SELECTIONS 
 
 FROM 
 
 THE RECORDS 
 
 OF THE 
 
 BENGAL GOVERNMENT. 
 
 N°. IX. 
 
 REPORT 
 
 on rna 
 
 XEAK FORESTS OP THE TENASSERIM PROVINCES. 
 
 By H. FALCONER, M. D., F. R, S., 
 
 superintendent of t::e t:on*,raeee company's botanical 
 gardens, calcutta, 
 
 WITH OTHER 
 
 PAPERS ON THE TEAK FORESTS OF INDIA. 
 
'0 
 
SELEC 
 
 FROM 
 
 THE RECORDS 
 
 OF 
 
 THE BENGAL GOVERNMENT. 
 
 N* IX. 
 REPORT 
 
 ON THE 
 
 TEAK FORESTS OE THE TENASSERIM PROVINCES. 
 
 Br 
 
 H. FALCONER, M. D., F. R. S., 
 
 SUPERINTENDENT OF THE HONORABLE COMPANY'S BOTANICAL GARDENS, CALCUTTA. 
 
 WITH OTHER 
 
 PAPERS ON THE TEAK FORESTS OF INDIA. 
 
 Calcutta: 
 
 F. CARBERY, MILITARY ORPHAN PRESS. 
 
 1852. 
 
Digitized by the Internet Archive 
 
 in 2009 with funding from 
 
 NCSU Libraries 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/reportonteakforeOOfalc 
 
PREFATORY REMARKS. 
 
 The Government having ordered the following Report on 
 the Tenasserim Teak Forests to be printed, it seemed desirable 
 to append to it, for general information, an abstract of the 
 various proceedings relating to the Forests since they came 
 into British possession at the close of the first Burmese War, 
 in 1826. 
 
 Whilst the Summary was in preparation, frequent refer- 
 ence was met with, in the documents passed under review, to 
 the measures in operation in the Teak Forests of Malabar, 
 Canara and Travancore ; to the results — past and prospective ; 
 and to the views of the Local Governments of Madras and 
 Bombay, on the general question of Forest administration. 
 
 It was in consequence deemed equally desirable to prepare 
 an abstract of the proceedings relative to the Malabar and 
 Canara Teak Forests, so as to place the whole subject in 
 connexion, and exhibit in a single publication, the history and 
 present condition of the principal Teak Forests in British 
 India. 
 
 These objects it has been attempted to carry out, in the 
 two Summaries and Appendix annexed to the leading Report, 
 embodied in this number of the Selections from the Records of 
 the Bengal Government. 
 
11 
 
 The documents which had to be consulted or abridged 
 are very voluminous : but endeavour has been made to select 
 from them every important statement, whether of fact or 
 opinion, having a bearing on the subject. 
 
 Detailed information on the Teak Forests in the Valley 
 of the Nerbudda and the adjoining Districts is still wanting. 
 
 The Summaries have been prepared more with a view to an 
 exposition, in the order of time, of the successive measures 
 adopted in the different Forests, than to a continued narrative 
 respecting any single district. 
 
 Bengal Secretariat, 1st January 1853. 
 
LIST OF PAPERS. 
 
 i> 
 
 Report on the Tenasserim Teak Forests, by Dr. Falconer, ... 
 
 Appended Documents, 
 
 Index to Dr. Falconer's Report, 
 
 Summary of Papers relating to the Tenasserim Forests, 
 
 Summary of Papers relating to the Madras and Bombay Forests, 
 Index to the foregoing Summaries, 
 
 age. 
 
 1 
 
 48 
 
 55 
 
 61 
 
 177 
 
 269 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 Information on the facilities afforded by the Port of Moulmein for 
 
 Ship-building, by Commander E. P. Halsted, R. N., I. 
 
 Observations in connexion with the route across to the head of the 
 
 Houndrow River, by E. O'Reilly, Esq., XXV. 
 
 MAPS, &c 
 
 Map of the Thoung-yeen and Attaran Forests to face page 1. 
 
 Fac-simile of the Tectona Grandis. ) A ~ _ . 
 
 > to lace page o4. 
 
 Fac-simile of the Tectona Hamiltonii. 3 
 
 Map of the Goojerat Forests to face page 262. 
 
ERRATA. 
 
 J) 
 M 
 
 Page. 5, line 11, for "forest''' read forests. 
 „ 6, „ 10, for " Eastern" read Western. 
 
 14, „ 3, from bottom add " note* — vide Summary,^. 123, foot-note." 
 30, „ 10, for " while the fruit was still attached to the," read, soon after the 
 fruit was detached from the. 
 
 38, line 20, for 484, read 4.84. 
 „ 39, „ 4, from bottom, insert the word the, after, supposing that. 
 
 8, for " greater," read " created." 
 
 9, and 10. For " Plant a Asiatica," read Plantce Asiaticce. 
 3, for " Melonorrhcea Vernix," read Melanorrhcea Vernix. 
 
 14, for " Therea robusta" read Shorea robusta. 
 2, for "wood-roil," read wood-oil. 
 
 1, for "paragraph 78," read paragraph 79. 
 
 2, for "para. 102," read para. 105. 
 
 46, 
 
 ?» 
 
 48, 
 
 H 
 
 67, 
 
 »J 
 
 66, 
 
 >> 
 
 83, 
 
 )> 
 
 127, 
 
 )) 
 
 163, 
 
 )J 
 
INSERT FOLDOUT HERE 
 
 
REPORT 
 
 ON THE 
 
 TENASSERIM TEAK FORESTS, 
 
 BY 
 
 H. FALCONER, M. D., F. R. S., 
 
 SUPERINTENDENT OF THE H. C. BOTANICAL GARDENS, CALCUTTA. 
 
 1. The Teak tree of commerce belongs to a genus, Tectona, which 
 comprises two species, viz., Tectona Grandis and Tectona Hamiltonii. 
 The former yields the valuable timber so highly prized for ship-building, 
 and is indigenous to Java, Ceylon, the Tenasserim Provinces, Siam, 
 Pegu, Ava, the mountainous parts of the Malabar and Coromandel 
 coasts, and the valley of the Nerbudda river. The second species, 
 T. Hamiltonii, called Ta-la-hat by the Burmese, has only been met with 
 along the banks of the Irrawaddi in Pegu, and on the sterile hills near 
 Prome, in Burma Proper. It is a much smaller tree than Tectona 
 Grandis, and the timber yielded by it is not used in ship-building, or 
 at any rate, is of very subordinate importance. 
 
 2. The Tenasserim Teak forests are confined to the northern or 
 upper provinces, extending to the Ye river, in lat. 15° 20'. They have 
 not been met with in the southern provinces of Tavoy and Mergui, 
 along the Tenasserim river, nor in lower Siam or the Malayan 
 Peninsula. This is the more remarkable, as regards the geographical 
 range of the species, since the Teak grows abundantly in Java, yielding 
 timber of the finest quality. 
 
 3. In the province of Amherst, Teak has been met with, in more 
 or less abundance, along the course of all the principal rivers and their 
 affluents ; but the great sources of supply are the forests on the 
 Attaran and Thoung-yeen rivers. The Teak region extends north- 
 wards from the province of Amherst, along the Salween river into the 
 Karenee country ; from the delta of the Irrawaddi river up along the 
 course of the Sitang river ; and through the heart of Burma Proper, 
 all along the Irrawaddi river, to a considerable distance north of Ava 
 the most productive and valuable forests being upon the Sarrawaddi 
 river, which joins the main stream near the apex of the delta. Teak was 
 observed by Dr. Wallich on Taoong Doong near Ummerapoora, in 
 
( 2 ) 
 
 lat. 22° ; and it has been also sparingly met with on the Arracan coast 
 along the Kaladyne river, 100 miles inland from Akyab, and at Toung- 
 goop and on the Thadde stream, in the district of Sandoway. 
 
 4. The Teak of the Irrawaddi has for a long period been largely 
 exported from Rangoon, under the name of Pegu Teak, and the forests 
 in Burma are still so productive that the timber at the present day 
 constitutes the most important article of the commerce of that port. 
 The resources of the Tenasserim Provinces have only been drawn upon 
 to any considerable extent since the Burmese war ; and in order to 
 attain an accurate idea of the present condition of the forests there, it 
 will be necessary to revert to the state in which they were reported to 
 have been when the country passed into our hands, and to the succes- 
 sive changes which they have undergone ;■ — preliminary to which I shall 
 offer some general observations on the physical characters of the Teak 
 country. 
 
 5. The province of Amherst extends from near the Three Pagodas, 
 in lat. 15° 20', to the confluence of the Salween and Thoung-yeen rivers, 
 in 17° 45' ; and its greatest width is between the port of Amherst in 
 east long. 97° 45' and the Thoung-yeen river, long. 99°. It is bound- 
 ed on the west by the sea-coast and the Salween river, which flows 
 here nearly from the due north, separating the province from the Bur- 
 mese district of Martaban : to the north and east it is bounded by the 
 Thoung-yeen river, which flows first from south-east, bending gradually 
 north-westward to join the Salween river ; and to the south by the 
 hills which form the sources of the Attaran, separating it from the 
 province of Ye. The superficial area of the Tenasserim Provinces is 
 estimated at about 33,000 square miles, 10,000 of which probably are 
 comprised within the province of Amherst. 
 
 6. The physical configuration of the country is that of a moun- 
 tainous and hilly region surrounding an extensive alluvial plain, inter- 
 sected by numerous large rivers, which converge to form a common 
 channel between the towns of Moulmein and Martaban, where they 
 debouche into the sea through a narrow break in the hilly boundary 
 which encircles the plain. The water communication of Moulmein with 
 the interior of the province through these rivers is probably unrivalled 
 in any other British possession in the East, of the same extent and 
 hilly character. 
 
 7. The greater part of this plain is a dead flat, little elevated above 
 the tidal level, and it has evidentlv the character of a delta formed bv 
 
( 3 ) 
 
 the silt of the Salween, Ghyne and Attaran rivers, which at a compara- 
 tively modern geological period must have emptied themselves into a 
 bay of the sea stretching inland from Martaban and Moulmein. This 
 delta is now pushing out into the gulf of Martaban upon the tail of the 
 large island of Beligeon, at the mouth of the common stream. The 
 largest extent of the plain lies between the Attaran and Ghvne rivers, 
 the Ghyne and Salween, and along the left bank of the Attaran. A 
 great portion of the entire area is occupied by shallow depressions form- 
 ing swamps, which during the monsoon are converted into extensive 
 lakes. This tract is characterized by grass or swampy reed jungle 
 bearing patches of forest along its borders, and wherever the land rises 
 above the level of inundation ; and a very small portion of it only is 
 under cultivation. 
 
 8. Low detached hills of compact blue cavernous limestone rise 
 abruptly at intervals through the great plain. They are chiefly seen 
 along the Attaran river, and between the Attaran and the Ghyne. 
 The common level of the flat is undisturbed at their base, and they 
 were evidently rocky islets of the inland bay, around which the great 
 delta plain was gradually deposited. These isolated hills form a very 
 prominent feature in the physical character of the plain of the province 
 of Amherst, presenting a very bold and rugged outline, with abrupt and 
 craggy scarped sides. They nowhere attain any considerable elevation, 
 being seldom so much as 1,000 feet above the level of the plain. 
 
 9. A range of hills, commencing at the point of the Malay Penin- 
 sula, stretches northward, forming, as it were, a spine to the Peninsula, 
 and from N. lat. 11° to lat. 17° 4/ separating the kingdom of Siam 
 from the Tenasserim Provinces. This range, at first low, increases gra- 
 dually in height and development as it proceeds northwards, till about 
 lat. 15°, where it throws off a branch range, composed of a mass of low 
 hills, which proceeds in a north-north-westerly direction across towards 
 the coast, and terminating in inconsiderable elevations at Moulmein. 
 The point where this branch of hills is given off forms a culminating 
 ridge from which the water-shed is directed, on the one hand, due south 
 from the sources of the great Tenasserim river, through the provinces 
 of Tavoy and Mergui, and on the other side, in a north-westerly 
 course into the basin of the province of Amherst, from the sources of 
 the Attaran and Houndrow rivers. The main ridge continues its nor- 
 therly direction, throwing off numerous spurs, till about N. lat. 17° when 
 it bends towards the north-west, — the water-shed of its eastern slope 
 
( 4 ) 
 
 fulling into the valley of the Thoung-yeen river, and of its western 
 slope into the Amherst basin, by the various feeders of the Iloundrow 
 and Ghyne rivers. 
 
 10. The low ridge skirting the coast, described above as terminat- 
 ing at Moulmein, leaves a gap for the passage of the united Moulmein 
 rivers, and then re-appears on the northern bank in the hill of Martaban, 
 and is continued northwards till it rejoins the main chain forming the 
 western boundary of the Salween river along the Burmese frontier. 
 Another ridge runs in nearly a parallel direction, forming the eastern 
 boundary of the Salween valley, and separating that river from the 
 Lhang-booa stream. These ridges of hill have as yet received no 
 recognized geographical names by which to characterize them. The 
 greatest height of the main ridge separating the Thoung-yeen valley 
 from the basin of Amherst province, is stated by Dr. Heifer to be about 
 5,300 feet. 
 
 11. The rivers of the province of Amherst belong to two systems, 
 which it is of importance to discriminate, as the distinction is intimately 
 connected with the past history of the supplies from the Teak forests, 
 and with their prospective resources. To the one system belong the 
 rivers which arise within the water-shed of the basin proper of the 
 province of Amherst, as defined by a natural boundary : these include 
 the Attaran, formed of two great branches, called the Weinyo and 
 Zimme, flowing from the southern side of the province : the Houndrow 
 from the south-east and east, the Daghyne and Lhang-booa from the north- 
 east and north, combining with the Houndrow to form the Ghyne river ; 
 and the lower Salween from the north and west side. These rivers indi- 
 cate the direction of the exhausted forests, or those upon which the great 
 drain of supply has taken place since 1829. To the other system 
 belong the Thoung-yeen and upper Salween rivers, flowing from beyond 
 the natural boundary of the province, and indicating the foreign 
 sources from which the current supplies of the Moulmein market are 
 chiefly derived. 
 
 12. The left bank of the Thoung-yeen river, it is true, is territorially 
 within the British frontier, but the valley itself is beyond the high 
 ridge which bounds the basin proper of the province, and the natural 
 line of demarcation would assign it to the Shan province of Siam. The 
 upper Salween comes from the Karenee country far beyond the British 
 frontier, the united streams below their juncture forming the Salween 
 river. 
 
( 5 ) 
 
 13. Teak has been yielded by all these rivers and their tributaries, 
 but the great productive forests are upon the upper branches of the 
 Attaran river within the basin, and on the Thoung-yeen river be- 
 yond it. 
 
 14. Dr. Wallich's Reports. — The earliest detailed information 
 
 regarding the forests within the basin is what is supplied by Dr. "VVallich 
 
 in his reports on the Salween and Attaran Teak forests, addressed to 
 
 Sir Archibald Campbell in the year 1827. Dr. Wallich had previously 
 
 gone up the Irrawaddi as far as Ava, and was thus prepared for the 
 
 forests on the Martaban side. His first report, dated the 23rd March 
 
 t „ , 1827, is upon the Salween forest, north of 
 
 Report on the Salween. . 
 
 of Moulmein. He ascended the river as far 
 as the island of Koa-lung, about 40 miles distant from Moulmein, and 
 within that range met with four Teak forests, two on the Burmese side 
 of the river and two on its eastern bank. The first considerable forest 
 he found near Miyang, which contained about 200 trees with boles 
 having an average girth of 7 feet 11 inches, estimated upon a mean 
 of 11 distinct measurements. A few miles higher up he came upon 
 another forest on the island of Koa-lung, consisting almost entirely of 
 Teak trees, which he estimated would yield 300 good logs. An 
 average of 16 measurements gave a girth of about 7 feet 7 inches, and his 
 people considered that the forest contained at least 2,000 trees of all 
 ages, Dr. Wallich did not ascend higher than Koa-lung, but he was 
 led to believe from the information which he received that more 
 extensive forests existed still higher up the river, and he recom- 
 mended that the Koa-lung forest should be taken under the ma- 
 nagement of the Government. These forests, from their proximity to 
 Moulmein were speedily worked, as the demand for Teak increased. 
 Captain Guthrie, in the Statement No. 3 appended to his report dated 
 the 20th June 1846, enumerated six forests upon the Salween, containing 
 only young or small trees, all under the regulation felling standard of 
 6 feet girth, there having not been one then remaining above that size. 
 
 15. Dr. Wallich next examined the forests to the south upon the 
 
 Attaran river, along its eastern or Zimme branch, which he ascended 
 
 A AiJ as far as the Mittigate valley, 100 miles bv 
 
 Report on the Attaran. ° •" J 
 
 water above Moulmein. He observed no Teak 
 on the united stream of the Attaran, nor along the lower portion of 
 the Zimme, within the range of the tide. The first Teak forest that he met 
 with was about 12 miles above the deserted village of Assamee. From 
 
( 6 ) 
 
 this point upwards he passed through a succession of Teak forests, or 
 rather patches of Teak, stretching along both banks of the river, the 
 timber increasing in size and abundance as he ascended. The principal 
 forests which he described were those upon the Goonjee and the Mit- 
 tigate creeks. Along the Kyoon-ben Kyoung, one of the lower bran- 
 ches of the latter, he found a magnificent forest covering several square 
 miles, full of Teak trees, and containing at least 2,000 trees of the 
 largest size, averaging 11 feet in girth. Dr. Wallich's exploration did not 
 extend higher up the Zimme river to the great forests above the Mitti- 
 gate, nor did his tour embrace the eastern or Weinyo branch of the 
 Attaran : but what he saw satisfied him that the forests, although not 
 inexhaustible, were capable of yielding large supplies of timber for 
 naval and military purposes, under a good system of conservancy. 
 With a view to this object, he recommended the felling of the largest 
 timbers, attention to their re-production, and an extension of the na- 
 tural boundaries of the forests by the establishment of plantations. Dr. 
 Wallich also recommended that all the Teak forests should be reserved 
 strictly for public use. He adds " unless this principle be acted upon 
 " at the very outset, I will venture to predict that private enterprize 
 " will very soon render fruitless all endeavours to perpetuate the sup- 
 u plies for the public service, and one of the principal and most certain 
 " sources of Revenue will thus be irrevocably lost." 
 
 16. The forests were at first worked upon this principle, exclusively 
 on account of the State ; but after a trial of two years, it was found that 
 they were worked to a loss, and in 1829, the Government threw them 
 open to the public, on the recommendation of Mr. Maingy, by a system 
 of lehmats or licences, revocable at will, to fell timber under certain 
 restrictions, and on the payment of an ad valorem duty of 15 per cent. 
 
 17. This measure gave so great a stimulus to the timber trade, and 
 to ship-building at Moulmein, that all the forests easily accessible by 
 water communication were speedily occupied by European and Native 
 traders, and the productive tracts were most actively worked. After being 
 in operation for a period of eight years, the subject was again brought 
 under the consideration of Government, by Mr. Blundell in 1837, with 
 a view to devise remedies for disputed rights, and encroachments caused 
 by keen competition and ill-defined boundaries, and for the perpetua- 
 tion of the timber supplies, which, under a system of indiscriminate 
 felling, were in danger of being exhausted. Mr. Blundell recommend- 
 ed an immediate detailed survey of the forests, and the appointment of 
 
( 7 ) 
 
 a competent conservator, with adequate powers, for the preservation and 
 renewal of the forests. 
 
 18. Dr. Heifer, in his reports dated the loth September 1837 and 
 the 23rd July 1838, refers briefly to the condition of the Salween and 
 Attaran Teak forests. Without entering into details, he stated his 
 opinion that the continuance of the existing system " would lead in a 
 short time to the extermination of all the available Teak forests," and 
 he recommended the establishment of Teak plantations on an extensive 
 scale. 
 
