Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1861-02-12
The Big Free. OF CallfornIa.


The Big Trees of CaIkfornIa.
DESCRIPTION BY THE REV. THos. STAR KING.
We find in late number of the Boston Transcript
the most graphic account yet written Of the grove
of mighty trees at Mariposa, California We quote
the most striking passages:
The flowers are p,enteous along all the steadily
rising trail. Here and there we must pause before
one of the seductive sugar pines, which looks so
full of melody that it seems if the first breeze that
brushes it,would make it break forth in Mozartsh
What if we should meet a grizzly on fowry bank
under one of the graceful sugar pines? While We
werediscussing this possibility we came upon fresh
traces Of q very large one. was eager TO get
glimpse of him, but the majority Of the company
prayed that they might not see one of the shaggy
monsters, and their prayer was answered.
There are two large groves of the mammoth
trees in California The one which Is usually visit
cd is IN Calaveras county. 1t contains hardly 4
third as many trees as the Msriposa cluster
which we were in search Of in this letter, but Is
much more easy of access. It covers about as
much space as the Common, and good carriage
road leads to the heart of it. At the portal of the
grove stand a pair of sentinels twenty-five feet
apart, which are sixty feet in circumference,
three hundred feet high. They are well named
the "Two Guardsmen." What pity, for Dumas
sake that there is not one more Passing these
warders, you drive up TO hotel, and lind the
grounds trimmed up and the trees named anu IaDe-
led for guests. Some of the labels are of guilt
letters on marble, are told, and are lastelelly
inad in the bark from six twenty feet above the
ground The Hercules in this group is ninety
feet in circumference. The "CalifoFnia," seventy
three feet in circuit shoots up straigh as arrow
three hundred and ten feet " UGcle Toms Cabin"
il tree which has been burnt out it is eightythree
feet in circumference, and will lodge twenty per-
sons The sMOther of the forest is three hundred
and twentyseven feet hgh and nearly eighty feet in
girth.
veras trees, 800 feet high, was cut down few
wears ago. feet from the ground. Part of the
trunk is used as bowling alley, and the stump, 70
feet IN diameter covered with a canopy of green
boughs is now dancing saloon. To cut 1t down,
pump augers were used from either side until the
tree was completely servered from Its base But so
nicely poised it that it would not fall Only by
driving in large wedges, with immense battering
rams could its equilibrium be disturbed sufficiently
to make it top-heavy. Five men were at work
% days in this wretched drudgery of obstruction.
The Maripesa grove stands the Creator has
fashioned it unprofaned except by fire, which long
before the advent of Saxon white men, had charred
the base of the larger portion of the stalwart trees
We rode for hour, climbing all the time TIL
we reached forest planted some FIVE thousand feet
above the sea- This in New England is the height
of Mt Madison where not a shrub can grow.
| Riding on few rods, through ordinary ever
greens with dark stems, We at last catch glimpse
1 Of q color
| distance of light cinnamon hue. We ride nearer
and nearer seeing others of the same complexion
staring out in the most impressive contrast with the
| soubre columns CT the wilderness. We are now IN
| the grove of the Titans. The bark has right
oonie effect on the eye We single out one OF them
for first acquaintance and soon dlsnOuhl At is
| reot.
| L must confess that my own feelings, as l first
scanned it, and let my eye up its tawny pillar
was of intense disappointment. But then said to
myself this is one OF the strlpilngs OF the AnaK
brood-only small affair of some forty feet IN glrth
| took out the measuring line, fastened it to the
| trunk with knife. and walked around, unwindmg
| il as went. The line was seventy-hve feet long.
| came to the end of the line before completing the
| circuit Nine feet mOFe was needed mad dis
mounted before structure eighty four feet IN cir
eumference and nearly three hundred feet high and
should not have guessed that it would measure
more than ID feet through. 1t did not look TO me
| twice as large as the Big Elm on the Common, al
though that is only eighteen feet In circumference
| and this was rs feet in diamater. During the day
had seen dozen sugar pines which appeared to
] be far more lofty
| The next enc we measured was 50 feet and
inches in girth; the third Yves 90 feet. There are
nearly three times as many Of the giant specie II
the grove as in the Calaveras cluster Divided INTO
two groups there are $50 of them within the space
of mile and three quarters Col. Warren, the faith
ful and selfsacricing friend Of agricultural inter
ests in this State, proprietor and editor OF the Cd
forrn Firnler measured the principal trees OF one
croun on this ridge some three years ago, andtounc
one of l02 feet two of 100 feet. Of 81, one OF
92 one of 81 one of S0 two of a. three of I6, and
| thus gradually diminishing. till more than three
hundred were on his list that measured fifty feet and
| upwards in circumference.
This crowd of majestic forms explains the disap-
poiutment in first entering the grove. The general
| scale is too immense Half dozen of the larg
est trees spaced half mile apart, and properly sci
off by trees of six eight feet in girth, would
| shake the most volatile mind with awe.
| We ought to see the ''Fountain Tree Of the Mari
posa grove a hundred and two feet in circuit rising
| near the Bunker Hill Monument, and bearing up a
crown eighty feet above it, to feel the marvel OF lis
bulk and vitality. Think of that monument as a
/ living structure Conceive il as having grown iron
a granite seed, whose outpeurng life ABSORBED IRON
the earth and attracted from the winds fine granite
| dust to be slowly cOmpacted, by internal ana un
errirg masonry into solid squares, OF It's strengt
! and its tapering symmetry A WORK Iar more mar
| yeIous than this has been wrought by each fragmen
of cone that took root five thousand feet on ridge
of the Sierras centureslago and now IS represente
nv an organism of thirty feet diameter. Indeed II
| is ouite probable that there have Deen rev tree
| IN both the Mariposa and CalaYeras groves, whlcl
have built their sublime columns out OF the an
throueh the energy of a single seed, in whose trun
| Bunker Hill monument could have been insertet
and hidden. while the stem would still spring NOR
than two hundred feet above its apex stone. FO
| the ruins of one now lie in the MaripOsa grow
which was thirty feet in diameter, and must hav
lowered more than four hundred feet high.
The cor of New York In the Crisis.
The official reports of the Commissioners
| Charities and Correction show that they have no
under their charge s7T7 persons as inmates of Il
ctv institutions an increase of 450 over 1860, an
of $50 over IS59-corresponding periods. Stati
tics as to the condition of the outdoor poor
,,,ora s,,gcestive Our reporters have ascertaint