The Sun.
London, England, 1821-03-07 00:00:00

, . ENGersut isAK, $
Ma. deep
observed the
interest {s Licit yOu have invariably- taken in every.
question connected with the domestic-trade of
the country, and especially in the cultivation of
Oak Timber, the superiority of Which over all
other. .Thnber in. Ship building has been univer-
sally acknowledged,: 1. trust the following re,
Marks on the introduction of Foreign 7'imber. lit
Ship' huilding instead of English. Oak, derived
from nearly 45 yearsexperience in the Construc-
tion and building of large 51-iips will not be un-
acceptable.
have observed ,most .6f• the alterations tend
improvements for many•.years—past, and cannot,
help thinking. that sometef the improvements, as
they-are2talled, will be fouild to be dangerous ex-
periments. The innovation to. tvlticltl shall
principally. .allude, in the.conise of theSe observo-
dons, and which I perceive is daily-gaining ground,
is the 'use in his Majesty's Dock yards, as well
as in some private Dock yards, of various Sorts of
Foreign Timber, none of which, (with the excep-
tion of Teak), is to be compared in. point of du-
rability to the English' Oak. This practice can-
not be condemned 'too highly, since there is an
abundance of Oak Timber in, this country, more
than adequate to supply the demands'of his Ma-
je Sty's NaVy and the Mercantile .service. . The
Timber from Africa, of.iviiich very large quanti-
ties have been imported into this country, hide,
pendent of the doubt existing as to its durability,
(and many good judges entertain seriou's appre-
hensionS oil this head,)-is, I conceive, very unlit
to be used generally for building Ships,- ow'ing'to
its excessive weight; .it is one-eighth heavier
than Oak, and about two :pounds-in
,a cubi;
foot heavier than sea water; 'consequently it will
not float, and on that account is not proper for
building ships of War, which are -reetnired, to •
carry their guns as high above water as poSsible.
It may be said that Ships built with this wood
will not require so much ballast : that •position
deny, for as the ballast is generally put in the
bottom, and the weight in the case of these Ships
is'in all parts, it will consequently require more
ballast to counteract the increased, weight of the
upper works. ' There is. yet another, and to my
mind a_fatal objection s if a Ship built of this
wood springs a leak she will sink much sooner,
every part having a tendency to that effect; and,
in the event of her foundering or being dashed to
pieces against a rock, no part of the wreck wit',
float, (her specific gravity, as before mentioned,
being greater than sea-water) upon which the
poor seamen can save themselves, as is often the
case when Ships are built of Timber that is buoy-
ant: I have noticed with equal Culicern that
considerable supplies of Timber have been hr.-
poilfd from the Adriatic for the tLie of his Ma-
jesty's Dock yards. This Timber is IT no means
equal to-English Oak ; it may answer'as a sub-
stitute. fOr Erigligh. Timber in repairing Ships, ,
but should never be 'used forbuilding new Ships.
There is also now importing into the Navy Dock
YardS TiMber from'the Cape of. Good hope,
of a very inferior quality. Sonic of the slime des-
cription was brongLit to this Country.two or. three
years ago, Which is already quite rotten at the
heart, though apparently sound when. imported.
The only Timber, in my opinion, !proper. to be
imported, to save the consumption of the' Eng-
lish Oak, is the Teak; lint great careishould
bet
talon in the selection of it, for there -are many
different qualities of this Timber.
Though the few observations which Will follow
may not be considered as 'coming Strictly within
the original deSign of this communication, yet I
flatter myself they will- not be deenied foreign
from its spirit. Among the linprOvements adek-
ed by the Navy Board loo•rmich • praise cannot
be bestowed on the plan of building and repair-
ing ships nnder, sheds or covered docks, since
.no one thing is so conducive to the durability of
ships, as keeping theM dry While building for
if the wet is permitted to get between the planks
and timbers, it is very often the cause' of "the
dry rot; andsnany ships from the want of such
care have.beeninfected with the dry rot long-
before they were Munched. I Would also re,
commend to the adoption of the 'Navy Board,
as d great preventive of the decay of the
Navy, .that the plank should be 'fastened to
the timbers with all copper-bolts instead of tree-
nails, above
.light draught of water, the same as
is practised in the private Dock' Yards in build-
ing Eat India .Shipsn. This ::rode haS been found
by experience to be a great saving to* the owner,
as none of.the ships so fastened have required any
material repairs since it has Veen carried into
practice. The tree-nails• generally decay first,
which causes the plank to rot as Well as' the
timbers ; whereas, when fastened with copper_
bolts, the decay of the plank and timbers isim-
peded and retarded: • • •