32 
terraces, drives, avenues, and approaches to the castle at 
Murthly cover an area of over 100 acres. The woods and 
policies on the estate around are about 2757 acres in extent. 
The walk which the members of the Society had through this 
beautiful demesne could not fail to recall the days when the 
newer Conifers, with which the policies and woodlands are so 
profusely adorned, were first introduced into this country. 
The romance of these days, including as it does stories of 
adventure in almost unknown lands, and a spirit of commercial 
and scientific enterprise which was creditable to all concerned, 
has still to be written. It exists in fragmentary shape in many 
volumes, but a work which gave a connected narrative of the 
wanderings in search of trees by Douglas and Jeffrey and 
other mighty travellers in the wilds of America and elsewhere, 
would be greatly appreciated by arboriculturists. The laird of 
Murthly of that day was Sir William Steuart, Bart., who in 
earlier life was an enthusiastic traveller and naturalist. When 
travelling in the backwoods of America, he made it his duty 
and pleasure to collect the seeds of many coniferous trees which 
were scarcely known in this country. In particular, on the 
Rocky Mountains and in the North-West Provinces of America, 
he secured the seeds of many rare conifers and brought them 
home to Murthly, where, with other choice pines from other 
countries of the world, they are now growing with a grace 
and luxuriance not to be surpassed in any other part of the 
country. These beautiful trees have been planted out with a 
skilful hand. They form avenues and groves and tree-clad 
terraces, all designed to produce the most pleasing effects ; and 
the company wandering in this huge pinetum, as the policies 
and woodlands may justly be called, found at every step some 
fresh object of admiration and pleasure. 
Let us recount a few of the wonders. Leading from the 
castle to the private chapel is an Araucaria avenue about 170 
yards in length. The trees in it are over 30 feet in height, and 
in the healthiest condition. To the south-east of the new castle 
there is a grove of about twenty Araucarias, even grander than 
those in the avenue. Parallel with this avenue is the Yew 
Walk, composed entirely of yew trees. Some of them are of 
great age. The branches meeting overhead are so trimmed 
that the avenue resembles one long Gothic archway, dimly 
lighted and impressive, and with a brown carpet formed by the 
fallen leaves of the yew. Adown this solemn walk the dead 
bodies of the lairds of Murthly are borne when being removed 
from the castle to the chapel on their way to their last 
resting-place. 
Near the principal entrance to the castle is the Deodar 
