2M 



fruit of this tree agrees exactly with those of the two former 

 species [the Barbadoes Cedar-tree and the Mahogany], I have 

 ventured to join it to them." And it is added, " We have 

 no account of the wood of this tree, whether it is ever used in 

 buildings, or for other purposes, as there have been few persons 

 of any curiosity in that country, the cutters of logwood being 

 the chief people who inhabit there, from whom there can be 

 little know T n of the produce." The above reference is to the 

 sixth, or 1771, edition of Miller, and there is no addition to 

 the history in later editions. 



There is evidence that Honduras Mahogany was known before 

 Houston visited Campeachy. Sir Daniel Morris in 1883 

 remarked, " British Honduras began, some two hundred years 

 ago, as a "logwood and mahogany-cutting settlement 5 ' (Brit. 

 Honduras, p. 1), and a few pages later (p. 4) " Additional 

 articles to the Treaty of 1783 were made in 1786, at a conven- 

 tion held in London, whereby the right of cutting Mahogany 

 was formally granted." It was, however, not distinguished 

 from the West Indian species, for it is further remarked (p. 61) 

 " Chief amongst the timber trees of the colony comes the 

 mahogany (Swietenia inahagom), whirl), with logwood, forms 

 the staple article of export. The average quantity of mahogany 

 shipped from British Honduras during the last five years 

 amounts to nearly 3,000,00*0 feet, of the annual value of 

 £30,000. The best qualities of mahogany .... come from 

 the limestone soils of the north of Belize; those from the south, 

 and especially from the Mosquito Coast, being deficient in 

 density and fine grain, are known in England as bavwood." 



In 1829 Sir William Hooker included the localities of all 

 the three species under S. MaJiagoni, but he gave some details 

 of Honduras Mahogany, referring to Browne's remarks as to its 

 distinctness, adding that workmen made an important distino 

 tion between the two woods, and that the Jamaica kind was 

 the most valuable. 



Apart from Sir George King's description of S. wacrophylla, 

 the only other reference to the question under consideration 

 that we have found is in the West Indian Agricultural News 

 for 1902, where, in a note entitled "Jamaica and Barbados 

 Mahogany" (i. p. 54) we read, " It has been shown by Mr. Hart 

 at Trinidad that the Mahogany trees so commonly grown at 

 Jamaica, Barbados and elsewhere in the West Indies, are some- 

 what different from the Mahogany trees of British Honduras. 

 The latter are said to be stronger-growing, while the leaves are 

 larger and of a different shape." Since that time the differen 

 between the two species have been fully recognised. 



Very little is known about the distribution of Swietenia 



macrophylla, but besides the specimens from Tabasco and 

 Honduras, preserved at Eew, there is also one from Cartagena, 

 on the north coast of Colombia, east of Panama. This was 

 sent by M. Antoine under the name of Mahogany, and if cor- 

 rectly localised and indigenous there, would indicate a possible 

 wide distribution of the species in the countries bordering on 

 the Caribbean sea. Unless there is more than a single species, 



