( 96 ) 



all thofe places, where Europe and Afia border 

 on each other, as a diftinguifhing mark of 

 European ground. On the Afiatic fide of 

 the Tanais, he tells us, it is never found > 

 tho on the European fide it is fo common 

 that the Scythians, who inhabit thofe parts, 

 ufe it always in making arrows. He treats 

 Eratofthenes with fome contempt, for afierting, 

 that when Alexander was in India, he ufed 

 fir in conftrucling his navy*. Strabo's ac- 

 curacy is generally much refpecled : but, in 

 this inftance his obfervations feem to have 

 been confined. There is little doubt, I think, 

 that the fir abounded in many parts of Afia : 

 it was probably as much a native of mount 

 Lebanon, as the cedar itfelf -f. 



After the pine, and fir tribes, the yew 

 deferves our notice. The yew is a pure native 

 of Britain, and was formerly what the oak 



* See lib. ii. p. 510. edit. Cauf. 



f After all however, it is probable, that the word S*TU, 

 which the Latins translate abies, and we tranflate fir, might 

 appear to be fomewhat very different from the tree, which we 

 call a fir, if we had a Grecian botanifl to confult. 



i . 



IS 



