56 TIMBER 
at Kew Gardens. There is an instance of an African 
log which, selling at Liverpool in 1903 at 12s. per ft., 
brought to the fortunate shipper a sum of £1,046 5s. ; 
also in the same year, and in the same market, four 
logs realised 9s. 1d., 9s. 6d., 9s. 5d., and 9s. 6d., per ft. 
respectively. These latter prices for African wood 
were, however, eclipsed in 1913, when three logs—all 
parts of the same trunk—made 13s, 3d., 11s. 7d. and 
3s. 6d. per ft. respectively, the total sum obtained for 
this West African monarch of the woods having been 
£4,010 12s. 
The mahogany arrives from the various ports of 
shipment mostly in squared logs, in cargoes, or in 
parcels. Practically all these are directed to London 
or Liverpool, the latter port receiving the bulk of the 
West African shipments, the former the greater pro- 
portion of the other varieties. With few exceptions 
all the wood is passed into consumption through 
the medium of public auctions, brokers at the two 
ports holding on an average about five sales per month 
during the year. Very large quantities change hands 
at these sales, buyers from all parts of the kingdom 
and also from the Continent being present. These 
mahogany sales have been carried on for many years 
past, and interesting recollections of the auctions and 
how they sold the goods are told by some few old mem- 
bers of the mahogany trade. In London they were 
generally held, up to about fifty years ago, at Garra- 
way’s Coffee House in the City and, not a great many 
years before this period, at the same place, the goods 
were announced for sale and sold “by light of candle.” 
A pin was inserted in a candle just below the lighted 
wick, and the buyer whose bid was made as the pin 
fell out claimed the lot. This primitive custom of 
selling goods is still in existence, for, at occasionally 
