Deodar from India into England. 73 



he calls it " the incorruptible Himalayan Cedar, the invalu- 

 able Deodar." Major Madden, than whom no one has more 

 carefully investigated the history of Himalayan Comers on 

 their native mountains, quotes this very expression of Von 

 Hugel, and evidently assents to it ; he even thinks it worth 

 inquiry whether it really repels the white, and which seems 

 to be a Himalayan notion. 



Moorcroft, — and there never was a more trustworthy re- 

 porter, — in the first volume of his Travels, makes use of the 

 following language : " The most valuable tree of Kashmere 

 is, however, the Deodar, a variety of Cedar, the timber of 

 which is extensively employed in the construction of houses, 

 temples, and bridges." And he adds, that pieces of it had 

 been found little decayed, although exposed to the action of 

 water for four hundred years. 



We have, moreover, the high authority of Dr Royle, who 

 long resided in the Deodar countries, that the timber is of 

 excellent quality, and of great strength, as well as durability. 

 It is universally employed in the building of temples, in which 

 none but the best materials would be employed. The mode 

 of using it is to construct a solid framework of the timber, 

 and then to fill in the spaces between with stones, so that 

 the main strength of the building is made to depend upon the 

 Deodar, rather than the masonry. Thus used, it is exposed 

 to a trial which nothing but timber of the best quality could 

 support. This is in complete accordance with all that we 

 have ever heard of the quality of Deodar wood ; and must be 

 regarded as conclusive. 



The only subject of doubt in our minds as to the issue of 

 the great undertaking now described is whether the gentle- 

 men to whom the young Deodars will be finally entrusted, 

 after they shall have been delivered up to Government by the 

 nurserymen who are to rear them, will know either where, 

 or when, or how, they ought to be planted. 



