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was brought down in canoes. A fortnight was occupied in loading; the work was done by day only. Much of the timber shipped at Minatitlan is crooked, but is usually reserved for deck-loads. The crooked is more valuable being well adapted for ship-building. The out-put of the Minatitlan timber at Plymouth was, mahogany and nine pieces of fustic, 128 tons 19 cwt. 3 qrs. 26 lbs. ; indigo 4 tons 3 qrs. 4 lbs.; dead-weight cargo 235 tons.

1207. British Guyana. The principal places for loading are in the rivers Demerara and Essequibo, both under the Customs' establishment at Demerara, in which river vessels are fastened on the land side by warps, of say 50 to 70 fathoms long, and on the off side by anchors from the stem and stern. Greenheart is the chief timber exported from British Guyana; it ranges from 25 to 70 feet long by 10 to 30 inches diameter, and is hauled off the beach at Demerara by a derrick which retains it until the strain is sustained by the porting and topping purchases. Sometimes the bow is beached to raise the hold ports. The mud and slime are washed off alongside. Greenheart weighs about 66 lbs. 3 ozs. cubic foot, and requires no ballast. The instructions for stowing at Quebec and Sierra Leone will apply here. Stow-wood for chocking is plentiful. Morra timber is mixed with cargoes of greenheart from Demerara; it ranges up to 50 feet long by 20 inches diameter, and weighs nearly the same as greenheart. All lengths of both are usually freighted at cubic foot; sometimes by load of 50 cubic feet, according to Customs' calliper measure on delivery. Large quantities of greenheart, &c., are brought down from the interior by the winter floods, and cargoes are shipped at all seasons in the rivers Demerara and Essequibo.

1208. The United States brigantine J. W. Spencer, 327 tons register American, 350 English, Capt. J. W. SPENCER, took in at Demerara, in January, 1862, 11,211 cubic feet of greenheart, which was very heavy, probably 82 lbs. to 83 lbs. foot. It was in pieces from 30 to 70 feet long by 12 to 30 inches square. The cargo was purposely "blown up" to the beams to prevent labouring at sea; it proved very inconvenient on the passage. She drew 11 feet forward and 12 aft. With 493 tons Newport steam coal, which was an overload, her draught was 12 feet forward and 12 aft. The brigantine is a large carrying ship-length 118 feet, breadth 27, depth of hold 11 feet. Capt. SPENCER recommends double-decked ships for this trade; if single-decked, they should be very narrow and deep. Ports are indispensable.

1209. The barque Syrophænician, 364 tous register (of North Shields), Capt. W. T. IRVING, loaded timber in Essequibo river, in

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December, 1863. She is 102-7 feet long, 24.6 broad, and has a depth of hold of 18-2 feet. The cargo consisted of 199 pieces of greenheart, of which five were cut for beam fillings and six for allowances; intake, by bill of lading, 210 logs, measuring by tape (string) 13,849 feet. Out-put at South Shields, 2nd April, 1864, 314 loads 10 feet, or 15,710 feet Queen's calliper measure; only one piece was weighed and proved to be 77 lbs. cubic foot. The barque is an ordinary carrying ship, and with the cargo of greenheart was on an even keel, drawing 16 feet 7 inches. With a Quebec cargo, including deck load, from 492 to 520 loads, chiefly white pine (40 cuttings), say 500 loads, her draught was 15 feet; with 542 tons Llanelly coal, 16 feet 2 inches aft, and 15 feet 10 forward; with 2,660 quarters Odessa wheat, 16 feet 3 inches aft, 15 feet 10 inches forward.

1210. Capt. IRVING suggests that a vessel chartered for greenheart should have her ports bound and lined with iron in a most secure manner. She should be provided beforehand with exceedingly strong brows inside, to receive the timber and prevent the ends of the logs from falling; the brows should be greenheart or oak, three inches thick at least, and not too steep. Where they have been insufficient, the sudden fall of the logs has greatly damaged the frame of the ship. At least three good strong iron snatch-blocks (12 inches by 7) should be provided, and strong beach ropes of Manilla hemp, 4 to 5 inches, and 50 to 90 fathoms long, according to ship's draught and her distance from the beach. Russian tarred rope will soon rot. Large wooden blocks are of very little service; if a balk of greenheart falls on one of them it will be smashed to pieces.

