CHAPTER II 

 THE GAlMBIA 



In the early part of the nineteenth century a considerable quantity 

 of African Mahogany, obtained from Khaya Senegalensis, a dry-zone 

 mahogany-tree, was shipped to England ; in fact, this was the original 

 source of African Mahogany, as also it was the first tree from which 

 it was obtained. Even now this tree is one of the most prevalent 

 in the strip of land on both banks of the Gambia, so far as British 

 territory is concerned. 



At the present time no mahogany is being shipped from the Gambia, 

 but recently an Ordinance was passed regulating the cutting of fire- 

 wood and forest trees. 



Forests in the ordinary sense of the word cannot be said to exist 

 in the Gambia, but no doubt a considerable amount of timber could 

 be obtained from the dry-zone country. The total length of the 

 colony is 300 miles, and approximately 5 miles wide, on either side 

 of the Gambia River, which makes it in the aggregate a considerable 

 tract of country, in all 4,500 square miles, of which the colony proper 

 occupies 4 square miles. 



So far only Rosewood {Pterocarpus erinaceus), Mahogany [Khaya 

 Senegalensis), and small pieces of Baywood, probably also a mahogany, 

 have been reported from the Gambia. In 1908 a certain amount of 

 wood was cut for the making of charcoal by a man from the Canary 

 Islands. In 1909, 102 tons of charcoal were exported, and in 1910, 

 176 tons, valued at £634. Since then no other returns are available, 

 so apparently this industry has come to an end. There is no Forest 

 Officer in the Gambia, and no proposals for Forest Reserves have been 

 put forward by the Government. Part of the land near the mouth 

 of the Gambia is swampy and covered with the usual Mangrove 

 forests. 



In the Bulletin of the Imperial Institute, vol. viii, 1910, p. 244, it 

 is stated that the specimens of rosewood and mahogany forwarded 

 to the Imperial Institute were reported on as follows : 



Rosewood {Dalbergia sp.), reddish-yellow with darker lines and 

 red pores, solid and compact, resembling rosewood except in colour. 

 The timber would not pass as rosewood on the market. It has an 



