252 FORESTRY IN LITHUANIA. 



is a very rare thing indeed to replace any of the forests 

 that have been so wrought out, by planting young trees 

 in their stead ; nature is allowed to do that herself, and 

 of course will accomplish it in a series of years. There 

 are still a few forests in these provinces held by the 

 crown, the first cost of which is so high that at present 

 prices it almost precludes merchants from working them 

 to advantage. 



' The most of the timber exported from Riga at the 

 present time comes from the provinces of Smolensk and 

 Vitepsk, along the banks of the river Dwina and its 

 tributaries, but owing to the great distances at which 

 some of the woods are situated from water communication 

 with the river there is a good deal of extra expense 

 incurred for the transport, and this is increasing yearly, con- 

 sequently the price of timber is getting much higher to 

 work out this one problem. In addition to the above 

 exports there is another large demand which must make a 

 big hole in the woods yearly, viz. : There are 1^,000,000 of 

 fir logs, averaging 24 feet in length, rafted down from the 

 above-mentioned provinces annually, and cut up into 3 

 inch planks and boards, and exported to England, France, 

 Belgium, Holland, and Germany. Notwithstanding these 

 great quantities, I am told the increasing demands can be 

 met for a great many years to come, subject to an 

 increase in price owing to the extra transport by water 

 communication, which is indispensable to the trade. 



' As to the titles of official reports or documents issued 

 by the Government there is no one here can enlighten 

 me on the subject, all saying they never heard of any 

 such things. 



There are no wholesale joinery establishments here at 

 present, but formerly there was one in connection with a 

 large saw-mill which was burned down about 18 months 

 ago ; and that part was not rebuilt, as it was considered by 

 the proprietors to be a bad speculation.' 



I was supplied with a copy of a report by Mr A. 