 19. Early in 1841 the Government, acting upon the suggestion of 
 Mr. Blundell, appointed Captain Tremenheere Superintendent of the 
 forests in the Tenasserim Provinces. But previously to that officer's 
 arrival at Moulmein, Mr. Blundell had deputed Captain O'Brien to 
 examine the Teak resources on the Attaran river, and to construct a 
 map showing the extent and boundaries of the forests. These officers 
 were in company during a part of their tour, and their separate reports 
 agreed in the leading conclusions, — that the extent and timber resources 
 of the Teak forests, upon the Attaran, Houndrow, and Ghyne rivers, 
 had been greatly over-estimated; that most of the timber originallv 
 contained in them had been already cut ; that the forests leased by the 
 Native traders were completely exhausted ; that they were everywhere 
 worked with the utmost waste and improvidence ; that the timbers were 
 felled and sawn green and unseasoned ; that violations of the forest rules 
 were practised generally and with impunity ; that there were no signs 
 of an adequate re-production of the forests by the spontaneous growth 
 of seedlings ; and that planting had nowhere been resorted to for the 
 renewal of the cut trees. Both officers urged the necessity of the en- 
 forcement of efficient conservancy rules, and of establishing plantations 
 on an extensive scale. Captain O'Brien states that he only met with 
 Teak seedlings, of natural growth, in a single instance during his tour. 
 Captain Tremenheere also framed a revised set of rules for the work- 
 ing of the forests and the reproduction of Teak, which were approved 
 by Government with some modifications, but which do not appear to 
 have been ever promulgated, or acted upon. 
 
 20. Captain Tremenheere, towards the end of 1845, was succeeded as 
 Superintendent of the forests by Captain Guthrie, who devoted great 
 attention to the whole subject. His observations and inquiries were 
 submitted in an elaborate report dated the 20th June 1846. Captain 
 Guthrie had personally examined the tracts along the Thoung-yeen, 
 
( 8 ) 
 
 Lhang-booa and Houndrow rivers. His assistant, Mr. Salmond, was 
 deputed to the Attaran forests, and Burmese agents were employed to 
 report on the lower Salween. Upon data derived from these sources, he 
 endeavoured to approximate to an estimate of the Teak timber, young and 
 old, contained in the whole of the forests, and to the prospective supplies 
 which they could yield. He shows that the forest rules were violated 
 everywhere; that under-sized and green timber were commonly felled ; 
 that the large logs were often sawn up into " loozars" (short lengths) ; 
 that the felled timbers were in many instances left in the forests to be 
 burnt during the periodical fires ; and that no attention was paid to the 
 renewal of the tree. He strongly enjoined the adoption of planting on 
 a large scale to ensure the perpetuation of the forests ; and as 
 the only effective means of accomplishing this object, he recommended 
 immediate resumption of the whole of the forests by Government. 
 Soon after, acting upon a penal clause in the rules framed by Mr. 
 Blundell in 1841, he summarily resumed large forest holdings, for 
 violation of the rules, backed by the concurrence of Captain Durand, 
 then Commissioner. These measures were entirely disapproved of by 
 Government, on the grounds that the penal clause was of no authority, 
 having never been confirmed or sanctioned, and the Commissioner was 
 directed forthwith to reinstate the ejected parties in their forest tenures. 
 
 21. Captain Latter was appointed to succeed Captain Guthrie as 
 Superintendent of the forests, and in July 1848 submitted an elaborate 
 report embodying his observations, chiefly made upon the tracts along 
 the Thoung-yeen river. The report is more especially remarkable 
 for the peculiar views advanced by Captain Latter, respecting the natural 
 conditions which regulate the propagation and spontaneous growth of 
 Teak from seedlings, and the measures which with reference thereto he 
 proposed adopting. Captain Latter vacated the appointment towards the 
 close of 1848, since when the office of Superintendent has remained in 
 abeyance, the duties connected with the forest administration being 
 performed under one of the Commissioner's assistants. 
 
 22. Mr. Colvin, in 1847, transmitted an important report to 
 Government, dated the 28th October, conveying his views upon the whole 
 subject of the forest administration, having regard more particularly 
 to the principles and conditions which should regulate the final settle- 
 ment of the leases to grantees, which had been disturbed by the eject- 
 ment measures of Captains Guthrie and Durand. Mr. Colvin also took 
 up the consideration of the reserved forests, which were retained 
 
( 9 ) 
 
 unleased, under orders from the Honorable Court of Directors, and 
 proposed some alterations in the timber duties levied at Moulmein, 
 and a reduction in the regulation size of the trees open to felling. 
 The leading principle advocated by Mr. Cohan was to follow out the 
 views contained in the Despatch of the Honorable Court, dated the 30th 
 November 1842, by recognizing the lehmats or licences which were 
 framed originally revocable at will, to represent rights of property in 
 the forest tracts, and to make them the basis of indefinite or lon^ 
 leases of 99 years, giving the grantees entire property in all the 
 products of the forests ; the object being, to render the interests of the 
 holders identical with those of the Government, by holding out a 
 sufficient motive for the good management and renewal of the Teak 
 forests by planting, so as to ensure an abundant prospective supply of 
 the timber ; — the Government in this manner to be relieved from the 
 responsibility and expense of holding the forests' management in its own 
 hands. 
 
 23. But in order to carry out the measure, it was essential to deter- 
 mine, in the first instance, what conditions of reproduction and planting 
 could equitably be enforced upon the forest-holders, so as to secure 
 the attainment of the desired object. The rules framed by Mr. 
 Blundell in April 1841, which under some slight modifications were 
 still in operation, required that five young trees should be raised for 
 every tree felled, under pain of resumption if neglected. Captain 
 Tremenheere proposed the substitution of three instead of five, but it 
 was a notorious fact that this rule was a dead letter, and that there was 
 no evidence of a single young tree having been raised by any of the 
 grantees, European or Native. The four Government nurseries or 
 plantations established by Captain Tremenheere, in 1843, had proved an 
 utter failure, a single plant only having been found in 1846, at Nat- 
 choung, growing out of the many thousands which had sprouted. The 
 Teak trees still standing in the forests were annually loaded with fruit, 
 which ripened well and yielded good seed, millions of which annually 
 strewed the ground : yet, while the Government surveyors and grantees 
 alike agreed that the forests were rapidly advancing to exhaustion, it 
 was equally admitted, that in the valuable and extensive Attaran 
 forests, there was no appearance of young trees rising to replace, in 
 adequate numbers, those which were felled. Captain O'Brien during 
 his careful survey had only remarked a single instance of well-marked 
 spontaneous growth of young plants. Captain Tremenheere, and other 
 
 B 
 
( io ) 
 
 Government officers gave statements to the same effect, — the only ob- 
 servation to the contrary having been made by Mr. Salmond, a subor- 
 dinate officer employed by Captain Guthrie, and his statement required 
 confirmation. The last officer, (Captain Latter,) who had reported on 
 the subject with the experience of his predecessors, and the ample infor- 
 mation contained in the forest Superintendent's office, before him, 
 gave it as his deliberate opinion, that healthy adult Teak did not yield 
 good or germinating seed ; that it was only the seed of trees which 
 were in the state of decrepitude and decay that was capable of ger- 
 mination ; that nurseries and transplanting would prove a failure, and 
 that the periodical recurrence of scorching by jungle fires was not 
 detrimental to the ultimate vigorous growth of the young plant. 
 Under these circumstances it was a moot point among the grantees, 
 whether it was actually possible to renew the forests by artificial means, 
 and until this point was settled, any penal condition for neglect of 
 planting must have remained inoperative as it had been before. 
 
 24. While such was the complexion of the information regarding 
 the forests along the rivers, within the basin proper of the province, in 
 which alone leases were to be granted, it appeared from the reports of 
 Mr. Maling, Captain Guthrie, and others, that the forests along 
 the Thoung-yeen river beyond the basin, which were worked for 
 the Government by annual tenders, for the removal of a specified 
 number of logs, — that these forests, in many places, showed a fair 
 proportion of young trees, promising to replace those which were felled. 
 The Commissioner was therefore desirous to get some professional 
 opinion upon the subject, founded upon an actual examination of the 
 forests, and upon Mr. Colvin's application I was deputed by Govern- 
 ment to proceed to Moulmein, in January 1849, upon this duty. 
 
 25. I shall now submit the results of my observations and inquiries 
 on the forests. 
 
 26. I arrived at Moulmein on the 19th January, and having placed 
 myself in communication with the Commissioner, I received a memo- 
 randum of instructions,* dated the 22nd 
 
 * Appendix No. 1. . . 
 
 January, from Mr. Colvm, indicating the 
 
 principal points to which my attention was to be directed. Captain 
 
 Berdmore, of the Madras Artillery, Assistant to the Commissioner and 
 
 in charge of the forests' office, was joined with me in the tour, one of 
 
 the objects of his mission being to investigate the boundary with the 
 
 Shan country, near the heads of the Thoung-yeen river. 
 
( 11 ) 
 
 27. The memorandum of instructions directed us to proceed in the 
 first instance to the upper part of the Weinyo river, to examine the 
 Thengan-nyee-NyouDg reserved forest, its resources, and capabilities 
 for the artificial culture of Teak by planting ; thence to visit the forests 
 on the upper waters of the Zimnie river, and to examine the condition 
 of the Kyoon-Geown, Megwa, and Mittigate forests. The upper 
 Mittigate or Kyouk-Taga, an important reserved forest, was indicated 
 as a special object of inspection. From the Attaran river we were 
 directed to proceed across the hilly country to the Thoung-yeen river, 
 along which we were to descend as far as the Winsaw creek, and thence 
 return to Moulmein. 
 
 28. We started for the forests on the 30th January, our route being 
 along the left bank of the Attaran. We ascended the Weinyo river 
 to near its sources, and on the 7th February arrived in the Thengan- 
 nyee-Nyoung forest, where we remained for five days. Thence we 
 proceeded across the hilly country separating the valley of the Weinyo 
 from the Zimme, and on the 15th February reached the Kyoon-Geown 
 forest, upon the banks of the Zimme, where we remained four days. 
 Thence we descended the Zimme to the Megwa Kyoung, and halted on 
 the Megwa forests four days. From the Megwa we proceeded, on 
 the 23rd February, and reached the Mittigate Codoogway valley on 
 the 24th, where we halted three days. Thence we made for the Mitti- 
 gate forest on the 27th, and from that ascended the Mittigate creek 
 to the reserved Kyouk-Taga, or upper Mittigate forests, where we 
 halted two days. From Kyouk-Taga we descended the Mittigate 
 creek, and penetrated the tract of forest lying between it and the 
 Goonjee Kyoung. On the 4th March we reached the Karen village 
 of Toung-Wyn, on the banks of the Goonjee creek, where we halted 
 till the 6th. The examination of the Attaran had occupied so much 
 time, that the season was now much too advanced to admit of an 
 examination of the distant Thoung-yeen forests. I was at the same time 
 attacked with indisposition to such an extent as disabled me from walk- 
 ing, and returned to Moulmein on the 9th March; having passed 
 through the Goonjee Teak forests, and the patches intervening between 
 that creek and the Nat-choung Kyoung, I was thus enabled during the 
 tour to inspect all the great forests upon the Weinyo and Zimme 
 rivers. 
 
 29. The Tenasserim Teak forests, as they are commonly called, are 
 not, like the Pine and Oak forests of Europe, extensive tracts covered 
 
( 12 ) 
 
 by a single species of tree, — but forests composed of many species, of 
 which the Teak is by no means the most common or prevailing form. 
 Gregarious forests of one species are nowhere met with in India at 
 low altitudes : the exceptions geographically, occurring at considerable 
 elevations in the Himalayan, in the region of the Pines. The Teak 
 tree where most abundant grows intermixed with other large forest 
 trees, and it is never seen in the Tenasserim Provinces in the same 
 numerical proportion to the other trees that Saul is in the Saul forests 
 of Hindoostan, or Sissoo in the forests where that tree abounds. Du- 
 ring the whole of my tour I never saw a patch of any extent composed 
 of Teak trees alone. Exceptional cases have been mentioned by others 
 on the Lhang-booa ; but the instances are so partial as not to disturb 
 the general application of the observation. Where the Teak is most 
 numerous, it is mentioned, in previous reports to Government, that it 
 rarely exceeds 1 in 10 of the surrounding trees, and my own observa- 
 tion confirms the statement. Ordinarily, in a Teak tract of any extent, 
 the proportion is not so great. Many of the associated trees attain a 
 larger size, and occur in greater numbers. The Teak has therefore, 
 during the whole of its existence, to maintain a struggle with numerous 
 competitors of other species, to retain its hold in the forests. "Where a 
 tree perishes, or is cut down, the readiest grower among the surround- 
 ing species will most probably be the one which will occupy its place. 
 
 30. Nor do the so-called Teak forests, that is to say, forests con- 
 taining occasional Teak, occur continuously along a great stretch. The 
 tree is usually found in patches or belts along the great rivers, but 
 more especially up the courses of their feeders, the creeks, or Kyoungs 
 as they are locally named in the province. These patches are often 
 interrupted for miles, where one passes through a dense lofty forest, 
 without meeting a Teak or only an occasional straggling tree. 
 
 31. The favorite habitat of the tree is in the uplands, near the sour- 
 ces of the great rivers, or their affluents, upon the flat or shelving banks 
 of streams, along which it occurs in dense tree forest within a belt of 
 150 to 200 yards. It is rarely seen so far as a quarter of a mile from 
 running water. It grows most vigorously in the rich and moist soil of 
 the bottoms of the upland valleys, where not exposed to protracted 
 inundation. In the Zimme and Weinyo forests it is rarely seen on the 
 slopes of hilly ground, the only remarkable exception we met with 
 having been in a patch of young Teak in the Mittigate Codoogway, 
 growing on the side of a low eminence. In the Thoung-yeen forests it 
 
( 13 ) 
 
 is described as occasionally growing on steep cliffs, and its favorite 
 habitat on the Malabar coast is on the sides of the hills. The next 
 prevailing site of Teak is upon the steppes of forest skirting the main 
 streams, where the trees are more open, and growing intermixed with 
 grass jnngle. The timber in this case does not draw up to such a height 
 of trunk, but grows with a more expanded crown, yielding short logs, 
 crooks and bends. It decreases in abundance as we descend lower 
 along the streams towards the delta plain, where the country becomes 
 still more open with heavy grass jungle, forming probably not more 
 than 1 to 30 or 40 of the surrounding trees, and the timber here is 
 usually stunted or deformed. It ceases altogether in the low swampy 
 tracts liable to submergence during the monsoon. 
 
 32. The trees occurring in the forests in which Teak grows are 
 very numerous, consisting of species of Dillenia, Lagerstraemia, Nau- 
 clea, Conocarpus, Dipterocarpus, Hopea, Vatica, Bombax, Paritium, 
 Sterculia, Inga, Acacia, Pterocarpus, Butea, Dalbergia, Pongamia, 
 Cathartocarpus, Cassia, Gordonia, Calophyllum, Garcinia, Millingtonia, 
 Uvaria, Guatteria, Jambosa, Careya, Pterospermum, Elseocarpus, Gre- 
 wia, Diospyros, Tetranthera, Croton, Rottlera, Gynocardia, Trewia, 
 Pierardia, Melauorrhsea, Blackwellia, Quercus, Castanea, Antidesma, 
 Ficus, Artocarpus, Myristica, Aglaia, Bignonia, Calosanthes, Spathodea, 
 Cratseva, Toddalia, Dalrymplea, Agathis, Cyrtophyllum, Psychotria, 
 Heynea, and many others. The more open part of the jungle abounds 
 in Bamboos, some of which attain an immense size, while the denser 
 parts near water abound in Zalacca and Rattans. 
 
 33. The Teak attains the largest size and yields the finest logs in 
 the shady dense forests. The tree is then obliged to draw up, with a 
 long cylindrical trunk, in order to push its crown into the light, and to 
 such a stately height does it grow, from this cause, under favorable cir- 
 cumstances, that I have measured trees with 63 feet of length of trunk 
 before the off-set of the first branch, — the stem straight and clean, with 
 13 feet girth near the base and 10 feet girth at 27 feet. The density 
 of the shade precludes the growth of grass jungle, and these forests 
 escape the periodical visitation of annual fires, to which the more open 
 forests are exposed. This is a consideration of great importance with 
 reference to prospective planting operations. I have seen cases of fallen 
 logs in such forests, which had lain at least 10 years, and probably 
 much longer, on the ground, without a symptom of decay, and without 
 an indication of charring : while in the open forests, hundreds of logs 
 
( 14 ) 
 
 felled the previous season, but for which there were no means of remo- 
 val at the proper time, have been observed utterly destroyed by the 
 fires propagated through the grass jungle in March and April. So 
 great a waste of timber was there in the forests from this cause, that 
 a penal regulation was enacted, compelling the removal of timbers the 
 same season in which they were felled. 
 
 34. The Attaran Teak, from the upper forests of the Weinyo and 
 Zimme, has yielded the logs of the best quality and largest scantling 
 that are brought to Moulmein. The timber is even and open in the 
 grain, strong and elastic, and the logs are more free from defects and 
 clefts than those from the Thoung-yeen and Lhang-booa rivers. The 
 Thoung-yeen Teak is more stunted in the growth, more uneven in the 
 bole, and more curly in the grain. It is often deformed by buttressed 
 ribs, rising from the base, forming fluted or channelled logs, which 
 cause great waste and loss of scantling in the conversion into squared 
 logs. On the Malabar coast on the contrary, the mountain or slow- 
 grown Teak is the most prized, as more dense, durable, and oily. 
 
 35. Malabar Teak is by common consent ranked higher for ship- 
 building than Tenasserim or Pegu timber. The cause of its greater 
 durability, and power of resisting dry-rot, appears to depend chiefly on 
 its more oily or resinous quality, and the greater density arising from 
 its slow growth on the sides of hills. When H. M. ship the " Carna- 
 tic" was broken up, some of the timbers presented an appearance 
 which the master shipwrights of the dock-yard considered to indi- 
 cate dry-rot. A specimen was forwarded to an eminent English 
 botanist, who on examining it found the timber to be sound, and that 
 the appearance was caused by numerous tubular, slender reservoirs of 
 a concrete resinous substance, the abundance of which probably consti- 
 tuted the reason of its durable quality. On the Bombay side, the 
 Malabar timber is considered to be from 20 to 30 per cent, better than 
 Pegu Teak, and the reason assigned for the great difference in the 
 Bombay dock-yard, and forest reports, is the destructive practice, 
 which is said to prevail on the Burmese coast, of extracting tar and oil 
 from the Teak. So current has been the belief in this practice, that 
 Dr. Gibson, the Conservator of the Malabar forests, alludes to it in a 
 late report. But no such practice exists anywhere, so far as I could 
 learn, in the Burmese or Tenasserim Provinces. The timber as it 
 grows there does not contain oil or resin enough for the purpose, and 
 the impression has probably originated in the circumstance that the 
 
( 15 ) 
 
 Kunyen or Dipterocarpus Icevis, with other species, is universally 
 tapped in the Burmese provinces for the useful balsam, or " wood oil," 
 which it yields on incision, — the oil known in the Bengal provinces by 
 the name " Gurjun." Mr. Monro, the Conservator of the Travancore 
 forests, in one of the Madras reports, states that the mountain Teak, 
 after being girdled, and standing to season for one or two years before 
 felling, is so full of oil, that the logs will not float till five or six years 
 afterwards. Saturation with oil is never seen in any of the Teak timber 
 of the Tenasserim rivers. After girdling they stand one or two seasons 
 before felling, and are then fit to be floated in rafts, or in single logs, 
 down the river. Logs felled green, without girdling, will not float. 
 
 36. But although one or two years' seasoning, after being killed by 
 girdling, is considered sufficient to bring the timber into a merchantable 
 condition, and fit for ship-building, the wood takes a much longer time 
 to desiccate thoroughly. This has been well shown by a series of speci- 
 mens in the interesting museum attached to the Admiralty Surveyor's 
 office at Somerset House, which I have examined. Blocks of Teak, form- 
 ing one foot cubes, derived from Java, Malabar, and the Burmese coast, 
 have been weighed annually, and the decrements recorded on the blocks, 
 the result showing that Teak timber goes on drying and shrinking with 
 loss of weight, for at least four or five years after its arrival in England. 
 
 37. The same result has been yielded by observation on the timber 
 brought in different states of seasoning from the forest. Captain Guth- 
 rie mentions (para. 4.2), that some of the close-grained fine timber from 
 the Attaran had been fouud as heavy as 22 cwt. to the measurement 
 ton of 50 cubic feet, while dead timber from the Thoung-yeen, that is 
 to say, timber which had died by natural causes or been uprooted by 
 storms, had proved as light as 16 cwt. to the ton. The timber in the 
 latter case had probably lain for many years on the ground and become 
 thoroughly desiccated. 
 
