262 
JOURNAL OF AN EMBASSY 
found only in the province of Martaban; but the 
forests here are of great extent, and from the 
careful and scientific examination of Dr. Wallich, 
are ascertained to contain timber of the best qua- 
lity and largest scantling. The management of 
the Burman forests has hitherto been conducted 
on the rudest system imaginable. In preparing 
the timber for ship-building, the planks are not 
generally sawn, but hewn with the axe. The 
finest tree, thus treated, affords but two planks; 
whereas, if sawn, it would afford double the 
number, and of a better quality. These planks, 
as prepared by the Burmans, are so uneven that 
not more than four will go to a ton of fifty cubic 
feet; whereas, of sawn planks, a ton will stow 
seven. The economy which would follow the 
most moderate application of European skill and 
machinery, may easily be inferred from this ex¬ 
ample. The erection of one or two saw-mills 
alone would, in all likelihood, reduce the price 
of teak-timber in the markets of England and 
India to one-half, or even one-third its present 
amount. 
The other rude productions of these provinces 
are cardamoms, catechu, bees-wax, ivory, rhino¬ 
ceros and deer’s horns and skins, jerk-beef, escu¬ 
lent swallows’-nests, and the holothurion, or sea- 
slug. Most of these commodities are in constant 
demand in the markets of China, and would 
readily find their way thither, either through 
