ft 179 ] 



To confine our obfervations at preftnt to oak 

 tiaiber for fliip-building ; if fuch timber were really 

 fcarcc, the price would rifr. The contrary is the 

 fadl. In the merchants yards, futtocks a<id large 

 Jcnec3 are funk confiderably in value fince the con- 

 clufion of the war; and yet thefe are the pieces the 

 mod in requeft, and the moft difficult to procure. 

 Government have not aft "ally altered die Dock- 

 yard prices, for more than 20 years paft; but they 

 have virtually /u»k them of late^ by increafing the 

 metings of the timber which they take in; That is, 

 they now rejedl timber under a certain fizc, which 

 till of late they were obliged to t^c to induce the 

 dealers to bring them the large pieces they wauted. 

 They now take the large pieces at the old price, aod 

 rejedt the fmall. The price of fliip-timber is tliere- 

 fore really lefs than at the conclufion of the lall warj 

 and as we have now a profpedt of a long continu- 

 ance of peace, there is every probability of its being 

 ftill lower, or at leaft not advancing, efpeciaJly as it 

 iji weU known that our navy is in fuch a ftate, that, 

 even admitting we were again involved in a war, it 

 woukl want only common repairs for fome years 

 to come. 



There is now in the county of Hants alone, tim- 

 ber enough to fupply nearly the common conlump- 



N 2 tion 