 38. The mixture of this light dead timber, with unseasoned logs 
 which have been felled green, and logs flawed with holes and clefts from 
 the Thoung-yeen, in the shipments made to England, is generally 
 considered to have been the cause of the bad repute into which the 
 Tenasserim Teak has fallen at home for ship-building, as compared 
 with Malabar timber. The two latter circumstances had probably 
 more to do with the result than the first. 
 
 39. Another circumstance deserving of remark is, that the core of 
 Teak timber is not so compact as the hard wood outside of it. The 
 
( 16 ) 
 
 duramen, or hard wood, is pretty uniform till it approaches the pith, 
 when it becomes more spongy, and liable to flaws and unsoundness, 
 especially near the but of the log. This circumstance is duly attended 
 to at Moulmein when the timber is sawn up into plank or slab, and 
 a careful selection made as to quality. The centre slab, occupying 
 about four inches in thickness of the core, is put aside and reserved for 
 inferior purposes. It is not improbable that these two circumstances, 
 viz. the shrinking and desiccation of the timber, long after it is con- 
 sidered fit for ship-building, and the inferior quality of the central slab, 
 may have had something to do with the disrepute into which Teak has 
 fallen for gun-carriage and ordnance purposes, in latter years, as com- 
 pared with Sissoo. I understand that the joint Ordnance Committee from 
 the three Presidencies reported so unfavorably of Teak for gun-carriages, 
 as to lead to the general discontinuance, or very partial use only, of the 
 timber for that purpose. At Moulmein it is still used in the Ordnance 
 Commissariat yard, making a careful selection of well-seasoned and long- 
 dried Teak, and excluding the core timber ; the gun-carriages thus con- 
 structed are there considered in every respect equal to the best that are 
 made of Sissoo in Bengal. Should the conjecture hazarded here prove to 
 have a foundation, the subject might be open for reconsideration with re- 
 ference to the great demand for suitable timber for ordnance purposes. 
 
 40. The Teak in favorable ground shoots up rapidly during the first 
 8 or 10 years. I have cut down a young tree measuring 25 feet in height, 
 with a slender stem of 11 inches in girth near the base, which showed 8 
 concentric rings, indicating 8 years of age. After this the growth is 
 much slower, and the tree does not attain the timber size of 6 to 8 feet 
 in girth under from 80 to 100 years : varying greatly according to situ- 
 ation, soil, and exposure. On the Attaran river, trees of 88 years have 
 been found to attain 12 feet in girth, while on the upper parts of the 
 Houndrow, the same dimensions have not been exceeded in trees 218 
 years old, the timber in the latter case being close-grained, compact, 
 and sound to the very core, — while the quick-grown timber is often 
 affected with unsoundness. The largest scantling, which I observed 
 during my tour, was in the Thengan-nyee-Nyoung forest, where an 
 old-standing tree measured 22 in girth at a height of 5 feet above 
 the root. 
 
 41. The tree during its growth does not seem to suffer much from 
 the ravages of parasitical insects. Captain Tremenheere mentions 
 that the stem is attacked by a beetle in the Thoung-yeen, which bores 
 
( I?- ) 
 
 Teredo-like holes. I observed no marks of the operations of such an 
 insect in the Attaran forests, where the great injury done to the grow- 
 ing Teak is caused by the annual fires. Capt. 
 
 ig » Report dated 26th June Guthrie * ha§ remarkec ^ (para . 14 J that in the 
 
 Thoung-yeen it is more liable to suffer from 
 
 large parasitical creepers than any other tree, and Captain Latter has 
 
 f Dated irth May 1848. expatiated at length upon this point in his 
 
 report, f (paras. 24 and 29.) He states that, 
 " in the middle and upper Thoung-yeen the greatest enemy to the Teak 
 " trees is a species of parasitical Ficus. It is curious to see the process 
 " by which this plant entirely destroys a tree. At first, under the guise 
 " of a slender and graceful creeper, scarcely the thickness of a finger, 
 " it appears only to appeal for support. In its second stage, it 
 " may be seen spreading out the woody structure of its stem, and 
 " shooting its light foliage far above the original tree, yet appearing, 
 " however, to vegetate with it, as it were, on equal terms ; till last 
 " comes the closing scene, — the parasite has entirely enveloped the 
 " original tree in its deadly folds, and absorbing all the juices of its life, 
 " nothing remains but the projected stump of some withered arm to 
 " show that any other plant had once been there. Yet this parasite 
 " appears never to attack trees of a perfectly vigorous and healthy 
 " growth ; and thus it is that I have never seen an instance of its 
 " presence in the forests of the Attaran, or of Kamokla and Kyokhet." 
 42. The epiphytic species of Ficus referred to by Captain Latter form 
 large trees, which abound in the Attaran forests with the habit of the 
 Ficus religiosa and Ficus cordifolia (the Peepul and Assoud of Bengal), 
 and we met with them frequently on the Attaran, upon the Teak trees 
 of the Upper Mittigate and Thengan-nyee-Nyoung, enclosing them in 
 their embrace, in the manner described by Captain Latter, except that 
 they are not true parasites, and do not suck the juices of the trees 
 upon which they grow, using them merely as fulcra of growth. They 
 chiefly fix upon very large trees, and infest other forest species besides 
 Teak, in the course of time smothering and destroying the finest timber 
 in the forests. The reason of their being so frequent on Teak I believe 
 to be this : the Tenasserim forests abound in two large species of 
 Buceros ; these birds feed largely upon the fruits of the Nyoung-ben, 
 or wild figs : they are very timid and wary in their habits, and gene- 
 rally perch upon the highest branches of the loftiest trees having any 
 tendency to deciduous leaves. The tall Teaks are, in consequence, their 
 
 c 
 
( 18 ) 
 
 fovorite haunts : and the fig seeds after digestion are dropt by them, in 
 the most favorable condition for germination, and are caught in the 
 forks of the large branches, whence, after germinating, they send down 
 their long roots along the trunk to the ground, and ultimately envelope 
 the tree. As these parasites infest only the largest trees, the obvious 
 remedy is to fell the timbers upon which they make their appearance. 
 
 43. The injury caused by the fires in the Spring is very great, and 
 has been strongly insisted upon by almost all preAdous observers. The 
 grass jungle in the open forests grows very strong and rank, and after 
 the monsoon, when dry and withered, it burns with the utmost violence 
 and rapidity, forming sheets of fire extending over large surfaces, 
 according to the direction of the wind. These fires envelope everything 
 that they meet in their progress. The underwood is burnt up, and the 
 smaller sized trees have their stems and branches scorched, and are 
 either destroyed or receive a severe check. The larger trees suffer less 
 in proportion to their height, but the flame often rises to the lower 
 branches, while the trunk, by successive repetitions of the injury, gets 
 charred at the base, leading eventually to flaws and hollows, which 
 render the timber unsound and destroy its value. The stumps of felled 
 trees and strewn logs are often seen burning for days after the flame 
 has passed by. The only dissentient opinion to the injurious operations 
 of these fires has been advanced by Captain Latter, who considers that 
 their destructive effects have been exaggerated : he thinks that " each 
 " successive destruction of the stem throws accumulating vigour into the 
 " root, till at last, aided by the ashes of its former self, the plant is 
 " enabled, during the interval of visitation, to shoot itself beyond the 
 " influence of the destroying element." But this view is open to nu- 
 merous grave objections. 
 
 44. I shall now submit my observations on the different forests, 
 in the order in which we inspected them. Along our line of route up 
 the Weinyo, we met with hardly any Teak until we reached the 
 Thengan-nyee-Nyoung. The forest maps indicate numerous patches 
 along the Pakaa-booai, Phabia, and Croongwoant creeks, and Captain 
 Guthrie, in statement No. 6 appended to his report, dated 20th June 
 1846, enumerates 18 forest holdings on the Weinyo, most of them in 
 the hands of native traders. Almost the whole of these have been 
 worked out, and little remains to indicate that they had formerly bore 
 Teak, besides dead stumps and an occasional unsound tree which was 
 not worth removing. 
 
( 19 ) 
 
 45. The Thengan-nyee-Nyoung forest extends along both banks 
 of the stream of that name and the Mevee-toh-Kvoung, and between 
 them and the "Weinyo till the confluence of their united waters with 
 that river.. This forest was first explored by Captain O'Brien, in 1841. 
 He found then that about 500 of the finest trees contained in it, 
 some of them 16 feet in circumference, and with perpendicular trunks 
 60 feet high, had been killed the previous year without a licence. 
 Captain O'Brien does not state the number of trees he considered to 
 be still standing upon it, but on his representation the forest was reser- 
 ved by Mr. Bluudell, permission having subsequently been given to a 
 neighbouring forest-holder to remove the killed trees. Captain Guthrie, 
 from the information submitted to him, estimated that in 1846 it 
 contained about 3,000 timbers above the regulation size of 6 feet girth, 
 and nearly 4,000 young trees. But this estimate I considered to have 
 been very much in excess, more especially as regards the large trees. 
 On examining the forest in every direction, during the five days we halted 
 there, I was greatly disappointed in the quantity of Teak which I ex- 
 pected to have found. So far from being reserved, it has been actively 
 worked. Regarding its general aspect, it is one of the finest forests 
 in the province, — all the species of trees growing in it attaining the 
 largest size, the soil being rich, free, and sandy ; but the Teak trees bear 
 but a small proportion to the other species, and are widely scattered 
 throughout the forest, except on occasional patches, where they occur 
 in greater abundance. Teak here reaches the most magnificent growth ; 
 one which I measured was 22 feet in girth ; but the timber was in 
 many cases unsound, with a hollow core above the root. We observed 
 a considerable show of half-grown trees, but very few young seedlings, 
 although there was abundance of good seed on the trees, which I proved 
 by examination on the spot, and subsequently getting them to germi- 
 nate. I consider the Thengan-nyee-Nyoung forest to be well adapted as 
 a locality for artificial culture of the tree by planting, and the spot which 
 I would indicate for the purpose is the point near the confluence of the 
 Thengan-nyee-Nyoung with the Weinyo. The unsoundness of the 
 large standing timber, I consider to have been caused by the natural 
 decay which sooner or later affects all old trees that are left to stand too 
 long after they have attained their maturity, and that it constitutes no 
 objection in this case to renewal of the forest by planting. Mr. 
 * " Observations " dated O'Reilly* who visited the same forest, inde- 
 15th April 1849, para. 3. pendently, a short timej^efore, lias given a very 
 
( 20 ) 
 
 unfavorable opinion of its resources, and does not consider that more 
 than about 200 sound timbers are remaining. He regards its " value as 
 a reserve for future supplies as of the lowest scale of importance." 
 
 46. We ascended the Thengan-nyee-Nyoung river above the Teak 
 forest, in our route to the Zimme, but observed no Teak timber. 
 On the 15th February we passed through a forest upon one of the 
 feeders of the Mezelee Kyoung, worked by natives; and here for the 
 first time I saw a well-marked instance of the spontaneous growth of 
 young Teak seedlings, under favorable circumstances for the observation. 
 So much has been asserted about the total absence of seedlings on the 
 Attaran rivers, that I shall extract the remarks as entered in mv note- 
 book. " On the left bank of the stream we came suddenly upon a con- 
 " siderable patch of Teak seedlings, under and about 8 years old ; cut 
 " down one measuring 25 feet long with 1 1 inches girth, which showed 
 " eight concentric rings of annual growth. A large Teak tree, close by, 
 " and embraced by an epiphytical Ficus (Nyoung), was the parent stock ; 
 " six stumps of felled trees were in sight close by ; and I counted twenty 
 " seedlings under eight years growing thick around. The spot open, 
 " no covering of leaf-mould, soil free and sandy, on a rising ground, well 
 " drained. Abuudance of bamboos growing in the neighbourhood." 
 
 47. We next examined the Kyoon-Geown forest, upon the upper 
 waters of the Zimme river. This forest, belonging to the Nathmoo 
 estate, occupies an irregular steppe upon the eastern bank of the river, 
 extending about 1^ to 2 miles inwards, when it terminates in a series of 
 low hills. It has been estimated to include an area of about eight square 
 miles. In its general aspect, it differs very much from Thengan-nyee- 
 Nyoung, being open, with abundance of grass jungle mixed up with 
 the trees. It was first reported upon in 1841, by Captain O'Brien, and 
 was then so rich that he estimated that there were about 10 or 12,000 
 full-sized timbers upon it, with abundance of half-grown trees. Since 
 that time it has been so actively and continuously worked, that all the 
 finest timbers, and a large quantity of under-sized trees, have been cut 
 down ; what remains upon it now, consists chiefly of defective timber or 
 small trees. While we were there, a party of Burmese were at work 
 under the orders of Messrs. Mackey and Co., and the head man stated 
 that he expected that season to get about 800 logs; but the felling had 
 been so vigorously followed up before, that most of the trees upon which 
 they were now at work were unsound, and had not been considered 
 worth felling while better timber was to be had. The great number of 
 
( 21 ) 
 
 stumps showed that the proportion of Teak in this forest to the other 
 trees was unusually large. We did not observe any young seedlings in 
 the Kyoon-Geown. Their absence here was readily explicable, from 
 the great force of the annual conflagrations, of which we saw striking 
 marks everywhere, in burnt strewn logs and charred stumps. The 
 forest is so open, and the grass jungle so abundant, that the native 
 woodsmen, employed in felling and girdling, are compelled to make a 
 clearance by fire to enable them to move about with safety, and patches 
 were daily set on fire by them while we were on the spot. The 
 Kyoon-Geown forest must be considered to be in an advanced state 
 towards exhaustion, so far as regards current supplies, and the rising 
 stock of young trees is insufficient for its adequate renewal. The 
 former richness of the forest would indicate it as an eligible site for 
 planting operations; but the liability to fire renders it unadvisable 
 to propose any general system of planting throughout it. There are 
 spots which are less open to this contingency, and as the most 
 favorable of these, I would indicate the eastern branch of the Kyoon- 
 Geown creek, about a mile above its confluence with the Zimme 
 river. 
 
 48. From Kvoon-Geown we descended the Zimme to the forests 
 on the Megwa creek. These forests also, upon the Nathmoo estate, 
 present characters very closely resembling those of the Kyoon- 
 Geown. They are estimated to cover an extent of about 18 square 
 miles. When visited by Captain O'Brien in 1841, there was abundance 
 of the finest timber upon every part of -the stream ; but they have been 
 most actively worked since, and will in the course of a few years pro- 
 bably be cleared out. 
 
 49. The forests upon the different branches of the Mittigate creek 
 were the next that we visited. They are of great importance, and 
 were pointed out in Mr. Colvin's memorandum as special objects of 
 inspection. They consist of three great forests, the Mittigate Proper, 
 the Mittigate Codoogway, or branch Mittigate, and the Upper Mittigate, 
 occupying an extensive tract of wooded country lying between the 
 Weinyo river and the Toung-Wyn range of hills, the western drainage 
 of which falls into the Weinyo. 
 
 50. We first ascended the Mittigate Codoogway, or southern 
 branch, and proceeded to near its source. The lowest part of the 
 original forest commences about 3| miles above the junction of the 
 main creek with the river, and extends about 2 miles up the stream, but 
 
( 22 ) 
 
 this tract is now entirely cleared of Teak timber, the workings upon it 
 having been actively carried on by one of the European licence-holders 
 as far back as 1835, and hardly a standing tree has been left. The 
 forest is then interrupted for some distance, but abounds in magnificent 
 trees of other species, such as Kunyen, Peema, Gyoung, Peengadoe, 
 Thengan, &c. The finest Kunyen, oil trees (Dipterocarpus lavis,) 
 which I met with in the province were along this part of the Codoogway. 
 We then entered upon another patch of forest, containing Teak trees 
 of large growth, thinly scattered along the banks of the stream, 
 but observed no young seedlings. This tract had been also worked 
 several years before, without a licence, and the finest trees killed. The 
 luxuriance of the forest vegetation continued as we ascended towards the 
 sources of the Codoogway, and a few miles higher up we came upon a 
 succession of low eminences, upon which there were young Teak trees 
 growing in abundance, promising eventually a large supply of fine tim- 
 ber. Captain Guthrie has computed the number at upwards of 5,000, 
 from data furnished by his native establishment, but this estimate can 
 only be considered as approximate, and is probably considerably in 
 excess. We had now reached the base of the Toung Wyn hills, upon 
 which we ascended for about two miles through dense tree forests 
 of the most stately growth, but entirely devoid of Teak, till we were 
 arrested by the precipitous gorge through which the Codoogway escapes 
 from the hills. 
 
 51. The Mittigate Codoogway forests, after having been worked by 
 the early traders, were resumed by Government, and held for some 
 years as reserved; but in the beginning of 1849 they were leased out 
 to Messrs. Mackey and Co., by Mr. Colvin. The resources of standing 
 timber for current supplies are limited, and will soon be exhausted ; 
 but I consider that the capabilities are very great for the growth of 
 young trees, by planting along the Codoogway creek, for about 8 or 10 
 miles above its confluence with the main stream, (Mittigate Kyoung.) 
 The soil upon the banks of the creek and its feeders is good, being free 
 and sandy, with a copious mixture of leaf-mould, while the low eminences 
 along its upper portion have a covering of sand and clay, admitting of 
 every variety of growth. 
 
 52. From the upper part of the Codoogway, we proceeded northwards 
 over a series of low knolls covered with bamboo and grass jungle, but 
 devoid of Teak ; and after a march of 10 or 12 miles, we entered the 
 upper division of the Mittigate Proper. This forest is estimated to 
 
( 23 ) 
 
 cover about 24 square miles, nearly the half of which bears Teak. The 
 Teak-yielding tract commences near the confluence of the Codoogway, 
 and extends almost continuously for about 8 or 10 miles up the main 
 stream on its northern banks. A very rich patch lies upon the banks of 
 a small affluent, the Kyoon-ben-Kyoung, so called from the prevalence 
 of the tree. I did not examine the lower part of the forest, as my 
 companion Captain Berdmore had been specially deputed upon the 
 duty by the Commissioner, during a distinct tour made a few weeks 
 before. The upper portion stretches in a belt of about 200 yards wide 
 along the very tortuous course of the creek, chiefly upon the right 
 bank, on undulating dry ground. The forest is very open and full of 
 grass jungle, the Teak occurring in detached or occasional trees, 
 straggling at intervals along the banks. 
 
 53. The Mittigate appears formerly to have been one of the richest 
 forests in the province. When visited by Dr. Wallich in 1827, it was 
 described as containing many thousand Teak trees, of the largest size, 
 and finest quality of timber. In the interval between that date and 
 1835, it was actively worked by Captain Warwick. It then passed into 
 other hands, by whom the drain upon its timber resources has been 
 conducted with equal vigour. The Mittigate forest has therefore been 
 20 years continuously under the full operation of the axe, and the 
 greater part of the large timber has been cut down ; along the upper 
 portion of the creek nothing remains but unsound or deformed trees 
 which were not worth felling. During my examination of the forest 
 I observed no appearance of young seedlings, the abundance of grass 
 jungle, and the great prevalence of fires throughout it, affording in this 
 case a sufficient reason for their absence. No planting has yet been 
 attempted by the grantees. Captain Tremenheere established a nursery 
 upon the banks of the creek in 1843, but from want of sufficient pro- 
 tection the plants were destroyed by fire, and not a vestige of them 
 remained after a couple of seasons. Captain Guthrie in 1846 estimated 
 the number of large trees standing at 4,000, with an equal number of 
 young ; extensive fellings have been carried on since, and the Mittigate 
 forest is rapidly approaching to exhaustion, while a long period must 
 elapse before its timber resources can be replenished. 
 
