can
secure their seats being within these four. locks, but until
the arrangements are more perfectly matured it is impossible
definitely to particularise • position. In allotting seats to
those who shall have applied before the 20th of April, pre-
ference must be given to those who take sets of seats for the
three performances. N.B.—No application can be attended to
unless accompanied by a remittance for ,the price of the places
applied for. It is requested that Post-office orders be made
payable to George Groves at,the General Post-office, and that
cheques be made payable to the Company, and crossed Union
Bank of London. Subscribers for' annual season tickets for
the Crystal Palace are respectfully informed that such tickets
will not be available for these performances.
The THREE PERFORMANCES are now definitively fixed
to take place as follows, viz.—MONDAY, June 15, " MES-
SIAH ; " WEDNESDAY, June 17, "JUDAS MACCA-
131EUS ; " and FRIDAY, June 19, " ISRAEL IN EGYPT."
At these performances the orchestra will consist of nearly
2,500 performers, viz.----2,090 chorus, and 300 stringed and a
due proportion of wind instruments. The entiro musical
arrangements are undertaken by the Sacred Harmonic Society,
Exeter Hall: Conductor, Mr. Costa.
By Order. GEORGE GROVE, Secretary.
Crystal Palace, March 21, 1857.

Nr.-41 and Intiltary lat,:uti.;ence.

The heact:quarters, staff, and A and B troops of the
3d Dragoon Guards left Chatham yesterday under the
command of Col. J. Dyson, Capt. H. Marsh, and four
subalterns, for Canterbury, where they will join the re-
maining troops of the regiment, recently arrived from
Dublin.
The Scorpion, 6, surveying vessel, Commander J. Par-
sons, arrived at Chatham from the West Indies on Wed-
nesday night, having been towed up from the Nore by
the African steamer. The Scorpion, on arriving in the
Medway, was inspected by Captain Lord Frederick H.
Kerr, of the Waterloo, 120, who mustered the crew for
the purpose of exercising them in various manoeuvres, all
of which were performed in a sati-factory manner. As
soon as her stores have been removed into the dockyard
she will be stripped and paid off into ordinary.
One of the Australian line of emigrant vessels, the Ad-
miral, nbw lying at Deptford, is ordered down to Wool-
wich to-day to ship Ordnance stores, and also to embark
Captain A. J. Clarke, Lieutenant E. D. Malcolm, Lieu-
tenant G. D. Pritchard, and the 23d Company of tlie
Royal Engineers for China. The Admiral has been
especially selected for this purpose by reason of her spa-
cious accommoddtion and healthily arranged decks (74
feet in height), essentially requisite in the present emer-
gency, when the transports will be retained in the set.-
_ vice as local quarters for the troops on arrival at their
destination. On account of the lofty build of the middle
deck, it has been found necessary to erect a range of
extra beams, iu order to sling the hammocks in an avail-
able position.
The steamship Lebanon arrived at Woolwich yesterday
,morning to embark four companies of artillery, and a
provision of war stores for Canada and Halifax. In con-
secptence of the paucity of hands reserved in the Mili-
tary Store Departments of -Woolaichakreenal, according.
to the limited arrangereenti provided by the estimates
granted for the ensuing year, the work of shipping
stores is naturally progressing slowly, notwithstanding
the most active exertions even beyond office hours. Toe
Violet freightship, having shipped a portion only. of her
heavy cargo for China, about 800 tons, was yesterday
morning haul-d off the pier to give place to the more
argent necesity of lading the Lebanon and the despatch
of the Engineers.
Captain Leopold Grinaston Paget, with theeofficcrs and
gunners composing the R field battery of instruction, re.
cently formed at Aldershot, arrived last night at head-
quarters, Woolwich, and joined their battalion to be
prepared for foreign service. The horses were disposed
of among the troops and batteries serving under Colonel
Warde at Aldershot.

Yesterday morning a party of 20 junior officers of the
Royal Artillery assembled in the mortar-ground at
Woolwich, and performed a two-hours' course of 8, 10,
and 13-inch mortar practice, firing over a range of 600
yards. The point to which the fire was directed was a
'flagstaff planted on the frequented part of the common.
To obviate the possibility of accidents froM the near ap-
proach of the spectators, a range party of gunners wa!
in attendance. Immediately preceding each discharge
of the heavy ordnance the precautionary signal was given
by a party of drummers on-duty for that purpose on the
spot.

