———— men 
_ when near them to strain his eyes to catch a view of their topmost off- 
. nor on any other mountain-range of the earth. 77 exists here only, and 
four feet in circumference at the root; the side of which had been 
. partly burnt by contact with another tree, the head of which had fallen 
trated another large tree in its course, and pressed out the earth beneath 
. . itself so as to be imbedded a number of feet into the ground. Its 
BOTANICAL INFORMATION. 91 
compelled at times to stop, gather, examine, and admire them. The 
charm of these regions to the botanist would be in the freshness and 
luxuriance with which nature elaborates her vegetable forms. The vital 
principle, stimulated by the condensing vapours of the cool fresh air of 
night, and nourished by a suitable pabulum in the decomposing soil, 
acts with a steady energy, and thousands of stately trees stud the hills. 
in all directions, so lofty as to amaze the observer, and to compel him 
shoots. But the most amazing of all these vegetable productions are 
here; and nature, by peculiar geognostic arrangements, seems to have 
isolated them, to startle and arrest the attention of mankind, and to 
strengthen scientific truth touching the special distribution of organic 
races. 
** So far as known, the vegetable growth to which the name of * Big 
Tree’ has been attached, grows in no other region of the Sierra Nevada, 
all the individuals of its kind, so far as I can learn, are localized to 
this vieinity. "They are embraced within a range of two hundred acres, 
and are enclosed in a basin of coarse silicious material, surrounded by 
a sloping ridge of sienitic rock, which in some places projects above 
the soil. The basin is reeking with moisture, and in the lowest places — 
the water is standing, and some of the largest trees dip their roots into - 
the pools or water-runs. The trees of very large dimensions number — 
considerably more than one hundred. Mr. Blake measured one ninety- | 
against it. The latter can be measured four hundred and fifty feet 
from its head to its root (!). A large portion of this fallen monster is 
still to be seen and examined ; and by the measurement of Mr. Lapham, - 
the proprietor of the place, it is said to be ten feet in diameter at three 
hundred and.fifty feet from its uptorn root (!). In falling it had pros- 
meter aeross its root is forty feet. A man is nothing in compar 
dimensions, while walking on it or standing near its side. This 
was the greatest wonder of the forest. The tree which it prostrate 
falling has been burnt hollow, and is so large, a gentleman who accor 
panied us from Murphy’s informed us, that, when he first visited 
