7 8 TIMBER AND TIMBER TREES. [CHAP. 



The first sample shipped to the London market 

 after the relaxation of the French laws bearing upon 

 it (about the year 1860) enabled the British Government 

 to give it a trial in ship-building; and as this proved 

 to be satisfactory, a contract was soon after made with 

 a London merchant for a supply to the several dock- 

 yards in England. 



French Oak, until about the time I am speaking 

 of, was looked upon with some disfavour in this country, 

 and thought to be generally inferior in quality to the 

 British Oak ; but this opinion was probably formed 

 from very unfavourable specimens, there being certain 

 localities in France, as there are in most other countries, 

 where the trees do not attain any degree of excellence, 

 and also from the fact that the best timber had been 

 first selected and retained by the French Govern- 

 ment. 



The Oak timber, however, of the north-west pro- 

 vinces of France is generally of very good quality, and 

 experience in the employment of it in ship-building 

 proves it to be an excellent substitute for that of British 

 produce. It is a very remarkable fact that, of all the 

 supplies sent to the several royal dockyards, the only 

 complaint ever urged against it was that it had not been 

 hewn in accordance with English practice as applied to 

 "sided timber," and that the loss in conversion would 

 be greater in consequence. This, however, was only 

 imaginary, as the converters at Woolwich proved that 

 there was little to object to on that score, their returns 

 for the three years ending in 1863 making the difference 

 in the loss per cent, in the conversion of the French, 

 as compared with that of British Oak, to be quite 

 insignificant, the figures actually showing that the loss 

 on the French Oak was 47-3 per cent, and on the 



