THE FURNITURE WOODS OF COMMERCE. 347 
This symmetrical distribution of colour passes by insensible 
degrees into the striped, the veined, and the mottled, of which 
walnut affords the best example among the more common 
woods ; and spotted and veined ebony, rosewood, zebra 
wood, and Coromandel wood, among the more valuable ones. 
The three latter are particularly beautiful, especially the Coro- 
mandel wood, whether we regard the harmonious tone of its 
colours, passing from brownish white to rich chocolate, or 
nearly black, or the broad masses in which these are 
arranged, giving it more the appearance of brecciated marble 
than of wood. 
One other variety in the figure of woods is the occurrence of 
eyes, zoned spots and small curls, of which the bird’s-eye 
maple, amboyna wood, and the root or burr of the yew and 
the common maple are the most beautiful. The knobby 
tubercles that form on the root and trunk of the common elm, 
from repeated^ stripping off the side branches, afford a very 
beautiful wood called “ curled elm.” 
We will pass on now to notice the principal woods, giving 
prominence to Mahogany as being that most largely used. 
In 1820, when the duty on mahogany was £11 17s. 6d. the 
ton, the imports were 16,005 tons ; in 1830 nearly the same, 
although the duty had been reduced in 1826 to £7 the ton. 
In 1850 the imports were 33,650 tons ; and in 1861, 53,108 
tons, valued at £569,000. Mahogany unquestionably occupies 
the highest rank in the scale of furniture woods ; it lias long- 
continued in steadily increasing request for all kinds of cabinet 
work, ornaments in wood, and generally for all purposes to 
which timber is applied for interior decoration. A thousand 
pounds has frequently been given for a good log of mahogany 
— and few probably of the visitors at the International Exhibi- 
tion gave a second glance at the huge squared log of mahogany, 
which was shown in the Haytian Court, worth many hundreds 
of pounds, or reflected upon what might be its ultimate destina- 
tion when sawn or cut into veneers. The principal sources of 
supply for this wood are Belize, British Honduras, which fur- 
nishes one half, St. Domingo, Cuba, and Mexico. 
Spanish mahogany imported from Cuba, Hayti, and other 
W est India islands, is in smaller logs than the Honduras, 
seldom exceeding sixteen to twenty-four inches square, and from 
six to twelve feet long. The colour is paler, the lustre less, in 
consequence of the medullary plates being smaller and irre- 
gularly distributed ; the grain is also finer than the Honduras, 
and the texture harder. Many of the more expensive woods 
are cut into thin strips, termed veneers, which are glued on to 
pine surfaces, or other common woods, and by this process 
nine-tenths of the wood are saved. 
