1848.] 
TIMBER-TREES. 
45 
the poor animal was again bitten tlie next night in fresh 
places. 
Mr. Leavens is a native of Canada, and has been much 
engaged in the timber-trade of that country, and we had 
many conversations on the possibility of obtaining a good 
supply of timber from the Amazons. It seems some- 
what extraordinary that the greater part of our timber 
should be brought from countries where the navigation 
is stopped nearly half the year by ice, and where the 
rivers are at all times obstructed by rapids and subject 
to storms, which render the bringing down the rafts a bu- 
siness of great danger ; where, too, there is little variety 
of timber, and much of it of such poor quality as only 
to be used on account of its cheapness. On the other 
hand, the valley of the Amazon and its countless tri- 
butary streams, offers a country where the rivers are 
open all the year, and are for hundreds and even thou- 
sands of miles unobstructed by rapids, and where vio- 
lent storms at any season seldom occur. The banks 
of all these streams are clothed with virgin forests, con- 
taining timber-trees in inexhaustible quantities, and of 
such countless varieties that there seems no purpose for 
which wood is required, but one of a fitting quality may 
be found. In particular, there is cedar, said to be so 
abundant in some localities, that it could, on account of 
the advantages before mentioned, be sent to England at 
a less price than even the Canada white pine. It is a 
wood which works nearly as easy as pine, has a fine aro- 
matic odour, and is equal in appearance to common 
mahogany, and is therefore well adapted for doors and 
all internal finishings of houses ; yet, owing to the want 