 54. From this forest we ascended the creek to the Kvouk-Tao-a 
 or Upper Mittigate, the only great forest now held reserved for Go- 
 vernment on the Zimme river. The upper waters of the Mittigate 
 pass through a deep and narrow gorge, in a spur sent off from the 
 
( 24 ) 
 
 Toung-Wyn hills, dividing the valley into the Upper Mittigate and 
 Mittigate Proper. The stream in its course through the defile is 
 blocked up with rocks forming a succession of rapids, called the 
 Kyouk-Taga — a name applied, in consequence, to the forest beyond 
 them. About half a mile above the upper termination of the gorge, 
 the valley expands in an irregular plateau of large area, and the main 
 stream receives from the north a small tributary called the Koon- 
 Kyoung. The Teak forest extends along the course of the two streams, 
 and between them for about a couple of miles ; and although it has not 
 escaped the ravages of the axe, it is the one which, of all others on the 
 Attaran side, best exhibits the characters of a great forest in the natu- 
 ral state. Teak trees of the largest size and most stately height are 
 seen in every direction, and in an unusually great proportion to the 
 other trees. The timber is of straight growth, cylindrical, compact, and 
 of the best description, and the ground is strewed with a number of 
 fallen logs of the first class. The majority of these yielded a girth 
 varying from 11 to 13 feet, and some of them were 63 feet long in the 
 clear to the offset of the first branch, and perfectly sound throughout. 
 These logs, notwithstanding the reservation of the forest for Govern- 
 ment, had been sawn across into short lengths, yielding two logs of 
 27 and 33 feet respectively, by trespassing parties detached from the 
 working establishment of the Mittigate grantees. Along the upper 
 part of the main stream, a great number of the largest trees have been 
 uprooted, and now cumber the ground. A hurricane would appear to 
 have passed through the forest many years ago, and struck them down. 
 I observed in several instances that epiphytic Nyoungs (parasitical 
 fig-trees), themselves of enormous dimensions, which had fixed upon 
 the most stately trees, had been torn up by the roots, and levelled 
 along with the trees that sustained them. The forest still exhibited the 
 same appearances in this respect as described in Captain O'Brien's 
 report of 1841, when he found the trees in the same fallen state. The 
 timber in most cases, although it had lain so many years on the ground 
 exposed to successive monsoons, was still perfectly sound : this was 
 shown well by sections afforded by logs which had been sawn up into 
 short lengths. The absence of charring was equally remarkable, and 
 proved alike the durability of the timber, and that parts of the forest 
 had not suffered from the destructive ravages of fire during many years. 
 This result is attributable to the nature of the under vegetation. The 
 forest is very dense and shady, especially upon the lower part on the 
 
( 25 ) 
 
 Koon Kyoung, near its confluence with the main stream, and precludes 
 the growth of grass jungle. Had the same logs been strewed in the Kyoon 
 Geown or Megwa forests, they would long since have been charred 
 to the very core. Although the large trees are so numerous, I did not 
 observe young timber in the same proportion, and very few seedlings. 
 
 55. The Upper Mittigate is in every respect the finest forest upon the 
 Attaran rivers. It is admirably adapted for planting operations, and 
 the locality which I would specially indicate for this purpose is the 
 angle between the Koon Kyoung and the main stream, and along the 
 banks of the former. The chief difficulty will be experienced in the 
 want of hands and the expense of keeping an establishment on the spot, 
 there being no resident population in this part of the forests. 
 
 56. From the Kyouk-Taga we returned to the Mittigate, by the 
 same route through the defile, and after emerging from it we proceed- 
 ed in a northerly direction, through a dense and nearly impenetrable 
 forest, intervening between the Mittigate and Goonjee creeks. This 
 forest, in the heart of which we halted one night, was utterly devoid 
 of Teak, which disappeared, upon our route, soon after we turned 
 aside from the Mittigate creek. The following day we reached the 
 Karen village of Toung-Wyn, upon the upper part of the Goonjee 
 Kyoung. This stream descends from the northern extremity of the 
 Toung-Wyn range, passing through an undulating tract composed of a 
 succession of low rounded sandstone eminences. The upper part of the 
 creek formerly bore a fine forest, stretching for about 5 miles along 
 both banks, but it has been constantly worked for the last twenty 
 years, and all the large timber has been cut down. A considerable 
 show of half-grown trees is seen along the banks. Captain Guthrie has 
 estimated the number at upwards of 5,000 along the whole course of the 
 creek. 
 
 57. From the Toung-Wyn village, I proceeded in a north-westerly 
 direction across the courses of the Goungelee, Thengan, and Nat- 
 choung Kyoungs, to the Karen village of Nat-choung, meeting occa- 
 sional patches of young Teak thinly scattered and chiefly upon the 
 undulating ground, through which the small feeders of the Goonjee 
 run. Upon the Nat-choung creek, which is the largest, a considerable 
 forest stood formerly, yielding stunted or deformed timber, used for 
 crooks and bends. Tliis forest, from its accessibility and close proximity 
 to Moulmein, was early worked, and has now been nearly cleared out. 
 The circumstance of there being a settled Karen village at Nat-choivug 
 
 D 
 
( 26 ) 
 
 holds out an inducement for planting operations in the Nat-choung forest, 
 but the timber grown here is of an inferior description, and the grass 
 jungle throughout the forest is so strong and rank that great difficulty 
 would be encountered in protecting the young plants against fire. The 
 nursery" established by Captain Tremenheere in 1843 was destroyed by 
 this cause. 
 
 58. The Teak-yielding forests terminate at the Nat-choung Kyoung, 
 with the exception of a small patch upon the Dallee Kyoung, lower 
 down the Zimme, of little importance, and yielding inferior timber. 
 From this point the delta plain extends in a continuous flat to Moul- 
 mein. I took a canoe at the village of Ayeen Kayeen, on the Dallee 
 Kyoung, and returned to Moulmein on the 9th March. 
 
 59. The general result of my tour of inspection may be summed up 
 thus : the Teak forests upon the Weinyo and Zimme rivers are in rapid 
 progress to exhaustion. The forests which were in the hands of native 
 license-holders have been in most instances entirely cleared out both 
 of large timber and of under-sized trees, approaching the regulation 
 standard. The large forests towards the heads of the rivers, held by 
 Europeans of capital, have been actively worked for nearly 20 years, 
 and are also either in the same condition, or will speedily be exhausted. 
 Of the three reserved forests formerly held for Government, the Mittigate 
 Codoogway has been leased out, and is now under the full operation of the 
 axe ; its resources having been largely drawn upon before it was held in 
 reserve. The only two now reserved, viz.. the Thengan-nyee-Nyoung 
 and the Upper Mittigate, instead of being intact forests, have been 
 partially worked by trespass, by the adjoining forest-holders, — the former 
 to a large extent, the latter in a less degree. Both forests contain 
 standing Teak timber of large scantling, the Upper Mittigate in particu- 
 lar abounding in the finest trees. So general and indiscriminate have 
 been the fellings upon the Weinyo and Zimme, that but for the timber 
 in these two reserved forests, it would now be a matter of record only, 
 that Teak of large size has ever been produced on the Attaran. 
 
 60. Young timber is nowhere rising in adequate quantity, either to 
 renew the forests or to keep up the supply. The reason of this having 
 been that the forest regulations up to 1846 were un operative, and under- 
 sized trees were felled equally with the large timber, — the greater facility 
 of dragging them through the forests, and the ready sale met with at 
 Moulmein, having held out an irresistible inducement for their con- 
 sumption. 
 
( 27 ) 
 
 61. The forests have been worked, even by grantees of capital, en- 
 tirely with a view to immediate or speedy returns ; their maintenance for 
 future supplies, and the creation of prospective property, have in no case 
 been attended to. The owners have rarely, or only at long intervals, 
 visited their grants : they have been in the habit of carrying on their 
 operations by means of native agents, who have conducted them with 
 reckless waste and improvidence. The most destructive agent, after the 
 axe, I consider to have been the periodical fires ; and these are referable 
 in most instances, in the remote forests on the Attaran, to conflagra- 
 tions purposely caused by the working parties, so as to clear the grass 
 jungle, and enable them to move with safety about the forests. I believe 
 these fires to have been much more prevalent since the country passed 
 into our hands than thev were when the forests were in the state of 
 nature. Planting young trees, or raising nurseries from seed, has in no 
 instance been attended to by the grantees, or if there has been a solitary 
 exceptional case, the attempt has been made with so little effort to 
 attain success, that there is probably not a young tree in the whole of 
 the forests that owes its origin to the hand of man. 
 
 62. Although young seedlings of spontaneous growth are occasion- 
 ally met with, as in the instance mentioned in para. 46, they are, gener- 
 ally speaking, rare in the Attaran forests, and bear no proportion either 
 to the vast quantity of good seed annually produced, or to the trees 
 which have been felled, or are still standing, and consequently to the 
 requirements of the forests for renewal. 
 
 63. In the above summary I have only added the testimony of a 
 fresh and later observer to the statements which have already been 
 made in the reports of Captains O'Brien, Tremenheere, aud Guthrie, 
 and in the forest records of the Commissioner's Office. 
 
 64. The disappearance of the large and under-sized trees is readily 
 intelligible from what has been stated in the preceding paragraphs as 
 to the wasteful manner in which the forests have been worked. 
 But the general absence of young seedlings on the Attaran, with 
 no motive to destroy them, is not of such obvious solution. And 
 this is the more remarkable, as the concurrent statements of most ob- 
 servers agree in the fact that young seedlings are not uncommon in the 
 forests upon the Thoung-yeen river. Mr. Maling even states " that 
 
 11 in some parts, as near Meerawaddi, the 
 Report dated 4th Septem- « yomi cr Teak is seen to spread for miles, 
 
 ber 1844. J ° r ' 
 
 " and often unmixed with other trees." 
 
( 28 ) 
 
 65. Various reasons have been assigned for their absence, such as 1st, 
 the natural inaptitude of the seed for ready germination ; 2nd, the pre- 
 valence of the periodical fires ; 3rd, the peculiar opinion advanced by 
 Captain Latter, that it is only trees under the influence of decrepitude 
 and decay which yield germinating seed; 4th, over-saturation with 
 water during the rains. 
 
 66. The fruit of the Teak is a nut about the size of a small hazel-nut, 
 covered with an exceedingly hard shell, the outer surface of which is 
 spongy and woolly. The nut does not split, and is invested with a loose 
 inflated bladder-like bag, (the enlarged persistent calyx of the flower,) 
 which with the spongy coat of the shell renders it very light and buoyant. 
 It is divided into four cells, in each of which a solitary small seed is lodged ; 
 one or more of these cells is frequently abortive, so that the nut may 
 contain only one, or any number up to four of ripe seed ; or all the 
 cells may be empty. The common axis of the hard plates forming the 
 partitions of the cells is perforated lengthwise, by t a slender open 
 canal. This is the natural structure, and it is necessary to notice it 
 here, as I have heard persons who were interested in the subject of the 
 forests at Moulmein, refer to it as the work of an insect, which thus 
 drilled its way in and destroyed the seed, — which is not the case. The 
 seed is small, and the germ or embryo is not invested with a coat of al- 
 bumen. Nature has thus endowed the Teak seed with the capacity of 
 long retaining its vitality, and at the same time, with great inaptitude 
 for ready germination, caused by the mechanical difficulties presented 
 by the structure of the nut. 
 
 67. The tree comes into flower about the beginning of the monsoon, 
 most of the trees flowering freely, and the majority of them annually, 
 after they attain 25 or 30 years of age ; and the nuts ripen, about the 
 close of the rains, forming copious loose bunches at the tops of the 
 branches, all over the crown ; so that an immense quantity of Teak nuts 
 is annually produced in the forests. They drop during January, Feb- 
 ruary and March, when the ground under the trees is covered with 
 them. At this time the soil is dry, smooth, and hard ; the seed retains its 
 vitality, but is not placed under conditions calculated to develope its 
 germination, by shade and continued moisture. It remains in a torpid 
 state, till destroyed by the periodical fires prevalent during February and 
 March, or till the sudden and abrupt commeucement of the monsoon, 
 when the country is deluged with heavy rains, and the nuts are swept 
 off the ground by the flood, and drifted into the creeks, whence to find 
 
( 29 ) 
 
 their way by the great rivers to the sea, their naturally light and 
 buoyant structure presenting unusual facilities for their removal. The 
 rationale of the process has been clearly pointed out by Captains O'Brien 
 and Tremenheere in their reports, and I have great satisfaction in 
 giving my testimony, founded on personal examination of the country, to 
 the pains-taking care and fidelity which characterize Captain O'Brien's 
 report throughout. The great mass of the nuts is thus either destroy- 
 ed by fire, or carried off by water, before the seeds have had time to 
 germinate. Should a mechanical obstruction occur in the form of a 
 pit or cleft, or any other inequality of the surface, to arrest the nut and 
 give it the combined conditions of shade and moisture, the chances in 
 favor of its producing one or more seedlings are very great : but the 
 young seedlings which have thus sprouted by accident are exposed to 
 destruction by the recurrence of fire during the following season. To 
 the combined operation of these agents, viz., the natural structure of 
 the seed, the season at which it ripens, the yearly recurrence of fires 
 immediately after, and the floating away of the nuts during the mon- 
 soon, I attribute the general absence of young seedlings in the Tenas- 
 serim Provinces. 
 
 68. In order to appreciate to its full extent the effect which the 
 inherent inaptitude for speedy germination in the Teak seed has, in 
 retarding its dissemination through the forests, it may be well to refer 
 to what happens with other trees, the seeds of which are of an opposite 
 nature, viz., having short-lived vitality and great facility of germina- 
 tion. The Pines of Europe or the Deodar of the Himalayan, furnish 
 illustrations from temperate regions. Their seeds are naked, and the 
 young germ is embedded in fleshy albumen. If they fall upon wet 
 moss, under shade, or are soaked by a shower of rain under the same 
 condition, after 8 or 10 days they will sprout by thousands, and the 
 ground under the parent stem will be sheeted with a crop of young 
 plants. The Saul tree of Hindoostan extends in a nearly unbroken 
 belt of forest along the Terai, from the Ganges at Hurdwar to the 
 Burrampooter, and it is felled to an extent unknown even in the most 
 wasteful parts of the Teak forests. Young and old of every scantling, 
 from the sapling of 6 or 8 years to the full-grown tree, are cut down 
 indiscriminately, and the forests are protected by no conservancy rules 
 whatever. Many lacs of the youngest trees are annually removed as 
 " bullees" to form posts and roofing for native houses : the next larger 
 size, viz. those which are too heavy to be dragged by bullocks, are sawn 
 
( 30 ) 
 
 up longitudinally into "kurrees," while the larger trees supply the 
 "luttas" or logs universally used for the public works and private 
 houses of the Upper Provinces : yet with such a vast yearly consumption, 
 and drain upon their resources, it is hardly possible to exterminate the 
 Saul forests. The seed has the utmost susceptibility of germination, 
 with a vitality so limited in duration that it will not survive many days 
 unplanted. The Saul seed ripens at the commencement of the rains, 
 and after the first shower, falls actually sprouting from the tree. I have 
 frequently seen, in the forests near Hurdwar, the radicle of the germ 
 protruded (that is, growing,) while the fruit w r as still attached to the 
 parent tree. In consequence, young plants come up in the utmost 
 profusion, and very often so thick as to choke each other : they 
 form patches of forest, which are literally impenetrable, till the woods- 
 man removes them as " bullees" or " kurrees." In this manner the 
 forests are maintained, wherever a tree remains standing, to perpetuate 
 the stock. With the Teak it is the reverse in every respect : the seed, 
 when sown under favorable circumstances, " will retain their veg-etatins: 
 "power in the ground even as far as 18 months, and many will remain 
 " until the commencement of the second rains, nay even the third, from 
 " the time they were sown : however, this is rare." (Dr. Roxburgh.) 
 
 69. Dr. Wallich attributed the absence of the seedlings entirely to 
 the fires : and Captain O'Brien expresses the same opinion, although 
 he observed how apt the buoyant and light nature of the seed rendered 
 it to be floated away during the rains. But that fire alone is not a 
 sufficient explanation is proved by the observations made in the Upper 
 Mittigate, and other forests similarly situated, (snpra, para. 54,) where 
 the trees are very dense and shady, without grass jungle, and where 
 the sound condition of the fallen timbers showed that the tracts had 
 not been ravaged by fire for many years. Under these circumstances, 
 young seedlings were still uncommon. But the amount of destructive 
 agency which is exercised by the fires, is proved by the prevalent aye 
 of the young and under-sized trees which are met with in the exhausted 
 forests, the majority of them being about 20 or 25 years old, dating in 
 fact from the period immediately preceding the time when the forests 
 began to be worked and to be systematically burnt. Seedlings, or 
 young trees under that age, are comparatively very rare. 
 
 70. The singular opinion put forth by Captain Latter, that it is 
 only trees in a state of decrepitude and decay which yield good or vege- 
 tating seed, requires to be noticed, from the official position which that 
 
( 31 ) 
 
 officer held as Superintendent of the forests, affording excellent oppor- 
 tunities for observation ; and from the great weight which he has rested 
 upon it, in his printed report, which has been widely circulated. After 
 explaining his view of the rationale of the process by which decrepid 
 or old trees propagate the species, Captain Latter adds, "I do not 
 " mean by this to say that a Teak tree in its prime does not produce 
 " seeds ; on the contrary it does so in abundance, but they never come 
 " to anything till the individual shall have reached the decadence of 
 " such prime," (report, paras. 22, 27 and 80.) But this view is entirely at 
 variance with the observations which have been made by others, 
 whether in the Tenasserim Provinces, on the Malabar coast, or else- 
 where. The oldest Teak trees in the Botanic Garden are not more 
 than 63 years old, yet they have fruited freely for the last 25 or 30 
 years, and yielded good seed. During my tour I gathered seed from 
 the trees on the Attaran, without selection, which germinated freely 
 during the months of March and April. In August 1848 Captain 
 Latter transmitted 55 seers of Teak nuts from the Teuasserim Pro- 
 vinces to the Botanic Garden, where they were sown and came up 
 abundantly. The nuts were superior in size and development to those 
 produced about Calcutta, — 1 seer (21b s.) of the Botanic Garden produce 
 having contained 2,823 nuts, while the same weight of Tenasserim 
 produce comprised only 1,575, giving an excess of nearly 50 per cent. 
 in favor of the latter in size and weight. It appears to me that Cap- 
 tain Latter' s view has arisen from partial or erroneous observation. 
 
 71. Captain Tremenheere attributed the result to the nuts absorb- 
 ing more water in the rains than the seeds can assimilate before they 
 get covered with soil, and thus causing them to rot. There is no doubt 
 that Teak nuts, exposed to constant soaking and light and heat toge- 
 ther, would be destroyed in this manner : but they require constant 
 humidity in the soil to excite them to vegetate, and I do not attach 
 much weight to this assigned reason, as it practically operates in the 
 forests. In the Malabar nurseries, the nuts are soaked for 36 hours 
 before their sowing. 
 
 72. Assuming it to be an established fact that Teak seedlings are 
 more mumerous upon the Thoung-yeen than upon the Attaran river, 
 the only reason that I can assign for the difference, is, that the Teak on 
 the former grows in a hilly country, upon elevated steppes or cliffs, or 
 hill-sides, where the nuts meet with more chances of entanglement 
 from irregularities of the surface, so as to arrest their removal and 
 
( 3.2 ) 
 
 lodge tli em in pits or cracks, or under stones, — thus giving them the 
 accidents favorable to germination, while the parent trees are in many- 
 situations so difficult of removal, that they are allowed to stand. In 
 the Teak plantation formerly attached to the Botanic Garden, the sur- 
 face of the ground is very broken and uneven. Spontaneous Teak 
 seedlings have been constantly observed to be more numerous there 
 than in the cultivated parts of the garden, where the trees stand upon 
 smooth and well-mowed lawn, although the parent trees are alike in 
 every respect. I do not think that difference of soil has anything to do 
 with the asserted difference between the Attaran and Thoung-yeen 
 rivers, as regards their relative production of Teak seedlings ; for the 
 Teak grows upon a wide range of soils, occurring equally in the black 
 heavy cotton soil and rugged cliffs of Malabar, Canara, and Travancore, 
 and on the moist rich bottoms of the upland valleys, or sandy banks of 
 the creeks on the Attaran rivers. Soil will affect the growth of the tree 
 and the quality of the timber, but it will not determine the numerical 
 production of seedlings. 
 
 73. It may be asked, with so many alleged inherent obstacles to the 
 propagation of Teak, how were the forests kept up in the state of na- 
 ture, and why have they fallen off so much now ? The reply to this is, 
 that although the forests in their virgin state produced myriads of 
 seeds, they show now, by the unfrequency of large Teak trees, that few 
 of those seeds met with the concurrence of accidents favorable to their 
 growth into young plants, whereas since they have been worked by man, 
 the number of adverse conditions has been augmented by the agency 
 of fire, at the same time that the source of the supply of seeds has been 
 vastly diminished by the active felling of the adult trees. 
 
