the Holm or Holly Tree: A genus of the tetragynia order, belonging to the tetrandria class of plants; and in the natural method ranking under the 43rd order, Dumosa. The calyx is quadridentated; the corolla racemose; there is no style; the berry is monispermous.

There are several species of this genus; but the most remarkable is the aquifolium, or common holly. Of this there are a great number of varieties with variegated leaves, which are propagated by the nursery-gardeners for sale, and some years past were in very great esteem, but at present are but little regarded, the old taste of filling gardens with thorny evergreens being pretty well abolished; however, in the disposition of clumps, or rather plantations, of evergreen trees and shrubs, a few of the most lovely colours may be admitted, which will have a good effect in the winter season, if they are properly disposed.

The best of these varieties are the painted lady-holly, British holly, Bradley's best holly, phyllis or cream-holly, milkmaid holly, Prichet's best holly, gold-edged hedgehog holly, Chyncey's holly, glory-of-the-west holly, Broderick's holly, Partridge's holly, Herefordshire white holly, Blind's cream holly, Longstaff's holly, Eales's holly, silver-edged hedgehog holly. All these varieties are propagated by budding or grafting them upon stocks of the common green holly; there is also a variety of the common holly with smooth leaves; but this is frequently found intermixed with the prickly-leaved on the same tree, and often on the same branch there are both sorts of leaves.

The common holly grows naturally in woods and forests in many parts of England, where it rises from 20 to 30 feet high, and sometimes more, but their ordinary height is not above 25 feet: the stem by age becomes large, and is covered with a greyish smooth bark; and those trees which are not lopped or browsed by cattle, are commonly furnished with branches the greatest part of their length, so form a sort of cone; the branches are garnished with oblong oval leaves, of a lucid green on their upper surface, but are pale on their under, having a strong midrib: the edges are indented and waved, with sharp thorns terminating each of the points, so that some of the thorns are raised upward, and others are bent downward, and being very stiff they are troublesome to handle. The leaves are placed alternate on every side of the branches; and from the base of their footstalks come out the flowers in clusters, standing on very short footstalks; each of these sustain five, six, or more flowers. They are of a dirty white and appear in May; but are succeeded by roundish berries, which turn to a beautiful red about Michaelmas, and continue on the trees, if they are not destroyed, till after Christmas.

The common holly is a very beautiful tree in winter; therefore deserves a place in all plantations of evergreen trees and shrubs, where its shining leaves and red berries make a fine variety; and if a few of the best variegated kinds are properly intermixed, they will enliven the scene. It is propagated by seeds, which never come up the first year, but lie in the ground as the haws do; therefore the berries should be buried in the ground one year, and then taken up and sown at Michaelmas, upon a bed exposed only to the morning sun; the following spring the plants will appear, which must be kept clean from weeds; and if the spring should prove dry, it will be of great service to the plants if they are watered once a week; but they must not have it oftener, nor in too great quantity, for too much moisture is very injurious to these plants when young. In this seed-bed the plants may remain two years; and then should be transplanted in the autumn, into beds at about six inches apart, where they may stand two years longer; during which time they must be constantly kept clean from weeds; and if the plants have thriven well, they will be strong enough to transplant where they are designed to remain; for when they are transplanted at that age, there will be less danger of their failing, and they will grow to a larger size than those which are removed when they are much larger; but if the ground is not ready to receive them at that time, they should be transplanted into a nursery in rows at two feet distance, and one foot apart in the rows, in which place the plants may remain two years longer; and if they are designed to be grafted or budded with any of the variegated kinds, that should be performed after the plants have grown one year in the nursery; but the plants so budded or grafted should continue two years after in the nursery, that they may make good shoots before they are removed; though the plain ones should not stand longer than two years in the nursery, because when they are older they do not transplant so well. The best time for removing hollies is in the autumn, especially in dry land; but where the soil is cold and moist, they may be transplanted with great safety in the spring, if the plants are not too old, or have not stood long unremoved, for if they have, there is great doubt of their growing when removed.

**Uses.** Sheep in the winter are fed with croppings of holly. Birds eat the berries. The bark fermented and afterwards washed from the woody fibres, makes the common bird-lime. The plant makes an impenetrable fence, and bears cropping; however, it is not found in all respects to answer for this purpose equally well with the hawthorn. The wood is used in fineering, and is sometimes stained black to imitate ebony. Handles for knives and cogs for mill-wheels are made of it. It is also made into hones for whetting of razors. Mr Miller says, he has seen the floor of a room laid with compartments of holly and mahogany, which had a very pretty effect.

**II.FRACOMB**, a town of Devonshire, seated on the Severn sea, almost opposite to Swansea in Glamorganshire, 186 miles from London. It is a populous, rich, trading sea-port, especially with herrings in the Bristol-channel; noted for maintaining constant lights to direct the sailors; for its convenience of building and repairing ships; and for the safe shelter ships from Ireland find here, when it is extremely dangerous for them to run into the mouth of the Taw, which they call Barnstaple-water; and this is one reason why the Barnstaple merchants do so much of their business at this port. The harbour, with its quay, warp-house, light-house, pilot-boats, and tow-boats, were formerly maintained at the expense of the ancestors of the lord of the manor; and then it had a quay or pier 850 feet long; but by time and the violence of the sea all went to decay; to remedy which, the parliament passed an act in 1731, for both repairing and enlarging the piers, harbour, &c. It is governed by a mayor, bailiffs, &c., and consists chiefly of one street of scattered houses almost a mile long. The parish is large, containing several tythings and manors.