JUNE. 225 



F. — " Nulla fronti fides" here : the bark of trees will 

 often seem perfectly sound, when the interior is, as you ob- 

 serve, become a mere mass of dust, utterly gone to decay. 

 This is owing to the greater abundance of carbon in the bark 

 than in any other part, which resists putrefaction. The bark 

 of the birch, in particular, appears almost incorruptible. 



We see here an example of that continued round of 



decay and renovation which pervades all created, or, at least 

 all organised, bodies. The seed falls from the tree j it shoots 

 up a tender twig ; it grows upward, drawing continual sup- 

 plies of nutriment from the earth by means of its increasing 

 roots ; the slender stem slowly, but surely expands in height 

 and thickness, till it has become a mighty tree ; it continues 

 erect, and apparently vigorous, for centuries : but time, 

 edax rerum, at length prevails over its giant frame ; and by 

 imperceptible, but ceaseless attacks, robs it of life. The 

 frost rends, and the rain rots the heart ; the moss and the 

 lichen fix themselves on its outside ; the winter gales blow ; 

 and the majestic, hoary veteran bows to the blast, and de- 

 scends with a rushing roar that shakes the earth. There it 

 lies : the process of decomposition now goes on unresisted by 

 the living principle ; many agents complete the work, and at 

 length the place of its bed is marked but by a slight, a very 

 slight elevation of the soil. It has reverted to the same 

 earth from which its own sustenance was first drawn, and 

 now its elements are forming the sustenance of other trees, 

 to perform the same round again, as long as earth shall 

 endure. 



L 5 