 74. But the inaptitude of Teak seed for the propagation of the species 
 only applies to the wild state. If aided by the application of a few simple 
 means, the seed will come up with as much certainty as any other, and 
 grow into the most stately tree. In fact, the early cultivation of Teak is 
 very easy, for the plant grows quick when young, and after a few years 
 it may be left with safety to itself. All that is required, is to collect 
 the nuts when fully ripe, before they are shed ; to reserve them till near 
 the commencement of the rains ; to sow them in prepared beds of ordi- 
 nary good soil, about half an inch below the surface ; to cover the beds 
 with a layer of straw or dry grass, or leaves, so as to prevent evaporation 
 and the caking of the soil ; and to keep the earth around them con- 
 stantly moist, by watering every evening. Most of the good seeds, under 
 
( 33 ) 
 
 this treatment will come up in from 4 to 8 weeks ; some of them will 
 remain dormant till the following rains ; and a large portion, consisting 
 of bad or abortive nuts, will not come up at all. If the sowing has been 
 well-timed, they will sprout about the commencement of the rains, and 
 escape the risk of being dried up by a burning sun and protracted 
 drought. It is the subsequent stage where the difficulties are encoun- 
 tered, in warding off destructive agents, such as elephants and other wild 
 animals, and fire in trackless jungles that are annually enveloped in 
 flame. To these, in the Attaran forests, are added the absence of a 
 resident population, the migratory inhabitants even forming but a thin 
 sprinkling over the forests, and the unhealthy condition of the forests, 
 during the rains, from malaria. These combined, constitute most for- 
 midable difficulties in the way of rearing the plant by culture in the 
 Teak forests, and have been the reason why no progress has hitherto 
 been made thereto, after working them for so many years. 
 
 75. Planting operations have recently been conducted on an exten- 
 sive scale, and apparently with great success, on the Malabar coast, in 
 the Canara and Malabar districts, and I may be permitted to refer 
 briefly to the proceedings there, with a view to ascertaining whether and 
 how far they are applicable to the Tenasserim Provinces. 
 
 76. The Malabar timber has been for a long time in great repute 
 for its excellent quality for Naval and Ordnance Commissariat pur- 
 poses. A large demand, with high remunerating prices, led, as in the 
 Tenasserim Provinces, to an excessive drain upon the forests, and a 
 Conservator was appointed by the Government to regulate the fellings, 
 and secure the forests from exhaustion. The regulations were con- 
 sidered by some to encroach upon the just rights of the native land- 
 holders; and the subject came under the consideration of the Madras 
 Government during the administration of Sir Thomas Munro, who, in a 
 Minute dated the 22nd November 1822, abolished the office of Conserva- 
 tor, and forest restrictions, upon the broad principle in political economy 
 that the increased demand would lead to a corresponding augmentation 
 of the supply, that self-interest would induce the people to grow Teak 
 or any other profitable wood, and that no regulation was wanted but a 
 free market. These measures led to indiscriminate felling, alike of the 
 young and old trees. It would appear, that the logs were classified 
 under six heads, according to size, the 1st class including trees above a 
 hundred and twenty years' estimated age, and the 6th class descending 
 to under-sized trees of not more than 35 or 40 years, being much below 
 
 E 
 
( 34 ) 
 
 the standard ever permitted by the Tenasserim forest rules. The 
 trade yielded large profits, stated in some of the Madras reports as high 
 as 200 per cent. No attention was paid to planting or replacing the 
 cut trees, and the forests were threatened with extermination. Timber 
 of large scantling became scarce, and the price rose from Rs. 7-3 per 
 candy in 1815, to Rs. 12 in 1828-9, and to Rs. 15 in 1840, being res- 
 pectively Rs. 18, Rs. 30, and Rs. 37-8 per measurement ton of 50 cubic 
 feet. The daily increasing difficulty of procuring suitable timber for 
 the public wants, even at enhanced prices, brought the subject again 
 under the consideration of the Bombay and Madras Governments. In 
 1843, Mr. Conolly, the Collector of Malabar, commenced operations with 
 great zeal, and during that and the three following seasons, raised and 
 planted out several lacks of seedlings, in bared forest lands purchased 
 for the Madras Government. In September 1846, the plantations were 
 reported as being in a very satisfactory condition, containing 2,35,000 
 plants, which in 1848 had been increased to between 4 and 5 lacs, 
 in different stages of growth, from i a foot to 20 feet high. The most 
 noble the Marquess of Tweeddale, in his Minute dated the 8th December 
 1846, after personal inspection, expressed a most favorable opinion of 
 these plantations. In 1847, Dr. Gibson, Superintendent of the Botanic 
 Garden, Dapooree, was appointed Conservator of Forests in the Bombay 
 Presidency, since when great attention has been paid to raising young 
 Teak : but 60 or 80 years must elapse before the trees will be available 
 for consumption. 
 
 77. While the Malabar and Canara forests were in full progress to 
 exhaustion, the conterminous forests of the Travancore Rajah, abounding 
 in excellent Teak, were under a provident system of management, 
 which yielded large supplies of timber yearly, while at the same 
 time suitable provision Avas made for the certain perpetuation of 
 the forests. Of every ten trees fit to cut, two were left standing for 
 seed; and for every tree felled, ten young trees were planted, — the 
 management conducted by a Conservator, under the control of the 
 Resident at Travancore. Captain Cortland Taylor states that a million 
 of young trees were planted during the time of Colonel Newal alone. 
 Mr. Monro, the Conservator, in a report addressed to the Resident* says, 
 
 — " The system of throwing open Teak forests 
 * Mr. Monro to Colonel , . . , 
 
 Fraser, dated 12th August " to all who Wish to cut, or giving them to COn- 
 
 1837 * "tractors, is in the highest degree ruinous. 
 
 " They cut indiscriminately all that comes in their way j any range of 
 
( 35 ) 
 
 " forest, however extensive, would be destroyed if left to their tender 
 " mercies. They never think of planting, and all that such speculators 
 "calculate on is present profit or loss, without troubling their heads 
 "about depriving future generations of the benefit they now enjoy. 
 "The Teak forests in Malabar are, I am told, in this predicament, and if 
 " the British Government do not oblige them to plant, and also leave 
 " some large trees here and there for seed, this valuable tree will be 
 " extinct. There are two ranges of hills in our forests that were for- 
 " merly rented to a Parsee, and if the contract had not been taken 
 " from him, before it was too late, he would not have left a Teak tree 
 " standing. It will take 40 or 50 years before the forests recover the 
 " effects of his avarice." Mr. Monro mentions in the same letter that 
 he estimated that there would be upwards of 100,000 trees fit to cut 
 that season, and with reference to the quality of the Travancore timber, 
 Captain Cortland Taylor states, that a large quantity of selected Teak 
 had been contracted for at Allepee in October 1837, for the Ceylon 
 Government, at Us. 81j per measurement ton, and that the price was 
 expected to rise during the season to K-s. 100. 
 
 78. The reflection which naturally arises, on the consideration of 
 these facts, is, that if the same measures were applied to the Teuasserim 
 Provinces they would lead to the same results. But in the practical 
 application of them lies the difficulty. I shall consider the subject, 1st, 
 with regard to the forests which have been worked by licences by pri- 
 vate parties, and 2nd, to the forests which have been either reserved or 
 worked by Government. 
 
 79. Following up the principle advocated by the Hon'ble Court in 
 the Despatch dated 30th November 1842, Mr. Colvin has recommend- 
 ed that the licences in the Attaran forests should be converted into 
 leases in perpetuity, with a penal clause of resumption unless the gran- 
 tees shall have, at the end of 10 years, planted one-half or one-third the 
 number of trees that have been removed, on the average of the last 10 
 years, and that the tenures should include a right of property in all the 
 trees and products of the forests, — the object being to relieve the Govern- 
 ment of the expense of their renewal and management, and to give the 
 holders such a permanent interest in them, as to induce them to per- 
 petuate the forest by planting. The only doubts entertained by Mr. 
 Colvin were, as to whether it was really practicable, with reference to 
 the experience of past failures, and the circumstances of climate and 
 country, to renew the forests by artificial culture, (paras. 18 and 25.) 
 
( 36 ) 
 
 He adds that he " was by no means confident that we should prove more 
 " successful in our endeavours than Captain Tremenheere did." 
 
 80. That the forests can be renewed by planting, I consider to have 
 been fully established by what has been detailed in the foregoing 
 statements, and by the results attained on the Malabar coast j but I 
 entertain grave doubts whether this can be reasonably expected to be 
 accomplished by the grantees under the provisions of the proposed 
 leases. 
 
 81. The experience of the last 20 years has shown that the forests 
 have been worked solely with a view to immediate returns, and with no 
 regard to the future. The licences have passed by transfer from hand 
 to hand, and few of them have remained with the original holders. 
 The timber trade has been carried on naturally with a view to make 
 the most of a profitable article, while it lasted. As one source of timber 
 became exhausted, other more remote tracts were explored, until the 
 traders went beyond the boundaries of the Province, and drew their sup- 
 plies from the Shan States upon the Thoung-yeen, whence the greater 
 part of the timber is now derived. Fixed capital never appears to have 
 been invested in any part of the forests, with a view to operations ex- 
 tending beyond the duration of the timber then standing or in prospect 
 of being speedily available for use. The holders were fully awake to the 
 impending exhaustion of their grants, but in no one instance was a 
 steady effort made by them to maintain the value of the property for 
 the future by planting. Instead of this, the future was anticipated by 
 felling every tree approaching the regulation standard. It is true that 
 the tenures, originally held, were simply licences revocable at will, and 
 conveyed no permanent right of property, — but I do not believe that 
 this circumstance had much effect practically in influencing the opera- 
 tions of the holders, for during the period from 1829 to 1846 they were 
 never disturbed in their possession; the ejectment measures resorted 
 to by Captain Guthrie were immediately discountenanced by Govern- 
 ment, and large sums were paid for the transfer of the licences, show- 
 ing the feeling of security that was placed in them. The trade, as has 
 been aptly stated by Mr. Colvin, was conducted in a spirit of gambling, 
 with a hazardous outlay of capital and very uncertain returns. The 
 ultimate gains to most of the forest-holders have been small, and the 
 profits of the traffic would appear to have remained with the prudent 
 capitalists at Moulmein, who purchased their consignments on the spot 
 from the adventurers who had brought the timber to the market. 
 
( 37 ) 
 
 82. If such have been the results of the past, when the forests were 
 covered with abundance of valuable Teak timber, what reasonable 
 grounds are there for expecting adequate measures of renewal from the 
 grantees, now that they are bared ? If the leases had reference to vir- 
 gin forests stocked with Teak wood, conditions of renewal might have 
 been enforced, and the Government could have had the full guarantee 
 that the provisions were carried out, by periodical inspections, and by 
 forfeiture wherever planting was neglected. But with exhausted forests, 
 where the prospects of return are nearly a century off, how can it be 
 expected that capital will be invested by private parties, with annual 
 outlay, in so remote an adventure ? Fixed capital in the province of 
 Amherst has still to be created : there is none available at present for 
 such an enterprise ; and the only party who can be looked to for under- 
 taking it is the Government itself, for the prospective maintenance of 
 its timber revenue. 
 
 83. It may be urged that as the proposed leases convey rights of pro- 
 perty in the other woods and products of the grants, some of these ought, 
 in the interim, to yield profitable returns. But on the other hand it 
 may be stated with more effect, that the demand for timber at Moulmein 
 is at present entirely confined to Teak ; that for other woods, it has 
 still to be created ; while at the same time there is no resident popula- 
 tion in the Attaran forests to work upon the miscellaneous products. 
 
 84. It appears to me that the principle of the new leases, however 
 sound in the abstract, is like that acted upon by Sir Thomas Munro with 
 reference to the Malabar forests, much in advance of the existing con- 
 dition and prospects, for many years to come, of the country to which 
 it is proposed to be applied. But there was probably no other alterna- 
 tive open, besides taking the whole of the forests into the hands of Go- 
 vernment under a general system of management, with compensation 
 to the licence-holders for their existing rights ; or granting them leases 
 in perpetuity, on condition of renovating their tenures with Teak 
 timber. 
 
 85. The renewal of the trees being the main object of the lease, 
 the first point is, to determine upon what principle the number of 
 young trees to be raised by the grantees ought to be fixed, so as 
 to attain the desired result, without exacting more than could be 
 reasonably attainable. In Travancore ten young trees were planted 
 for every full-grown one cut. Mr. Blundell, in the forest rules of 
 April 1841, required five, which Captain Tremenheere, in the rules 
 
( 38 ) 
 
 of 1842, proposed reducing to three. Mr. Colvin suggested that the 
 grantee should be made to show, at the expiry of 10 years, "that he has 
 " within his limits Teak seedlings growing up, say to the extent of a third 
 " or a half of the whole number of trees which have been taken from the 
 " forest on an average of the last 10 years." Besides the discrepancy in 
 the numbers, these proposals are open to the objection, that the ratio of 
 planting would vary in the different localities and bear a proportion 
 more to the activity with which the forests had been worked, than to 
 their capabilities for raising timber. Mr. Cohan's plan appears further to 
 leave a loophole for evasion, as the lease-holder might, when the term 
 of inspection approached, at a small outlay, crowd a great number of 
 plants into a corner of his grant, without making any beneficial altera- 
 tion in the general character of the forest. The most eligible plan 
 would probably be, to fix a uniform numerical ratio upon the areas of 
 the forests generally. 
 
 86. The extent of the great forests upon the Attaran, proposed to be 
 leased, has been approximatively estimated at 228 square miles, 110 of 
 which are reckoned to bear Teak, very unequally distributed among them. 
 Supposing the forest trees, large and small, to stand 30 feet apart, there 
 would be 484 to the acre, or 30,976 to the square mile ; and assuming 
 1 in 10 to be Teak, there would be 3,097 to the same area, and 3,40,736 
 over the whole extent of Teak-yielding forest. This number is con- 
 siderably in excess of any returns that have been made of the actual 
 contents of the Teak forests upon the Attaran rivers, which Captain 
 Guthrie fixed as low as 93,458 large and small, but excluding very 
 young trees upon an extent of 140i square miles. The rate here given, 
 however, is low for the area, as it would allow less than five Teak trees 
 (4 - 84) to the acre, and it is not much in excess of what some of the best 
 forests have been supposed to bear. Captain O'Brien considered that 
 there Avere from 10 to 12,000 full-grown Teak trees fit to cut, upon the 
 Kyoon-Geown forest, in 1841, with an unusual abundance of young 
 trees. This forest, which in the returns is fixed at 8 square miles, had 
 been at that time worked for 10 years, and if we adopt Captain 
 O'Brien's estimate as nearly approximative, and assume the young 
 trees to have only equalled the full-sized ones, there would have 
 been from 20,000 to 24,000 Teak, large and small, on the Kyoon- 
 Geown. The same area (8 square miles) with 4'84 Teak to the acre, 
 would yield 24,780 trees, and it does not appear to me that an adequate 
 and beneficial renovation of the forests, so far as the interests of Govern- 
 
( 39 ) 
 
 ment and the well-being of the Province are concerned, could be well 
 fixed at a lower rate. The objection at first sight is, that it is framed 
 too low. 
 
 87. In order to cany out the principle, I consider that the leases 
 should contain conditions that the grantees should show, at the end of 
 10 years, that one-half of the area of their forest-holdings was either 
 planted out or bore spontaneous young Teak, at the rate of 4*84 per 
 acre, or 3097'6 to the square mile, estimated upon the whole of the grant, 
 exclusive of full-grown trees. This would leave half the area at their 
 disposal for occupation otherwise, and imply 9'68 young Teak upon the 
 acre of the moiety under Teak culture. Assuming the area of a forest 
 to be 1 square mile, or 640 acres, the grantee would have to show at the 
 end of 10 years 320 acres planted throughout with Teak, and bearing 
 not less than 3,097 trees, which would be at the rate of 32 acres annu- 
 ally planted out with 310 trees. 
 
 88. The proportion of surface brought under Teak planting, appears 
 to me to be of much more importance with reference to the efficient 
 renovation of the forests, and their ultimate productiveness, than the 
 mere number of plants raised in a crowded spot. There is a great deal 
 of specious appearance in the array of figures, shown by planting opera- 
 tions carried on on a great scale. In Malabar, Mr. Conolly planted out 
 4,50,000 young Teaks, in the course of the five years between 1843 and 
 1847, being more than the entire number contemplated in the above 
 scheme for 110 square miles in the Attaran forests. But the Malabar 
 seedlings have been planted at 8 feet apart, being at the rate of 680 to 
 the acre, so that the whole of the young plants do not occupy above 
 662 acres, being little more than a square mile. Mr. Conolly calcu- 
 lates that only one-fourth of the whole will remain for timber, as the 
 rest will require to be cleared in thinnings, leaving 170 to come to 
 maturity per acre. But first-class Teak cannot be grown at a less 
 distance apart than 40 feet, or 27'2 trees to the acre ; or for useful tim- 
 ber of smaller scantling, 30 feet interval, giving 48*4 or, in round num- 
 bers, 50 trees to the acre, which would reduce the number from four 
 and a half lacs, originally planted, to 33,100. A large return would of 
 course be derived from the thinnings, in a densely-peopled coun- 
 try, where timber of small scantling is in demand. Supposing that 
 Attaran leases contained no requirement of planted area, but sim- 
 ply a condition to show a certain number of young trees within his 
 grant, the holder of a forest of 8 square miles, like the Kyoon- 
 
( 40 ) 
 
 Geown, could, by following the Malabar system, include the required 
 number of 24,780 plants within 36*5 acres, leaving the remaining 
 5083*5 acres unimproved. The intention of Government in giving the 
 lease would, in this manner, be frustrated. I consider therefore a con- 
 dition of planted area in the leases to be essential. If one-half after 
 10 years should be considered to press too heavily on the grantees, the 
 proportion might be reduced to one-fourth, maintaining the same ratio 
 of planting calculated upon the whole extent of the grant, at 4-84 trees 
 per acre. 
 
 89. Close planting is not desirable in the Tenasserim Provinces for 
 the grantees. Elsewhere it is practised with advantage, making a pro- 
 vision for partial failures, and for the selection of the strongest and best 
 formed plants to remain, while the thinnings periodically yield a profit. 
 But in the remote forests of the Attaran, the thinnings for the first twen- 
 ty years would be worthless, as they would hardly pay the expense of 
 rafting them to Moulmein, where, from the abundance of bamboos, 
 timber of slender scantling is of little value : and the grantee would be 
 obliged to keep up an establishment for thinning and pruning, to save 
 the young trees from injury by over-crowding. The object with him 
 would be, to get the plants at once placed at the distances best suited for 
 their growth to maturity. 
 
