184 . Douglases Monument. 



uprooted, but fortunately a large ball of earth adhered to the roots, which 

 encouraged me to have it replanted, though I then deemed the experiment 

 hopeless : it however turned out otherwise, and the tree has since grown 

 luxuriantly, and produced the cones now enclosed. 



Near this there is another very similar tree, Pinus dopecuroidea of the 

 Garden Catalogue, and probably P. Tae'da alopecurdidea Hort. Keiv., which 

 you quote doubtfully in Arboret. Brif. as a synonyme of P. serotina Michaiiic. 

 I can find no characters permanently distinct in our plants, farther than the 

 one which we call P. alopecuroidea growing more upright, and producing 

 the leaves in larger bundles at the ends of the branches. The cones are 

 similar in both. 



Connected with this subject, I may notice that the Earl of Kenmarp is 

 now preparing to plant a pinetum at Killarney, on an extensive scale, which 

 may be looked forward to with considerable interest, as that locality possesses 

 a greater combination of circumstances favourable to the growth of American 

 and Himalayan Coniferas, than perhaps any other place in the whole range of 

 the British Islands. While on a botanical tour to the South-west of Ireland 

 last autumn, I was much gratified to find that Pinus australis Arb. Brit, had 

 stood at Killarney without the least protection during the last eight years, and 

 is now a splendid plant 10 ft. high, growing luxuriantly; and at Kenmare, in 

 Dr. Taylor the celebrated cryptogamic botanist's demesne, Cunninghams 

 lanceolata, 9 ft. high, and seven years planted. Rhododendron arboreum 

 flowers there without protection. — D. Moore. Royal Dublin Society s Botanic 

 Garden, Jan. 8. 1841. 



The Gigantic Flax. — I am sorry to inform you that your 1/inum altlssi- 

 mum has, in our cold and ungenial climate, turned out a failure. It did not 

 reach above 4ift. in height, and has no pretensions to its specific epithet of 

 altissimum. I'sent the seeds to my neighbour, Lord Gosford, where they 

 were paid all attention to, but without success. I ought however to state, 

 that the seeds were sown too late, and as they purpose saving the seed, we 

 shall be able to speak more accurately next year. It appears, however, to be 

 so coarse that no fine linen could be made from it. — W. B. Belfast, Oct. 

 1840. 



Art. IV. The Monument to the Memory oj' Mr. Douglas. 



I OBSERVE a query on the cover of the February Number of the Gardener's 

 Magazine, by W. Godsall of Hereford, respecting the application of the money 

 subscribed for the Douglas Monument, in which I, as secretary, am referred 

 to for a reply. Mr. Godsall and other subscribers have an undoubted right 

 tq make such enquiries, and I shall feel obliged if in an early Number you 

 will be kind enough to insert the following as my answer. 



After long-continued and repeated trials to obtain an amount of subscription 

 to enable the committee to recommend something like the original plan of 

 purchasing ground whereon to plant some of those trees and shrubs in- 

 troduced by Douglas, the sum subscribed not much exceeding 170/. (a large 

 proportion of which was procured through your exertions), it was resolved 

 last summer to call a general meeting of subscribers, by advertisement in the 

 newspapers, to meet in the George Inn, Perth. That meeting was but thinly 

 attended, Sir P. Murray Thriepland, Bart., of Fingask, in the chair. Several 

 plans were laid before the meeting, and one was decided on. A sub-com- 

 mittee was appointed to see it carried into execution. Col. Murray Belshes, 

 of Invermay, convener. It having been found impracticable to purchase a 

 proper site on any of the neighbouring entailed estates in consequence of the 

 nature of the entails, Col. Murray Belshes put himself in correspondence 

 with the heritors of Scoon, the native parish of Douglas, and requested me 

 to call on the members of the sub-committee to attend a meeting of heritors 



