ELM. 207 



their name of Ulmus, is uncertain ; but from it 

 the English name of Elm is evidently taken, 

 as well as that of the other European lan- 

 guages. 



The imperial city of Ulm, in Germany, 

 owes its name to the great quantity of elm 

 trees with which its vicinity abounds ; and 

 the Doomsday book mentions nearly forty 

 places in this country which also took their 

 names from this tree, and from hence Dr. 

 Hunter conjectures that the elm is a native of 

 England. But in this opinion we do not coin- 

 cide with the learned Doctor ; for the admit- 

 ing that this tree was known in England as 

 early as the Saxon times, does not prove it 

 indigenous to the soil, so strongly as it is con- 

 futed by nature, which seldom permits it to 

 propagate its species in this country, accord- 

 ing to her common rules; whilst, in other 

 countries, where the seed falls, young plants 

 spring up as commonly as the oaks of Britain. 

 However plentifully a plant of any description 

 may be found in a country, we can never re- 

 concile our minds to consider it a native of 

 the soil where it does not spring freely from 

 seed. We cannot, therefore, agree with those 

 who affirm the elm to be a native plant, with- 

 out contradicting the rules of nature, in con- 

 sidering its parts of fructification and its fruit 



