EXPEDITION TO SURINAM. 



of joinery ; befides which, it is employed in making the C 

 tent-barges and other boats. The colour of the timber . 

 is a pale orange : it is both hard and light, and from the 

 trunk exudes a gum (not unlike the gum Arabic) which 

 is tranfparent, and difFufes a mofl agreeable flavour. 



The brown-heart is in hardnefs of the fame confiftency 

 as the purple-heart, and the green-heart already men- 

 tioned, and is fiiaped into heavy timber for the fame 

 purpofes, fuch as conltrudling fugar-mills, &c. : the co- 

 lour of this wood is a beautiful brown. — The other is the 

 bullet-tree \ this tree grows fometimes to fixty feet, but 

 is not fo thick in proportion as many others: the bark 

 is grey and fmooth, the timber brown, variegated or pow- 

 dered with white fpecks. No wood in the foreft is equal 

 to this in weight, being heavier than fea-water, and fo 

 very durable, that when expofed to the open air neither 

 rain or fun have any efFe6l on it ; for this reafon, beiides 

 its other various ufes, it is fplit into JJjingles to roof the 

 houfes, inftead of flates or tiles, which, as I formerly men- 

 tioned, would be too heavy and too hot. Thefe fhingles 

 are fold for ^. 4 fterling a thoufand at Paramaribo, and 

 continue fometimes twenty-four years before they are 

 renewed. 



I ought to mention alfo a kind of mahogany, which is 

 found in the woods of Guiana, called the ducolla-bolla^ 

 and which is of a fuperior quality to any which is im- 

 ported here, being of a deeper red colour, and of a liner, 

 more equal, and compa<5t grain ; alfo of greater hardnefs 



and 



