UNCLE IN ENGLAND. 181 



In Finland, and in the neighbourhood of Peters- 

 burg, the birch, which comes next to the pine 

 in quantity, is inclined to grow by itself ; but it 

 abounds in the natural woods of Great Britain 

 and of other parts of Europe. In the central 

 parts of our continent, elm, maple, and ash are 

 common, and grow to a noble size ; but their 

 extent is small in proportion to the northern forests 

 of birch and pine, and they seem to prefer an open 

 situation. In the sheltered parts of Savoy and 

 Switzerland the walnut is a very profitable as well 

 as ornamental tree ; and the olive flourishes on 

 the sloping sides of the hills, particularly in 

 Italy. In low and warm situations there, the 

 cypress and poplar grow to a great size above 

 them comes the chesnut, and still higher, ap- 

 proaching the pines, appears the magnificent oak. 

 The grey foliage of the olive gives a peculiar 

 appearance to the country ; and the cork-tree, 

 also, Mr. Lumley says, excites the admiration of 

 all travellers. Spain, Portugal, and the South 

 of France are the countries in which this beautiful 

 tree is most prominent ; it grows higher than 

 the oak, of which it is a species, and has more 

 slender branches and smaller leaves, The chief 

 distinction is the spongy bark, which the tree 

 throws off naturally; and it is said that the growth 

 of the tree is improved by peeling it. 



Besides the common and well known uses of 

 the bark, he told us that it is employed in Por- 



VOL. I. R 



