CHAPTER VIII 
THE MAHOGANY PRODUCTS OF THE WEST COAST 
OF AFRICA 
A LENGTHY chapter on the truly astonishing develop- 
ment in the consumption of the mahoganies of Western 
Africa could be written, but the limits of these pages 
must necessarily confine remarks to a few salient 
features in reference to the many varieties with which 
this wonderful coast enriches the markets of the world. 
Little more than twenty-five years have passed 
since several varieties of these mahoganies were first 
introduced ; for some years they were received with 
anything but favour. Gradually, however, they estab- 
lished themselves, and a steady and progressive import 
took place. The statistics appended will show how 
rapid the increase has been, and what an extensive 
trade has developed in so short a space of time—the 
period being well within the memory of most. The 
expansion in the demand has not, however, been 
entirely due to an increased use of the wood in the 
United Kingdom—although that has been large—but 
to the steady appreciation which has developed in the 
demand from the United States. A large proportion 
of the wood landed and sold in Liverpool and London, 
estimated to amount to an average of 70 per cent., 
is bought for reshipment to the States: most of the 
figured logs, and a great proportion of those of the 
best grade, are so re-exported. 
The bulk of the total import is landed in Liver- 
pool, a direct line of steamers—the Elder Dempster 
Line—bringing over practically allthe wood. A portion 
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