TURPENTINE FROM BRITISH FIRS. 347 



the whole of the wood is piled on, they get a parcel of 

 small logs, and then place a line of turf, then another line 

 of logs, and so on alternately all the way up, and the top 

 they cover with two or three thicknesses of turf. After 

 the whole is covered in this way, they take out a turf in 

 ten or a dozen different places round the top, at each of 

 ■which they light it, and it then burns downwards till the 

 whole of the tar is melted out; and if it burns too fast they 

 stop some of the holes, and if not fast enough they open 

 others, all of which the tar-burner, from practice, is able to 

 judge of. When it begins to run slow, if it is near where 

 charcoal is wanted, they fiU up all the holes, and watch it 

 to prevent the fire breaking out any where till the whole is 

 charred ; the charcoal is worth two pence or three pence, 

 British sterling, per bushel. It will take six or eight days 

 to burn a tar-kiln; in some places they burn it at such a 

 distance from the shipping, that they have very far to roll it, 

 and even then sell it at from three and six pence to five shil- 

 lings British sterling, per barrel, sometimes taking the 

 whole out in goods, but never less than half the amount 

 in goods; from all which it will be reasonably supposed, 

 that tar burning in that country is but a bad trade, as it 

 must be a good hand to make more than at the rate of a 

 barrel a day; the barrels cost the burner about one shilling 

 and three pence British sterling each; the tar makers are in 

 general very poor, except here and there one, that has an 

 opportunity of making it near the water side. 



Pitch is made by either boiling the tar till it comes to a Method of 

 proper thickness, or else by burning it; the latter is done '"^^'"^P'^^^' 

 by digging a hole in the ground, and lining it with brick, 

 it is then filled with tar, and they set fire to it, and allow it 

 to burn till they judge it has burnt enough, which is known 

 by dipping a stick into it, and letting it cool ; when burnt 

 enough they put a cover over it, which stops it close, and 

 puts out the fire. Five barrels of green tar will make two 

 of pitch ; and it will take two barrels of other tar to make 

 one of pitch. 



N. B. — The foregoing observations respecting tar and 

 pitch are copied from a memorandum made by me at Suf- 

 folk, 



