70 TIMBER 
and of good colour, this rather inclining to a brownish 
or purplish red. It always finds ready buyers when 
offered on the market. 
Sapele.—This variety, mostly shipped from the 
same port as the last mentioned, is not, to any extent, 
in favour in the English markets, neither is it 
appreciated in the United. States. It is, however, in 
demand on the Continent, most of the supply being 
shipped to Hamburg and elsewhere. The wood is of a 
cedar-like character, even having somewhat of a cédar 
smell; this is one of the varieties arriving from the 
Coast of Africa on which doubts are often heard as to 
its classification as a mahogany—or even as acedar. It 
is hard in texture, rather more brown than red in colour, 
and has often a straight, stripy roe, which the German 
consumers favour for cross-banding veneer work in 
their piano case and cabinet-making. The logs exported 
range up to very large dimensions and are well squared, 
but are subject to bad ring-shakes. 
Gaboon.—A distinct variety bearing this name is 
shipped from the French Congo, principally from the 
port of Libreville. It is of fairly soft and rather. coarse 
texture, light in weight, light in colour—somewhat 
inclining to brown; has sometimes a strong, coarse, 
roey figure and, occasionally, one resembling figured 
birch. It works well as a rule but is sometimes exceed- 
ingly strong, and the wood is found at times, owing to 
its spongy or corky nature, quite to defy the tools of 
the workman and even the cutters of amachine. This is 
another so-called mahogany on which doubts are cast 
as to its identification, and the progression in the growth 
of its use during the last ten or fifteen years has been 
most interesting. 
The German consumer was first in realising its use, 
finding in the wood a cheap and efficient substitute 
