FIR TREE. 145 



affords materials for building their houses, churches, and 

 bridges, for every article of their household furniture, for 

 constructing sledges, carts and boats, besides fuel for 

 their hearths. With its leaves they strew their floors, 

 and afterwards burn them, and collect the ashes for 

 manure." 



Sir William Ouseley describes the houses of the pea- 

 sants in Turkey as being frequently built of pine or Fir 

 trees ; and says also, that " pieces of resinous Fir tree 

 wood supplied the place of candles at Bedrowas."" 



Hall, in his Travels in Scotland, says, " Among the 

 better sort of people, tallow candles, and oil lamps, as 

 well as wax candles, are sometimes used ; but, as it is not 

 only cheaper, but gives a better light, many upon ordi- 

 nary occasions use only pieces of Fir, split thin, from the 

 roots of trees found in the mosses ; which, from the great 

 quantity of the resinous and inflammable matter they con- 

 tain, give excellent light. It is the business of the young 

 people in the house to prepare and hold these candles, 

 one of which affording nearly as much light as a torch, 

 generally serves all in any one room of the house. Agree- 

 ably to this notion, when a rich man in London lately 

 was extolling the candlesticks on the table, which were 

 of massy silver, elegantly carved; a gentleman from 

 Strathspey being present, said that these were not so 

 valuable as the candlesticks in many parts of the High- 

 lands of Scotland. A thousand guineas were immediately 

 laid, that there were not better nor more valuable 

 than those in all the Highlands. The gentleman who 

 held the bet was allowed a sufficient time for the candle- 

 sticks to be brought to London for inspection, and proof 

 that they had been used in the Highlands previously to 

 the staking of the thousand guineas. When the evening 



