BRITISH . 79 CHAPTER II. Forests—Principal Trees, &c. The magnificent splendour of the forests of , is peculiar to that division of the . In , in Asia, in Africa, and even in , the primeval trees, how much soever their magnitude may arrest admiration, do not grow in the promiscuous style that prevails in the great general character of the woods. Many varieties of the pine, intermingled with birch, maple, beech, oak, and numerous other tribes, branch luxuriantly over the banks of lakes and rivers, extend in stately grandeur along the plains, and stretch proudly up to the very summits of the mountains. It is impossible to exaggerate the autumnal beauty of these forests : nothing under heaven can be com- J i pared to its effulgent grandeur. Two or three frosty nights in the decline of ; autumn, transform the boundless verdure ofa whole : empire into every possible tint of brilliant scarlet, rich violet, every shade of blue and brown, vivid j crimson, and glittering yellow. The stern, inexorable fir tribes alone maintain their eternal sombre green,