THE FIRS. 



469 



flagration that haa perhaps ever occurred in the 

 history of the world. In Europe we can scarcely 

 form a conception of the fury and rapidity with 

 which the fires rage through the American forests 

 during a dry hot season; at which time the 

 underwood, decayed vegetable substances, fallen 

 branches, bark, and withered trees, are as inflam- 

 mable as a total absence of moisture can render 

 them. When these tremendous fires are once in 

 motion, or at least when the flames extend over 

 a few miles of the forest, the surrounding air 

 becomes highly rarefied, and the wind naturally 

 increases to a hurricane. It appears that the 

 woods had been, on both sides of the north-west 

 branch, partially on fire for some time, but not 

 to an alarming extent, until the 7th of October, 

 when it came on to blow furiously from the 

 north-west, and the inhabitants on the banks of 

 the river were suddenly alarmed by a tremen- 

 dous roaring in the woods, resembling the inces- 

 sant rolling of thunder; while, at the same time, 

 the atmosphere became thickly darkened with 

 Bmoke. They had scarcely time to ascertain the 

 cause of thisphenomenon,before all the surround- 

 ing woods appeared in one vast blaze, the flames 

 ascending more than a hundred feet above the 

 tops of the loftiest trees, and the fire, like a gulph 

 in flames, rolling forward with inconceivable 

 celerity. In less than an hour, Douglastown 

 and Newcastle were enveloped in one vast blaze, 

 and many of the wretched inhabitants, unable to 

 escape, perished in the midst of this terrible fire." 



A Miramichi paper, published on the 11th of 

 October, at the scene of this fearful conflagration, 

 contains some interesting particulars, irom which 

 it appears that several hundred lives were lost in 

 Newcastle, Douglastown, and Fredericton; that 

 nearly all the " lumberers" in the woods perished; 

 that in many parts of the country the cattle were 

 all destroyed; and that the loss of property in 

 the towns was immense, as the fire rushed upon 

 the inhabitants with such inconceivable rapidity, 

 that the preservation of their lives could be their 

 only care. 



The Firs, or Spbtjces (aUes), form another 

 genus of the coniferm, differing from the pines 

 in the form and position of the leaves, as well as 

 in the general aspect of the trees. In the firs 

 the leaves are generally shorter than in the pines, 

 and placed solitary instead of in pairs. 



The Norway Spruce Fir (abies communis) is 

 a beautiful and stately tree. The branches are 

 verticillate, and spring from a common centre. 

 The leaves are solitary, short, slightly arched, 

 and acute, of a dark green colour, which gives to 

 the tree a sombre aspect. The cones are cylin- 

 drical, five to six inches in length, and contain 

 small winged seeds, which ripen in November. 

 This is one of the tallest of our European firs, 

 with a very straight but not thick trunk. It is 

 a native of the north of Germany and Russia, 



and particularly abundant in Norway, from 

 whence it is largely imported into this country, 

 both as spars and as the white deal of that coun- 

 try and the Baltic. The timber is inferior to 

 that of the common pine in durability, and being 

 often knotty, is not proportionally strong for 

 horizontal beamings. It is used, however, for a 

 great variety of purposes in building ; and the 

 entire trees are more prized than any others for 

 masts for small craft, or spars. What constitutes 

 the value of this fir is, that, like the larch, its 

 timber is equally durable at any age; and its 

 perfectly erect and straight form well suits it for 

 "the mast of some great admiral!" The tree 

 may be cut for rods, stakes, and scythes, or the 

 handles of other implements, where the trunk at 

 the base is not more than ten inches in diameter, 

 and the bark being retained, it will prove almost 

 as durable as the larch. This tree is peculiarly 

 valuable as a nurse, from being evergreen, and 

 closely covered with branches, by which radiated 

 heat is retained. It will not, however, grow in 

 elevated situations, where the pine and larch 

 flourish. By incision it yields resin and Bur- 

 gundy pitch. The tops, or young sprouts, give 

 the flavour to what is called spruce beer. 



The white, hlacTs, and red spruces are natives 

 of America, and nearly resemble, in their general 

 properties, those of Europe. The black spruce 

 is reckoned the most durable. In America it is 

 used for knees for ship-buUding, where neither 

 oak nor larch can be easily obtained. These 

 knees are not prepared from two diverging 

 branches, as in the oak; but from a portion of 

 the base of the trunk connected with one of the 

 largest diverging roots. The timber of the red 

 spruce is universally preferred throughout the 

 United States for sail yards; and imported into 

 this country from Nova Scotia, for this purpose 

 also. It is chiefly from the decoction in water 

 of young shoots of the black spruce, and not 

 exclusively from those of the white species, that 

 spruce beer is prepared by fermentation with sugar 

 or molasses. The essence of spruce of the 

 dealers, is prepared by evaporating the decoction 

 to the consistence of honey. 



The Silver Fir (a. piceaj, is one of the most 

 beautiful of this family. When standing alone 

 and developing itself naturally, its branches, 

 which are numerous and thickly garnished with 

 leaves, diminish in length as they approach the 

 top, and thus form a pyramid of perfect regu- 

 larity. The upper surface of the leaves is of a 

 beautiful vivid green; and their under surface 

 has two white lines running lengthwise on each 

 side of the midrib, giving the leaves that silvery 

 look from whence the common name is derived. 

 The cones are nearly cylindrical, about eight 

 inches long, and always directed upwards. The 

 wood is light and slightly resinous, and inferior 

 to that of the common pine. The resin of this 



