xxiii.] JARRAH. 233. 



direction of the woody layers, and spreading from i to 3. 

 inches concentrically, which occurred, like the cup-shake, 

 at various distances from the pith, and at intervals of a 

 few feet along the line of the trunk of the tree. These 

 cavities were partially filled with a hard secretion of resin, 

 or gum, which made up in some measure for the solidity, 

 although it did not impart the strength which would 

 compensate for the deficiency of the cohesive properties- 

 common to the annual layers.* 



From what has been stated respecting the Jarrah 

 timber received at Woolwich, it will be readily supposed 

 that the authorities there did not look upon it with 

 favour, or any desire to employ it for ship-building 

 purposes. It therefore passed to some of the minor 

 services of the yard, and it was while under conversion- 

 for these ordinary and inferior works that I took the 

 opportunity of making the experiments which are 

 given in detail in Tables LXXXV., LXXXVL, and 

 LXXXVII. 



It is a noticeable fact in connection with the experi- 

 ments, that all the specimens tried proved deficient in. 

 strength and tenacity, by breaking off suddenly with a,, 

 short fracture, under an average transverse strain of 

 about 686 lbs. weight only, or about 171 "S lbs. to the 

 square inch of sectional area. 



Since the foregoing was prepared I have seen some 

 correspondence between the Home and Colonial Govern- 

 ments on the subject of Jarrah timber, and also between, 

 the Governor of Western Australia and the leading ship- 

 builders and ship-owners, including Lloyds' surveyor at 

 Freemantle, . who had been severally asked to report 



* This peculiar defect is met with in several of the Eucalyptus species,, 

 and may occasionally be seen in the Firs and Pines. 



