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CHAPTER VI.

REMARKS ON THE SELECTION, QUALITIES, AND DIMENSIONS OF MAHOGANY.-Mode of Measurement and sale in the Port of Liverpool, &c. Table of Imports of Mahogany into the United Kingdom, and into Liverpool, with remarks thereon.

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APPENDIX.

No. 1.-TABLE OF DISTANCES from England, New York,
and New Orleans, to San Francisco, in California, via
Panama, Nicaragua, and Tehuantepec, compared with
voyages to the same Port, via Cape Horn

No. 2.-THE NICARAGUA TREATY-Between the United
States of America and Great Britain, concluded at
Washington, 19th April, 1850 .

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No. 3.-THE TEHUANTEPEO TREATY-Between the Republic of Mexico and the United States of America, concluded at Mexico 23rd June, 1850 . .

No. 4.-DOCUMENTS PRESENTED TO LLOYD'S COMMITTEE FOR THE REGISTRY OF BRITISH AND FOREIGN SHIPPING, in support of the Memorials of the Honduras Merchants claiming the insertion of Mahogany as a first-class wood in the Tables for the construction of vessels of the 12 years' grade.

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No. 5.-TABLE OF THE COMPARATIVE DISPLACEMENT, by a vessel of 1000 tons register, when built of British Oak, or of Honduras Mahogany

No. 6. TABLE OF IMPORTS OF MAHOGANY of every description into the United Kingdom, for the years 1838 to 1849 inclusive, and of Mahogany from St. Domingo, Cuba and Honduras respectively into the Port of Liverpool for the same period

No. 7.-TABLE OF TIMBER to be used in the Building of Vessels of the Classes for 12 and 10 years, as permitted by the Rules of the Lloyd's Committee of Registry for the year 1850

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ILLUSTRATIONS.

FRONTISPIECE,-Forest Scenery in Honduras-Cutting and Trucking

Mahogany.

Botanical characters of Mahogany Swietenia, facing page

Manner of Carting Mahogany in Cuba.

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Scenery in Cuba, guiding and clearing Mahogany Logs over the Rapids 44 Forms of Mahogany Curls, figures 3, 4, 5,

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Best mode of Cutting taper Logs and representation of an adzed Log,

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Map of the West Indies and Central America, last leaf.

ERRATA.

Page 23, line 7 from the bottom, for Conchaqua read Conchagua.

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INTRODUCTION.

It is now many years since the Trade in Mahogany and other fine Woods used in Furniture, has formed an important branch of our profession as General Timber Brokers in this town; and it has been our study, from time to time, to give every information to our friends, as to the mode of best cutting their wood in the primeval forests of the New World, and judiciously preparing their cargoes for a market, so as to secure themselves from the hazards to which this trade, perhaps more than most others, is exposed from improper selection, and want of knowledge of the dimensions suited for the demand of this and other countries, which receive their supplies from Liverpool. With this view, we published, in the year 1837, a small pamphlet, (which has been long out of print,) containing suggestions for the conduct of the Mahogany business, but we have, in each successive year, issued circulars to correspondents, advising them of every subsequent alteration as regards imports, duties, and sales, which could affect their interests.

Since that year, however, changes of vast importance have not only taken place in the political relations of the States from which Timber is supplied, but by the judicious alterations in the Tariffs of this country, all Woods adapted

for Furniture were deemed to be only raw material; the duties were gradually reduced, until at length, in the year 1844-1845, Sir Robert Peel caused the whole of them to be totally abolished-and perhaps in no other trade more than that of Mahogany and other fine Timber, has the wisdom of these measures been, in so short a time, demonstrated. It was long known that these valuable Woods, obtained within the tropics, possessed qualities which admirably adapted them for purposes to which the heavy duties alone prevented their extension: such as House and Church-building, Railways, and in a remarkable degree, they have been applied to Ship-building, Carriages, and ordinary Furniture: and now observe the wonderful stimulus this has produced, when we state that the import of Mahogany into this Port alone, which was 3388 tons in 1842, was in 1845, increased to 14,500 tons.

But, if such have been the extraordinary results of the recent abolition of duty, what a still more magnificent prospect opens to view, when, within two short years only, the world has been electrified by the stupendous discovery of mineral treasures in California, which, almost fabulous as it may appear, has already caused the commerce on the shores of the Atlantic to be augmented by one-fourth of the total of what it was, to all parts of the world, in 1847, and has brought the whole of the Western Coast of America, both North and South, to the knowledge of, and subject to, the energetic action of all the civilized nations of the earth.

Before this discovery, it is true, the minds of all enlightened Philanthropists, and a few keen-sighted statesmen, have been, more or less, at different epochs, so intimately persuaded of the great advantages that would result from facilitating the transit of commerce across the American Isthmus, that many speculations have been set on foot for effecting this, either by canals or railroads, or

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