- The Hastings, 60, screw blockchip, was commissioned
yesterday at Portsmouth by Captain H. B. bends, late
•of the Royal Albert, for Coastguard service, with a com-
plement of 350 men.

The Assistance, iron steam troopship, got up her
steam yesterday in the steam-basin at Portsmouth, to
try her engines, before being reported ready for commis-
sion.

The Erebu, 14, floating battery, was taken out of the
steam-basin at Portsmouth yesterday.
The Drake screw gunboat, Lieut.-Com. Arthur, was
taken into dock yesterday at Portsmouth to have a false
keel fitted.
Captain Powell is appointed Flag Captain to Rear-
Admiral the Hon. Sir F. W. Grey, K.C.8., for the Cape
and Coast of Africa command.

Some important experiments with signal lights for
ships in distress were exhibited at Portsmouth on Mon-
day and Tuesday nights, by order of the Lords of the
Admiralty. They are patent detonating and luminous
signal,,, the invention of Messri. Langford and Wilder,
of Birmingham. They differ from those in-use iu the
fleet in the brilliancy of their light and the expense of
manufacture. The'compositien in the patent is inclosed
in metal tubes, whereas the comcoon light is inclosed in
paper tubes. On Monday night the steam gnu-boat
Stork, tender to the ExcAlent, wont to Spithead about
9 o'clock to test the new invention, under the zuperin•
tendence of Capt.' the lion. F. T. Pelham, C. 8., of the
Blenheim ; Capt. G. 11. Seymour, C. 8., 'of the Victory;
Commander Mackenzie, and First Lieut. Lethbridge, of
the Excellent ' • and Mr. Richard Nichols, of Birming-
ham, on behalf of the patentees. The light showed itself
soNbrilliant and diffused at the distance of five or six
miles from the point of obserVation that it presented the
illusion of a ship on fire, Another trial took place on
the glacis of Soutbsea Castle on Tuesday night, when
the great light, burnt equally effectively, but the metal
tubing drops as the flame burns, and being in a molten
state presents a "difficulty," as it is liable to burn the
deck of a ship or be Lilo nn into the inflammable rigging,
and thus cause as much distress as it is intended to coo-

fain succour. This, however, the experimentalists
state can be prevented. Singular evidence of the use-
lessness ot the common signal light—the blue•light served
out to the Preventive Service men for night alarms—
was exhibited on the latter occasion. Captain Pel-
ham bade the Coast-guardsman on duty at the' South-
sea Castle Station strike his light, to show the dif-
ference between its power and those under exhibition,
when the man made several attempts to comply with the
order without success. The light would not display
itself, the percussion was damaged, or the composilion
damp, or some such cause rendered the alarm beacon
totally worthless. Further experiments with the patent
lights to burn respectively 2A, 5, 15, and 30 minutes, are
ordered by the authorities for further testing the efficacy
of the invention.

The extensive improvements which are being carried
out at Cheatham dockyard, and which are progressing
rapidly, will have the effect of making that establishment
ono of the most commodious in the kingdom. In addi-
tion to the re-c metruction and extension of No. 2 Flip,
which has been lengthened 160 feet, making its total
length 360 feet ; No. 7, granite slip, on which the large
frigate Mersey is being built, has also been lengthened
60 feet. The whole of these works, together with the

erection of a large police-station, will involve an outlay
of 59,0001. The galvanised corrugated iron roof over No.
7 slip, erected by itlessrs. Grutsell, has also to bole❑gth-

(Hied upwards of 60 feet, at ati expense of neatly 3,0001.
Several hundred convicts are also employed in the ex-
tension and improvement of the dockyard, the estimated
surn for convict labour alone for the current year being
160,0001.

The gunboat Algerine, in Woolwich dockyard, com-
pletely fitted out for the China expedition, is now ready
for sea, and will proceed to Greenhithe to-day to be
swung for adjustment.
The following appointments were made at the Admi-
ralty yesterday afternoon : •

Lieutenants—Walter H. Grubbe, to the Cormorant;
A. M. Norman, to the Cordelia.
Master--Thomas C. Tilley to the Cordelia.
Clerk —W. H. Haswell to the Hastings.
Assistant-Surgeon—lt. M'Donald to the Industry.
Assistant. Paymasters—John B. Swan to the Castor ;
Wm. T. Dixon, to ditto; Charles Fielon, to the Blen-
heim ; Charles Shapcote, to the Ajax.
Naval Instructor—Charles Archdeacon to the Cum-
berland.

