432 mSTORICAL NOTICE OF CELEBRATED TREES. [Xov. 



Mesua fcrrca, L. Na-Golra, or Nagesar. — A large evergreen tree 

 of Ceylon, where it is usually planted for its ornamental character 

 in the neighbourhood of Buddhist temples, and found also in 

 Eastern Bemral, Assam, South India, Burma, and the Andamans. 

 The wood is extremely hard, of a rich dark-red colour. It is used 

 for building purposes for bridges, piles, etc., and is said to be very 

 durable under water ; it is also an excellent wood for sleepers. The 

 wood would be more generally used were it not for its extreme 

 hardness and difficulty in working it. 



Alhizzia Lchhch, Benth ; Suriya mara, or Siris tree. — This is a large 

 deciduous tree, native of tropical Himalaya to 5000 feet, Khasia, 

 India proper and Ceylon to Burma, and Tenasserim, Malay Islands, 

 China, N. Australia, and tropical Africa. The heart-wood is hard, 

 of a dark-brown colour, mottled, with deeper coloured longitudinal 

 streaks ; it is durable, seasons, and works well, and takes a good 

 polish, and is used for furniture, picture frames, building purposes, 

 as house posts, etc., also for the naves of wheels, pestles, mortars, 

 sugar-cane crushers, boats, etc., besides which it makes a very good 

 charcoal. 



The few woods here indicated recommend themselves to notice 

 on account of their fine colour or figure. From specimens of all 

 of them contained in the Kew Museum, they would appear to be 

 well wortiiy of a more extended application. They are referred to 

 here as only a few instances of the general character of Cingalese 

 woods which rerpiire to be more known to be appreciated. 



HISTORICAL NOTICE OF SOME CELEBBATED TREES. 



by the late professor avalker arxott, ll.d. 

 Part YL— The Lime. 



THUS it will appear from these notices that although the Coni- 

 fera?, to which the pine, yew, and cedar belong, be usually 

 denominated soft woods, they contain not only the hardest but most 

 imperishable timber known, but also trees of the greatest bulk and 

 greatest age on the face of this earth, with the exception, perhaps, of 

 the baobab and of the slow-growing 



" Lord of the woods, the long surviving oak." 

 After these rank the lime, and it is worthy of remark that both the 



