74 



FORESTS, FOREST LANDS AND FOREST PRODUCTS. 



Both the tar and the crude turpentine produced in the north- 

 eastern part of this State were marketed, in the early davs, usually 

 in exchange for goods, at Nansemond or Norfolk, Va., and there 

 found ready sale. Before the beginning of the present century 

 both commodities had practically ceased to be produced around 

 Albemarle sound. The seat of the industry slowly moved west- 

 ward from thence up the Roanoke and Tar rivers and southward, 

 as the settlements extended, to Washington and Newbern, both 

 points shipping large quantities of naval stores to New York and 

 Philadelphia, where it was reshipped to England, and there the 

 crude turpentine was distilled. The largest special use for the 

 crude turpentine in the United States then was for mixing with 

 fats, etc., in making yellow soap. 



Later Developments. — Before 1800 Wilmington became one 

 of the largest shipping points for both crude turpentine and tar. 

 In 1804 the exportation of crude turpentine from AVilmington 

 amounted to 77,000 barrels, and .the total amount of naval stores 

 shipped exceeded that from all other ports of the United States. 

 The crude turpentine was brought down the rivers on rafts and 

 small boats from as high as Edgecombe county to Washington, 

 from Wayne count}^ to Newbern, and from all the northern tribu- 

 taries of the Cape Fear river to Wilmington, and was distilled in 

 crude iron stills partly at the shipping points, partly in Philadel- 

 phia and New York, and much also went to England to be there 

 distilled. The spirits of turpentine usually found quick sales and 

 good prices except when overproduction took place, and was pre- 

 ferred in France even to the Bordeaux turpentine, which was made 

 in the department of the Landes in Gascony, being less odorous 

 and more uniform in quality than that. The rosin manufactured 

 was worth very little, getting down as low as 25 cents a barrel and 

 then so low it would not pay to handle it. The tar and pitch 

 manufactured at first gave general satisfaction and were made in 

 large quantities. In 1770 there w^ere nearly 100,000 barrels of 

 tar and pitch shipped from the United States, about one-fifth of 

 this amount being pitch shipped from North Carolina. 



In 1799 the tar used in England came in equal proportions from 

 Russia, Sweden and the United States. Later the Carolina tar 



