426 



and to obtain on the spot all the details required. Having done so, 

 accompanied by Mr. Robert Brown, Sir Philip Grey Egerton, Pro- 

 fessor J. Nicol, and Mr. Trenham Reeks, the information ultimately 

 obtained was as follows : 



The man who helped to cut down the tree confirmed in every re- 

 spect the evidence of Mr. Poole as to its position, height, and dimen- 

 sions, and pointed out to us the stump or stool we were in search of, 

 which is to be seen at nearly 200 yards to the east of the St. George's 

 Chapel, Lower Road, Battersea Fields, and at the eastern end of a 

 nursery garden, between the railway and the road, occupied by 

 Mr. Henry Shailer. 



The tree was a large willow, probably about sixty years of age, 

 which stood immediately to the east of the old parsonage house re- 

 cently pulled down. Its stem measured about 10 feet in circum- 

 ference at 3 feet above the ground, and had a length of between 9 

 and 10 feet ; from its summit three main branches extended, one of 

 which, pointing to the S.W. or W.S.W., had been for many years 

 blighted, and was rotten to near its junction with the top of the 

 main trunk; a portion of this blighted main branch is exhibited. 

 The other two main branches, which rose to a height of 50 or 60 

 feet, were quite sound ; a part of one of these offsets is also exhi- 

 bited. 



The stool of the tree was visibly perfect and without a flaw, and 

 at the wish of Mr. R. Brown, a section of it has been obtained since 

 our visit, which is also here, and the rings of which seem to confirm 

 the supposition as to the age of the tree. 



Mr. Poole -having conveyed the tree to Brixton, cut the trunk into 

 two nearly equal parts, intending to make cricket-bats out of each. 

 In doing so, he perceived that the upper portion of the lower of the 

 two segments was in a shaky or imperfect condition, and hence he 

 resolved to saw off the upper part of it, intending thereby to obtain 

 wood large enough for the " pods " of his cricket-bats, but not such 

 entire bats as he was making out of the upper segment. 



In dividing the tree, the saw was stopped at about 8 inches from 

 the surface on one side (or the breadth of a large saw) by a very 

 hard, impenetrable substance, which was supposed to be a nail, and 

 hence Mr. Poole resolved to break up the portion of the wood he 

 had previously condemned as of inferior quality, and hewing it down 



