2398

ARBOIIF.TU.M AND FRUT1CETUM.

PART III.

down properly to grass, upon which the sixty large trees sent to Woolwichhad grown, the duke caused the large roots to be extracted out of it. Afterthey were out of the earth, the duke was struck with their apparent capabilityof being cut up into knees for ships; and he immediately entreated the NavyBoard to try them for that purpose, but the proposal was declined. Thusrejected, the fate of some of these roots, in the shape of knees, was curious,and is thus described by the duke: — ‘In 1811, an American vessel, theFrances of Baltimore , of 160 tons register, a brig, sustained very considerabledamage on her voyage to Leith, and came in nearly a wreck. Messrs. Symesand Co., who repaired her, put into her some of these larch knees offered tothe Navy Board. The captain of the vessel said he never saw any wood ofso fine a quality, and so applicable for knees; and he was extremely urgentto know what kind of wood it was, and if he could get any more of it: butthey had no more to give him.

“ The Larch has been tried in a small Way as Masts. Three sloops at Perth were fitted up with them; but, as they all soon left the Tay, its value as suchcould not be ascertained.

“ The great and important Trial of the Larch , as a valuable Tree for navalTimber , was made from 1816 to 1820, in the building of His Majesty’s frigatethe Athol. Her keel, masts, and yards were made wholly of larch. She waslaunched on the 21st of November, 1820. Her dimensions are as follows: —Length of deck, 113 ft. 8 in.; keel for tonnage, 94 ft. 3Jin.; extreme breadth,31ft. 6 in.; moulded, 31 ft.; depth of hold, 8 ft. 6 in.; admeasurement,499|^ tons. She carries 20 guns of 321b., 6 guns of 18 lb., and 2 guns of6 lb!; in all, 28 guns. Her main, fore, and mizen masts, with their topmastsand topgallant-masts, and their respective yards, bowsprit, sprits, and tops,tit-booms, and spedding-booms, were all of larch. She drew of water, afore,8 ft. 11 in.; and abaft, 11 ft. 3 in. When launched, her weight was 267 tons.Many minute inspections took place at different times, by competent judges,of the state of the larch in the Athol, and all are very laudatory of its qualitiesas ship timber. The following important particulars regarding the larch ingeneral were related by Mr. Symes of Leith, after he had inspected theAthol in Leith Roads, in July, 1824. The larch becomes harder and moredurable by age in a ship. It holds iron as firmly as oak; but, unlike oak, itdoes not corrode iron. Iron bolts may be driven out afterwards perfectlyclean. It does not shrink : the Athol had been caulked but once in fouryears. It possesses the valuable property of resisting damp, inasmuch as thepump-well was as dry as the cabin. This is a very important fact, as regardsthe durability of the ship, and the health and comfort of the crew. Thebeams and knees in the gun-deck were as well finished as the best joiner’swork, and they had no appearance of shrinking or straining. The Larch , abrig, the Diana, a steam-vessel, and other ships, were afterwards built ofthe larch, and all with favourable results.

Incombustibility of Larch Wood, and its Property of not splintering. “ Amongthe properties of larch which may be considered as valuable in respect ofship-building, is the one of its being slow of kindling by fire. Though hotembers be thrown on a floor of larch, it will not get suddenly up into ablaze, like other kinds of fir. It is admirably adapted to be formed intowooden steps for guard-ships or quays, the edges of them not breaking orsplintering like other fir wood. The property of its not splintering makesit a valuable wood for the upper works of men-of-war. The splinters madeby cannon-shot are often more hurtful to the seamen in action than theshot themselves. A shot-hole through larch closes and does not splinter.Larch treenails were allowed by Sir Robert Seppings to drive remarkablywell.

“ The Products arising from the chemical Treatment of Larch Wood may beuseful to the arts. The following results were obtained by chemical experi-ments made by Mr. Brown of Old Brompton, on the 19th of March, 1828. Apiece of larch wood of 6 lb. weight was placed in a retort, which was heated