 90. The raising of a lac of seedlings in a nursery bed before the 
 commencement of the rains, in the manner practised in Malabar, or as 
 recommended by Dr. Roxburgh, would be a comparatively easy matter. 
 To plant them out in quincunx order, at intervals of 20 feet apart, so as 
 to allow for the failure or subsequent removal of every alternate tree, 
 would require preparation of the ground, and the partial removal of 
 grass or any other interfering jungle, and the girdling of a proportion 
 of the large trees, so as to enable the grantee to put in the ground 109 
 seedlings per acre : for it would be to his interest, without materially 
 increasing the expense, to raise at once as many young trees as the 
 surface would bear when they came to maturity. All this would have to be 
 effected by indolent Burmese labourers sent from Moulmein at Rs. 15 
 each per mensem, and Rs. 30 for an intelligent overseer. The coolies 
 of the Madras coast would be less expensive, but they have been 
 found to be unsuited for the forests, where their health breaks down, 
 after the commencement of the rains, from jungle malaria. Labour is 
 nowhere procurable in the neighbourhood, in the remote forests upon 
 the Attaran. The only inhabitants are a few migratory Karens 
 
( 41 ) 
 
 who change their locations after every three or four years, and often re- 
 move to a great distance. So limited are they in number, that during 
 the time we were occupied in passing through the different great forests 
 on the Mittigate creek and its branches, from the 2-lth February to the 
 4th March, we did not once fall in with a human being, or come across 
 a village clearance. When the monsoon fairly set in, all operations 
 would cease ; the Burmese would return to their homes, and the 
 plantations during the rains would be left to their own resources. 
 Supposing the plants to thrive well, the only danger to be apprehended 
 in the first instance would be from elephants and other wild animals. 
 But from December on to April, the grantee would have to provide 
 annually against risk of fire. A wandering Karen in passing through 
 the forest, or a Burma woodsman, might at any time, by accident or 
 design, cause a conflagration which would be propagated through the 
 grass jungle to the young plantation. Mr. O'Reilly in his observations 
 remarks, — " The practicability, therefore, of propagating the tree on its 
 " original sites, where the composition of the soils as described are 
 " unobjectionable, must be sufficiently evident : but unless a cultivation 
 " be carried out to the fullest extent of its import, and measures be in- 
 " stituted to prevent the Karens from spreading their devastating fires 
 "through the jungles annually, such an undertaking in the localities 
 " under notice is not to be contemplated." But in such extensive un- 
 inhabited tracts, no amount of supervision could be exercised adequate 
 to effect this object, and injunction merely would be useless. The only 
 feasible way of preventing the ravages of fire would be to cut down the 
 grass j angle in a belt encircling the plantations, and to dig trenches, and 
 raise earth embankments around the most exposed parts. These opera- 
 tions would entail considerable expense; the grass would require to be 
 cut down annually, until the young trees had attained such a size that 
 they could take care of themselves, and in the aggregate, they constitute 
 such a formidable array of difficulties and expense, that I do not see 
 how the grantees could be expected to encounter them. Captain Guth- 
 rie remarks upon this subject, — " Private persons here are not likely to 
 " incur any outlay in planting for a benefit to be obtained after very 
 " many years. They would be very apt to argue, that each plantation 
 " before it attained the age of five years would (from destruction of 
 " young plants by wild animals and other causes) cost some 2 .Rupees, 
 " and that it would yield a better profit other ways than waiting 50 
 "years for a Teak tree, which would then perhaps yield a profit of 10 
 
( 42 ) 
 
 " Rupees." I fully concur in these observations. The grantees "will 
 work the forests as long as they are productive ; they will then retain 
 hold of them, as " block/' so long as the Government will allow them, 
 trusting to natural growth for their renovation; but they will not 
 incur the expense of renewing them upon any adequate system of ope- 
 rations, and sooner or later the forests will lapse to the State, unless 
 Government is content to let them remain unproductive. 
 
 91. It was proposed by Captain Tremenheere, that failing the plant- 
 ing of young trees by the licence-holder, it should be done by Govern- 
 ment at his expense. But I entirely agree with Mr. Colvin that this 
 is unadvisable. The grautee should be alone responsible for his own 
 failure or success, and the Government officers ought in no wise to be 
 mixed up with his operations. 
 
 92. Every plan that has been proposed is more or less liable to the 
 above objections : and the best thing that can be done under the cir- 
 cumstances, is, with reference to their existing rights, to offer the gran- 
 tees such equitable terms as will enable them to renovate the forests 
 if they are willing and able to incur the expense ; or failing that, to 
 terminate the present unsatisfactory state of things, after giving suffici- 
 ent time for a fair trial, and by resumption of the leases, to take the 
 forest into the hands of Government. 
 
 93. The same measures, and the same conditions of lease, would 
 apply to the forests upon Houndrow and Lhang-booa. Upon the former, 
 according to the statements contained in previous reports, the timber 
 resources are very limited, but Mr. O'Reilly mentions having come upon 
 a forest, on his route, in which he concluded there were 5 or 6,000 avail- 
 able trees of all sizes. The Lhang-booa forests are chiefly in the hands 
 of native holders, and it is not contemplated that they would undertake 
 leases involving outlay for planting. 
 
 94. Next with regard to the reserved forests on the Attaran, now 
 limited to the Thengan-nyee-Nyoung and Upper Mittigate, — I consider 
 that they are well worthy of being retained, and I have stated in 
 a foregoing part of this report (paras. 45 and 55), that they possess 
 great capabilities for conducting planting operations advantageously, on 
 a large scale, while the Teak borne upon them is not in proportion to 
 their extent. Both forests have been worked, more especially the 
 Thengan-nyee-Nyoung, in open defiance of their reservation, show- 
 ing the difficulty of enforcing rules in the forests, and preventing 
 trespass. It seems to me in every way expedient that they should be 
 
( 43 ) 
 
 brought up to their full capabilities, both as prospective sources of 
 supply of the best timber, and as a practical illustration to the lease- 
 holders of what may be effected by a judicious system of operations, 
 and a sufficient outlay. The grantees may, with some justice, expect 
 that Government will take the lead in showing the practicability of the 
 conditions, which it is proposed to render imperative upon them. 
 
 95. The plan which I would recommend would be this. — In the 
 Upper Mittigate, to select 32 acres of the best ground between the 
 Mittigate creek and the Koon Kyoung, and up along the banks of 
 the latter stream, (as indicated in para. 55,) as free as possible from 
 grass jungle; to clear the under-wood, and cut down all the small 
 trees, always excepting Teak, and to burn them on the spot. This is of 
 great importance with reference to the vigorous growth of the young 
 plants, and the production of timber, from the alkaline materials 
 supplied by the ashes. — To girdle or bark one half of the large 
 standing forest trees exclusive of Teak, assuming them to be 40 feet 
 apart (or 27*2 upon the acre), leaving the other half, consisting of 13*6 
 trees, for shade and protection to the young plants. — The girdled trees 
 to be left to decay standing, unless especially wanted, and the other 
 moiety to be girdled afterwards during the progress of the plantation to 
 maturity. Where the forest was more open, less girdling would be 
 required, observing the same ratio of standing trees left for protection. 
 No other general preparation could be afforded to the ground, besides 
 digging small pits for the reception of seedling plants, and clearing the 
 soil near them from grass roots and weeds. 
 
 96. The seeds to be collected off the trees, before shedding, in the 
 month of January, when fully ripe, and sown in narrow raised beds, 
 carefully prepared as nurseries, early in March. The plan of sowing 
 
 which has proved so successful with Mr. 
 
 Appendix No. 2. 
 
 Conolly at Nelumboor in Malabar, ought to be 
 adopted in preference to all others, as it is founded upon experience, viz., 
 steeping the nuts in water for 36 hours, then sowing them in holes, 4 
 inches apart, about half an inch under the surface, and covering the 
 beds with straw and grass litter, so as to prevent evaporation. The beds 
 thus prepared to be gently watered every evening so as to keep the soil 
 constantly moist around the nuts, which will sprout in from 4 to 8 weeks, 
 that is so say, such of them as are capable of germination. Mr. Conolly's 
 memorandum states a shorter period, probably caused by the prelimi- 
 nary steeping. In order to guard against accident from over-soaking, at 
 
( 44 ) 
 
 the outset, in the Tenasserim nurseries, half of the nuts might be sown 
 dry. A little experience would soon indicate which plan was the best. 
 
 97. In selecting the nuts, the largest and best formed to be chosen, 
 and for every 1,000 seedlings required 30 or 40,000 nuts ought to be 
 put in the ground, so as to allow a wide margin for failures in germina- 
 tion, and for the selection of good plants. Where two or three stems 
 sprouted from the same nut, such plants ought to be rejected, if the 
 nursery is well filled, or the superfluous shoots lopped off, leaving only 
 one to grow. If the sowing has been well-managed, the plants will 
 have attained from 4 to 6 inches early in the rains, when they ought 
 at once to be transplanted into the holes prepared for their reception. 
 Repeated transplantations are injurious to the vigour of a seedling, 
 besides being additionally expensive. 
 
 98. I would recommend the plants to be placed quincuncially at 
 intervals of 20 feet apart, instead of 8 feet, as practised in the Nelum- 
 boor plantations. The reasons for this I have stated above, (para. 89.) 
 It would save expense in subsequent thinnings and prunings, where the 
 thinnings would be of no value. Intervals of 20 feet apart woidd give 
 109 to the acre, allowing each intermediate tree to be felled in course 
 of time, so as ultimately to give 40 feet apart to the trees intended for 
 first-class timber. During the first five years, wherever a plant failed, 
 its place ought to be supplied by a fresh seedling. 
 
 99. In some localities it might be desirable to grow medium-sized 
 useful timber intended for felling before the tree attained its full 
 dimensions, in which case, the only alteration that would be required, 
 would be to plant the seedlings at intervals of 15 feet apart. This 
 would give 193*6 to the acre, and by felling the alternate trees 
 afterwards, the standing timber would at last be 30 feet asunder, — 
 nearer than which I do not consider that sound timber trees could be 
 grown : this would allow 48'4 to the acre. The planting in both 
 cases would be so managed that the trees, when full-grown, should 
 stand in alternate lines. After five years, the young trees might be 
 expected to have attained from 15 to 20 feet in height, when they 
 might be left to themselves, — making suitable provision against fire, 
 where the plantations were exposed to that contingency. 
 
 100. The following year the same operations to be repeated upon 
 32 additional acres, and so on for 10 years, when 320 acres, or half a 
 square mile, would have been planted out : and supposing 160 acres to 
 have been planted at 15 feet intervals, there would be 30,976 young 
 
( 45 ) 
 
 trees on that moiety, and 17,440 upon the other planted at 20 feet, or in 
 all 48,416 young trees. But as only one-fourth of each were destined 
 to arrive at maturity, being 7,744 of the former and 4,358 of the latter, 
 the planted forest, when Avell-advanced, would contain 12,102 adult trees. 
 The calculation supposes that there was no other Teak of earlier growth 
 in the forest, to disturb it. The assumed areas have been founded on 
 the supposed operations of the grantees, (para. 87.) The Government 
 plantations might, however, be carried out on a much larger scale. 
 
 101. Operations of the same kind would have to be carried on at 
 the same time in the Thengan-nyee-Nyoung reserved forest, which is 
 of much greater extent, the area being estimated in the returns at 12 
 square miles. Of this tract probably one-fourth, or 3 square miles, could 
 be advantageously brought under Teak culture, so as to yield large sup- 
 plies of timber hereafter. By placing one half of that area, or 960 acres, 
 under trees intended to be 30 feet apart when full grown, 46,464 second 
 class timbers could be raised, and 26,112 on the other moiety, with the 
 trees growing ultimately at 40 feet apart, so as to produce first-class 
 timber. I have indicated the spot where I consider that the commence- 
 ment should be made, viz., at the angle near the junction of the Then- 
 gan-nyee-Nyoung creek with the Weinyo, and thence up along the 
 banks of the former stream. 
 
 102. I am not in possession of data to justify me in framing an 
 estimate of the expense which would be incurred by these operations. 
 A chief part of it would be in the preliminary preparation of the ground, 
 by removing the underwood, cutting down small trees, and girdling the 
 large ones. The nearest approach to outlay of this kind on this side of 
 India, with which I am acquainted, is what is known of the operations 
 of the Tea Company in Assam. The Tea nurseries were established in 
 Barees, in dense forest, part of which was entirely removed, forming* 
 bare clearances : in other parts, the underwood was removed, and the 
 small trees cut, leaving the giant trees standing. Where a total clear- 
 ance was effected, the cost was not less than Rupees 100 per poor a > 
 equal to about 1£ acre, and the partial clearances were estimated at 
 Rupees 25 per poora. On the Attaran forests the clearances would 
 only be partial, but as labour is dear, the cost could not be reckoned at 
 less than Rupees 25 per acre, or Rupees 8,000 on 320. 
 
 103. Mr. O'Reilly in his " Observations," dated the 15th April 1849, 
 after an examination of the Attaran and Houndrow forests, suggests that 
 it would be better to plant along the coast, than to attempt the renewal 
 
cc 
 
 ( 46 ) 
 
 of the Teak forests in the interior. His words are, — " But in preference 
 " to propagating the Teak at a distance from the seat of Government, 
 " and in localities fraught with fever for six months of the year, offer- 
 " ing almost insuperable obstacles to an effectual supervision, I would 
 " suggest the employment of all the unoccupied forest lands on the banks 
 " of the various rivers aud creeks which occur at short intervals 
 " throughout the coast line, &c." Mr. O'Reilly thinks that " a new 
 " system of Teak forests would be greater, affording the prospect of 
 " future supplies of a material superior in every respect to the un- 
 cultivated tree of the present exhausted localities." It does not seem 
 advisable, however, to abandon the known favorite habitat of the tree, for 
 localities of which the capabilities are merely inferential, and still 
 remaining to be determined. But the suggestion might with advantage 
 be adopted on a small scale, with a view to ascertaining how the Teak tree 
 would succeed on the sea coast. There are great facilities near Am- 
 herst for a trial, and the cost would be comparatively trifling, from the 
 circumstance that convict labour would be available from the Prison 
 depot established there. I would recommend that 4-0 or 50 acres behind 
 the Pagoda Point should be laid out in Teak plantations. The plants 
 might be tried thick set at a distance of 8 or 10 feet apart, as in the 
 Malabar experiments, and reduced by subsequent thinnings. The 
 tract here mentioned is in a great measure cleared of heavy jungle, the 
 soil rests upon Laterite, and there would be the great advantage of 
 easy and frequent supervision by the Government officers at Moulmein 
 from its proximity to Amherst. A small Teak plantation might also 
 with the same view be established, as suggested by Mr. O'Reilly, on the 
 small island of Kalagouk, on the coast between Amherst and Ye. 
 The soil is reported to be good, and to bear Thengan trees, (which are 
 often associated with Teak) of the largest size. 
 
 104. An opinion advanced by Dr. Heifer in his printed report, 
 
 dated the 15th September 1837, has frequently 
 
 Vide Appendix No. 3. -, ■ -, n t 
 
 been quoted m the forest reports in dispa- 
 ragement of any system of planting, and it has been recommended that 
 Teak seeds should be sown over large surfaces, without regard to system 
 or arrangement, and without any preliminary preparations of the ground 
 to receive them, so as professedly to imitate the process of Nature. But 
 when these opinions were advanced, it was overlooked that Nature, in 
 most cases as regards Teak seed, fails to succeed in the process unaided, 
 and that nurseries and transplanting are intended to provide against 
 
( 47 ) 
 
 failure. To sow seeds in the manner proposed was simply aiming at an 
 object, without regard to the conditions which were essential to success. 
 Forest trees raised in a suitable locality by culture, if it has been 
 properly conducted, are in no respect more delicate than the same trees 
 grown in the wild state. 
 
 105. In order to carry out any measures of renewal of the Teak forests 
 in the Tenasserim Provinces with success, I consider it to be indispen- 
 sable that a qualified conservator be appointed, who should have no other 
 duties to attend to besides the charge of the forests. The officers who 
 have filled the appointment since 1841, have most of them held it in 
 conjunction with other responsible avocations, requiring their presence 
 in Moulniein, and although they have evinced much zeal and ability 
 in the general administration of the forests, they could not be expected 
 to be possessed of the theoretical and practical knowledge of arboricul- 
 ture required in an efficient conservator, and which were essential for 
 conducting renovation operations to a successful issue. To this cause 
 I attribute the failure of the nurseries established in 1843, and the 
 want of any subsequent effort to replace them. These officers, from 
 the circumstances above noticed, had not probably that weight and 
 influence with the grantees, which their office ought to have carried 
 along with it. The practical administration of the forests since 1848 
 has been made over to the Commissioner's Assistants, and a sufficiently 
 well organized system is in operation for regulating the felling of 
 timber on the Thoung-yeen, and for the collection of the Timber duties 
 of the province, but the " Conservancy" of the forests, properly so 
 called, is entirely unprovided for, and I would not recommend that 
 any measures of renewal be commenced upon till the vacancy is suitably 
 filled up. The Government would then have the assurance that they 
 were conducted with professional skill and a thorough knowledge of the 
 subject. Errors and causes of past failure would be avoided; or where 
 committed, they would be speedily remedied. The grantees would have 
 a qualified authority on the spot to refer to for information and advice, 
 which I consider to be of great importance. 
 
 (Signed) H. FALCONER, M. D., 
 
 Superintendent Hon'ble Company's Botanic Garden, 
 
 Calcutta. 
 H. C. Botanic Garden, 
 
 Calcutt; 
 
 23rd Januar 
 
 c Garden, ) 
 rTA, V 
 
 ry, 1851. ) 
 
( & ) 
 LIST OF APPENDED DOCUMENTS. 
 
 No. 1. Copy of the Commissioner's Memorandum of Instructions. 
 
 „ 2. Ditto Method of Planting Teak Trees in the Nelumboor 
 Plantations in Malabar. 
 
 „ 3. Extract of Dr. Heifer's Report. 
 
 „ 4. Map of the Tenasserim Teak forests, accompanying Captain 
 Latter's Report printed in the Agri-Horticultural Society's Journal. 
 
 „ 5. Drawing of " Tectona Grandis," the Teak, copied from Dr. 
 Roxburgh's series. 
 
 „ 6. Drawing of the " Tectona Hamiltonii," from Wallich's Planta 
 Asiatica. 
 
 No. 1. 
 Memorandum for Captain H. Berdmore and H. Falconer, Esq., M. D. 
 
 It appears to me that the first inquiries should be regarding the 
 Thengan-nyee-Nyoung forest, on the upper part of the Weinyo branch 
 of the Attaran river, — that forest being supposed to be the only un- 
 occupied forest yielding Teak on the Attaran streams, other than the 
 Upper Mittigate forest on the Zimme branch, or other tracts, the resour- 
 ces of which are yet unknown, on or near the same or Zimme branch 
 of these streams. 
 
 2. Captain Berdmore will make on the spot every inquiry, through the 
 parties attached to the forest establishment, employed under his personal 
 direction, as to the actual resources and condition of the Thengan-nyee- 
 Nyoung forest, and will take measures as he may see to be necessary for 
 the effectual prevention of any encroachments which he may find to have 
 been attempted in that tract. I would suggest to Dr. Falconer, that he 
 should make it an object of special investigation whether the forest in 
 question is one in which endeavours may, with probable advantage, be 
 made for the reproduction of Teak by artificial culture. 
 
 3. From the Thengan-nyee-Nyoung forest I would recommend that 
 the party proceed to the upper waters of the Zimme branch of the Attaran 
 river. It is particularly important, that Captain Berdmore should as- 
 certain whether sufficiently clear limits can be laid down for insertion in 
 a Memorandum of Grant to be issued for the Kyoon Geown and Megwa 
 forests, which have been held by Messrs. Cockerell & Co., in like manner 
 as has been proposed for the Grants on the Mittigate creek to Messrs. 
 D. C. Mackey & Co. Information given to me by Mr. Salmond, late 
 Head Assistant in the forest department, stated the following results : — 
 
( 49 ) 
 
 8 square miles. — Kyoon Geown Forest. Whole area 8 square miles 
 
 occupied by Teak trees. 
 18 square ditto. — Megwa ditto ditto, — 18 ditto ditto ditto 
 There was no original description such as would now permit of any 
 specific limitation as to the extent of the forest workings, for which a 
 licence was at first issued in those places ; but the fairest principle to 
 adopt would apparently be, that certain streams and their tributaries 
 should be named, the drainage into which should mark out the boun- 
 daries of each tenure. Captain Berdmore will however receive any 
 statement on this subject which any one now interested in the Kyoon 
 Geown and Megwa forests may desire to offer for his information. 
 It is specially to be understood that no working of Teak to the East of 
 the Toung Wyn range, as on account of either of those forests, is believed 
 to be in any way admissible. 
 
 4. Dr. Falconer perhaps may find, that the conditions which he may 
 think the most favorable to the growth of Teak by culture are to be 
 found in some of the private forests on the Attaran streams. If so, I 
 would recommend that he make a careful note of the localitv, and of the 
 limits Avhich he would wish to have at command for the purpose. I do 
 not doubt that private holders would readily make over a sufficient area 
 to the public officers for the prosecution of such an experiment. 
 
 5. A paper of practical directions by Dr. Falconer as to the circum- 
 stances and manner in which, after full local observation, he would advise 
 experiments for the artificial growth of Teak to be made, would be 
 especially valuable for general communication to the forest-holders. 
 
