PllOCEEDINGS. 



Dr. Royle, after referring tx) the magnificent specimen just 



alluded to, said that much interest had lately been felt, and much 

 inquiry raised about the quality of this kind of timber. He 

 ■would therefore endeavour, from his own knowledge of the native 

 country of the tree, to answer this inquiry. The Deodar grows 

 at an elevation of from 5000 to 12,000 feet, in a climate very 

 changeable and often very cold. The natives of the Himalayas, 

 he said, have a great variety of timber to choose from, but they 

 invariably prefer tlie Deodar for all purposes. The Himalaya 

 climate is very variable from March to June, and very fine and. 

 dry from the middle of June to the middle of September. The 

 winter is very cold, and the mountains are for a considerable time 

 covered with snow ; so that there is as much variety as in a 

 northern climate. If Deodar wood, he remarked, was used only 

 in covered places, there would be no test of its durability, but it 

 is used in the construction of temples, houses, and bridges, in 

 damp and exposed situations ; and by the peculiar mode of 

 building adopted, it is as much exposed to the action of the 

 weather as the stone which it is employed as an outside framework 

 to support ; and some of these erections have stood for centuries. 

 It had been doubted whether the timber would be as good in this 

 climate as in that of India ; it was his opinion that it would. On 

 this subject he read a letter from Mr. Wilson Saundei's, of Lloyds, 

 confirming his belief. That gentleman had examined the timber 

 along with two other experienced persons, who coincided with him 

 in giving a favourable report. Mr. Saunders had no hesitation 

 in stating that it appeared to be superior to American Larch, or 

 any other coniferous tree, and would be very useful for naval 

 purposes. But if only as useful as the Larch and its allies, it 

 must still be considered an article of great value. As a proof of 

 the estimation in which American Larch is held, he mentioned 

 that 20,000 tons of shipping are now building in North America 

 of that wood alone. The Larch may be considered as intermediate 

 between the hard woods and the soft woods, and he thought the 

 Deodar should rank higher than the Larch. Dr. Royle con- 

 sidered this testimony highly satisfactory. As it regarded the 

 question -whether the timber would be equally good grown in this 

 country as in India, he said an argument to the contrary had been 

 based on the fact, that while great excellence was always accorded 

 in ancient times to the wood of the cedar of Lebanon, that wood 

 appeared, as grown in England, to be destitute of such good 

 qualities. The argument is founded, however, on an error, inas- 



