MAHOGANY. 151 



choicest veneers are made. When amoncj rocks, and 

 niiidi exposed, the size is inferior, and there is not 

 so mnch breadth or variety ot" shacUno- ; bnt the 

 timber is far su])erior, and the colour is more rich. 

 Tile last description is by far the stroni^est, and is 

 therefore the best adapted for chairs, the legs of 

 tables, and other jnirposes in which a moderate size 

 has to bear a considerable strain. Since the produce 

 of Jamaica has been nearly exhausted, there are only 

 two kinds known in the market. Bay wood, or that 

 which is got from the continent of America, and 

 Spanish wood, or the produce of the islands chiefly 

 of Cuba and Hayti. Though the Bay wood be infe- 

 rior to the other both in value and in price, it is 

 often very beautiful, and may be obtained in logs 

 as large as six feet square. It is, however, not 

 nearly so compact as the other ; the grain is apt to 

 rise in polishing, and, if it be not covered by a 

 Avater-proof varnish, it is very easily stained. It 

 also gives to the tool in carving, and is not well 

 adapted for ornaments. Spanish wood cuts well, 

 takes a fine polish, resists scratches, stains, and 

 fractures much better, and is generally the only sort 

 upon which much or delicate workmanship should be 

 expended. The colours of mahogany do not come 

 well out without the application of oil or varnish ; 

 and if the best sorts be often washed with water, or 

 long macerated in it, they lose their beauty, and 

 become of a dingy brown. The red is deepened 

 by alkaline applications, especially lime-water ; but 

 strong acids destroy the colour. When the surface is 

 covered by a colourless varnish, which displays the 

 natural tints without altering any of them, good 

 mahogany appears to the greatest advantage. 



The Febrifuga, or East India mahogany, is a very 

 large tree. It grows in the mountainous parts of 

 central Hindostan, rises to a great height with a 

 straight trunk, which, towards the upper part, throws 