Chaplains—Rev. W. Holman to the Hastings ; Rev.
John Oliver to the Cumberland.

SERIOUS ACOIDENr TO BEE MAJESTY'S
TROOP-SHIP TRANSIT.

PORTSMOUTH, APRIL 8.
The Transit, troop-ship,' Commander E. Cham-
bers, which left this port yesterday afternoon for
Hong Kong, with about 800 officers and men of the
59th and 90th Regiments, most unexpectedly re-
turned this morning with signals of distress flying,
almost to the effect that she was in a sinking state.
She left Spithead at about 4 o'clock yesterday, and
encountered a dense fog as she approached the
Needles, scarcely half of her own length being dis-
cernible ahead. The lead seems to have been kept
going, and 10 fathoms were sounded, when the fog
cleared off, and a ship was found to be on the
Transit's starboard bow. The latter stood on a

little further, when seven fathoms were sounded,
and another vessel was sighted, and, in order not
to give her a foul berth, the Transit still went on,
and at length anchored in five fathoms—the officers
of the ship congratulating thouselves on having
so good a position. It was near Hurst Castle, on
her ascertain Some
coast-guard officersascertain her name,
anthedLpyilmotiangwtoennt sohfforteo.
and told the commander that she was in a capital
position. All then went on Well, and the troops
turned in and made themselves comfortable. At
ienrgi it was discovered
the fast, and that there
tdhaaytl daylight,
hip
pwweayse r, twakinghis m
wo rant
was already 5 feet of water in her hold. The; anchor
was weighed, and on its being sighted it was found
to come up with half the stock gone, thus making
it apparent that, on the young flood setting in, the
ship had been driven on her anchor, and had a hole
knocked in her bottom. The water by this time
had rapidly gained, nine feet being reported. The
donkey engine was set to work, and manned by the
troops and the crew. The commander then put
the ship 'about, and brought her back to Spithead.
In coming up, his signals being seen, the officers of
the steam factory went out in a steam tug, and she
was ordered into harbour. On coming in she was
placed alongside the Bellerophon hulk, and the
troops disembarked. Five ebgines are to work all
night in pumping her, so as to keep her afloat till
to-morrow, when she will be docked, artisans being
employed all night on the Furious to get that ves-
sel out of dock,

THE GIANT TREES OF CAL IFORN lA.

In various parts of the world where the primeval forest
still prevails, we come across gigantic trees from time to
time, and we desire to put on record some of these nota-
bilities. Mention was made a year or two ago of a gigan-
tic totara tree, 37 feet in circumference, which had been
discovered in the Canterbury settlement, in cutting a
bridle track to Akaroa ;, and a vessel' recently brought
home some splendid pine spars from Ne -s Zealand, 100
feet !Ong
'ln Tasmania there is a mammoth eucalyptus, or gum
tree, standing at the foot of Mount Wellington, near
•Hobarton. It is 84 feet circumference at the base, giving
a diameter of about 28 feet. A fire Ens burned a room
in it 10 feet by 9, and about 12 feet high, in which 15
people might easily sit down. Its height has been esti-
mated at 330 feet ; but a huiricane recently broke
off a large portion of the top branches. In shape the tree
is very like the Eddystone Lighthouse—large at the base
and gradually tapering upwards-to the first branch, which
is supposed to be 200 feet from the ground. The Colo-
nial Government parted with nroprietorship of it to, the
-present owner, Mr. G. Hul, J.P., of Tolosa, by a grant
deed, in 1820 for 2,560 acres of land, for his services as
an officer in the Peninsular war. It is estimated that
this tree, if cut down and,sawn into planks, would rea-
lise, at 15s. 100 feet, 3251.
But these are pigmies compared to the forest monarchs
which grow on the slopes of the Sierra Nevada, in Cali-
fornia, about 0,000 feet above the level of the sea. These
California monsters are of the same genus, though, per-
haps, not of the exact species, of the ancient cedars of
Lebanon. The California grove is in about the same lati-
tude, the same altitude (4,500 feet) above the sea, and has
the same climate as those Mighty forests of the mountains
of Lebanon from which King Hiram supplied the timber
for buirding Solomon's Tsn3ple.• Qf ,those Lehanon forests
ottly—worne half dc2 n' now
resbaini near' the summit. tf that lofty range.; while in
California we have a grave of the most magnificent ape-'
timens, coeval with Solonion and David. -There they
have stood, and ba,Ve continued to grow while kingdoms,
empires, and dynasties have risen and disappeared ; and
there they stand, the living, patria.reh's of 3,000 years !
To these venerable giants, upon a basis of 73 years, the -
discovery of Amerlea was but an affair of yesterday, and
the birth of our Saviour an incident of some 40 years
ago!
_1 _ •

