Canada's Forest Wealth

The forests of Canada bave supplied inore or less the wants of Europe for centuries. Froru tho earliest days of ita occupation by the French the forest wealth of the country washed by the St Lawrence engaged the attention of the governinent of Frauce, who saw therein vast resources available for its naval yards. It drew from these forests large nuinbers of toasts aud spars and issued stringent regulations for the preservation of the standing oak. When the country was first ceded to Great Britain, but little attentiou was paid at first to its vast timber supply, owing to the fact that almost the whole of the Baltic trade was carried on in British bottoms, and that the timber of northern Europe provided au uufailiug and convenient return freight for the shippiag tlnis engaged. When, however, the troubles of the Napoleonic era commenced, and especially wheii the continental blockade was enforced, the timber supplies of the Baltic becomiug uucertain and insufficient, attentiou was directed to tho North American colonies, with the result of increasing tho quautity of timber which reacbed Great Britain from 2,(500 tons in the year 1800 to 125,800 tons in 1810, and to 308,000 tons in 1820. In 1895 the amount exported to the United Kingdom showed