366 Experimenls pn the Strength and Stiffness 



ever creditable the memoir might be to its author, it had not to 

 the public the recommendation of containing any thing new. 

 And my surprise is bv no means diminished by the reflection that 

 several of Dr. Brewster's publications bear testimony to his 

 he'iw' a constant reader of The Philosophical Magazine. 

 I am, sir, respectfully, 



Your obedient servant, 

 Trinity House School, Newcastle, EdvI^ARD RidDLE. 

 May 14, 1821. 



LXIV. Experiments on the Strength and Stiffness and Specific 

 Gravity of various Specimens of IVbod. Extracted from the 

 " First Report from the Select Committee appointed to con- 

 sider of the Means of improving and maintaining the Foreign 

 Trade of the Country*. 



Feb. 13, 1821. 

 John Wnirr,, Esq. a gentleman engaged to a considerable ex- 

 tent in the timber trade, was called in and examined. 



" You have been engaged in a course of some experiments, to 

 ascertain the strength and value of different species of wood ? — 

 1 have been so for the last two or three years. 



" Have the goodness to state the result of those experiments. 



I think a short extract of the experiments which 1 have made, 



will probably give that information. Mr. Lack wrote me a note, 

 saving it was possible I might be called upon for the information. 

 The witness read the statement as follows : 

 " Results of Ex])eriments on the Stiffness and Strengths of 

 various Specimens of Wood. 



" The trials were made upon pieces carefully selected as to 

 nualitv and grain, and were, in substance, two feet long, one inch 

 sfjuarc ; they were all from split portions of timber. The order 

 of stiffness was, 



" No. 1. Lone; Sound timber, bent half^ ociii, • j.,„^:.. 



.^ , . ,, .j^, , >2ol lbs. avoirdupois, 



an men in the middle by . . J ' 



2. Christiana white spruce fir .. 261 



3. English oak, young wood ; ^ 

 suppose 60 years; from King's >- 237 

 Langley, Herts ^ 



4. American pine, yellow or soft;') no-j 



from Quebec 



5. Riga oak (commonly called Ioq-j 

 wainscot) . , . . . . . . j 



6. White spruce from Quebec .. ISO 



7. English oak from Godalmin, "^ 



suppose 200 years J old tim- >103 



ber J 



* Oideied to bs printed 3th March 1321. " The 