 6. From the Kyoon Geown and Megwa forests, it will probably be 
 best that the journey should be continued to the forest of the Mittigate 
 creek, so that Captain Berdmore may have the opportunity of giving 
 the directions that are required for the protection of the interests of 
 Government in respect to the trees already felled or killed above the 
 Kyouk-Taga Pass, and that Dr. Falconer may have an opportunity of 
 judging the capabilities of the forests in the direction of the Upper 
 Mittigate. 
 
 7. From the Attaran river Captain Berdmore and Dr. Falconer may 
 proceed across the country, so as to strike the course of the Thoung-yeen 
 river at the highest convenient point. Inquiries upon every subject of 
 interest can then be made. In descending the course of that river, Mr. 
 Smith and Mr. Hobday, officers of the forest department, will be found 
 there engaged in inquiries for the practical management of the business 
 
 G 
 
( 50 ) 
 
 of the department during the present season. In this (or the Thoung- 
 yeen) range of forests, I would particularly request of Dr. Falconer 
 that he should advise as to the number of trees which he may think 
 may, without injury, be killed and tendered for sale, in the several 
 surveyed divisions, in each year ; as to the measures, if any, which he 
 may judge requisite for rendering most available, at a future date, the 
 natural growths of young Teak, and as to the particular tracts in which 
 it may appear to him that efforts for raising Teak by culture, either in 
 forests now nearly exhausted or elsewhere, are at present required and 
 may be attended with a reasonable prospect of success. 
 
 8. Captain Berdmore has already received instructions in regard to 
 an investigation relative to the boundary with the Shan country on 
 the upmost streams of the Thoung-yeen. 
 
 9. Captain Berdmore and Dr. Falconer may, I think, follow the 
 course of the Thoung-yeen downwards as far as the Winsaw creek, 
 and then return to Moulmein by the route of the Dawnat Pass. 
 
 10. Dr. Falconer will require 3 elephants for his own use, and for 
 the transport of his personal establishment and baggage. These can 
 be provided at the expense of Rs. 150 a month, allowed in the letter of 
 Government to this office No. 22 of the 8th instant ; 3 more elephants 
 can be provided for his office establishment at a similar cost, as 
 authorized by the same letter. Captain Berdmore will probably require 
 for his own accommodation, for that of the subordinate forest officers, 
 and for the carriage of provisions for the whole party in the forest 
 country, in which there is often no means of making any purchases, 4 
 more elephants, making 10 in all, the charge for which may be 
 submitted in contingent bills, — the charge of Dr. Falconer's personal 
 account at Rs. 150 per mensem, and for the travelling expenses of his 
 establishment at the same rate, being shown separately from the dis- 
 bursements incurred by Captain Berdmore, as here sanctioned. 
 
 (Signed) J. R. COLVIN, 
 
 Commissioner, Tenasserim Provinces. 
 
 (True Copy,) 
 
 (Signed) H. FALCONER, M. D., 
 Moulmein, ") Supdt. H, C. Bot. Garden. 
 
 22nd Januar 
 
 sin, | 
 V> 1819.) 
 
( 51 ) 
 
 No. 2. 
 
 Method of Planting Teak Trees in the Nelumboor Government Plantations. 
 
 1st. The soil in which the Teak trees are to be planted should be 
 of a good clayey nature, covered with wood, and on borders, if possible, 
 of a river or nullah. On such ground, the extent required to be planted 
 during the space of one year should be cleared of all the jungle and 
 trees, — a process which should be commenced with in the beginning of 
 
 the month Of Dece^nTjauuary. Ab ° ut 30 da 7 S after the treeS > &C ^ 
 
 have been cut down, they should be burnt, according to the state of 
 their dryness, but should any of the trunks or branches, &c, be not 
 perfectly burnt, they should all be collected in one place and burnt 
 over again, and the place so thoroughly cleared as not to have even any 
 
 grass growing thereon, by the end of the month of — Apriilnd^fe ■ 
 
 The Teak seeds become ripe, and begin to drop off by the month of 
 
 janwy^dTebruaiy, but before tne J commence to do so, people should be 
 sent upon the trees, and the best seeds gathered ; they should then be 
 cleared of their outer coating and all other particles on them re- 
 moved by friction and sifting, afterwards they 
 
 This is only the outside i n -i i n -i • i j i n. n 
 
 pod not the spongy covering should be well dried, and kept carefully so as 
 be?e e m S o e ved WhiCh must not not to be exposed to humidity or white ants. 
 
 Of these seeds a portion should be sown, about 
 the end of — March a°d Iprii, — and tne remainder at two or three different 
 times in the beginning of — 7—^4^ The sowing should be in 
 
 o o April and May. ° 
 
 beds or nurseries, measuring 3 feet broad, and as long as may be neces- 
 sary, prepared after a careful examination of the ground at such places 
 where the soil is of the best (or Pashma) kind, and where it is found 
 that the fire had sufficiently heated the soil ; the ground should also be 
 made as level as possible, so as to allow water when poured on it to 
 run evenly all over. The quantity of seeds required to be sown in 
 "Water may be either hot these beds should be put in a vessel filled with 
 or cold - water, and they should be allowed to remain in 
 it for about ""***"» after which the seed should be thrown 
 
 36 hours, 
 
 over some straw, spread in a place where they will not be exposed to the 
 heat of the sun, and a little rotten straw strewed over them. Over this 
 straw a quantity of earth, just enough to cover it, should be strewed, and 
 then water poured over gently, so as to give a uniform humidity. The 
 
( 52 ) 
 
 seeds should remain in this state two days, when they are to be sown 
 in the bed prepared to receive them, which should be previously gently 
 watered, and the earth well-broken and spread, at such distances as that 
 the seeds will not touch each other ; they should then be covered up 
 with earth to the thickness of about half an inch, and over the earth old 
 straw spread also to the same thickness, and in order that the same 
 moisture may always continue, a particular time should be fixed for 
 watering the beds once every day. Thus the seeds will begin to ger- 
 minate after 14 days, and when they are found to do so, the straw 
 should be removed carefully so as not to injure the seedlings. All the 
 grass, &c, growing in the beds containing the seedlings should also be 
 removed as soon as they are discovered, and until the rainy season shall 
 have set in, the beds should be watered so as to keep them in a uniform 
 state of humidity. In this wav bv the month of EddaTavona ' whpri the 
 
 monsoon shall have fairly set in, and rendered the ground sufficiently 
 moist, the seedlings will have attained about 6 or 7 inches height, and 
 be fit to be transplanted. Should the ground where the seedlings are 
 intended to be transplanted to, be by this time over-grown with brush- 
 wood or grass, &c, it should be removed, and the seedlings planted in 
 quincunx order, at a distance of 8 feet from each other. The holes in- 
 tended to receive the plants should be dug one foot deep and two feet in 
 breadth, after being cleared of all the grass, and earth should also be 
 raised around the holes in such a manner as not to allow an excess of 
 water getting into them. As these plants easily wither away from the 
 heat of the sun, they should be protected against this evil by branches 
 of other trees, having abundance of leaves, being put up around the 
 plants, but in such a position, as that they will not touch and injure the 
 latter. Seven days after this, the plants will have taken firm root, when 
 the branches &c, put up to keep off the sun, should be removed. By 
 the time the whole extent of the ground is thus planted, grass will have 
 grown in the places where the planting was first commenced with, and 
 the earth put up around the plants will also have been more or less 
 washed away by the rain. All the grass, &c, should therefore be 
 removed with care from time to time, and the earth at the foot of the 
 plants gently turned up, and a little fresh earth put round the foot of the 
 plants. In Thoolam ' or yrischigon, soon a ft er the 
 
 1 October and November, November and December, 
 
 rainy season, and before the earth becomes dry and heated, the ground 
 between the plants should be turned up. It is very injurious to the 
 
( 53 ) 
 
 growth of these plants to allow grass, &c, to grow near them, or even the 
 lateral branches of the plants to remain during the first year ; it is, 
 therefore, necessary that these should be removed : the same process must 
 also be observed after the first year, whenever necessary, in a manner 
 not to hurt the plants, by cutting off all such side branches growing on 
 the lower part of the stock, as would prove injurious to the plants. It 
 is necessary that the grass and jungle growing near the plants, and the 
 creepers which coil round them, should be removed for 3 or 4 years 
 with reference to the growth of the plants. By this time they will have 
 attained a good height, and the branches will meet each other, and prevent 
 grass and juugle intervening between them. After this time no parti- 
 cular attention on this point is required. 
 
( 54 ) 
 No. 3. 
 
 Extract from Dr. Heifer's Report, dated loth September, 1837. 
 
 Teak plantations, therefore, will be of the greatest importance, and 
 this not only in places where Teak already existed before, but also in 
 localities which in regard to chemical composition of the soil and other 
 circumstances are equally well-fitted. 
 
 Government possesses such vast tracts of country in these provinces, 
 that a choice of land to accomplish this cannot be difficult, and how 
 could the land be better employed than by preserving that source of 
 wealth, which has manifested itself already by such striking proofs. 
 
 But in the method of cultivation, I would deviate from that adopted 
 by the Dutch in Java. It is an old experience, that forest trees do not 
 thrive well if they are treated like fruit trees, or other more delicate 
 plantations. The system of Nature should be imitated. No nursery 
 beds and no transplantations should be employed. After having cleared 
 the jungle in the chosen places, and after having loosened the soil suffi- 
 ciently to receive the seed and to be able to cover it with a little earth, 
 I would advise the seeds being disseminated without any further care. 
 The plantation must, of course, be enclosed to prevent the disturbance of 
 any kind of wild animals. After two or three years, the plants, when 
 sprung up too close to each other, ought to be thinned, besides jungle 
 parasites and other impediments carefully removed. 
 
 This easy operation should be annually repeated in different parts of 
 the country over wide tracts. Localities affording facilities for the 
 transport of timber, such as rivers and nullahs, ought of course to be 
 the first chosen. 
 
INSERT FOLDOUT HERE 
 
INDEX 
 
 TO 
 
 Dr. FALCONER'S REPORT 
 
 ON THE 
 
 TENASSERIM TEAK FORESTS. 
 
 5» 
 
 » 
 
 Para. 1 Two species of Tectona ; geographical range of Teak. 
 
 „ 2 Range of Teak in the Tenasserini Provinces ; not met with in Tavoy 
 
 and Mergui. 
 
 . > Range of Teak out of the Tenasserini Forests. 
 
 5 Extent of the Province of Amherst. 
 
 6 Physical characters of the Province. 
 
 8 V Plains, &c. 
 
 .Sf 
 
 Hills of the Province. 
 
 11 1 
 
 1 2 V Distribution of the Rivers as connected with the supplies of Teak. 
 
 13 J 
 
 14 Early information ; Dr. Wallich's Reports. 
 
 15 Dr. Wallich's Attaran Report. 
 
 16 Mr. Maingy's measures in 1829, " Lehmats." 
 
 17 Mr. Blundell's proceedings in 1837. 
 
 18 Dr. Heifer's Remarks. 
 
 19 Capt. Tremenheere and Capt. O'Brien's Reports in 1841. State in 
 
 which the Teak forests were then, and wasteful manner of working 
 them. 
 
 20 Capt. Guthrie's Report, 1846. His Resumption measures. 
 
 21 Capt. Latter's Report, 1848. 
 
 22 Mr. Colvin's Report, 1847. Indefinite, or long Leases, in lieu of 
 
 " Lehmats." 
 
 23 Difficulties in defining the conditions of the proposed Leases as regards 
 
 planting. Failure of the Nurseries established by Capt. Tremenheere. 
 Statements regarding the absence of Teak seedlings on the Attaran, 
 of spontaneous growth, 
 
 H 
 
55 
 
 25 
 
 55 
 
 26 
 
 55 
 
 27 
 
 »> 
 
 28 
 
 55 
 
 29 
 
 55 
 55 
 
 30 
 31 
 
 »> 
 
 32 
 
 55 
 
 33 
 
 55 
 
 34 
 
 55 
 
 35 
 
 55 
 
 36 
 
 55 
 
 37 
 
 55 
 
 38 
 
 5(3 INDEX. 
 
 Para. 24 Statements regarding the Thoung-Yeen River, that Teak seedlings are 
 
 not uncommon there. 
 Object of Dr. Falconer's mission. 
 
 Summary of Proceedings — Capt. Berdmore joined with him in his Tour. 
 Memorandum of instructions from the Commissioner. 
 Forests visited on the Weinyo and Zimme Rivers. 
 General Remarks on the Teak Forests ; not gregarious forests of one 
 
 species. General proportion of Teak to other trees. 
 
 1 1 General Remarks continued ; usual habitat of the Teak tree. 
 
 Other trees met with besides Teak. 
 
 Finest Teak trees occur in the dense Forests, greatest height observed. 
 
 Durability when long left felled in the Forests. 
 Different quality of the Teak from the different Forests. 
 Characters of Malabar Teak. Resistance to Dry-rot, probably caused by 
 
 its resinous nature. Erroneous current idea that tar and oil are 
 
 extracted from the Pegu and Tenasserim Teak ; whence its origin. 
 Length of time required in seasoning. 
 Range of specific gravity of Teak. 
 Supposed causes of the disrepute of Tenasserim Teak, as compared with 
 
 Malabar timber. 
 
 39 Common defect in the core. Disuse of Teak timber for Ordnance 
 purposes. 
 
 40 Rate of growth of the Teak tree ; quick at first, afterwards slow. 
 Requires 80 to 100 years to form a good sized timber. Largest 
 scantling observed during the tour. 
 
 41 Sources of injury to Teak during its growth ;— insects and fire. Capt. 
 Latter's opinion about the effects of fire. 
 
 Epiphytical creepers. 
 
 Effects of the jungle fires. 
 
 Observations on the different Forests. Forests on the Weinyo; ex- 
 hausted up to the Thengan-Nyee Nyoung. 
 
 Particulars of the Thengan-Nyee Nyoung Reserved Forest. 
 
 Spontaneous seedlings observed on the Mezeelee Kyoung. 
 
 Kyoon-Geown Forest,— its Characters and Extent, &c. 
 
 Megwa Forests. 
 
 Mittigate Forests. 
 
 Mittigate Codoogway Forest. 
 
 Mittigate Codoogway. 
 
 Mittigate Forest. 
 
 Mittigate Forest formerly very rich. Failure of the Nursery estab- 
 lished here. 
 54 Upper Mittigate or Kyouk Taga Reserved Forest. The finest timber 
 growing in it. Some trees 63 feet high to the first branch. Absence 
 of marks of fire. 
 
 11 
 
 42 
 
 u 
 
 43 
 
 55 
 
 44 
 
 55 
 
 45 
 
 5) 
 
 46 
 
 55 
 
 47 
 
 55 
 
 48 
 
 55 
 
 49 
 
 55 
 
 50 
 
 55 
 
 51 
 
 55 
 
 52 
 
 55 
 
 53 
 
INDEX. 57 
 
 Para. 55 Upper Mittigate considered to be well adapted for planting operations. 
 Spot indicated. 
 
 „ 56 Forests between the Upper Mittigate and Goonjee Creek. 
 
 „ 57 Forests between Toung Wyn and Natehoung. Natehoung Forests. 
 
 „ 58 Termination of the Teak yielding forests at Natehoung. Return to 
 Moulrnein. 
 
 „ 59 Summary of Observations made on the Forests. Most of the Forests 
 exhausted. Reserved Forests — condition. 
 
 „ 60 Young timber nowhere getting up in adequate quantity. 
 
 „ 61 Principle on which the Forests have been worked by the Grantees. 
 
 „ 62 Young seedlings very scarce. 
 
 „ 63 The above summary only confirmatory of previous statements. 
 
 „ 64 Absence of young seedlings remarkable. 
 
 „ 65 Reasons which have been assigned for their absence. 
 
 „ 66 Description of the Teak-nut, light and buoyant. The Seed has a pro- 
 longed vitality, but great inaptitude for germination. 
 
 „ 67 Period of flowering and seeding. Teak produce an immense quantity 
 of seed. The seed shed at an unfavorable time, afterwards exposed 
 to fire and flooding, — combined effect of several causes. 
 
 „ 68 Natural inaptitude of Teak seed compared with other trees. Pine 
 seeds. Saul Forests and Saul seed. Drain upon the Said Forests. 
 Difficulty of exhausting Saul. Very rapid germination of Saul seed. 
 Opposite nature of Teak. 
 
 „ 69 Amount effect produced by fire. Not a sufficient explanation. Preva- 
 lent age of the young Teak, in connexion with fire. 
 
 „ 70 Capt. Latter's opinion, that Teak trees in decay alone yield good seed. 
 Extract from Captain Latter's Report. Opposed to observation and 
 experience elsewhere. Good quality of the Tenasserim Seed as 
 compared with the produce of the Botanic Garden. 
 
 „ 71 Capt. Tremenheere's opinion about super-saturation ; not a sufficient 
 explanation. 
 
 „ 72 Difference between the Thoung-Yeen and Attaran Forests as regards 
 the occurrence of seedlings. Diversity of soil will not explain the 
 difference, soil will affect the growth of the tree, but will not deter- 
 mine the number of seedlings. 
 
 „ 73 The Forests how kept up in the state of Nature. 
 
 „ 74 Seedlings although rare, in the wild state, can easily be raised by 
 culture. Manner of treatment explained. The first stage easy ; the 
 risks of failure afterwards. Great difficulty in the Tenasserim Pro- 
 vinces. 
 
 „ 75 Planting operations in Malabar; how far the results and method appli- 
 cable to the Tenasserim Provinces. 
 
 „ 76 General Remarks on the Malabar Forests. Sir Thomas Monro's Minute 
 of the 22nd November 1822, abolishing the Conservancy and throw- 
 ing the Forests open. Effects of the measure. The Forests threaten- 
 
58 INDEX. 
 
 ed with extermination. With rise in the price of Timber. Mr. 
 Conolly's Planting operations in 1843. Raises between 4 and 5 lacs 
 of seedlings in 5 years, on the Neluniboor plantations. 
 Para. 77 Travancore Forests. System of management. Ten young trees planted 
 for every tree cut down. Extract from Mr. Monro's Report, dated 
 12th Ausrust 1837. 
 „ 78 If like measures applied to the Tenasserim Provinces, ought to yield 
 like results. Consideration of them, 1st with regard to the leased 
 Forests, 2nd, to the reserved Forests. 
 „ 79 Conditions of the Leases with reference to planting proposed by Mr. 
 Colvin, in his Report of the 28th October 1847. After 10 years the 
 Grantee to show planting to the extent of § or J the fellings of 
 10 years. Extract from his Report, expressing his misgiving whe- 
 ther planting would be successful. 
 „ 80 Every probability of plantations succeeding, but not likely to be under- 
 taken by the Grantees. 
 „ 81 Past experience as to the working of the Forests when stocked with 
 
 timber. 
 „ 82 The forests now bared, and not probable that the Grantees will lay 
 
 out capital on such remote returns. 
 „ 83 No demand yet for other timbers, or for the other products of the 
 
 Forests. 
 „ 84 The principle of the proposed leases regarded to be too much in advance 
 
 of the existing state or early prospects of the Province. 
 „ 85 What condition of planting to be inserted in the leases. Ten young 
 trees for every tree cut in Travancore. Five for every one proposed 
 by Mr. Blundell. Three by Capt. Tremenheere. Mr. Colvin's pro- 
 posals. Objections to which they are liable. Best principle would 
 be a uniform rate of planting on the areas of each Forest. 
 ,, 86 Estimated number of Teak trees in the Attaran Forests. Captain 
 Guthrie's return of Trees in 1846. Rate deduced from the estimated 
 number, 48 per acre. 
 ,, 87 The Leases to include a condition of planting to the extent of 4 - 8 trees 
 per acre, of the whole surface, on half the area, within 10 years. 
 Necessity of a condition of planted area. 
 „ 88 Proportion of area planted more important than the mere number 
 of trees. Great reduction in plantations by thinnings. The 
 Malabar plants put out, 680 to the acre. First class Teak will re- 
 quire 40 feet apart, being 27"2 to the acre ; 2nd class, 30 feet apart, 
 or 48-4 to the acre. Possible results if no condition of planted area 
 required. 
 
 89 Close planting not required in the Tenasserim Provinces. Thinnings 
 
 would be worthless. 
 
 90 Sources of expenditure and difficulties to be encountered by the Gran- 
 
 tees in planting. Absence of population on the Attaran River. 
 
