308 REMARKS ON THE DRY ROT. 



good and well seasoned : those within became 

 tainted, the first year, with what is called dry rot, 

 and were used for firewood. 



If, then, you admit a free circulation of air to the 

 tim.ber which is used in a house (no difficult matter)^ 

 and abstain from painting that timber till it be per- 

 fectly seasoned, you will never suffer from what is 

 called dry rot. And if the naval architect, by 

 means of air-holes in the gunwale of a vessel (which 

 might be closed in bad weather), could admit a free 

 circulation of air to the timbers ; and if he could, 

 also, abstain from painting, or doing with turpen- 

 tine, &c., the outer parts of the vessel^ till the wood 

 had become sufficiently seasoned, he would not 

 have to complain of dry rot. I am of opinion, that^ 

 if a vessel were to make three or four voyages 

 before it is painted, or done with turpentine,, &c., 

 its outer wood would suffer much less from the in- 

 fluence of the weather than it usually suffers from 

 its own internal juices, which cannot get vent, on 

 account of artificial applications to the pores. But 

 still the timber would be subject to the depredation 

 of the insect. To prevent this effectually, Mr. 

 Kyan's process must absolutely be adopted ; and it 

 must also be adopted to secure wood from what is 

 called dry rot, in places where a free circulation of 

 air cannot be introduced. I consider Mr. Kyan's 

 process perfectly unexceptionable. The long ar- 

 rows which the Indians use in Guiana are very 

 subject to be eaten by the worm. In 1812, I ap- 

 plied the solution of corrosive sublimate to a large 

 quantity of these arrows. At this hour they are 



