466 



NOTES AND ILLUSTKATIONS. 



is beautiful ; and it grows to an immense size in those countries. It 

 was anciently dedicated to Jupiter ; and it was of its brandies that the 

 Romans made their civic crowns. — Plin. Hist. Nat. lib. xii. 1, xvi. 4. 



Note VI. Page 204. 



A few years since, I applied to Messrs and Son, who are 



among the most intelligent in the trade, in order to learn if they could 

 supply me with some of the late British Oak, Quercus Rohur, which 

 kept its leaves till the month of May, Their answer was, that they 

 never heard of an Oak possessing such a property, and they were certain 

 none such existed in their possession. Finding that they usually 

 got some part of their acorns from the banks of Loch Lomond, Loch 

 Katrine, and about Callander, I said I was pretty sure they must 

 have what I wanted ; and that, as the month of March was at this time 

 past, the distinctive mark which I mentioned would be conspicuous on 

 the slightest inspection. I then proposed to walk over their nurseries, 

 which were at some distance ; to which they replied, that it would be 

 giving me unnecessary trouble, as they were well assured that no such 

 plant could be found in them. However, on my persisting, they 

 readily attended me to the spot. 



As it happened, the demand for Oaks that season had been unusually 



great, and, moreover, Messrs had some extensive designs of wood 



to execute ; so that they had at this time but a few thousands remaining 

 on hand. Yet, in the course of five minutes, I pointed out several 

 hundred plants of the kind I wanted, which, at fifty yards' distance, 



Messrs took for Beeches^ nor were they convinced of their error 



till they went close up to the plants. However, as they are very 

 obliging men, they civilly directed the plants to be picked out for me. 

 They thanked me for my information as to the aboriginal Oak, which 

 they acknowledged was curious : but, as they truly observed, it could 

 be of no use to the trade while the importance of it was unknown ; 

 for their customers, of course, put just as much value on one kind as 

 on another. 



Note VII. Page 805. 



The Duke of Athole, for one, has, I believe, little less than t^venty 

 thousand acres of land under wood, planted within the last fourscore 

 years. The Duke of Argyle, Lord Breadalbane, Lord Fife, and others, 

 have an immense extent of woodland, which yields them a large revenue. 



