CHAPTER VI.

CATALOGUE OF THE WOODS COMMONLY USED IN THIS COUNTRY.

SOURCES FROM WHENCE IT WAS COLLECTED.

IN presenting this descriptive catalogue of woods to the reader, it becomes the author's first and pleasing duty, to acknowledge the valuable assistance he has received from numerous kind friends, of various pursuits, acquirements, and occupations; to most of whom he has submitted the manuscript and rough proofs of the catalogue in their various stages through the press, for confirmation or correction, and which has led to the attainment of numerous valuable additions, or he may say, the major part of its contents.

Amongst those to whom he is thus indebted, he has to mention, with gratitude, the following naturalists and travellers, &c. namely, Arthur Aikin, Esq., late Secretary to the Society of Arts, London; John Fincham, Esq., Principal Builder in Her Majesty's Dockyard, Chatham; Colonel G. A. Lloyd, Her Majesty's Surveyor-General of the Mauritius; G. Loddiges, Esq.; John Macneill, Esq., Civil Engineer; John Miers, Esq., long resident in the Brazils; and also W. Wilson Saunders, Esq., Colonel Sir James Sutherland, and Colonel Sykes, each of the East India Company's Service. The author is likewise indebted, in a similar manner, to the following wood-merchants, manufacturers and others, Messrs. Bolter, Cox, Edwards, Fauntleroy, Jaques, Russell, Saunders, Seddons, Shadbolt, &c., and in a less degree to numerous others.

The extensive botanical notes interspersed, (in a smaller type,) throughout the list of woods, are from the pen of Dr. Royle, to whom he submitted the early proofs of the catalogue, with the request that he would examine the botanical names so far as he had been able to collect them. The unlooked-for and careful manner in which the professor has executed this request, both from his personal knowledge, and also by a very laborious comparison of the scattered remarks in various works on botany and

66

AUTHORITIES CONSULTED.

natural history, contained in his select library, will be duly appreciated by those interested in the natural history of the subject, or in the search for the woods themselves, in their various localities, whether for the purpose of science or commerce; and from the mode adopted, the one or the other part of the catalogue may be separately consulted.

To attain the means of comparing the descriptions with the woods themselves, the author has procured a quantity of most of them, those employed in turning especially, from which he has cut his own specimens, (these have been kindly augmented by several of the friends before named,) and he has been fortunate in having purchased a very fine cabinet of seven hundred specimens, collected by a German naturalist, and arranged with the Linnean and German names; all of which are open to the inspection of those who may feel interest therein.

Still further to test the descriptions in the catalogue, he has also carefully examined a variety of museums and collections, from which scrutiny, it would have been an easy task to have extended this list in a considerable degree, by the introduction of the names, localities, and descriptions of a variety of well authenticated specimens of woods, apparently useful; but he has purposely endeavoured to keep himself within the strict limits called for by this work, in noticing those woods only which are used in England, and that may in general be procured there.

For the use of those who may desire to follow this interesting subject with other views, the names of the several museums that have been kindly laid open to his inspection, and a slight notice of their contents, are subjoined in a note.

Many of the remarks on the Timber Woods are derived from that excellent work before named, "Tredgold's Elements of Carpentry :" all the French books on turning, enumerated in the introduction, have been consulted, besides those referred to in the various notes, and some others; and in fact, the author has spared no pains to obtain the most authentic information within his reach, but upon a subject, pronounced by those who have paid attention to it, to be so boundless and confessedly difficult, it is necessary to ask a lenient judgment, and the kind notice and communication of any inaccuracies which may inadvertently exist, notwithstanding his efforts to the contrary.

It is indeed a matter of great and real regret, that upon a

IMPORTANCE OF AUTHENTIC SPECIMENS, ETC.

