108 
The Natural Hiftory of the Book IV, 
but of a great Length, penetrating fome Yards into the Earth, efpecially 
where the Soil is fandy, or otherwife porous: Thefe Roots are of a darks 
brown Colour. : 
The Trunk jets or bulges outa little near the Ground, by which means 
it hath the becoming Appearance of a fubftantial Bafis to fupport its 
towering Height. It is generally as ftrait as an Arrow 5 and {carce can a 
Pillar of the niceft Order in Archite@ure.be more regular, efpecially when 
it is of about Thirty Years Growth; And as there isa natural involuntary 
Pleafure arifing from the Harmony of juft geometrical Proportions, ftrike~ 
ing the Eye of the moft unskilful and ignorant Beholder, it is not ftrange 
that thefe Trees are univerfally admired. 
‘Writers of Wonders reprefent fome of them to be Three hundred 
Feet in Height : However, the higheft in this, where they are more nu- 
merous than in any of our neighbouring Iflands, is but an Hundred and 
Thirty-four Feet. 
The Trunk of this, near the Earth, is about Seven Feet in Circum: 
ference, the whole Body growing tapering to the Top. 
‘The Subftance of the Tree, for about Two or Three Inches of the Out- 
fide, but within the Bark, is of a blackith Colour, and extremely hard 
and folid : This furrounds the inner Subftance, which is a whitith Pith, 
intermixt with fome {mall Veins of a more ligneous Texture. 
The Colour of the Bark much refembles that of an Ath-tree, and is 
very faintly clouded, at about the Diftance of every Four or Five Inches, 
with the /effigia of the fallen-off Branches: This Colour of the Bark 
continues till within about Twenty-five or Thirty Feet of the Extremity 
of the Tree: There it alters at once from an Afh-colour to a beautiful 
deep Sea-green, and continues to be of that Colour to the Top. 
About Five Feet from the Beginning of the green Part upwards, the 
Trunk, is furrounded. with its numerous Branches in a circular Manner ; 
all the lowermoft {preading horizontally with great Regularity ; and the 
Extremities of many of the higher Branches bend wavingly downwards, 
like fo many Plumes of Feathers. 
Thefe Branches, when full-grown, are Twenty Feet long, more or lef; 
and are thickly fet on the Trunk alternately, rifing gradually fuperior one 
to another: Their broad curved Sockets fo furround the Trunk, that the 
Sight of it, whilft among thefe, is loft, which again appears among: the 
very uppermoft Branches, and is there inveloped in an upright green conic 
Spire, which beautifully terminates its great Height. 
The above-mentioned Branches are fomewhat round underneath, and 
flightly grooved on the upper Side: They are likewife decorated with a 
very great Number of green pennated Leaves: Some of thefe are near 
Three F eet long, and'an Inch and an half broad, growing: narrower towards 
their Points, as well as gradually decreafing in Length towards the Extre- 
mities of the Branches, 
3 oie As 
