274 TRAVELS IN THE CONFEDERATION 



chants' warehouses and in artists' work-rooms. An 

 uncommon sort is called here, from its color and coarse 

 wood-fibre, the ' Horse-flesh Mahogany.' Another 

 kind, paler in color, is the so-called Madeira wood, but 

 this also passes in Europe for mahogany. This is 

 more easily workable, and comes from the Cedrela 

 odor at a L. In the woods near the town we were 

 shown several species of trees, under the name of 

 mahogany, but none of them was the Swietenia, which, 

 it seems, is hardly to be found any longer in the 

 neighborhood. In the West Indies much mahogany is 

 used in ship-building. At the time, a brigg was lying 

 here on the stocks, of which the lower part was made 

 entirely of mahogany. Mahogany lasts longer in the 

 water than any other wood, and it is not readily at- 

 tacked by worms; but from its heavier weight it may 

 be used only for the lower part of ships, the upper 

 part having to be of a lighter timber. Mahogany logs 

 sink of themselves in salt water. 



The next species of wood which is cut and exported 

 in considerable quantity is Brasiletto (Caesalpina 

 brasiliensis L.*). Its trunks are small, unsightly, and 

 for the most part crooked. This wood does not grow 

 at all in Carolina, appearing first in the West Indies ; 

 it may possibly be found on the point of Florida as 

 well. Catesby has been responsible for the error, in 

 his work which he calls History of Carolina where so 

 many subjects are included belonging to the Bahama 

 Islands, but not always referred to their place of 

 origin, and he has thus given occasion for regarding 

 divers trees and plants as products of Carolina, when 



* Pseudo Santalum croceum. Catesb., Carol. II, t. 51. 



