THE DARLEY YEW. US 



have rings hardly distinguishable one from another, but to 

 compare them with the Darley yew would be absurd. 



When I was at Darley, I was exceedingly indignant at seeing 

 that a large piece, in the shape of a wedge, had been sawn out of 

 a projecting root. I should have thought that no one possessed 

 even of the most moderate knowledge of trees, could have 

 been so ignorant as not to know that no trustworthy information 

 could be obtained from such a root. The root is at least four 

 feet from the centre of the tree, and must be very many, though 

 it is impossible to say how many, years younger than the tree, and 

 if all the rings in it could have been counted, they would not 

 have shown the age of the tree. As the roots of a tree 

 never increase in size equally with the bole of the tree, the 

 annual rings in them always will be thinner than those in the 

 bole, and any calculation founded upon their breadth would make 

 the tree older than it is ; and nothing would surprise me less 

 than to find that a tree was made four or five times older than it 

 was by such a calculation. 



It cannot be doubted that the act was done " wilfully," that is, 

 "intentionally;"' and, I think, also "maliciously," that is, 

 " intentionally and without any lawful justification or excuse." 

 Now by The Malicious Injuries Act, 24 and 25 Vict. c. 97, s. 52, any 

 person committing such an injury either ■' wilfully or maliciously," is 

 liable to imprisonment, with or without hard labour, for any 

 term not exceeding two months, or to a fine not exceeding five 

 pounds, together with a reasonable compensation for the injury 

 done, and it is to be hoped that, if any similar act should be 

 committed, it may be adequately punished under this clause. 



It is difficult appropriately to characterize such an act ; even 

 Pagan Romans would have held such an act sacrilegious : for they 

 venerated magnificent and aged trees. 



Qualis frugifero quercus sublimis in agio, 

 Exuvias veteres populi, sacrataque gestans 

 Dona ducum ; nee jam validis radicibus hasrens, 

 Pondere fixa suo est : nudosque per aera ramus 

 EfTundens, trunco, non frondibus, efficit umbram. 

 At quamvis primo nutat casura sub Euro, 

 Sola tamen colitur. — Lucan Ph. Lib. I. 136. 



