2328

ARBORETUM AND I'llUTl CFTUM.

1'AliT III.

noticed this tree. We were once inclined to conjecture that it might be the.d'bies orientalis of Tournefort, notwithstanding the discrepancy between thedescription and the Cephalonian plant; but, having examined the specimen ofA'bies orientalis in Mr. Lambert’s herbarium, we are satisfied that the latteris a variety of the common spruce fir. The merit of introducing d.cephalonicainto England entirely belongs to General Napier, who, from his work, TheColonies, and also from a pamphlet by him, entitled, Memoir on the Roads ofCephalonia, seems to possess an enthusiastic attachment to the island, and anardent desire for its improvement. He was particularly anxious that this forestridge should be enclosed so as to exclude the goats, and to allow the trees togrow up and become timber; and, when he was governor, made many remon-strances on the subject to Sir Frederick Adam, the chief commissioner, butwithout effect. In 1824, in compliance with a request of Henry L. Long,Esq., of Hampton Lodge, near Parnham, who was desirous of knowing thespecies of fir described by the ancient writers as the peuke and the elate ,Colonel Napier sent a packet of seeds of the Cephalonian fir to England. Theseeds were without the cones, and were sent to the care of the colonel’s sister,Lady Bunbury. The packet was duly forwarded to Hampton Lodge ; butsome seeds having dropped from it, Lady Bunbury gave these seeds to CharlesHoare, Esq., of Luscombe. Mr. Richard Saunders, the woodreeve at Lus-combe, in a letter dated November, 1837, informs us that he recollects receivingthe “seeds from Colonel, now General, Napier, about thirteen years since;”and “ hearing that the general had obtained them from his brother, at that timegovernor of Cefalonia.” “ The seeds,” he adds, “ were of the largest size. Iraised twelve plants from them, four of which I iost, when young, by damp andfrost, having planted them out in the open ground at the age of two years only.Three of the plants raised were given to Mr. Pince of the Exeter Nursery,and one to Mr. Pontey of the Plymouth Nursery. The other four plants areremaining at Luscombe, flourishing exceedingly well, and never having hadany protection during the winter, since they were planted in the open air. Thelargest of the plants at Luscombe is 3 ft. 10 in. high, and the branches cover aspace 4 ft. 3 in. in diameter. All the plants are very thickly furnished withside branches quite close to the ground, forming, at a distance, very hand-some green bushes. — R. S, Luscombe, Nov, 6. 1837.” It thus appears thatthe d'bies cephalonica was introduced into England by General Charles JamesNapier in 1824, though it never was heard of in any public collection, or inthe nurseries, till within the last two or three years.

The plant sent to the Plymouth Nursery was, in 1837, sold to the Duke ofBedford for 25 guineas. Two of those sent to the Exeter Nursery were soldto the Rev. Theodore Williams of Hendon Rectory, for about the same sumeach ; and the third is retained as a stock plant to propagate from.

The seeds sent to Hampton Lodge were safely received, and vegetatedwithout difficulty. Mr. Long, in a letter dated Dec. 3. 1837, says : —“ 1 lost agreat number of plants by spring frosts and by rabbits, owing to want of carewhilst I was on the Continent. I have only three plants left; and they are infull vigour, and have made shoots, during the past summer, from 0 in. to 7 in. inlength.” The highest plant is 3 ft., and the breadth of space covered by’its branches is 4 ft. in diameter. “ I gave some plants to Lord Orford, for hispinarium at Wolterton, in Norfolk; some to Lord King, for his collection atOckham Park, Surrey; two to Robert Mangles, Esq., of Sunninghill; threeI have planted out myself; and the remainder I gave this year to Mr. Penny,the nursery-gardener at Milford.” We are thus enabled to account for allthe plants raised from the seeds sent home by General Napier.

Properties, Uses, Propagation, Src. The timber of this tree is said to be veryhard, and of great durability. General Napier informs us that, in pulling downsome old houses in the town of Argostoli, which had been built from 150 to 300years before, all the wood-work of the Black Forest fir was as hard as oak,and perfectly sound. In Britain, the tree may be considered as one of themost interesting and beautiful of the yfbietimE ; and, when it attains the