104 TRINIDAD. 



by cabinet-makers for facings and other ornamentation in the 

 choicer kinds of furniture. The Heart-wood is as hard as the 

 Poui itself, whilst the sap, or outer wood, is of a light colour, 

 rather soft, and not durable. 



Mora (Mora excelsa). The Mora and Mangrove may be said 

 to be our only social trees, and the former is, perhaps, the most 

 abundant of all our timber woods. It is one of the loftiest 

 and largest inhabitants of our forests, but when of any large 

 proportions, is in general hollow, or, at least, unsound in the 

 centre. The Mora has never been much employed, and is not, 

 therefore, in great demand. It is objected that it does not last 

 in the ground beyond three or four years, and on that account 

 has not hitherto been ranked among the valuable timbers. If 

 not recommendable, however, for ground-posts, it is certainly 

 available in many other respects, and being almost imperishable 

 in water, would be found of special excellence in ship-building. 

 I have no doubt, from the above quality, it would also answer 

 well for the flooring of stables, and in the construction of bridges. 

 One of our Mora forests is now being felled (by order of his 

 Excellency the Governor), and the timber brought into notice; 

 and, as the wood is made to serve all kinds of purposes, before 

 many years have elapsed the public will have had an opportunity 

 of judging of the quality of the timber. The Mora is not a hard 

 wood, but very much resembles the Angelirn both in colour 

 and grain. 



Cedar, or Acajou (Oedrela odorata). For all building pur- 

 poses, except ground posts, Cedar is, unquestionably, our most 

 valuable wood. It is light, easily wrought, and yet very lasting ; 

 also, from its pungent odour and acrid taste, it is generally exempt 

 from the attacks of insects. Cedar is commonly sawn into boards 

 and scantling, and used for plates and rafters, flooring and 

 wainscoting, inside fittings and outside boarding; for panel- 

 doors and windows, mouldings, and most of the ornamental parts 

 of buildings ; it is also split into light, but durable shingles, 

 and wrought up into ordinary furniture. The side-roots or spurs, 

 springing from the trunk, are finely grained, and sometimes 

 richly knotted and variegated so much so, in fact, as to furnish 

 beautiful slabs, hardly inferior in appearance to mahogany, and 

 which are wrought into the most elegant furniture. It is par- 

 ticularly durable in water, and may be used in boat -building ; 



