EUCALYPTUS TREES. 29 
others become partially scorched, and linger gradu- 
ally to decay ; others become at least so far impaired 
as to offer no longer a sound or superior timber. Very 
aged Eucalyptus-trees are almost always suffering 
already from natural decay in the central portions of 
the stem. It is far from me to wish to impede the 
operations and progress of the miners, to whose intel- 
ligence and hard-working activity this country owes 
so much; but the advantages of gold-mining in our 
ranges may sometimes be too dearly bought at the 
expense of very extensive forest-destruction, with all 
the evils concomitant to it, or sure to follow it. Many 
other causes—such as the carelessness of travelers— 
set also frequently portions of the forest on fire, while 
the control over the devastation is lost. 
The answer to remonstrances amounts usually to 
an opinion that more wood is springing up again than 
has been destroyed ; but let us ask, how long will it 
be until the suckers, saplings, or seedlings, which, 
undoubtedly, in many instances, occupy the burned 
ground, forming perhaps impenetrable thickets, until 
they will really have advanced to the size of timber- 
trees, fit for the saw-mill? In other localities, less 
densely wooded, where the trees were so dispersed 
as to give to the natural scenery, before it was dis- 
turbed, a park-like appearance, in such localities, 
which impressed on many of the original Australian 
landscapes so much peculiarity, the growth of bushy 
plants becomes, as arule, by occupation of the ground, 
quickly destroyed ; theshelter and shade, which kept 
the mostly rather horizontal roots of the Eucalyptus 
trees cool and moist, become largely withdrawn ; the 
pendent leaves and lax or distant ramifications of the 