Drs, Kellogg and Behr, of San Francisco, have named
t the Washington cypress (tap:odium gismnteurra.) This
world-renowned monarch of the American forest is evi-
dently of cypress lineage; a species of taxo.dium of Don.
In its early growth it has the foliage of the common red
wood,-or tizodium sempervirens; but as it advances in age
the foliage-is metamorphosed into triangular scale-like,
leaves, attached by a bread base, with an imbricated
arrangement, similar to many species of the cypress and
juniper..
Teie towering world-renowned monarch of the Arne-
.rican foreFt attains to the height of 322 feet, and up-
wards of 29 feet in diameter, perfectly symmetrical in all
its proportions. By botanists plants were frequently
named afttr great men. Wo had Weterleo reads; Wa-
ter-Joie bridges, Wellington barracks, and Wellington
boots, still no plant was called after the Duke. It was
about tl:e time that the Duke was taken from us, and
the whole country was lamenting his loss, that Mr. Lohb
discovered this gigantic tree, and sent ,a specimen of it
to Professor Lindley, who found it to be a new genus,
and wh -i,4prefacing the expression with some very grandi-
loquent larguage, said, Let it be called •Treliingtonice
gigantea."
The wood of these trees is as light and buoyant as
cork, .and has the colour of cedar, but without its
odour. The colour of the bark is a-rich cinnamon
brown, sbreddy fibrous, 1 to 1i feet in thickness,, not
unlike that of some of the varieties of theeScetch pine ;
but their colour is varied by a sprinkling of rich-
golden-coloured lichen, which graves naturally on the
trunk, and, what is vnarkable, the same species of
lichen is common on the trunks of pines in Swit-
zerlan.J. The heart wood is coppery red and fuetrous ;
grain straight and easy splitting ; lasting, but soft.
About two or three years ago a Mr. Lobb was sent
out by Mr. Veitch, of Exeter and London—one of the
moat enterprising nurserymen in the world—for the pur-
pose of exploring the vegetable treasures of North Ame-
rica, Mr. Lobb proceeded to the highest range of
mountains in California, in which the name of Sierra
Nevada, or " snowy mountains," has been given, and
when he had attained a height of 3,600 or 4 000 feet, ho
found himself in a forest of beautiful firs ; he still
ascended, and when ho attained the height of 5,069 feet,
there suddenly burst upon his,sight the most magnificent
trees ever beheld by man. He was completely lost in
admiration of their magnificence and wonder r.t their
stupendoue -size ; he was even more asteniShed than
Bruce when, he first saw the sand-pillars moving in the
d-sisert. These trees were of enormous magnitude, many
of them towered up towards 'the skies some 300 -or 400
feet high ; some of them were 30 feet in diameter, and
from their trunks planks might be cut of such a large
size that one of them would floor a good-eizad assembly
room.

