The daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1848-1851, 1850-02-25
Ths Mahogany Tree Of Honduras.

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are rather different qualities, than varieties, Of
this beautiful tree in America and the West lndies.
That Of Cuba ard Hayti, usdally called Spanish
mahogany, and that Of tie smc kind, now scarce,
which grows 10 Jamaica, is mostbsauuful ~ Iis
shades, colors and varegafions. Hfnd1srs and
Yucai1n supply The laEgeTquantifies aud although
not so close grained and beautiful az The fgnr yet
furnishes most useful wool, and i has airiy been
extensively used for ship-buildiBg u Is snlefiOr,
also, to the other for the ienaeity with which glue
binds il TO the other woods and even 10 venseTs OF
Cuba or Hayti mahogany-worms do not destroy il
in the wafer.
We 6nd generally in manv accounts written Of
the operations of bringing manOgany 10 market tho
most Inaccurate descriptions. the following
count condensed from an article wsist IN at Belize
and published in the Honduras Almanac, has been
examined by gentleman who YVES resident, and
connected with the business. We, therefore, may
consider il accurate.
The mahoa any tree Of HonduIs il probably The
most magnificent and splendid Of all trees the
largest oak, usually called the King Of the Forest,
would dwindle into insgniicance in the compari-
son. The enormous size and height Of The trunk,
the vast spread OF rs branches, the space Of gsonpd
occupied by liz roots, are all rHtaa -ka1ie.
IL becomes simost inpossif5'e 10 give the faore
minute circumstances attending the growth Of ibis
valuable and much used tree, psjis progress to
urity is scarcely T,rcepIible within The life Of
man. but es far as our limi'ed observation viii al
low us to form an opinion, not less than average
period of 200 years can be allowed es the time of
/ lth cunning 10 1utl growth or TIT fOr cutting.
Various and differing are the eoDjsciures Iela-
i've to the first use, discovery and Introduction to
Britain of this beautiful wood, nor is il within the
limits Of snch sketch o. this TO remark upon their
accuracy; We therefore reject all accounts that APP
pear sl lscUallve, and confne ourselves 10 such ss
are authenticated Its fret discovery was, there
FORE by the carp ,nter board OF one of Sir Wal
ter RalegIs vessels, when he put into some harbeT
in the issnd of Trinidad in the year 1895, who hav-
ing occasion 10 60 shore to cut some pieces Of
-.
thai he belonged 10, brought on board quantity Of
| Tins wood, which, on being worked from the raw
| state, exhibited, 10 the estonshment of all who
saw It, that beautiful natural variety Of apr
| which no ingenuity Of art can equal.
i The first use to which mahogany was applied
| IN England arose from circumstance purely aeci-
| dental, and was appropriated 10 the making OF a
| box for holding candles. Dr. Gibbons, an eminenb
physician, in the latter end of the seventeenth,
beginning OF the eight zenith century had brother
a West india captain, who brought over some
planks OF this wood as ballast, but was not aware
| Of lis value. As 'he doctor was then building
| house in King street, Covent garden, his brother
| thought they might be OF service 10 him but the
carpenters finding the weed too hard for their tools,
| they were laid aside as useless. Som altsr Mrs.
Gibbons wanting candle box the doctor called on
his cabinet maker, to make him one Of some wood
| that lay in hsgarden Wallaston, the cabinet ma
ker, on cutting it up, also complained that it
hard the doctor said that he must get stronger
| tools. The candle box wes, however, made, and
highly approved of, insomuch that the doctor then
| insisted on having bp-eau made of the same
| wood, which was accordingly done, when the fine
color, beautiful polish, etc. were so pleasing lhat it
| became object of curiosity, and he invited all
| his friends 10 come to see if-among them was the
| Duchess Of Buckingham. Her g.ace begged soms
Of the same wood from DR. Gibbons, and employed
| Wallaslon TO make her bureau also, on which The
| fame OF mahogany became general Thus, from a
| circumstance in Itself trivial, has emanated a
| most extensive branch Of British commerce and
as the cutting and preparing of the mahogany is a
matter which has hitherto passed unnoiiced by all
historians, we trust that brief narrative may be
here acceptable TO our TeaderJ."-H Honduras Alma
| nae.
