Page:1898 NB Magazine.djvu/228

"To the Chiefs, Captains and principal Indians," in which he says:—

The presents were duly delivered to the Indians at Aukpaque by James White.^[1] The masts arrived safely at Fort Howe and the hostages were released. The first cargo of masts was brought to Halifax on the 22d November, 1780, by one of the navy transports.

The River St. John now assumed an importance in the eyes of British statesmen it had never before possessed. The power of Britain, then as now, centred in her navy, and the larger warships required such tall masts that trees suitable for the purpose were rarely found save in the depths of the primeval forest. Only the largest pines would answer, and these sound to the core, perfectly straight and free from shakes. The rebellion of the old colonies had cut off the supply from that quarter and the reservation of suitable trees in the remaining colonies became a matter of national concern. The masting business was a very important one in the early days of New Brunswick. Vessels were built expressly for carrying masts to England, and being of large size and sailing under protection of British frigates, they soon became the favorite passenger ships. The pine tree was for years considered the pride of our New Brunswick forest as well as the chief source of our forest wealth. It no doubt is the tree meant to be