The Sun.
London, England, 1821-01-22 00:00:00

WEEKLY RETROSPECT.

CC JUSTICE with COURAGE IS a thousand men,"
sings the Hero of the Maccabees, in concert with
the divine strains of HANDEL !—and our \Villas,
-who have a knack of making a Handle of any
thing, throwing Justice on one Side-, but with the
most extraordinary Courage, now attempt to
make up their acconnts, by a mode of arithmetic,
peculiar to themselves, and_ tell us, that a ma-
:,••
joriet-of SEVE.Ntir in the' hiiver House is less than

NNINE tffe uppey one !

These.political CocKEns were even correct
in.their numbers,- we should; 'however, still beg
leiVe' to doubt the fact==.-except, -indeed, upon
the, theory of DRYDEN'S hero, who exclaimed,

" wound is great, because it is so Strta)l," • ,
to which we must reply, as" did the wit of that
otily substituting " Mrso ri y," for wound,

Then 'twon'd he greater, were there none at all."
We suspect, indeed, that their new mode of
counting will avail them but little—that the
charges.:whiCh- they predict, will not take place ;
or, if they do, that the poor like our
mortal Poet-of the 'Night, will have but to ex-
- •

a 'Tis only change of paln—a bitter change,
Severe': for severe."

TlieirMorniiig•Gfizelle. may therefore go on, as
nsual,_ to complain . of.- :Ministerial influence in
one • column, and in. the next, to swear. that
Mini.sters have no influence at and even pre-
ciiCt Cabinet. Resignatinnsfram the Lords I-IVER-
-1,00.i and. CASYEEREA.GIi going down to Brighton

to .cat their mutton at the Pavillion, an operation
which, we are now Jolt], destructive of the
Canstitutioi- and accordingly marked with due
disapprobation in comments upon the approach-
ing loyal festival at the London Tavernin ho-
nour of the accession—but still we must conceive
"that such an Operation, ivhatevor its manifestation,
must be -more palatable even to the City Whigs
theMselves, than the Eati4 reform' which their
new-Lord Mayor, and Sheriff have introduCed
into. Cit.), finance.

_lt is amusing to observe how rapidly they can
'shift the end of their telescopes in viewing the
different Addresses as they appear: If one ap-
pears in which they have had no share of prepa-
ration; presto 1 the object glass is applied to the
and the most populous 'and respectable
„ -
places become " villages and hamlets, now for the
first time becOme known to fame"=but when the
seven- hundred Bras.sfOitnder s, all in brass ar:
Moni,=prepare to march four .miles on the Western
.•.
roaa,. then every, thing is as gay and sublime as
if -BM the Whig Orator's and Whig Writers were'
, .
to -head' the procession in their native panoply
Then ts,..the Telescope shifted, tvhilSt Power
and.Pl4e, like two bits of coloured glass in a
KaliidOscope,, form the most bizarre 'end bril-
liantchanges to their delighted optios.
Then Woon-o:heads. and G-ney--heads-join in
concert, to: blacken the Clergy, with the acrid
overfiewings of own: gall—then Dukes
an 1 Earls and (Totally J,llesnbers-angle for a lit-
tle POpularity,, as we htue seen in the course
of the_week, for a popularity, which, however,
would
.not secure to them even an angle or cor-
ner of :those estates ,which create their present
influence, if their new friemls-,were to prosper:
Ministers._ may :be turned • out—but if so, 'tis
not the Whigs who will succeed them! But if
the approaching ;civic .festival is not to their
taste, the CAMBAIDGE, meeting seems to have
been peculiarly so,.for. there something, not short
of treason, was talked by, a Mr., ~Voinebody.
In J..;_ts'Aitic, too, they have,had- a majority of
four, which, by the new,..Whig arithmetic, is
more than fifty to one, when the oddslie on the
other side. In short, the Whig cause is now
something like the old conundrum' of_ the cow's
tail—" the more you take from it,• the higher it
grow"—or- the old hole in the wall, the more.
you take from it, the larger it grows.
Thiis.do they, turning their glasses from home
to abroad, find out that the revolution in Por-
tugal„has paid off all the arrears of the soldiery,
and that there is now, at Lisbon, a surplus hi
the treasury—all too, t hoitt any new taxes !
not'even a tax upon iron, nor upon home-brewed
ale, nor even an addition of three and.three guar-.
ters income tax upon the rich, .and of NINE PER
cENr. upon the poor !
Strange, indeed, that Continental Whigs can
do all these things, as if in contempt of their
English brethren, when they came into power.;
and, yet that English Whigs were forced to•have
recourse to them, even whilst their Exchequer
Chancellor was cautioning the House not to be
alarmed by any idea of his paying off the national
debt, as it was not his intention to do any such
.thing:,---he then considering a national debt as
peculiarly advantageous to the country !
We, suspect, indeed, that. neither the soldiery
nor the people of Britain will be tempted, by this
Whiggish Expose, to get up any. little revolution
of their own. Luckily for us, and for our well-
disposed Constitutional defenders, we have no
army arrears to pay up ; and if we have no sur-
plus in..the Treasury, we still have a credit that
is something better : besides we cannot shut our
eyes to the fact, that even in the UNITED STATES
—that Heaven of the Whips—there are deficien-
cies in treasury receipts, and loans. to be made to
cover them, just as in this poor Country, which,
for the last hundred years, has been " on the
brink of ruin"—nay ruined, and ." crouching at
the feet of France," as the " -Man of the People"
had once the audacity to tell the House of
Commons ! , .

