86 TRANSACTIONS OF ROYAL SCOTTISH ARBORICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



It appears pretty certain now that this Company will succeed in 

 bringing away all the wood within their contract before their 

 lease is out, which was 26 years, and it ought to be with profit 

 in the end as they do much good to the country. They are 

 regular and just, and carry on their business in every department 

 of it with much exertion and propriety. This was the oldest, 

 the largest and the best quality of fir wood in Scotland, and the 

 best accommodated for water carriage to the Spey— a distance 

 of 3 or 6 miles. The quantities of spars, deals, logs, masts and 

 ship timber which they send to Garmouth or Speymouth yearly 

 is immense, and every stage of the process of manufacture brings 

 money to the country. Generally once a year they send down 

 Spey a loose float, as they call it, of about 12,000 pieces of 

 timber of various kinds whence they send it to England, or sell 

 it round the coast. For three years they have sent great 

 numbers of small masts, or yards, to England, to the King's 

 yards, and other places, and have built about 20 vessels of 

 various burdens at Speymouth, all of Glenmore fir. Among 

 others, there is one now on the stocks about 500 tons. Without 

 doubt, their manufactures raise the price of labour and other 

 articles, and make servants for the farmer more difficult to get. 

 The fir woods of this country exceed all the natural fir woods in 

 Scotland put together without comparison. Sir James Grant's 

 woods of Abernethy, of many miles in circumference, next the 

 Duke of Gordon's in Glenmore, then Mr Grant of Rothiemurcus, 

 who is supposed to have more trees than either of them, then 

 the Duke's again. After that the laird of Macintoshes in 

 Glenfishy in a line of about 20 miles in length on the south 

 side of the Spey. And all having the advantage of abundance 

 of water to bring them to the Spey. Besides Sir James Grant 

 has another wood of an excellent quality on the other side of 

 the country on the river Dulven." 



"Speymouth. 



"At Garmouth, or the mouth of the Spey, there is a wood 

 trade, the most considerable it is supposed of any in Scotland 

 for home wood. The wood is mostly fir with some little oak 

 and birch. It comes from the extensive forests in Strathspey, 

 belonging to the Duke of Gordon, Sir James Grant of Grant, 

 The M'Intosh of M'Intosh, and Mr Grant of Rothiemurcus, 



