An account of a voyage to establish a colony at Port Philip in Bass's Strait on the south coast of New South Wales, in His Majesty's Ship Calcutta, in the years 1802-3-4/Addendum 4
NEW South Wales produces a great variety of timber trees, to some of which the colonists have given names descriptive of their qualities, and others they call by the names of those trees which they most resemble either in leaf, in fruit, or in the texture of the wood. Among the former are the blue, red, and black butted gums, stringy and iron barks, turpentine and light wood; and among the latter are the she-oak, mahogany, cedar, box, honeysuckle, tea-tree, pear-tree, apple-tree, and fig-tree. These trees shed their bark annually at the fall of the year, and are always in foliage, the new leaves forcing off the old ones.
The blue and red gums are nearly of the same texture; they are very tough and strong, and in ship-building are adapted to framing; the best size is from two feet to two and a half, for when larger, the timber is generally unsound in the heart. The blue gum, while standing, is subject to be pierced by very minute worms, which make innumerable holes scarce visible to the naked eye.
Black butted gum and stringy bark differ very little either in quality or appearance; they are much tougher and stronger than English oak, and are particularly adapted to planking. They will also answer for lower masts or lower yards, for beams, or any other purpose where straight timber is required. If intended for spars, they ought to be procured as near the size wanted as possible, for the toughness lies in the outside, and the wood at the heart is generally decayed. Iron bark is not so tough as the two former, but is extremely strong and hard, and runs good from two to four feet; in ship-building it would answer for framing, beams, &c. In New South Wales it is chiefly used in house-building and common furniture. Turpentine is a small wood of no service but in flooring houses. Light-wood grows to twenty inches, and from its buoyancy (whence its name), is proper for building small craft and boats.
The oak is distinguished according as it grows either on the hills or swamps; the former runs to between twelve and eighteen inches, and when larger is always shaken in the heart, the grain is short and cross, and the wood is apt to fly and warp; it is used chiefly in cabinet work, particularly vineering. The swamp oak is the same size, and differs from the other in having a more uniform grain, and being consequently much tougher; in ship-building it would answer for scantling. Of both these woods the paling and shingles are made in New South Wales.
Mahogany, runs good to three feet, and by its texture can scarcely be known from the mahogany of Jamaica. In ship-building it answers well for framing.
Cedar nearly resembles the mahogany of Honduras in its grain, and might be applied to the same purposes, when growing, it resembles the mountain ash, both in its leaves and berry.
Box (so called from its leaves) is a sound and very tough wood; its size about two feet and a half, and would answer for any purpose of shipbuilding.
Honeysuckle (named from its leaf) is a soft wood, fitter for joiners' work than ship-building. At Port Jackson its size does not exceed two feet, but at Port Philip it is found good to four feet; its limbs are crooked, and perhaps it might be advantageously used in the upper works of ships, for knees, &c.
The tea-tree has its name from the leaf also, it is small and very curly; as far as I know, it has never been used in building, but from its appearance, while standing, I should think it might answer in small craft and boats.
The pear-tree is so called from its bearing a fruit resembling a pear in shape, but of the hardness of wood; it grows straight, its largest size sixteen inches, and is only fit for joiners' work.
The apple-tree takes its name from the leaf, the limbs are large and crooked, and running from two feet to two and a half, might probably answer for framing and kneeing ships, but has never been tried.
The fig-tree is the banyan tree of the East Indies, well known, for its branches striking downwards and taking root; the wood of it is entirely useless.
It may be remarked, that all the large timber trees of New South Wales, except those growing in swamps, are unsound in the hearts: this probably proceeds from insufficiency of moisture, as well as from the continual firing of the grass in the forests, which must dry up the sap of the young trees. It also deserves to be noticed, that several of the gums, iron, and stringy bark, mahogany and box trees, which were felled at the first establishment of the colony, are now perfectly sound and hard, though exposed to the weather for fifteen years.
From the foot of the Blue Mountains[1] specimens of three or four kinds of timber, unknown at Port Jackson, have been brought, which, it is the opinion of shipwrights, would be very valuable in ship-building: one kind in particular cannot be known from the beech.
- ↑ This is an elevated ridge running in a direction between the E. N. E. and E. and not more than five leagues from the banks of the Hawkesbury at Richmond Hill. All beyond this ridge is literally a terra incognita, for though several attempts have been made to pass them, not one has yet succeeded; but it is probable these failures have proceeded more from want of proper method, or of common perseverance, than from any obstacles presented by the mountains themselves, for the highest part of the ridge does not appear to equal the common mountains of Wales and Ireland, Upon this subject (as well as upon others of the colonial system) we may apply the remarks of a learned writer, "Projects thought desperate in days of ignorance have, in more enlightened times, been brought to a successful issue;" and "individuals have often failed in their attempts for want of public encouragement, and public enterprizes from want of concurrence among individuals."
Weight of a cubic foot of the timber of New South Wales. Wt. when cut down, Jan. 1804
lbs.Wt. at the present time Aug. 1804. Gum, red 79
—— blue 68
—— black butted 71
Bark, stringy 67
—— Iron 74
Mahogany 66
She-oak 65
Box 77
Tea-tree 69