328 VOICES FKOM THE WOODLANDS. 



Many a wild and disforested tract of land in the 

 Highlands of Scotland, equally with such in England, were 

 anciently covered with vast fir-woods. Forests of such 

 have been found imbedded in the mosses of the north, 

 forming a substratum to Eoman roads. This is the case in 

 the isle of Anglesey. On sinking the outlet of a lake called 

 Llwydiat, in Pontraeth, venerable remains of patriarchal 

 trees were thrown open to the light of day ; and though 

 men have sought to invalidate our claim as aboriginal in 

 Britain and its dependencies, the question is set at rest by 

 such discoveries in mosses, antecedent to the settling of the 

 Eomans ; moreover, among the many names given by those 

 conquerors as belonging to our tribe, three are purely and 

 absolutely British. 



Subterraneous strata of bog-fir also pertain to Ireland. 

 The bogs of Glancullen alone supply Dublin with fuel, and 

 the wood, beaten into strings, and combed and spun, is 

 manufactured into ropes, which are capable of resisting the 

 weather much longer than those made of hemp. The 



