220 RIVERSIDE LETTERS xxvill 



abundantly in the vicinity of his birthplace, 

 and thus, as in Gainsborough's case, the tree 

 familiar to Titian as a boy became the 

 favourite one throughout his long life. He 

 is especially fond of representing this tree in 

 its picturesque old age as a gnarled stump 

 from which shoot out a lusty young growth of 

 branch and foliage ; a habit of rejuvenescence 

 which is one of the great charms of the sweet 

 chestnut. Titian loved the tree, as well for 

 its grand and laurel-like foliage, its massive 

 yet graceful form, the lustre and richness of 

 the colour of its leaves, and the swing and 

 curves of its branches. Here, in England, 

 we ought to have many more of these trees 

 than we do, in our parks and plantations. 

 They are abundant in parts of Kent. I recol- 

 lect some very fine ones in a park near 

 Brenchley, and numbers are grown as sap- 

 lings in the coppices and woods in the vicinity 

 of the hop-districts, for these chestnuts make 

 the best of hop-poles, lasting longer, I was 

 told, than those made from hazel or any other 



