BEECH-TREE. 113 



of solid timber. Linnseus speaks also respecting a majestic 

 tree, at about our extreme range northward, which was 

 called the Twelve Apostles, from the trunk having divided 

 into as many stems. The names of Charles XI. and XII. 

 of Sweden, and that of Queen Eleanora, were inscribed 

 on the bark, with those of distinguished persons who had 

 stood beneath its shade. 



I have mentioned that our haunts are often among the 

 wildest and most romantic scenes. Observe, for instance, 

 the rich woodland scenery that extends in the New Forest, 

 from Burley to Boldre-wood, the seat of Lord Delaware. 

 We grow there in all our pristine beauty; no hatchet 

 is ever lifted on our thick boughs, and beneath our 

 shade innumerable living creatures resort to pasture on 

 our mast. 



Gilpin, who delighted in the wildest haunts of the 

 New Forest, tells concerning the hogs, that find a ready 

 banquet wherever our branches spread. He mentions 

 likewise the swineherd, and associates with that ancient 



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