The Weeping Willow

Manawatu Herald, Volume III, Issue III, 7 October 1890, Page 2

The Weeping Willow

■ - ♦■ Mr W. WrLsoN. of ChriiUhurch, (says the Timaiu Herald) in a brief story of the weeping willows, in New Zealand, says the weeping willow is indigenous to the banks of the Euphrates, from where it was brought to England by Lady Mary Montague and presented by her ladyship to Pope, the poet, who panted the "two cuttings" in his garden nt Twickenham, where they soon grew into handsome trees. The officer who accompanied NapolPOH in his baniKhnunt to fy

Helena took with him sorae cutting: from one of those trees, and planter them in St. Helena. Napo'eon ot his death was lured near one o these willows. The French settlors having France for Akaroa, happenec to sail close past the Isle of St Helena, were permitted to land, anc went straight to the gr«ve of Na poleoa wh-re they, after all kneeli round in sympathetic grief, joined ir special prayer Upon rising fron their knees, they loked ar -und then: for some favourite memento to 1 c held by them -ncred to the gieai Emperor's memory, and, s eing nothing around them more graceful ihau this beai.tiful willow, they possessed theinse'ves of a number of cuttings from — in theit eyes — this sacred tree. These slips they brought with them to New Zealand, and they were pla .t>il at Akaroa, wlu-re two of them throve and grew into handsome trees. In 1851 Mr 'Wilson obtained two buudles of cuttings from them, and planted them in his nursery garden in Chriatchurch, and from this st >ck, from the two trees at Akaroa, from the one tree beside Napoleon's grave at St. Helena, have proceeded tho innumerable weeping willows which are now growing in more or Irss numbers along the margin of nearly every stream which finds its way to th<; seaboard of this province. - Can some one tell its whence ar.d howr came the innumerable weeping willows now growing elsewhere, in the North Island for instance ?