4 



INTRODUCTORY REMARKS, 



are said to be in such an exhausted state, as not to 

 be able to answer one-fortieth part of the demands 

 made upon them. 



How formidable, therefore, would be the ineouTe- 

 niencies which we would labour under, were a stop 

 put, even for a short period, to our intercourse with 

 those countries from which we import the twelve 

 millions of cubic feet of timber, which we require 

 annually to make up the deficiencies of our native re- 

 sources. To say nothing of the shock which such 

 an occurrence would give to our commercial ship- 

 ping interests, and other civil departments, no means 

 would be left us of keeping up our navy, — the chief 

 bulwark of our defence. Yet there is surely no im- 

 possibility, nor even very great improbability, of our 

 being engaged, some time or other, in war with 

 those very states, from which our supplies of wood 

 are, for the most part, derived. 



But our foreign trade in timber must soon be at- 

 tended with great difficulties, thougli we should for 

 ever remain in a state of the profoundest peace with 

 all surrounding nations. The principal sources 

 from which we are furnished with this article at 

 present, are Canada and the northern parts of the 

 Continent of Europe. From the former we import 

 an immense quantity of almost every variety of the 



