FORESTRY OF WEST AFRICA. 209 



impossible to introduce the woods of West Africa 

 into England at anything like a marketable price. 

 This I am open to question : the assertion is not 

 supported by the past trade — and maybe our prices 

 and freights can be lowered to compete with tariffs of 

 other markets. As a rule, timber for import purposes, 

 it may be convenient to know, should, he conveys, be 

 well-grown, clean, straight, free from knots, and well 

 squared. There should also be given diameter — when 

 squared — procurable, and the average length and 

 quantity available of straight timber before getting to 

 the fork or branches. 



Timber trade, as others, is very conservative, and 

 it is a difficult thing to supplement or supersede 

 what is already in use and demand. 



On West Africa as a field for the production of 

 walking-sticks, I addressed Messrs. Howell & Co., the 

 widely-known manufacturers of such articles, of Old 

 Street, City Road. Those gentlemen were good 

 enough to reply : " We have no doubt that many 

 sticks from the West Coast have occasionally reached 

 us, but they have been in such small quantities that 

 we have not taken note of them, and at the present 

 time we cannot speak positively as to any of our 

 sticks being the product of this region. We should 

 imagine, however, that there must be a large number 

 of woods and shrubs which would be very useful for 

 our manufacturers, and we should be glad of some 

 opportunity of getting samples." 



P 