COLONIAL TIMBER TRADE.

(From 'be Quaec• Gazette.)

RENIARKS nrid‘GENERAL OBSERVATIONS on the Evi-
dence given before. the COMMITTEE, of the HOUSE of
Leftas on this Suhjrct, during the last Session of' Yarlia

nwnt.

There are Six Ziffereniliods of Fir Timber shipped at
Quebec.

Three of Red Vine.

Ist. The Norway Pine.
2d. The fled Pine, properly so -called.
9d. Another kind with only about three or four inches of.
heart ; this lastlis produced partly in Lower Canada, towards
the line 45 deg. and is floated down the RiverSt.FratreUis; it is
also sent down the Ottawa River.
Three of White Pine.
lit. The White Spruce Pine.
_ _

2d. The White Pine, properly so vane&
The Yellow• Pine ; Ibis last is of slower gtn*lii than
the other two kinds, and is technically called close in the
grain, and is particularly e?teeined in England for Cabinet
work and Joiners! purposes. The qualitrof all sorts of Timber
is partly formed front the nature of the.soil producing it, and
certain soils naturally produce partiCular hinds of Timber.
It. is distinctly obserrtd in the. State of New York, that
wherr:a gime of trees is entirely burnt down, After a few
years, trees of entirely a different species grow up.
Expoeintents weie many.years ago made in England of
English, Baltic,.and Canada Oak Plank of exact dimensions,
placing them in similar -situations. additi7 to eacle.additional
and equal. pt essurr,- until the planltS•hroke, (by weights) and
next to the English Oak the Canadian Oak was found to be
the strongest.

. Evidence was -given before a Committee of the House of
Commons on Ships Built for the East India Trade, when the
most decided approbation was given to Canada Timber.
Mr. Sally's replies to the manly questions put to him, are
as pointed as if he had previonsly'got them to study, and pre-
pared answers. (He seems a willing witness) ; his knowledge
of the'llaltic trade,
.froin his very extensive dealings, and
large Gurernment contracts fur naval stores, is certainty
very general and correct; but when Canada comes in; com-
petition there is an evident leaning, which appears rather
over-stretched, particularly regarding wheat. It is well known
in Canada that we du nut receive wheat from the United
States as an article of commerce.—Flour comes in from the
State of New York, where the manufacturer, this year, has
been bartering 'it. for -British and Colonial produce at the
low rate-of tlivxe. dollars. ptr .barrel—the expense of trans-
porting a barrel from the Genessee to Quebec is about a dol-
lar and a half, and that expenditure cheulates among us; it
is mostly exported tti the West Indies, but all in British
Ships ; the Yreight, Commissions, and all profits arising
front it Ultitimitlyfind their way to England.
Mr. Sully, without ever having been in the United States
or Canada, seems to have got a Carte du Pays—respecting
grain, lie answers as to a question 'cloult:ful, yet very im-
portant ;. his answer, it ix ininerstood, produced a representa-
tion fri4n certain' Landed- Proprietors, and growers of Corn,
to the Secretary of State fur the. Colonial Department.
The sable Gentleman gives in evidence, that .our Ditty,
(Duty on Baltic Timber into England, of 31. ss. per load) is
so far a bounty upon the importation of United States Timber
in preference to that of the Baltic States—this insinuation is
easily illustrated.
Nearly all the United States Timber that comes into the
River St. Lawrence is from Lake Cliamplain;aucl.the expense
there is known to average as follows :
The Lumber-man pays to the prOprietot of the
soil, in- tree, one cent per foot - D.O I
Yxvence hewing d• dressing -
Hauling down to the Lake -
,Making the Crib, and loading it • I

Running the Cribs down the Richelieu, and re-

f=-

ratting in Clianibll Bastin - 1)o.0 1
For risk, and conducting the Raft-to Quebec 2--3

