MONTHLY SUMMARY. 259 



us for the still greater difficulties which await this Society 

 before their work is done, A graphic account of the raising of the 

 Kew spar was given at the time (11th May, 1861) in the Gar* 

 deners' Chronicle, from which the following account of the process 

 of raising it is borrowed: 



*' The Douglas Pine {Abies Dotiglasii) is a native of British 

 Columbia, where it forms a considerable proportion of the forests 

 of that tirober-laden country- Owing to its height, straightness, 

 elasticity, and presumed durability, it early attracted the notice 

 of the colonists as being especially adapted for masts, spars, 

 yards ; and it is now upwards of two years since Mr. Stamp im- 

 ported the first ship-load of its spars to Europe. Amongst these 

 were three beautiful poles, all upwards of 100 feet, and one 118 

 feet long ; this Mr. Stamp, on his arrival, at once offered to send 

 to Kew, rounded, painted, and fitted as a flag-staff. As with 

 many first attempts, however, misfortune dogged its course; its 

 length was so great that the only way of transmitting it to Kew 

 was by floating it up the river, and in its transit it was struck in 

 the middle by a river-steamer, and cut in two. Nothing daunted, 

 Mr. Stamp had the pieces floated back to Rotherhithe, spliced, 

 with the loss of only two feet of length, and the repaired pole 

 again sent up to Kew, where it was landed, and brought to the 

 foot of a commanding knoll in the Arboretum, on which it was 

 intended to erect it. Here a well was dug for the reception of 

 the butt-end, 12 feet deep, bricked all round, and well ventilated; 

 a derrick was rigged for hoisting the spar, under the direction of 

 one of the most experienced men in such operations to be found 

 in London, and the spar was gradually raised by a rope attached 

 above the middle, but unfortunately too near the centre of gravity. 

 Tlie result showed liow little idea the engineer had of the mag- 

 nitude of the undertaking. The spar was hoisted to the top of 

 the derrick, and had no sooner assumed its erect position^ than a 

 puff of wind swung it round ; after performing a majestic sweep 

 in 'the air over the heads of the spectatoi-s, the derricks support 

 gave way, and the spar came to the ground on the slope of the 



hill, with a tremendous crash, breaking into six pieces; provi- 

 dentially no one was hurt, and though it fell into a grove of young 

 trees and shrubs, not one of these was injured either. 



" On being informed of this disaster, the liberal donor answered 

 that he was going again to British Columbia, and would gladly 

 send to Kew another and finer flag-staff. Well did be keep bis 



