113 HISTORY AND GEOGRAPHY OP TREES. PART I. 



parts of the world, many rare and useful plants, which he endea- 

 voured to naturalise in this climate, by placing them in a soil 

 and situation as near as possible to that to which they had been 

 accustomed. By this means there is now growing in his garden 

 in the open air, a wonderful and curious collection of plants 

 from India, China, North and South America, Siberia, ike, 

 which were formerly kept in the green-house, or even hot-house. 

 All the trees at Cranmore, except the chestnuts and oaks, were 

 raised from seed planted by Mr. Tcmpleton himself, and so 

 great a variety of the natives of the forest, has perhaps nev( r 

 before been collected in so small a place " {Mag. Xat. H., i. 403) 

 Mr. Tcmpleton corresponded with all the principal botanists of 

 his time, and discovered several new phmts in Ireland ; among 

 others the i^osa hibernica,and Orobauche ri:ibra. The dimensions 

 of some of the more remarkable trees and shrubs at Cranmore 

 have been kindly sent to us by Mrs. Tcmpleton. Among these 

 are, a sweet chestnut, 60 ft. high, with a trunk 15 ft. in circum- 

 ference at one foot from the ground (the tree from which the 

 place takes its name) ; Pinus Ctmbra, 24 ft. high ; i^inus Banks- 

 iana, 17 ft. high; Pinus Miigho, 11 ft. high; and .4'bies cana- 

 densis, 16 ft. high. There are, an ^^cer rubrum 30 ft. high ; a 

 liquidambar, 15 ft. high ; a Swedish juniper, 18 ft. high ; and a 

 Ptelea trifoliata, 26 ft.high. The first i?hododendron maximum 

 introduced into Ireland is supposed to have been one planted 

 here, which attained a very great size, but died about three 

 years ago. There is one still existing, which is 9^ ft. high, and 

 the circumference of the space covered by its branches is 37 ft. 



In the }Iistory of the County of Down, published in 1745 

 Cp. 60.), speaking of Bangor, the author says, " the gardens are 

 filled with noble evergreens of a great size, cut in various 

 shapes, among which is an evergreen oak, which, though it 

 grows as a shrub in most other places, is here a tall tree, and of 

 considerable girth." At the same place there is now (1835) a 

 very large mulberry tree, which is very uncommon in Ireland. 

 There was also one about the same size at Castle Ward. At 

 Spring Vale, in the same county, is a very large cork tree, which 

 is now in a state of decay. 



At Castle AVard, the seat of Viscount Bangor, is a flower- 

 ing ash (O'rnus europoe'a), 30 ft. high, and 6 ft. 4 in. in girt 

 at 7 ft. from the ground ; it flowers frequently, but not every 

 year. There are, also, an evergreen oak, with a trunk 9 ft. 6 in. 

 in girt at 2 ft. from the ground, and 8 ft. 4 in. at 10 ft. from 

 the ground ; an arbutus, 5 ft. in girt at 2 ft. from the ground ; 

 and a pinaster, 60 ft. high, and 8 ft. 10 in. in circumference at 

 6 ft. from the ground : these trees are all close to a small bay 

 or arm of the sea. There are, also, a silver fir, 66 ft. high, 8 ft. 

 5 in. in girt, which it carries up to 30 ft. ; a cedar of Lebanon, 



