ST. AUGUSTIN TO BAHAMA ISLANDS 273 



Every man can fell wood as it pleases him and 

 wherever he finds it ; and this is a considerable source 

 of gain to most of the families here resident, who keep 

 their negroes constantly employed in this way, and 

 send them hither and yon on the business. One is 

 puzzled to Se most of the white inhabitants of Provi- 

 dence living well and yet going about in idleness ; but 

 they live by the sweat of their slaves. Wood-cutting 

 is gradually becoming more difficult and less lucrative. 

 On the islands lying next Providence the best wood is 

 already cut off, and thus there must be recourse to 

 islands lying farther away, or the woods must be more 

 deeply gone into; in either case the expedition of the 

 wood felled is made more burdensome. Besides, those 

 who have wood cut in this way, unless they own their 

 vessels and boats, must lose in getting the wood to 

 Providence for marketing; for the charge for freight 

 is, according to circumstances, Yz-]/^ of the wood. 



Mahogany is what they look for and cut oftenest. 

 But the Bahama islands yield no such large, thick 

 trunks as do others of the West Indies, especially 

 Cuba, whence boards of good length and breadth are 

 fetched. The logs taken from Providence are better 

 adapted for pillars, frames, and other less important 

 work. The mahogany wood which is sent to Europe 

 from this and the other West India islands does by 

 no means come from one and the same variety of tree. 

 Besides the Swietcnia Mahogany L* Several kinds 

 of Mimosa and perhaps other related trees are mar- 

 keted under this name. Thus it happens that so many 

 different sorts of mahogany wood are found in mer- 



* Catesb., Carol. II, p. 81. t. 81. 