1211. On the upper banks of the Essequibo, greenheart is cut in the dry season, and during the freshets is sent from the woodcutter's grant down the creeks or rivulets to his beach in the river. Being very heavy it has to be dived for at high tide by negroes chiefly from Barbadoes, who take the dimensions of each log previously at low water, and note them on a floating tally attached by a string, so that those logs best adapted for the stowage in progress, can be easily selected. Master stevedores residing in George Town, Demerara, usually contract for loading; the average rate in 1863, was $161,000 feet. Capt. IRVING estimates the weight of greenheart at 80 lbs. cubic foot. In stowing at Essequibo, the entire cargo must be well chocked. The ship has to lie one tide at least on the ground before crossing Sugar Bank, the bar of the river, and if the cargo is not properly secured, it will be shaken while she is aground, and will continue adrift for the remainder of the voyage. In measuring greenheart at Demerara and Essequibo, exporters use

the tape (termed string measure), which makes about 10 cent. less that Queen's calliper measure, and is the usual allowance. Ships chartered in England are generally paid at so much cubic foot or load of 50 cubic feet calliper measurement on delivery. When chartered at Demerara, freight is generally paid on delivery string measure in-take.

The cargo should be short lengths with disabove, and it becomes Many ships have thus The Syrophanician was

1212. In chartering to load greenheart, permission should be given for a certain number of cuts, according to the size of the vessel, in addition to the necessary beam fillings. In the Essequibo the loading is often stopped through a deficiency of short lengths. Stevedores frequently use the short lengths profusely to make a show of what they term good stowage, in order to obtain the approbation of inexperienced masters. Generally vessels are in danger at sea when filled below with either greenheart or morra, and very few ships can carry a hold full of short timbers. blown up gradually from the first, using the cretion; otherwise large open spaces are left necessary to tom off the upper timber. foundered at sea when the toms give way. moored in three to four fathoms, abreast of the timber on Embleton's beach, with head up the stream to meet the ebb tide. One anchor from the off-bow and another from the off-quarter; warps from the in-bow and in-quarter, to trees ashore. The timber was hove off the beach by a strong rope of 4 to 5 inches, which was rove through a strong swivel block fastened to a substantial spar as outrigger, well secured by guys, &c., from masthead and bowsprit. The timber was slung by the middle, and when leaving the beach the outer end of the balk was slung to the boat by the diver and his mate, and kept there until reaching the vessel's bow, when it was slipped. When hove up to the water's edge by beach rope, the outer and inner purchases were put on. The timber was then cleaned from slime, &c. The outer purchase is generally a strong luff tackle from the end of the outrigger; the inner purchase is a single strong purchase chain with a strong hook on the end, taken through a hawse-pipe to the windlass, to port the timber. In the hold three small strong iron snatch-blocks were required for purchases with the winch-rope, to cant and place the timber. Cant-bars, as used for pine, &c., at Quebec and elsewhere, are useless with greenheart. The Syrophænician received for freight 1s. 6d. cubic foot by callipers; a load is 50 cubic feet. Port charges, viz.:-tonnage dues, $54 60c.; harbour master,

In 1866, the duty on timber being abolished, the measurement was undertaken at several of the principal ports by the Bill of Entry Office, Her Majesty's Customs.

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$14 56c.; governor, secretary, and sheriff, $7 33c.; total, $76 49c. Pilotage 10 feet inwards, 16 feet 7 inches outwards, $93. With ordinary care, the Essequibo is not considered unhealthy for the crew of a ship; sleeping on deck by night, even under an awning, will induce sickness. Temperance both in eating and drinking must be observed, and a certain amount of energy should be exercised to prevent that lassitude usually brought on by the climate, and which is the commencement of fevers. The seasons are not regular; long wet season May, June, and July; short wet season November, December, and January; short dry season February, March, and April; long dry season August, September, and October.