67

subject of general importance, there should in many respects be such a scarcity of exact and available information. The true names and localities of some of the most familiar woods, are either unknown or enveloped in considerable doubt; in many cases we have only the commercial names of the woods, and a vague notion of their localities; in others we have authenticity as to their locality and their native names; and lastly, we have also very extensive lists and descriptions of woods in botanical works, and in the writings of travellers, &c., but these three nomenclatures are often incompatible, and admit of surmise only, rather than strict and satisfactory comparison, which drawback was strongly experienced by Dr. Royle in collecting the notes attached to the catalogue.

This deficiency arises from the little attention that has been given to the scientific part of the subject by naturalists and travellers, and from the arbitrary manner in which the commercial names are fixed, often from some faint and fancied resemblance*, sometimes from the port whence the woods are shipped, or rather from that whence the vessel "cleared out," or obtained her official papers; as it frequently happens, that the woods are picked up at different points along the coast, the names even of which places cannot be ascertained, much less those of the inland districts or territories in which the woods actually grew.

Naturalists and travellers, and also merchants residing abroad, would therefore confer a great benefit, not only on science, but likewise on the arts, by correcting our knowledge on these points. This might be done by transmitting along with specimens collected on the spot, the exact particulars of their locality, and of the soil; their relative abundance, native names and usest. In cases of doubt as to their true botanical names, (by which alone

*The Romans had their tiger and panther woods, namely the pieces of citrus, marked with stripes or spots (see note, page 64); the moderns have partridge, snake, porcupine, zebra, and tulip woods, and others. See the Catalogue.

†The specimens should be stamped with numbers, as a preferable mode to affixing labels, and it should be noted whether the tree from which each was cut were of superior, average, or inferior quality, and also its size. It would be still better to collect three or four samples from different trees, and the transverse sections especially with the bark would be highly characteristic.

The trouble of preparing the notes to accompany the specimens, would be greatly diminished by the employment of a tabular form, on the model of that adopted at Lloyd's Registry, described in the note, page 69.

their identity can be ensured for future years,) then some of the leaves, fruits, flowers, &c., should if possible be preserved, by which their species might be afterwards exactly determined by those possessed of the requisite knowledge of the vegetable kingdom.

This would also be important in a commercial point of view, as numerous woods, of which small quantities, perhaps one single importation, have been received, might be again obtained, whereas they are now lost, from the absence of these particulars.

The latitude exerts a general influence in the distribution of the woods, but it must be remembered that alone it is insufficient to limit the locality, it must be viewed in connexion with the elevation of the land; for even under the equator, as we ascend the mountains, the products of the temperate and even the frigid zones are met with, as nature appears to set no bounds to her liberality and munificence.

MUSEUMS, ETC., CONSULTED.

THE ADMIRALTY MUSEUM, Somerset House, which is principally due to the superintendence of Sir William Symonds, the Surveyor-General of the Navy, is very rich in specimens of woods. It contains the foundation of a fine collection with their foliage, acorns, cones, and other seed-vessels, &c.; at present the oaks and firs are the most complete: there are also, from Brazil, 56 specimens; from Australia, 13; and from New Zealand, 40; all with native names and foliage. And the following woods, with native names, from various contributors.

N. America, 30, Capt. C. Perry, U.S.N.
Cuba, 168,- Tyrie, Esq.

Jamaica, 100, Capt. T. M. C. Symonds,
R.N.

Brazil, 140, S. Morney, Esq., Engineers.

Brazil, 152, Mr.
Malabar, 25.

Java, 83.

Australia, 25, Sir Thomas Mitchell.
Norfolk Island, 16, Leslet, Esq.

This fine museum also includes, amongst others not specified, sets of specimens from the different Government dock-yards, of the timbers used respectively therein. Many of the specimens are worked into cubes and blocks of similar size, and their several weights are marked on each.

Also 84 pieces from the "Gibraltar" of 80 guns, launched in 1751, and recently broken up these are intended to show the durability of the woods.

EAST INDIA HOUSE.

Indian woods, 117 kinds in form of books, about half with their native names. from Dr. Roxburgh; large pieces of the principal kinds.

and Himalayan woods, from Dr. Wallich; 457 specimens.

