PRESIDENT S ADDEESS. 167 



the well-defined species of British forest trees, but varieties or 

 races subordinate to such species ; at the same time availing 

 himself of elucidations from like diversities in other vegetable 

 productions. The " Philosophic zoologique" of Lamarck was 

 then a work of still recent date. The principles therein set 

 forth respecting the origination of the forms of animal life were 

 not only perfectly known to Mr. Matthew, but referred (when 

 adduced) to their French expositor by name ; so that every 

 reader of the Scottish author on forestry was fully aware, long 

 before 1840, of the nature of discussions, involving the essence 

 of those which came to the front so prominently twenty years 

 later, in 1859, in a well-known production of Darwin. 



The consequence was that those who had long been familiar 

 with the topics, arguments, and train of thought brought under 

 consideration in Scotland by Mr. Matthew, could afford to be 

 somewhat calm under the excitement from more recent specula- 

 tions not so new as was commonly believed. But the reason for 

 at present reverting to the epoch of 1835-40, is merely to show 

 that men living even quietly in the country had reason, in those 

 days (at the time when Selby was engaged on his own original 

 treatise on arboriculture, which will ever be so precious to 

 Northumberland), to be vigilant and observant as to every fact 

 and every unwonted circumstance bearing upon the apparent 

 stabilitv or instability of species, or even of well-marked varie- 

 ties, whether in animal or vegetable existence. 



In connection with this train of thought, it happened that 

 several seedling specimens of young coniferous trees were to be 

 selected at a great nursery garden in Edinburgh. It was about 

 thirty years ago. Among other trees I chose two Deodara cedars 

 from a very ample bed of transplanted seedlings. Both diverged 

 considerably from the prevailing or normal type, but diverged 

 in opposite ways. The one was of a lighter and more delicate, 

 vivid green, than its neighbours, reminding one of the tint of its 

 deciduous congener, the larch ; the other was of a rich, dark 

 glaucous green, such as reminded me of the luxuriant tints often 

 assumed by the Cedar of Lebanon in the warm and moist tracts 

 of Devonshire. Both were growing rapidly, and they were of 