Do 8

'Atrionnting to eight cents, or near five pence' Halifax cur-
rency, per cubic fuot--eeen these fire cents are not all ex,
pended in the United States, part of it is generally given for
necessaries at'Quebec—out of the proceeds, the American has
to pay here half-eullingi ground rent, &c. , •
To the ahovu add shipping charges, risk of debts on_ the
other sole, end the Pine will cost on board the ship about six-
pence per foot.
Instead of a bounty of 31. ss. per load, the American Lint.-
berer actually receives no. more than about two dollars and a
half per load,lot first cost of the tree, and all other labour,
risk 'isnd eirienees in the United States, the residue goes -to
pay British freight, insurance and expellees in England.
Mr. Sully also gives in evnience that timber of the same
size can be iMported front the Baltic as from America ; here
again he is ponltedly. opposed by Mt. Norman, Mr. Cowie,
and Sir Robert SePPit!P.—Wc have much timber at this port
upwards of 24 inches square, and frequently so thick that.
the raft ports of the Ships are not sottigieutly large to re-
ceive it. •
It .has been, given in evidence that U. S..red pine is better
than that of Canada ; the filet is not so, the hest red pine is
from Lake Ontario, but ffot,generally so well dressed as, that
from the U. S. Timber, from Lake Champlain is, for, the
most part, well hewed and dressed to a line, (equal to the
Memel) this makes' a great difference in the stowage of the
ship, as well as to the buyer and consumer in England—
perhaps from a penny to two.perrec , per cubic foot.—
Very little-RedPine of merell'antable dimensions, is in future
to be expected from Lake Champlain; what that country has
produced the last two or three ;ears, was buled ten or
twelve miles. In Upper Canada, In the Bay of Quinty, and
round Rice Lake, the groves of large sized Red Pine are very
extensive, also along Dundas-street, and frOm York, to the
head of Lake Ontario, :it is growing in some places near .to
the very banks of that Lake—and along that continuation of
Lakes, from Rice 'Lake to their junction with Laku Simcue,
there are, many extensive groves of Red Pine in ,about
79' of long, and 445 N. tat. .
On the Saguenay, bclow ,Qnebee, it reported that the
largest Pine Timber iu America is growing, down to the very
edge of that great River, and up to Lake St. John, about
200 miles, and on the Rivers einatying into that Lake, on a
sweep of 200 Miles inore,Timbei of the must uicfid,denotWna.-
tions is said to abound.'llli4country.ii hut imperfectly.knowi.

. .
The Interior of Lower Canada, particularly on the North
Shore of the River'St. Lawrelice, is now less known than it
was in the time of the French.. Shortly aftet the first settle-
ment of the Country, and up to the beginning of.the last
century, the whole Country was explored by the Jesuit Mis-
sionaries,- who fesided•among the Indians and frequently hit,
lowed theirs in their "sliming excursions and. war parties. The
fur traders• and Courears des bets also over-run the whole
country.
.1 he observations of the foregoing deseriptions of
h persons ave' been lust. Indeed they• wet.; not probably
directed to the soil or the natureof .its productions. Thera
remain only some very taint traditionary accounts of the
whole interior of Lower Canada between the'Saguetray and
the Ottawa. The country alon., the lowertiart of Saguenay
is mountainous. All the rivers rroin Cape Torment to there
Rivers take their rise in the morantaioons 'track on the south
west bank of the -Saguenay.- 'Tlie direct distance to the Sa-
guenay north of Quebec, .is not so great: as from .Quebec to
its embouchure. Strips of the line may sail SO miles op thy
Saguenay, and'small • eessels 120 mites up. Aimee the first
falls, and to the westw'ar'd of three Rivers, t here is a lake re-
presented by some persons to be nearly as • large as Lake On,
tario, with many large rivers entering it• from the eastotorth,
and west, flowing through a level and Well worded 'Country;
and a climate differing rely little from that of Quebec, from
which. it is situated little more than one degreenort h.. From the
Saguenay there was formerly a good Indian path to Quebec.
Traders 'frequently went up the St. Maurice, and cause down-
the Saguenay, or vice verso, and the Indians of the North
West, in tithe 6r vi'ar, have been known to come from the Great
Lakes down the Saguenay with their Peltries. There are also
highlands north cast of the Ottawa, from which numbers of
large rivers descend into that river.. The most distant waters
of the St. Maurice come from the highlands of the Ottawa on
the West, and the highlands of tliti Saguenay on the East.
The Indians in time of war, used to communicate with Three
Rivers and Quebec from the Ottawa, by the Masquinonge
and St. Maurice. Between the two ridges of highlanus above
mentioned, there is a east tract of level and well timbered
Country. In truth Lower Canada both on the north and south
shores of the river Saint Lawrence is still one immense forest,
offering to an eye which could embrace the whole, an almost
imperceptible edging of settlements along the St. Lawrence,
and stretching up the banks of some of its tributary, streams;
the Island of Montreal arid the sus rounding settlements ex-
cepted, which form a compact body of cleared country. The
capabilities of this v;rst forest for supplying Lumber for ex-
portation, has only begun to be ascertained ; for at the com-
mencement of the trade,ouly about 15 years ago, the Americans
on Lake Champlain and the settlers in Upper Canada, origi-
nally from the United States, being in possesaion 'of supply-
ing the Quebec market, and having the facility of rafting
along the Saint Lawrence to the places of shipment, they con-
tinued for several years to furnish nearly all the supplies.
Within the last four or See years, the Lumber of Lower Ca-
nada has been looked after, and found to be abundant, and,
brought to market with equal facility; being of a more nor-
therly and consequently slower growth, it may probably be
found to be of better quality. If the Saguenay and the lower
parts of the St—Lawrence were to furnish Lumber, no tem-
porary occupation of parts of the St. Lawrence above Quebec,
iii the event of war with the United *tato, could interrupt the