Java woods, 100 kinds, presented by Dr. Horsfield.

ASIATIC SOCIETY.

Ceylon woods, 255 specimens, with their native names, and alphabetical catalogue.

Travancore, 110, with native names, Lieut. Col. J. M. Frith, Madras Artil., C.B. New Zealand and New South Wales, 30, R.Cunningham., Esq., Bot. Gard., Sidney. Ceylon, 31, names in the native character, from Captain Chapman, R.A. Jamaica, 80, names principally English, from Lieut. J. Grignon, 37th Regt. Jamaica,31 large handsome polished specimens, Capt. Ethelred Hawkins, 22d Regt.

SOCIETY OF ARTS.

Indian woods, a duplicate set of Dr. Wallich's collection, namely, 457 specimens enumerated in the Trans. of the Society, Vol. 48, Part 2, pp. 439–479.

India, various parts, Cape of Good Hope, Pitcairn's Islands, &c., 452 specimens, Captain H. C. Baker, Bengal Art. &c. See Trans., Vol. 50, Part 2, pp. 173-189. LLOYD'S REGISTRY OF SHIPPING.

160 specimens of ship-building woods, oaks the most numerous, next firs, pines, elms. They are accompanied by a list which contains seven columns, headed 66 Stamped number on Specimen, Name of Wood, Place of Growth, Soil, Durable or otherwise, Purpose for which used, Remarks."

PRIVATE COLLECTIONS OF SPECIMENS.

Mr. Fincham's contains most of those in the subjoined list, generally in two sections, with their specific gravities and relative degrees of strength*. Also from Nova Scotia, ; Rio Janeiro, 11; Isle of France, 34; Malabar, 19; Ceylon, 59; New South Wales, 14; Van Diemen's Land, 6; New Zealand, 17, all with native names, brought over direct by the captains of Government ships.

G. Loddiges, Esq., F. L.S., F.H.S., F.Z.S., &c., has a fine cabinet. Of the woods of Europe, 100; Jamaica, 100; Brazils, 250; Chili, 45; Sierra Leone, 20; East Indies, 25; South Seas, 33, all with native names; and 25 from China, marked in that character. Also about 100 commercial and dye woods, and not less than 1000 from all parts of the globe not yet prepared for his cabinet.

J. Miers, Esq., F.L.S., &c., has 75 Brazilian specimens, collected by himself on the spot.

W. Wilson Saunders, Esq., F.L.S., &c.: Brazilian, 70; Grecian, 17; British, 70; various localities, 65.

Mexico. Dr. Coulter, M.D., M.R.I.A., Hon. Fel. Col. Phys., Hon. Fel. Roy. Dub. Soc. &c., has collected 800 specimens in Mexico, 788 with the leaf, flower, and sometimes the fruit. They have been presented by him to Trinity College, Dublin. These I have not seen.

Isthmus of Panamà. See Colonel G. A. Lloyd's Notes and Catalogue of Woods, Trans. Royal Geog. Soc., Vol. I., p. 71.

*Ship-building Woods used in our Government Yards. OAKS.-English. Adriatic. Italian. Sussex. New Forest. Canada, white and red. Pollard. Istrian. Live-oak. African. And also Teak. PINES.-Yellow. Red. Virginian Nil red. FIRS.-Norway and American spruce fir. LARCHES.-Hackmetack. Polish. Scotch.

New Zealand larch.

Pitch-pine. Riga.
Dantzic and Adriatic fir.

Italian, 1. 2. 3. Athol. Cowdie, or

CEDARS.-Cuba. Lebanus. New South Wales and Pencil cedar.

ELMS.-English and Wych elm.

MISCELLANEOUS WOODS, used in small quantities.-Rock Elm. English and American Ash. Birch, black and white. Beech. Hornbeam. Hickory, Mahogany. Lime-tree. Poon-wood, and Lignum-vitæ, &c.