XIV.] ITALIAN OAK. 129 



however, very much of the same strong character, and it 

 is a fact worth mentioning, as showing the unusual hard- 

 ness of this kind of timber, when well seasoned, that I 

 have known many sawyers, when only entered tem- 

 porarily in the dockyards for some pressing work to be 

 done, leave rather than be employed in cutting this 

 timber.* 



In the employment of this wood very few defects 

 are found, and no better evidence is necessary to show 

 that great care is taken of it during its growth. It 

 has both the star and the cup shake, but neither of 

 these defects are very common in the Oaks grown 

 upon the mainland or in the island of Sardinia. The 

 Sicilian Oaks have, however, rather extensive cup-shake 

 defects. 



It was stipulated in the conditions of the navy con- 

 tracts that about three-fourths of all the Italian Oak 

 timber should be of compass form — that is to say, to 

 quahfy it as such, it must have at least five inches of 

 curve in twelve feet, taken in any part of the length of 

 the log; and this proportion was almost invariably 

 obtained, while many of the logs which did not pass for 

 compass had generally more or less curve, and a straight 

 log was quite the exception. 



* The following note is extracted from the first edition (p. 85). Very large 

 supplies of this description of timber were sent to H.M. dockyards during the 

 years i85o to 1863, the greater part of it having been contracted for just prior 

 to the introduction of iron ships for war purposes. But the wooden fleet having 

 been almost superseded by the time it was delivered, a considerable quantity of 

 it is still upon hand (1875); yet even now, although much of it has been from 

 ten to twelve years in store, it is for the most part in a good state of preserva- 

 tion. The French Government for a long time drew upon the Italian states 

 for considerable quantities of this Oak for the use of their dockyards, and were 

 often competing with our own for the possession of it ; thus, until quite 

 recently, Italian Oak was an important and valuable article to the two chief 

 naval powers of the world. 



K 



