MAHOGANY. 



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equalling, and often surpassing, in bulk, the 

 English oak. There are two principal sorts : 

 Spanish mahogany , as it is called, which is the 

 best, is grown in those West-India Islands 

 which are, or were, under the dominion of 

 Spain. Honduras woody which is not of so fine 

 a colour, nor so hard, comes from the main 

 land of America, and near the shores of the 

 gulf from which it is named. 



Those trees which grow in the most exposed 

 situations, and upon the dryest soils, produce 

 the best timber. The wood of such as grow 

 in moist soils and warm situations, is soft, 

 coarse, and spongy. Of the latter sort is the 

 Honduras wood, which is used only for inferior 

 purposes. There is, however, a great diver- 

 sity in this latter sort, according as it has a 

 more or less favourable site for its growth. 



The British settlers in that part employ 



L 2 



