less than half the fares they otherwise could. Of about 50,000 new settlers that arrived in our North American Colonies, during the year 1832, more than 40,000 were carried out by the timber ships. When we also consider the greatly increased employment given to those engaged in our manufactories, and to the vast numbers who relieve the industry of the United Kingdom, by finding employment in our colonies, chiefly through the operations of the timber trade, its importance must be still more apparent. Nor must we forget its immense consequence in training hardy sailors, who may, when we least expect to want them, be required to defend our country from foreign invasion. The forms in which the forest trees of British America are exported to Europe or to our settlements in the West Indies, are adapted to answer the purposes of future application as well as the economy of transportation. Square timber consists of huge trees reduced by hewers, until the sides form right angles with each other, and tapering from the but end to the top, both of which are also cut across at right angles with the sides.. Pine logs from forty to seventy feet long, and from two to three feet thick, are frequent in a cargo. Deals and boards are sawn generally at the mills out of round logs, and are usually one, two, and three inches thick, and of indefinite length and breadth. Standard deals, however, in order to contain as many superficial feet as possible, on payment of the same duty in England, have fixed dimensions, and the best is nineteen feet eleven inches in length, eleven inches in breadth, and full three inches thick. Scantling consists of spruce or pine trees, reduced by hewing or sawing to a size fit for beams, rafters, and other framework parts of buildings. Trees of oak, ash, or fir, intended for staves, are cut with a saw into proper lengths for pipes, puncheons, hogsheads, and barrels, and then split with the tool used by coopers, called a frow. Lath-wood, for which hemlock and pine-trees are preferred, consists of roughly split junks, three, four and six feet long, and form, with deals and staves, what is termed the broken stowage, or what fills up the vacancies in the cargoes of square timber exported from America to the United Kingdom. Shingles, which are used in America, and in the West Indies, for the same purpose as slates and tiles in Britain, are thin boards, from eighteen to thirty inches long, four to six inches broad, and at one end three eighths of an inch thick, while at the other they are reduced to less than an eighth of an inch. They are, in the first instance, cut and split in the same manner as staves, and reduced and smoothed with a drawing-knife, in the same way as coopers in England dress staves. The roofs of buildings are shingled much in the same form as roofs are slated in Britain; and, when painted to correspond in colour, have very much the same appearance. Clap-boards, which are rather more than half an inch thick, and from six to eight inches broad, are used for lining the outside of the walls of houses, and the edges, to shed off the wet, overlap each other. Houses, with the walls clap-boarded and painted white, and the roofs shingled, and painted a slatecolour, have a pretty, lively, and remarkably clean appearance. Masts and spars are exported of all dimensions, Spars usually have the bark left on, unless they be very large, and they are then reduced from the middle to the but-end. Masts are always partially reduced. Pieces for oars are also roughly dressed before shipping. Square timber, masts, spars, deals, staves, and lath-wood, constitute the cargoes of the ships in the timber trade of America with the United Kingdom; and the general term lumber, which comprises scantling, deals, inch-thick boards, clap-boards, shingles, staves, and hoops, designates the forms into which the timber trees of America are shaped for exportation to the West Indies. Wherever a settlement is formed in America a saw-mill is very soon after, if not at the same time, erected. The number of saw-mills in the British colonies are inconceivable to those who are not familiarised to the rising settlements of new countries. A saw-mill is, in fact, a most important establishment. It not only forms a nucleus or centre to a settlement, but a first-rate saw-mill, with two frames, will give employment to four first-rate, four secondrate, and two third-rate, sawyers; besides a measurer, a blacksmith, and from thirty to forty men to prepare the timber required, and for other requisite work cónnected with the establishment; twenty oxen and two horses are also necessary for hauling the timber required to the streams and to other places. The boards, deals, or scantling, sawed at these mills, excepting such as are required for the use of the neighbouring settlers, are rafted down the river for shipping. As fresh waters change the colour of the deals from their fresh whiteness to a dark grey, and, in the eye of prejudice, depreciates their value, it become an object, but one that can only be attended to occasionally, to carry them down in bateaux, scows, or on timber rafts, CHAP. XX. GENERAL ACCOUNT OF THE IMPORTS AND EXPORTS OF THE CANADAS. THE following statements will elucidate the resources of the Canadas, and the consumption in both provinces of the goods and productions of other countries: General View of the Imports and Exports of Canada from 1754 to 1808, in Sterling Money, according to official Returns. lonial produce Fish, lumber, &c. Furs and other Co 445,116 00 45,000 0 0 490,116 00 |