A VISIT TO THE THURINGIAN FOREST. 107 
outstanding or exceptional girth; but, towering to a height which 
is seldom seen in our country are the oak, elm, beech, Scots 
pine, etc., with clean and stately columns of 50, 60, or 70 feet. 
Next day, with the retinue of the Duchess, I proceeded several 
hours by rail to meet the Duke at Reinhardtsbrun, another beauti- 
ful mansion, situated on the north-east verge of the Thuringian 
Forest, about eight miles south-east of Gotha. In Gotha there is 
also a very large and ancient palace belonging to the Duke. 
At the railway station near Reinhardtsbrun a grand reception 
was given by the populace to their Royal Highnesses the Duke, 
Duchess, and family. Military were mounted, cannon fired, 
speeches of welcome made, and the school children turned out to 
the number of six hundred—the girls wearing wreaths of real 
flowers round their heads. Triumphal arches spanned the road- 
way at different points, while the ducal route to the Schloss or 
castle was strewn with green twigs of the pine. 
The castle of Reinhardtsbrun is picturesquely situated within 
pleasure-grounds, over which are scattered in tasteful variety 
many fine specimens of both deciduous and evergreen trees, a few 
examples of which may here be given :— 
The most colossal is a lime tree (Zilia Luropea) about 80 feet 
high, and girthing at 5 feet above the ground 25 feet 
9 inches, length of clean bole 15 feet, diameter of spread 
of branches 93 feet. This grand tree spreads out into 
a ponderous, umbrageous, well-balanced head, ramifying 
very equally on all sides, showing a rugged dome-like 
outline from every point of view. Standing, as this 
tree does, atop of a small rounded knoll about a hundred 
yards south of the Schloss, it forms one of the most 
imposing specimens of the vegetable kingdom we have 
ever seen, and is the finest of many examples of the 
European lime within the grounds. 
Abies alba, or white American spruce, 60 feet high. 
A. excelsa monstrosa, growing near the chapel, 70 feet high, 
6 feet 3 inches in girth. The peculiarity of this speci- 
men is its branches, which depend all over the tree in 
swinging, thong-like tassels, 10 feet or more in length, 
lending to the tree a most graceful though sombre 
appearance. 
Betula incisa, or cut-leaved birch—a fine young specimen, 
3 feet 8 inches in circumference: of stem, 
VOL. XIV. PART III, L 
