CHAP, xxiil.] TEWART. 229 



dimensions, yielding timber of from 20 to 45 feet in 

 length by from 11 to 28 inches square. 



The wood is of a yellowish or straw colour, bard, 

 heavy, tough, strong, and rigid ; the texture close, and 

 the grain so twisted and curled as to render it difficult 

 either to cleave or work. It is a very sound wood, 

 possessing few or no defects, with the exception of a mild 

 form of heart and star-shake at the centre, which would 

 necessitate a small amount of waste, if it were required 

 to reduce the logs into thin planks or boards ; but, if 

 employed in large scantlings, it will be found a most 

 valuable wood, especially where great strength is needed. 



The Tewart shrinks very little in seasoning, and does 

 not split while undergoing that process; it is also 

 characteristic of this wood that it will bear exposure to 

 all the vicissitudes of weather for a long time without 

 being in any but the least degree affected by it. I have 

 known it subjected to this severe test for fully ten years, 

 and when afterwards converted, it opened out with all 

 the freshness of newly-felled timber. Possibly no better 

 evidence is required to show that this is a durable wood. 



It is used in ship-building for beams, keelsons, stern- 

 posts, engine-bearers, and for other works below the line 

 of flotation, for which great strength is required, a weighty 

 material in that position not being objectionable in a 

 ship's construction. It is spoken of very highly as a 

 wood for use in the engine-room, where exposed to high 

 temperatures. 



In civil architecture the Tewart is far too little 

 known in this country, although it might be employed 

 with advantage for many purposes. It would make good 

 piles for piers, and supports in bridges, and be useful in 

 the framing of dock gates, as it withstands the action of 

 water, and is one of the strongest woods known, whether 



