504 THE UNIVERSE. 



like those frightful animals which surpassed all others in 

 their size, they tower above all the vegetable kingdom. 

 One of these cedars, hollowed out into a deep cavern, owes 

 its name of " the Riding School " to the fact that a man on 

 horseback can penetrate sixty-five feet into the dark exca- 

 vation. 



However, these prodigies of vegetation do not seem to be 

 the supreme manifestation of creative power. In penetrat- 

 ing into regions of Australia previously quite unknown, some 

 gold-seekers have just discovered Eucalypti that surpass 

 in size even the Wellingtonia giganlea. Ferdinand Miiller, 

 the botanist, says that trees of the species Eucalyptus amyg- 

 dalina, 480 feet in length, were met with lying on the 

 ground ; and this seems perfectly confirmed by the state- 

 ment of Mr. George Robins, who saw in the mountains of 

 Berwick one of these trees standing which had, near the 

 ground, a circumference of 81 feet, and the height of which 

 he estimated at 500 feet. This Eucalyptus, therefore, could 

 overshadow the great pyramid of Egypt and the spire of 

 the cathedral of Strasburg ; for the former is only 480 feet 

 in height, and the latter 466. Thus these vegetable giants 

 dethrone all others that have hitherto been regarded as the 

 forest monarchs of our globe, and must be added to the 

 marvels that Australia may yet have in store for us. 



When from these noble trees, proudly cleaving the clouds 

 with their tops, we pass to those whose humble stem creeps 

 upon the ground, we find that even the latter at times 

 acquire a length which has something of the prodigious 

 in it. 



Struck with the aspect of the vines in Italy, the manifold 



