partners, Hazen & White,
"There is no doubt of another contract, or of Sir Andrew's friendship
to me, therefore go on and get out as many sticks as you can, and
throw down as many as you are sure of getting out between this and
Xmass, at least, for be assured we shall have another contract, and I
mean to apply for a standing one when I go to Halifax again, which I
expect will be in ten days or a fortnight, or even sooner if the
annual ships (from England) arrive." The letter from which this
extract is taken is the last that has been preserved of Francklin's
interesting correspondence with William Hazen and James White. He died
at Halifax, Nov. 8, 1782. The masting business was, however, carried
on by Hazen, White and Peabody for several years longer. William
Davidson also continued to engage in the business. Although some
improvement was gradually made in the way the masting business was
conducted by the pioneer "lumbermen"--if we may so term them--the
methods employed down to 1825 were very crude. In that year Peter
Fisher writes. "In this country there is no article that can in any
degree furnish export equal to the pine, which is manufactured in the
simplest manner with but little trouble. So simple is the process that
most settlers who have the use of the axe can manufacture it, the
woods furnishing a sort of simple manufactory for the inhabitants,
from which, after attending to their farms in the summer, they can
draw returns during the winter for the supplies which are necessary
for the comfort of their families." Mr. Fisher enters a strong protest
against what was, even then a growing evil, namely, the wanton
destruction of valuable young timber by persons who were merely
speculators, and had little regard for the future.

The rapid increase in the lumber industry is seen from the fact that
in 1824 there was shipped from the port of St. John alone 114,116 tons
of Pine and Birch timber; 11,534,000 feet of Pine boards and planks;
1,923,000 staves; 491,000 Pine shingles; 1,918 masts and spars; 2,698
handspikes, oars and oar rafters; and 1,435 cords of lathwood; while
in addition large quantities were shipped from Miramichi, St. Andrews,
Richibucto and Bathurst. Up to 1825 there is scarcely any mention of
Spruce lumber as an article of export. The first Spruce deals cut in
New Brunswick were sawn in 1819, and the first cargo, which consisted
of only 100,000 superficial feet, was shipped to England in 1822.

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