1213. Greenheart varies in weight per foot. Demerara 66 lbs. 3 ozs., cedar 32 lbs., larch 45 lbs., Riga fir 48 lbs. 12 ozs., elm 66 lbs. 8 ozs., beech 60 lbs., and ash 58 lbs. 3 ozs. These are fair averages of green timber. The tape measure is 10

cent. less than calliper. 1214. Railway sleepers for Kurrachee and other parts of India, weigh usually 140 to 144 lbs. each; see dangerous goods. Railway sleepers are sometimes freighted by the linear foot. 11 feet 11 inches go for 11 feet only, and thus less than 12 inches goes free. A master, March, 1865, loaded a full cargo of creosoted half-round sleepers in London for Lisbon, the bills of lading were presented to him for 6,946 pieces of timber, 9 feet by 9 inches by 4 inches, equal to 288 loads. His calculation gave 351 loads, but he could not maintain it, because the charter-party being executed in England, the clause per load of 50 cubic feet Customs' measurement" meant English Customs' measurement, which was produced by multiplying half the girth of the circular part by the perpendicular height, and the product by the length, and divide by 144, the contents to be computed to the tenth of a cubic foot.

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1215. East Indies. It is usual where Peengado, Pedowk, and Teak timbers are laden at the same port, to take a portion of each, as the vessel will then stow a larger cargo than she possibly could if made up of Peengado and Pedowk only. From the time a teak tree, which will yield timber fit for Admiralty or gun-carriage purposes, is first girdled in the forest, three years are necessary to kill and season it sufficiently to admit of its being dragged to the water's edge and floated to its destination. Timber in Pegu or Tenasserim is always moved by water; or when moved on shore it is invariably dragged by elephants.

1216. Ships laden with Teak do not carry very much more than their register tonnage; small ships are unprofitable; in an ordinary well-carrying ship 50 cubic feet of Moulmein teak requires about

57 feet of space, and weighs 22 cwt. Some kinds of teak are so heavy that they will soon sink, and by the rules of the port at Moulmein the ship is required to weigh up that which goes down alongside; care must, therefore, be taken when casting rafts adrift to see there are no sinking pieces among them. For exportation it is all sawn and squared-not equal sided. Rangoon teak is considered better than Moulmein. Teak was divided in 1848 into three classes; first class all above 25 feet long, second 20 to 25 feet, third all under 20 feet; the limits of the first class have since been reduced to 24 feet; the different classes paid proportionate rates. All under 9 inches is called plank, which forms a large proportion of the cargo. Teak is freighted by the load of 50 cubic feet; it is frequently penetrated by a worm or shell-fish; the worm-holes are usually plugged with soft woɔd by ship-builders as they proceed. In the article rice there is some information about Moulmein.

1217. New Zealand Khauri spars, hitherto imported principally for Admiralty purposes, are found only in the Auckland or northern province, and are shipped almost entirely from Hokiangu and Kaipara, two river harbours on the north-west coast. They are generally from 50 to 100 feet in length, by 20 to 30 inches diameter. The loading is tedious. Large ports are absolutely necessary, and not unfrequently beams have to be cut and the masts taken out. Experienced stevedores may generally be obtained, but they require the watchful superintendence of the master or mate. Tackle for hauling in and stowing can be borrowed, but as the charge is generally high, powerful purchases, chains, hooks, &c., had better be provided beforehand. Timber over 40 feet in length usually receives double freight without reference to diameter. As only half rates are allowed for short timber, careful computations of stowage should be previously made. In other respects the advice regarding North American cargoes is applicable to khauri spars.

1218. Puget Sound. In Puget Sound, Oregon, the Mill Company at Port Gamble, have an excellent contrivance for loading long heavy spars. The ship is laid end on to a break or opening at right angles with the wharf; a derrick over the bow lifts the near end of the spar, while the outer end is supported by a moveable crane, the wheels of which traverse on iron rails laid each side of the opening. A tackle from the ship rigs the spars in and pulls along the crane, which has an elevated platform provided with machinery for raising or lowering the outer end, to suit the convenience of the stowers in the hold. When hauling in long spars, great care must be observed to prevent the outer gear from slipping or giving way; for want of

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