280 VOICES FROM THE WOODLANDS. 



it brings to mind the sad history of Prussia, when her 

 throne was about to be overturned by a lawless usurper. 



Somewhat of sadness, therefore, is associated with the 

 willow in the mind of the historian. It is otherwise 

 with the Persian and Arabian, who love the willow, and 

 cultivate it with great care ; the one, because its fragrant 

 catkins yield their celebrated febrifuge water, or caleef of 

 their poets ; the other, because a costly perfume is obtained 

 from the flowers. 



The English farmer, also, sees in most of our brethren 

 trees of considerable value, such as are available for the 

 occupation of marshy ground, otherwise useless ; and hence, 

 as already noticed, his low grounds broken by formal rows 

 of pollard willows ; the carpenter, in like manner, selects 

 our wood for making clogs, and ladders, truncheons, pill- 

 boxes, cricket-bats, and hop-poles, for knife-boards, which 

 give an edge like stone; and the charcoal-makers obtain 

 from us the finest charcoal. 



Such are our chief characteristics in a collective capacity ; 



