Caledonian Forest in the West of Scotland. 63 



We are quite sure that many of our peat bogs in Scotland 

 existed long before the period when the forests were destroyed, 

 and were, and indeed are still, produced by the decay of her- 

 baceous plants, or of small shrubs alone, without requiring the 

 destruction of any trees for their origin. I have merely wished 

 to bring forward some facts to assist in rendering it probable, 

 that some of our mosses originated, when the forests, which, five 

 or six centuries ago, covered large districts in Lanarkshire and 

 in Ayrshire, were destroyed. 



I have also wished to form some probable idea of the im.» 

 mense oak trees which at one time were so abundant in Scotland. 



This mossy piece of ground, which has been so frequently 

 mentioned, is now drained, and, last autumn, it produced an ex«- 

 cellent crop qf oats. It is nearly surrounded by extensive plan- 

 tations, about 25 years old, and it is agreeable to see, that among 

 all the trees which have been planted, no one is more vigorous 

 than the oak. It is remarkable for its silvery grey polished 

 bark, and for the length of its shoots. In future times these 

 oaks may rival those of the Caledonian Forest, which, in that of 

 Robert Bruce, surrounded the small lake ; and the chance is^ 

 that their growth, in consequence of the improvements in drain- 

 ing, will he even more rapid in future than in those early 

 times. 



These monuments of the oaks of former periods, which our 

 peat-mosses furnish, ought undoubtedly to have a considerable 

 influence in regulating our future plantations ; but it is really to 

 be regretted that they do not appear to have attracted so much 

 attention as they deserve. At present, how rarely do we ob- 

 serve an oak tree in Scotland even of six or eight feet in cir- 

 cumference. We have a few large ashes, sycamores, beeches^ 

 yews, and lime trees, but we have scarcely any oaks worth no- 

 ticing, and these few, as those near Hamilton, are chiefly the 

 remnants of the ancient Scottish woods. 



We are informed that our climate is so bad, that even acorns 

 do not arrive at maturity, and that, therefore, this country i& 

 not suited to the oak. But, surely, no one will say that the Ca- 

 ledonian Forest was planted, or that the new trees required for 

 its supply for thousands of years, were obtained from a nurse- 

 ry, or had been grown from English acorns. The succession of 



