2604 



SUPPLEMENT. 





mmi 



had arrived at Plymouth, for the use of the dockyard tlicrc, which 

 were found fully to sustain the high reputation the wood had pre- 

 viously attained. Mr. Yate, in his Account of New Zealand, &c., 

 describes the tree as affording trunks from 85 ft. to 95 ft. long without a 

 branch, and sometimes 12 ft. in diameter ; yielding a log of heart timber 

 11 ft. in diameter. One which he measured, and which was perfectly 

 sound, was 40 ft. 11 in. in circumference. The wood has the appear- 

 ance of deal, works well under the plane, and smells strongly of resin. 

 The general appearance of the tree in its native forests is most remark- 

 able ; the small size and great number of its leaves giving it somewhat 

 the appearance of a box tree. The resin, which is too hard to be 

 scratched by the nail, was found by Mr. Prideaux to be very inflamma- 

 ble, and to burn away with a clear bright flame, but not to drop. On 

 attempting to melt it, it was found to froth and swell, giving out water 

 and aromatic oil, and becoming transparent, but not liquid. After 