The season for cutting the mahogany usually
commences about the month Of August. The
gangs of laborsrs employed consist of FROM twenty
| TO fifty each.
. They have conductor, who is styled the cap
tain. Each gang has also one person attached II
| it, termed the huntsman-he is generally selected
from the most intelligent OF his fellows, and hi
Chief occupation is 10 search the woods, or it
called in this country the bush to find labor for tn
! whole Accordingly, about the beginning OF Au
gust, the huntsman is dispatched on his impor' IN
mission, and if his owner be employed on his owl
ground, that is seldom work of much delay o
difficulty. He cuts his way through the thckes
| of the woods to some elevated SITUATION and climb
the iallesi trees lie finds, from which be minu ely
surveys the surrounding country. At this season
lhe leaves OF The mahogany tree are invariably o
| yellow reddish hue, and an eye accustomed T.
Tins kind of exercise can, at great distance, dis
Germ the places where the wood is most abundant
lie now descends, and 10 such places his steps ar
directed, and, without compass, or other guide thai
what observation has imprinted on his recollection
ne never fails 10 reach the exact spot TO which h
aims. On some occasions ordinary siratagem il
necessary to be resorted by the huntsman to pre-
vent others from avang themselves of the adyan-
t1ge of his discoveries for if his steps be traced by
those who may be engaged in The same pursuit
which is very common thing, all his ingenuity
must be exerted to beguile them from the true scent
In this, however, he is not always successful, being
followed by those who entirely of all the
| arts he may use, and whose eyes are SO quick tha
the lightest turn of leaf or the aiuiest impression
OF the foot, is unerrngly perceived the dried
leaves whchmay be strewed upon the grouad often
help 10 conduct to the secret spOt--aud it conse
quentiy happens that persons so engaged frequently
undergo the disappointment Of finding an advan
tige they had promised 10 themselves seized on by
| others. The hidden treasure being, however, dis
covered, the next operation is the telling of sui
hcient number of trees TO employ the gang during
| the season. The tree Is commonly cut about lei
or tive. .e feet from The ground, stage being
for the axe-man employed in levelling il; this 4
an observer, would apr ear labor of much danger
but an accident rarely happens 10 the people en-
gagged In ii. The trunk of the tree, from the di
mensons of the wood il furnishes, is deemed TN
most valuable but for purposes of an Ornam4nIa
kind, the limbs, or branches, are generally pre-
/ veins more rich and variegaied."
II A sufficient number of Trees being felled 10 Occu
4 py The gang during lie season, they commenr
opening roads to the nearest river, which operatiO
: amounts to two-ihius of the labor and expense q
, bringing the mahogany to place OF shipment
n Each mahogany station forms OF itself small vii
age; on the bank OF river-the choice 1l siiuato
1 being always regulated by the proximity Of sue
, river TO the mahogany Intended 10 be cut
u In the construction and arrangement Of the hab
atons much Taste is OF N displayed, and Is eur
Gus TO remark the different modes 5culiar to ii
s several nations tribes Of Africa contrased wit
: the Improvements introduced by European eXpeT
e ence in the construction of the houses amor
which the proprietors residence with store house,
z caitle-sheds, ETC., are conspcuous-those of Il
% different labOrers are usually of more humble a.
peaTance, but all built of the same wood, which Il
>, site affords in abundance.
= We have frequently seen houses of the kin
/ completed in a single day, and with no other in
ls plement than the axe !; consequently every worl
e man is capable of performing lhe labor required
q build his own dwelling. Alter completing this e
d tablishment, main road is opened from it, in
rs near direction possible to this centre of the boz
of trees SO felled, into which branch or wing roa
lr are afterwards Introduced. The grounds throus
d which the roads are TO run being yet
j. dense forest, both of high trees and underwoo
y they commence by clearing away The latter descri
l. lion with cullasses which, although in appearan
a slender instrument, yet from The dexterlIy wi
Is which il is used answers the purpose admiRSbl
., This labor is usually performed by task-wotks
Id 100 yards each man per day, which expert wor
T. men will complete in six hours. The underwo