supply—for that fortress commabas tlre land below it, and
the British Navy the River, to the Richelieu Rapids.

Two Gentlemen connected With.thls city, have been propos-
ing for two years past to explore..this raluable tract, the one
conversant with Oa 'various qualities of soil, and to what
agricultural produitions-it seems beat adapted ; the other,
fro►u long experience, a perfect judge of all kinds of timber,
but it -has not yet 'suited their mutual convenience to un-
dertake this important voyage. 'nit country may be stat-
ed as lying between longitude 70. to 754 and latitude 435 to
5010.*

Sir Robert Seppings is•a_Gentleman of great practical
knowledge and sound judgment bet from his communica-
tions and long intercourse with Baltic timber contractors, it
is possible that he may have insensibly imbibed some of their
prejudices—and he may never tare had en opportu-
nity of observing the maturity oreonditiou of timber be-
fore it was delivered into the King's Yards in England. The
Dry Rut; and the prevention of it, is, however, a subject that
ought to demand the consideration of all- interested its the
Lumber Trade of Canada.
The climate of Canada is not diss'milar to that of the North
of-Europe, from which the wood es exported to Englanel—the
soil that produces the trees, however, is generally different
from that of Canada. In the countries no the Baltic labour
is cheap, and to any extent is easily procured—the timber
there, is cut and put into the waters while the frost is its it.
Canada trees, felled during the winter, and before the
moi=ture of vegetation gets life in tie spring of the year, will
not be subject to the Dry Rot—at least, such is the opinion
of the people in this country ;—if cat down. after the,tree be-
gins to vegetate in the spring season, the durability of the
wood may be affected thereby: Trees are sometimes cut to-
wards the spring, that cannot be got- hauled to the rivers :
they lie in the summer in a temperature of 50 to 00 de-
grees of heat, completely covered by the luxuriant yegetatiou
of weeds and bushes, and are thus excluded frot the air ;
this has an immediate tendeacy to generate Fungi, and must
be injurious to the wood.
There is now a Red Pine Spar lying within three hundred
yards of Pointe a Pizeau, that was dressed for shipping in the
month of June last; to give t a .straighter appearance it
was dressed in so much on the one side that part of the
spine was taken off, and to keep the. other side full part of
the sap-wood was left on : Wits:tie-wood was soon sun-shaken,
and last -month a Fungi was observed re°Towing out of one of
these rents, about eight inches long, four inches high, and
one inch thick ; whicitcould not readily be broken by a kick
with the hoot, nor could it without muck difficulty be cut
with a knife. Much loss and trouble have been occasioned
in England by shipping red pine utssts and spars with too
much sap. in them, which in the ship gets black, and gives
the stick a decayed appearance. When- this happens, the
best remedy is to redress the stick immediately to
.the core,
taking off all the sae.-wood to prevent corruption.
Tice present state of, Culling and Inspeetion is a serious
evil, so many having lately got Cullers' Licences who are in-
competent judges of wood, and the various purposes for which
it is calculated.

If an alteration'Of the Mies on Timber is effected unfa-
vourable to that which is the growth of these Provinces, by
the influence of the Agents of foreign Merchants, and
narrow views of, some Landed Propiietors, the Exports of
Canada in .the article-of Wood will be reduced from its pre-
sent amount of 500,0001. annually, (taking as a data' one
third of the average lumber exports only of years past) and the
Imports of British Supplies will necessarily fall off as moch.
England will then possess said govern great Colonies, but
without ships and commerce, reversing the policy of our best
Statesmen, such as the late Lord Liverpool, and his retrian
Coadjutor, the late Ilonourabli• George Rose. • . .

Every thing of a local or a personal interest must give Way
to the general prosperity of the Colonies the just claims of
Canada will be hearkened to; let- her suns pull sti on' and
altogether. -
This imperfect review of the Wood Trade maysnggest some-
thing more important to Gentlemen acquainted with the sub-
ject, who, it is hoped, will communicate- with their friends in
England without delay.
Quebec, 23d November, 1820. •