THE OAK. 93 



on account of their great size and venerable appear- 

 ance, as well as their luxuriant foliage ; and many a 

 weary traveller may repose beneath their refreshing 

 shade upon the spot rendered memorable by the beau- 

 tiful similes of the Prophets Isaiah and Zechariah. 

 Isa. ii. 12, 13. Zech. xi. 2. 



Of all the varieties of the 

 Oak, the black and the white 

 are with us the most abundant 

 and the most useful ; the wood 

 is extensively used in ship- 

 building, as well as for many 

 other purposes equally im- 

 portant, while the bark is not 

 only the principal substance Willow-Oak, 



used by the tanner in the preparation of leather, but 

 is also of great use in dyeing. 



These Oaks often attain a great size, and live to a 

 very advanced age. The " Charter-Oak," so cele- 

 brated in the history of our country, was an old and 

 venerated tree in the Revolution. The " Flushing- 

 Oaks/' the remains of which are still standing, yielded 

 an abundant shade, under which large congregations 

 were accustomed to assemble near two hundred years 

 ago to listen to the preaching of George Fox. 



In England, where antiquity is more venerated 

 than in America, such relics of bygone ages, sentinels 

 that have watched over the destiny of many a 

 monarch, are regarded with deep interest. The ages 

 of some of these have been computed with considera- 

 ble certainty, by reference to data which have been 



