end other Products from Scotch Fir. 361 
with. Ihave therefore taken about six feet.from one of 
them, (they were all nearly the same size) 5 what I-have 
sent is the part from the ground to the top of the place that 
has heen cut away for the turpentine to run into the hollow, 
from whence it was to be collected; the hollow was cut in 
this considerably bigher than is vsual in America, as this 
tree stood in a hedge, and could not well be hollowed lower; 
T have matted up this part of the tree, and secured it with 
straw and a double mat, to prevent the bark being rubbed 
off, that it may be seen in the same state as it stood when 
the turpentine was taken from it; the.turpentine is in the 
cask in which it was deposited when brought from the 
trees, and 1 have this day shipped both on board the sloop 
Betsey, Captain Trent, bound to Downe’s Wharf, London, 
directed to you, freight paid here by me, which vessel I ex- 
pect will sail in a day or two, and [ hope you will receive 
them safe; which when you do, you will: much oblige me 
by requesting that both may be examined,in the hope that 
this small trial may meet with ihe approbation of the very 
highly respectable and truly useful Society of Arts, Manu- 
factures, and Commerce ; and if considered likely to prove 
useful, that they may induce some person who has the 
means and opportunity of doing ,it, to; make a trial ona 
larger scale, so as to fairly ascertain whether turpentine can 
be obtained in this country from the very large. and nu- 
merous plantations of Scotch firs, now in the United King- 
dom, previous to the trees being cut down, either to thin 
plantations, or where ground is designed to be cleared, as 
taking the turpentine from the trees previous, to their being 
cut does not at all injure the wood, and by making the 
hollow in the trunk of the tree about six inches from the 
ground, it would waste but a very small quanuty, of timber, 
I have taken‘ the liberty of annexing,a capy. of memoran- 
dums J made when in North Carolina, respecting the modes 
of collécting turpentine, and making tar and pitch, in hopes 
they may afford the Society some little information, as they 
are not, | apprehend, very generally, kno wn, They are 
copied from memorandums which rere it made on the 
ae I would ‘have sent the memorandum books wit 
this, had not the remarks been mingled with others relative 
to my commercial pursuits ; but J shall have no hesitation 
in allowing any person to examine them, or to afford any 
information in my power to any persons. willing to make 
experiments in this way, if they will favour me with a call. 
1 am well satisfied in my own mind, tbat very large quan- 
tities of tar might be obtained from the knots and limbs of 
the 
