MISCELLANEOUS. 197 



" have sometimes seen a good contrast pro- 

 " diiced between its spiry points and the 

 " round-headed oaks and ehiis in its neigh- 

 " bourhood. When I speak, however, of the 

 " Scotch fir as a beautiful individual, I con- 

 " ceive it, when it has outgrown all the more 

 " unpleasant circumstances of its youth — 

 " wdien it has completed its full age — and 

 " when, like Ezekiel's cedar, it has formed its 

 " head among the thick branches. I may be 

 " singular in my attachment to the Scotch 

 " fir ; I know it has many enemies ; and that 

 " may perhaps induce me to be more com- 

 " passionate to it : however, I wish my opi- 

 " nion in its favour may weigh no more than 

 " the reasons I give to support it. 



" The great contempt, indeed, in which 

 " the Scotch fir is commonly held, arises, I 

 " believe, from two causes. 



" People object, first, to its colour. Its 

 " dark murky hue, we are told, is un pleasing. 

 " With regard to colon?' in generaU I think I 

 " speak the language of painting when I 

 " assert that the picturesque eye makes little 

 " distinction in this matter. It has no attach- 

 *' ment to one colour in preference to another; 

 " but considers the beauty of all colouring as 



o 3 



