496 THE UNIVERSE. 



which there is an altar dedicated to the Virgin, where, on 

 certain days, mass is said. The ample hollow of this tree 

 not only furnishes an oratory, but above this a sleeping- 

 room has been scooped out ; there is a bed in this room, to 

 which access is gained by steps outside ; it is the abode of 

 an anchorite. This tree, which perhaps sheltered in its 

 shade the companions of the Seigneur de Bethencourt, 

 when on their way to embark for the conquest of the 

 Canaries, is held in great veneration in the country. 



One of our most illustrious and philosophic botanists, 

 Marquis, renowned alike for his eminent position and 

 knowledge, measured the trunk of this tree, and found 

 that it was thirty feet in circumference near the ground. 



I have also seen on the banks of the Bosphorus plane- 

 trees, the trunks of which were pierced with enormous cav- 

 ities. In the neighborhood of Smyrna there is one of these 

 trees celebrated for its size and antiquity. The stem, which 

 is hollowed right through, is spread widely out at the base, 

 and represents three columns, which converge towards each 

 other, forming a sort of porch, beneath which a man on 

 horseback can pass easily. 1 



Yet the baobab on the banks of the Niger, in its splendid 

 luxuriance of growth, surpasses even all the giants of the 

 Bosphorus. It is especially remarkable for its thickness, 

 contrasted with its want of height. It is a colossus of un- 

 graceful look. Almost always without leaves, bearing them 

 only in the rainy season, its whitish, conical trunk, scarcely 



1 In their learned work on forests, Evelyn and Loudon have represented sev- 

 eral other trees, which, like the Platanus of Smyrna, present openings through 

 which a knight completely equipped could pass freely. Evelyn, Sylva, 1664. 

 Loudon, Arboretum Britannicum, London, 1838. 