These trees have all baen named by some appropriate
and romantic name, a few of which it may nut be unin-
teresting to describe.
The " Miler's Cabin" is 80 ft. in circumference, and
nearly 300 ft. high; it is open in front about 17 it. The
"Three Sisters" are a group evidently grown from the
Fame root,- about 300 tt. high and 02 in circumference.
They are perfect and the moat beautiful ones in the while
group. The "Pioneer's Cabin" is 150 ft. high ; where
the top is broken off it has a small opening through it.
The " Old Bachelor" is quite a forlorn-looking gentle-
man, having many rents in his back, and the rougheet-
looking bark in the whole group, and is 300 ft. high,
and 60 ft. in circumference, Tho Ifilabaud and
Wife" are about 250 ft. high, and each 60 ft. in circum-
ference. They seem very affectiouate, leaning towards
each abet: at the top, The "Family Group" consiets
of .26 trees, the father, mother, and 24 chil lien. The
father, from appearance, was blown down many years
ago. This tree measures 110 feet in circumference, and
the supposed height while standing was 453 feet ; the
remaining leagth, where it was broken off by fa!ling
against another tree, is 300 feet. It is hollow the ent re
length, and hap enough to ride into on horseback.
Nearly half the trunk is embedded in the ground, and
measures 22 feet in diameter above the surface. Tee
" Hermit" stands by itself, and is 320 feet high, and 75
feet in circumference, exceedingly straight and symme-
trical- The " Pennsylvania," so called byntwo young
ladies of Philadelphia, is 24 feet in diameter, and 315 feet
high. The " North Carolina" is 21 feet across the base
and 310 feet high. The " Green Mountain State" is 22
feet'in diameter and 350 feet high. The " Mother and
Son" are together 93 feet in circumference ; the Mother
is 325 feet high, and the Son 300 feet. Toe "Siamese
Twins and their Guardian." The Twins have one trunk,
but their bodies are separate at a height of 40 feet. They
are 300 feet high. The " Guardian" iitandl by their side.
and is 80 feet in circumference and 325 feet high. The
" Old. Maid" Stands single in her grief ; her head, unlike
any other trunk in the grove, is entirely bare, and slightly
bowing. Her height is 360 feet and the circumference 60
feet. The "Adis and Mary" are named after two young
ladieii who made the first buggy drive to the grove. The
trees are nearly 300 feet high and 65 in circumference,
and are very handsome. The " Horseback Ride" is an old
fallen hollow trunk of 250 feet in length ; it is separated
into two parts. The space ridden through is 75 feet, and
is 12 feet in diameter in the clear. " Uncle Tom's Cabin"
'is about 300 feet high and 90 feet in' circumference. The
cabin has a narrow entrance and two and a half feet in
width, and will seat twenty-five persons ; it is ten feet
high. The "Bride of the Forest" is not the largest tree,
but is noted for having the smoothest bark of any in the
grove. It is 280 feet high, and 70 feet in circumference.
The "Beauty of the Forest" is 65 feet in circumference
and 300 feet high • it is very straight and slender,
and nearly free of? limbs ; the top is surmounted
with a beautiful and regular green cap. The altitude of
the grove is 2,400 feet above Murphy's camp.
In one instance, with great exertions, one of these
'trees was felled—not by axes though ; it could not he
done by them ; it was effected partly by boring the trunk
with augurs, and the wind coining to the assistance of
the parties, blew it down, and such was its great weight
that a complete trench was made in the ground-; and up
the hollow trunk of this tree so fallen a Mr. Lupham, a
proprietor in that dbitrict, rode nearly 100 yards on
horseback. The trunks of some of these trees are nearly
as large as the tubes of the Britannia-bridge over the
Menai Straits, or the Conway tubular bridge ; and our
railway contractors might plant the Wellingtonia gigan-
tea by the side of any rivers they wished to span with a
bridge, then cut them down and let them fall across the
stream ; they would carry the heaviest train that could
be drawn ; but still there is one objection—they would
have to wait about 3,000 years before they grew to a
sufficient size, and railway companies would scarcely
wait so long.
An enterprising American has been endeavouring to
give us some idea of the enormous size of these trees,
having stripped off the layers of the bark of one, which
he has built up in a circular form, just as it came from
the tree, forming a tolerably-sized apartment. And the
seedlings which have been reared from the cones show us
the character of the growth and foliage. These trees
when of 1,000 years' growth are not old—they are mere
boys—old boys perhaps, to our senses, but still boys.
They belong to a family the most useful of all forest
trees. Deals and pine furnish the timber principally used
in domestic architecture, and though our wooden walls
are built of oak they cannot be navigated without masts
or sticks, as the sailors call them, and what magnificent
sticks might be cut from someof these trees, which would
only be fit for masts for the immense steam vessel build-
ing on the banks of the Thames, and which is expected
to be launched this year. Unless some of these
gigantic
forest monarchs are sought out, we know not where
ntic
masts for this leviathan art.e to come from.
Milton, in his " Paradise Lost," speaks of, a tree used
by Satan R 9 a lance :

" To equal which
The tallest pine hewn on Norwegian shares
To be the mast of some great amroiral
Were but a wand."
This may be fitly represented' by the trunk of one 0,
these giant cypresses.
The concentric rings or layers deposited by the cap
furnish a good chronicle of the age of many trees, and,
applying this test to the trees, it appears that they aye-
age from MOO to 4,000 years of age. These concentric