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of the vessels engaged in this trade during the last few years. The quantity of 

 timber shipped to the British Islands alone must require a carrying capacity of 

 something like 1,500,000 tons. The timber carrying of Europe is confined almost 

 exclusively to foreign bottoms, and though these latter figure largely also in the 

 colonial trade, still British shipping finds in it a source of profit, particularly 

 since the construction of so many new iron vessels has deprived the wooden ones of 

 the carriage of much valuable freight over long sea voyages. Another advantage 

 the shipping interest derives from this trade is the fact that the vessels can be 

 employed in it for a longer period than in almost any other. 



" As a matter of fact, there is no other soft wood imported into Great Britain 

 that finds more favor, or that can command a higher price than the first quality 

 of Canadian pine. The consumption is increasing (as shown by the figures above 

 quoted,) at a rapid rate. In 1831 the import of hewn timber amounted to 28,000,- 

 000 cubic feet, while in 1877 it exceeded 100,000,000 cubic feet. The increase 

 in the import of sawn wood is still more extraordinary. The trade has never 

 ceased to expand. No doubt the annual returns show occasionally very serious 

 reductions in the quanties imported. The timber trade has experienced seasons 

 of depression, but they have always followed periods of inflation. Such vicissi- 

 tudes are inevitable in any branch of commerce where the speculative element 

 has full play. The averages for any given series of years prove, however, that 

 the consumption has advanced with remarkable regularity. 



" The common pine and spruce from Canada are used in England for general 

 purposes, but the best quality of pine is now extensively employed in the finishing 

 work of the higher class of dwelling-houses. This wood, when very clear and 

 soft, commands a high price among engineers, metal founders, etc. Its advan- 

 tages are : that it is easy to obtain a remarkably smooth surface, and the wood is 

 susceptible of being worked to the highest degree of finish, and to the finest 

 edge, without the risk of chipping or breaking like other woods, rendering it very 

 useful to moulders, and I understand that the quantity purchased by them for 

 this purpose is very considerable. 



"As to its preference over other woods for finishing purposes I should consider, 

 judging from its frequent appearance in architects' specifications that it is a 

 favorite wood with the profession, but its merits are so transparent that I do not 

 consider this surprising. No doubt very strong prejudices existed against Cana- 

 dian wood in England at one time. A constructor of the royal navy stated 

 before a parliamentary committee that a ship constructed of colonial timber 

 could not be depended on for more than twelve months on accounts of its 

 partiality to the dry-rot. Builders came forward on the same occasion to allege 

 that a house having a covered beam of Canadian pine was dangerous to human 

 life, because it might cave in at any moment, while there were some who did not 

 hesitate to maintain that a building containing any portion of this despised wood 

 would speedily become uninhabitable owing to its tendency to breed bugs. One 

 gentleman who boasted of his experience, said that the pine in its native woods 

 harbored myriads of these insects ; that they might be seen swarming the logs at 

 Quebec ; that they infested the ships that brought this kind of timber to Europe, 

 and finally thronged the woodyards of Liverpool." 



. To an inquiry as to the quantity of first quality of pine now at Quebec, as 

 compared with that of former years, Mr. Thayne replied : " I saw only a small 

 proportion of the stock that could be considered first quality, and should imagine , 