INDEX. 59 
 
 Constant risk of fire during the dry months. Extract from Mr. 
 O'Reilly's "Observations," dated 15th April 1849, regarding fires. 
 Injunction against fires would be unavailing ; difficulty of adequate 
 supervision. All the circumstances combined constitute formidable 
 difficulties. Capt. Guthrie's opinion in Report, dated 20th June 
 1846. Course likely to be adopted by the Grantees. 
 Para. 91 Capt. Tremenheere's view that the Government should plant at the 
 Grantee's expense, not advisable. 
 
 „ 92 Every plan proposed liable to more or less objection. 
 
 „ 93 Same conditions of lease to apply to the Houndrow and Lhang-booa 
 Forests. 
 
 „ 94 Consideration of the Reserved Forests of Upper Mittigate and Thengan- 
 Nyee-Nyoung. Expedient to bring them up to their full capa- 
 bilities. 
 
 „ 95 Proposed plan for the Upper Mittigate. Rough preparation of the 
 ground. 
 
 „ 96 Collection and treatment of the seeds. 
 
 „ 97 Selection of the best nuts and amount to be sown. The seedlings to 
 be transplanted at once to their ultimate sites ; Repeated removals 
 injurious. 
 
 „ 98 Mode of planting to be adopted ; 20 feet intervals between the seedlings. 
 
 „ 99 Part of the plantations might be with intervals of 30 feet for 2nd class 
 timber. 
 
 „ 100 Condition of the plantations after 10 years. 
 
 „ 101 Operations in the Thengan-Nyee Nyoung, and estimated final results. 
 
 „ 102 Data not available for a detailed estimate. Probable cost of clearances. 
 
 103 Mr. O'Reilly's proposal considered; not advisable to abandon the old 
 
 sites for others the capabilities of which are unknown. Expediency 
 
 of subordinate plantations near Amherst, and on the Island of 
 
 Kalagouk. 
 
 „ 104 Dr. Heifer's opinion about planting in the Tenasserim Provinces, and 
 the objections which have been founded on it, considered. 
 
 „ 105 Necessity for appointing a Conservator with no other duties. Should be 
 a qualified person. Combination with other duties unadvisable. 
 Practical knowledge of Aboriculture required. Failures of the Nur- 
 series of 1843. The Conservancy of the Forests at present unpro- 
 vided for. No operations ought to be undertaken till the vacancy is 
 filled up. 
 
SUMMARY OF PAPERS 
 
 RELATING TO THE 
 
 TENASSERIM FORESTS. 
 
 1. The Tenasseriin Provinces were ceded to the British Government 
 by the Burmese, under the treaty of Yandaboo, early in the year 1826, 
 since which time their resources and physical characteristics have been 
 subjects of interest and enquiry to the Government. Soon after the 
 cession of the Provinces, Captain Grant and Lieut. DeMontmorency 
 were employed to survey the newly acquired country, but before those 
 officers could complete the work, or make any material progress, 
 Captain Grant fell ill, and was compelled to quit the Provinces, when 
 the survey was discontinued. Another survey, of a portion of the 
 Provinces, appears to have been conducted by Lieut. Scotland, as a map 
 of his "Survey to the three Pagodas" is extant, but no papers have been 
 traced regarding these two surveys. 
 
 2. In the following year, 1827, Dr. Wallich, the Superintendent of 
 the Hon'ble Company's Botanical Gardens at Calcutta, was deputed 
 to examine and report upon the botanical features of the Tenasserim 
 Provinces, and while he was at Moulmein upon this mission, he was 
 desired by the Government of India* to take advantage of the oppor- 
 
 * Letter dated 1st tunity " to acquire the fullest and most complete 
 March 1827. information" of the resources of the country, in 
 
 regard to both " botanical science and military and commercial ob- 
 jects/' as it was believed that the whole of the Tenasserim Provinces 
 presented " a most favorable and abundant field for botanical researches, 
 and that the productions of timber for military and other purposes" 
 were " not only ample but of very superior quality." 
 
 3. In compliance with this order, Dr. Wallich left Moulmein on the 
 10th March 1827, and proceeded on his tour of examination. He first 
 ascended the Salween River for about forty miles, and on his return 
 from thence he started, on the 25th March, up the Attaran River, 
 penetrating the country to the distance of a hundred miles. On his 
 
( G2 ) 
 
 return from these excursions, Dr. Wallich submitted* to Govern- 
 * Letter, dated 25th ment nis journals or reports, and the copy of two 
 April 1S27. letters which he had addressed to Sir Archibald 
 
 Campbell, the Political xlgent in the Tenasserim Provinces, relating to 
 matters which he " had no fit opportunity of introducing or of suf- 
 ficiently explaining in the body of the reports." These papers will be 
 briefly noticed, for though they are now of very old date, yet they afford 
 much valuable and interesting information regarding the Provinces. 
 
 Salween River. — 4. Dr. Wallich left Moulmein on the forenoon of 
 the 10th March 1827, and crossing over to Martaban, he entered the 
 Salween River, of which he writes: — 
 
 " The Salween is a large river, which unlike the Attaran, becomes perfectly clear 
 and fresh within a few miles of its mouth, beyond which the sea water does not ex- 
 tend. In consequence, its banks, instead of being overgrown with the sort of jungle 
 peculiar to the influence of salt water, are covered with a vegetation of a widely 
 different description. They are shelving at first, but soon rise and become sufficiently 
 hi°-h to appear perfectly exempted from inundation from the river. Above Martaban 
 the river side is covered with high grass and Erythrinas, intermixed with betle-palms 
 and occasional clumps of plantain trees. Behind, at a short distance, runs a range 
 of short hills, sparingly covered with vegetation. On one of these I could distinctly 
 see a number of the trees which yield the well-known Thetzee or varnish, covered 
 with their numerous clusters of red-winged fruit. The course of the river is at its 
 mouth due north, and it continues in that direction to its source almost, with frequent 
 turns to the east and west." 
 
 5. Higher up the river, the banks are more steep and the country 
 more hilly and woody. The hills consist of hard, rich limestone, with 
 occasional veins of quartz. On one of them Dr. Wallich saw two kilns, 
 in which lime had been burnt from the rock. The lime appeared to 
 have been of the best quality. The hills are more or less covered with 
 shrubs and trees ; in some of them there are caves containing sonorous 
 stalactites, and opposite the village of Trugla, is the " celebrated cave 
 called Kogun." It was full of gilt images of Boudh of all sizes, " some 
 of an herculean size," made of marble or brick and mortar. ^ 
 
 6. At this season of the year, March, heavy fogs prevail : they " tend 
 very materially to fertilize the soil and invigorate its vegetation," and 
 contribute to cool the nights and mornings " to an extent sometimes 
 exceeding 20° of Fahrenheit." The jungles are burned down at this 
 time of the year to allow of the cultivation of rice. Dr. Wallich walked 
 through a recently burnt field of about two and a half miles in extent, on 
 which the ashes were Mug to the depth of " some inches," and he was 
 
( G3 ) 
 
 covered with soot, " for the conflagration of the rank grass, consisting of 
 the wild sugar-cane had spared the tall stems, though it had thoroughly 
 blackened them." Dr. "Wallich had " no doubt that the ashes pro- 
 duced by the universal practice of burning the jungles during the dry 
 season must have a very salutary effect on the soil as a species of manure." 
 
 7. A little beyond the village of Trugla, the flood-tide continued per- 
 ceptible, the river being subject to " a considerable rise during the spring- 
 tides ; the banks here become more hilly, and there are several islands, 
 some hilly, others flat, though sufficiently raised not to be overflown." 
 On these islands cotton was cultivated, and in fact throughout 
 this part of the Provinces Dr. Wallich found the shrub. He says of 
 the produce, — 
 
 " I do not recollect having ever seen finer cotton than what I procured here ; the 
 pods were large, the wool beautifully white and silky, and of good staple. Indeed I 
 think that it exceeds in those respects even the Barbadoes cotton which I cultivated 
 at Tittyghur, near Barrackpore, while it was in my charge as a branch of the Botanic 
 Garden at Calcutta, and which, in the opinion of the Court of Directors, officially 
 communicated to me in 1824, was superior to any in the London market. The 
 plant is 3 to 4 feet high, and annual, though I dare say, like all the other kinds of 
 cultivated cotton, it may be hardened so as to become triennial or even perennial, as 
 is the case in the "West Indies. At Trugla, this cotton sells at 30 rupees (Madras) 
 per hundred Yiss, equal to 365 pounds avoirdupois, if I rightly compute the equi- 
 valent of the Yiss." 
 
 8. Dr. TV allien met also with a yellow cotton. 
 
 " Some of the plants, but only very few, bore a yellow cotton of the same descrip- 
 tion as that I have seen at Sagaen, opposite to Ava, but I was told that this was a 
 matter of accident ; indeed the villagers seemed hardly aware of the difference in the 
 product when I pointed it out to them." 
 
 9. On the 13th March he reached a village called Phanoe on the 
 right bank of the Salween, in the neighbourhood of which " there was a 
 grove of 60 to 70" Teak trees, but, — 
 
 " The best trees had evidently been removed long ago, and what remained was short 
 in stem and of irregular growth, branching out low down. At this time of the year 
 the tree is almost destitute of leaves, still it may be recognized by the large panicles 
 of fruit which terminate the branches, though it requires some practice not to con- 
 found it with the Nauclea, another timber tree, which is common everywhere. But 
 there are some other trees which have been repeatedly mistaken by new comers 
 for the teak, namely, a sort of Careya, and several species of Dillenia and Lager- 
 strsemia, all of which are like the teak, deciduous, and grow to be forest trees of very 
 considerable dimensions." 
 
 10. Dr. Wallich measured nine of the Teak trees at this place, 
 selecting them at random from among such as had attained a mature 
 
 i 
 
( 64 ) 
 
 age, and the result was an average of 9 feet § inch in girth, and 12 
 feet 5^ inches in height. He explains that, 
 
 " By the girth, I mean the circumference of the trunk taken at 4 feet ahove the level 
 of the ground, unless the contrary is explicitly stated. This precaution avoids in- 
 cluding in the measurement the frequent irregularities of projections and crevices 
 which certain trees, and the Teak among them, exhihit towards their base. In the 
 next place I include in the height that part of the stem only which is undivided, and 
 which has still a tolerably good circumference, not too disproportionate to the lower 
 girth." 
 
 11. On the 14th March, Dr. Wallich arrived " at a village deriving 
 its name from an island called Koa Theyn Geun (Geun signifying an 
 island,) at the upper end of which it is situated." 
 
 " The village is small, and chiefly occupied in the cultivation of tobacco and cotton, 
 
 two objects of agriculture which, together with the sugar-cane, coffee and many 
 
 others, would, I imagine, succeed extremely well on a large scale on this river. Of the 
 superiority of the cotton and its cheapness I have already had several opportunities 
 of speaking; and the cane must thrive where the cotton thrives, because both re- 
 quire the same exemption from inundation, and the same sort of soil, which is here an 
 impalpable sand, mixed with a proportion of clay and containing some iron." 
 
 12. The island of Koa-Lung belongs to the British Government, as 
 it lies nearer the British side of the river. In the village, which was 
 occupied by Burmese and Talayens, Dr. Wallich saw a loom at work 
 manufacturing a piece of coarse cloth, and about the huts were culti- 
 vated several cucurbitaceous plants. Some fish was procured at this 
 place, which Dr. Wallich had "no opportunity of examining"; however, 
 in flavour, it was like the bekty of Bengal. There was lying off the 
 village a float of 6,000 bamboos of the small sort called Woa Tew, which 
 had been brought from Miyang, where they cost 10 rupees per thousand, 
 and were being taken to Moulmein, where the price at the time was 
 3 rupees per hundred. Dr. Wallich afterwards met with this bamboo 
 in full flower, and he describes it as "a curious bamboo with the stem 
 as thick as a moderate sized arm, elegantly marked lengthways with 
 irregular white stripes like the leaves of the striped grass." A little 
 beyond the island the flood-tide failed entirely. 
 
 13. About four miles south-west of the island of Koa-Lung, near 
 the village of Miyang, there was a forest of Teak trees, which stretched 
 only a little way along the left or British bank of the river, and as far 
 as could be ascertained, did not appear to extend far inland ; it was esti- 
 mated to contain about 200 good trees ; on measuring eleven of these 
 trees, the result was an average girth of 9 feet 10 T 9 T inches, and an avc- 
 
( 65 ) 
 
 rage height of 19 feet 9 T 7 T inches. The soil in this forest was of a grey 
 color, and seemed " to consist of fine sand, clay, and a small proportion 
 of vegetable mould." Several trees that had been felled appeared 
 quite sound, the wood was dark colored, and compact. An examina- 
 tion of the bark and the sapwood (alburnum) gave the following 
 results : — 
 
 " The thickness of the former was with very little variation §■ of an inch, that of the 
 latter from 1 to 1\ and even 2 inches; there was no perceptible difference in these 
 diameters, with regard to the point of the compass at which they were measured." 
 
 14. Dr. Wallich writing of the felling of the Teak trees by the wood- 
 cutters observes that, 
 
 " Nothing could he worse than the miserable mode adopted here, of felling the 
 trees, in no instance below and generally above three feet from the base. Whenever 
 an ant-hill or an accidental impediment from a trunk of w'ood or the like, which 
 might have easily been removed, came in the way, the axe was applied so high as 
 four, or even four and a half feet above the ground. * * * * But 
 
 if this be the state of things in our immediate vicinity, much more must it exist at 
 a distance from any direct control or check. Few forests can be fairly said to be 
 inexhaustible until they are placed under salutary laws ; and those of teak have 
 been too long and too constantly laid under contribution not to require prompt and 
 vigorous measures for their redemption. Among the produce of the land on which 
 we may with safety rely for reimbursement of a great proportion of the expenses 
 for the support of the Provinces lately ceded to us, there can, I presume, be no doubt 
 that the Teak stands foremost. In my humble opinion, not a single tree ought to 
 be touched, not a stick of that valuable wood ought to be allowed to be carried 
 away for any purposes whatever but those of the Government, without their express 
 sanction ; and that to declare all such forests in our territories the property of the 
 Company, will be an indispensable step towards saving, and as far as it is practicable, 
 reclaiming these forests." 
 
 15. On the 16th March Dr. Wallich visited a third Teak forest 
 about three miles from the river, and on its right or Burman bank. 
 This forest was almost choked with climbers and underwood, and 
 contained a variety of other trees. Some of the Teak trees were of 
 a good size and well grown, but those which were of large dimensions 
 generally had decayed trunks. The measurements of twelve trees 
 gave an average girth of 7 feet lOf inches, and an average height 
 of 25 feet 9£ inches. The site of this forest is rather elevated above 
 the adjoining jungles ■ the soil was the same as that of the last-noticed 
 forest. The best trees stood on the margins of nullahs which run 
 through the forest; these nullahs originate from the neighbouring 
 hills ; they were quite dry at the time of Dr. Wallich' s visit ; their 
 
( 66 ) 
 
 beds were filled with " pebbles of indurated clay and sandstone, the 
 sides consisting chiefly of clay." Although three miles from the 
 river, no great difficulty would be experienced in transporting the trees, 
 as the ground was sloping and even towards the river, and a sufficient 
 opening could easily be cut through the bamboos and jungle ; besides 
 which, in the rains, the nullahs would afford facilities for floating the 
 timber to the river's edge. One of the other trees growing in this forest 
 which Dr. Wallich noticed, is the Thengan (Hopea odorata) or canoe- 
 wood tree. 
 
 " This is, next to tlie Teak, the finest timber tree in this Province ; it attains the most 
 extraordinary size both in height and circumference, far beyond the dimensions 
 which the Teak ever acquires. The natives prefer it to the latter for boat-building, 
 and I have a notion that it may be advantageously substituted on some occa- 
 sions for other purposes. It is nearly allied to the Saul of Hindustan, (Therea 
 robusta,) and like that abounds in rosin or dammer. It delights in elevated situa- 
 tions near the sea. I understand on the Coast of Tenasserim it is found in the 
 greatest perfection. Here it was of very middling size, and greatly inferior to the 
 gigantic trees of it which I have seen below." 
 
 16. About six miles from the south point of the island of Koa- 
 Lung, on the British or left bank of the river, there is another forest of 
 Teak, which was visited also on the 16th March by Dr. Wallich. This 
 forest is on a very high and precipitous bank, which was then gradu- 
 ally falling down, and thus gave Dr. Wallich the opportunity of examin- 
 ing the substratum of the soil. " It consisted of coarse quartzy sand 
 and clay, becoming brown, and strongly impregnated with iron as it 
 descended" ; the upper soil was the same as that of the two forests 
 last visited. The measurements of sixteen Teak trees gave an average 
 girth of 7 feet 6 T ^ inches, and an average height of 26 feet 7 inches. 
 The forest extended considerably inland ; that part which was lying on 
 the bank of the river contained about 300 capital teak trees. The natives 
 stated that there were about 2,000 trees, great and small, in this forest ; 
 it was the best of those which Dr. Wallich had seen, and he strongly 
 advised its being placed under the care and management of Govern- 
 ment officers. 
 
 17. Besides the Teak and Thengan, or canoe-wood tree, there are 
 several valuable forest trees throughout the Province, but excepting 
 the varnish tree, Dr. Wallich does not mention any particularly ; he 
 however obtained " several botanical curiosities," of which some were 
 altogether new to him, and on the second day of his excursion he 
 
( 67 ) 
 
 met with the tree which he has named the Amherstia nobilis. Of the 
 varnish tree he says : 
 
 " I saw here a very large varnish tree, which I call Melonorrhrea Vernix, measur- 
 ing in girth 11 feet 5 inches, and in height 40 feet, with a clear stem of 12 feet. 
 Neither from this nor from any of those at Martaban had the varnish been extracted, 
 owing, I am informed, to there being in these places none of those people who apply 
 themselves to that work. The process I had an opportunity of ascertaining at 
 Prome, where the tree is found in abundance ; it is very simple. Short joints of a 
 small kind of bamboo, sharpened at one end like a pen, are thrust into holes cut into 
 the bark in a slanting direction. In the course of 24 hours one-half or less is filled 
 with the varnish, when it is removed ; 100 to 150 such bamboos are sometimes put 
 into a tree at once." 
 
 18. The forests are infested by buffaloes, tigers, and elephants. The 
 villagers informed Dr. Wailich that they had no fear of tigers, as they 
 seldom attacked anybody who did not enter the jungle quite alone ; 
 and " as a reason for this abstemiousness on the part of the tiger, 
 they said that the population was so small that the beast had not 
 yet become acquainted with the taste of human flesh." Regarding the 
 elephant, Dr. Wailich says : 
 
 " There can be no doubt that the productiveness of these parts in elephants mit^ht 
 be rendered a source of great advantage, not only with reference to the army, but in 
 various other respects likewise, not to mention the value of the ivory as an article of 
 commerce. It is a question whether it would not be practicable without incurring 
 any very great expense to convey these animals in their youth to Bengal by sea, or 
 to the still nearer S. E. parts of our continental possessions. At any rate, it would 
 be extremely desirable to establish a regular system of catching them either in Kyd- 
 das, or folds, as is done in some parts of Bengal, or in Obies, or pit-falls, which are 
 used in Oude. Unless the number of these enormous consumers is reduced, it would 
 be almost in vain to think of attempting any agricultural scheme of any extent. A 
 sugar plantation would, under existing circumstances, have no chance of being reaped 
 by the owner. Another consideration not to be altogether disregarded perhaps would 
 be the probability of our falling in with some white elephants, a variety sometimes 
 found in these forests." 
 
 19. Poultry abounded in the jungles, where they were caught 
 by the simple contrivance " of nooses attached to a string 
 scarcely thicker than a packthread" ; the villagers supplied Dr. 
 Wailich with several fresh fowls' eggs, which were of " a remarkably 
 small size." 
 
 20. On the 17th March Dr. "Wailich commenced his return to Moul- 
 mein, which place he reached during the following day. On the 23rd 
 March he submitted a copy of his journal to Sir Archibald Campbell, 
 
( 68 ) 
 
 and in explaining that he was prevented by the lateness of the 
 season from extending his examination beyond the Island of Koa-Lung, 
 added, — 
 
 " I have reason to believe that extensive Teak forests occur farther to the north- 
 ward, within our own territories, extending and probably improving as they recede 
 from the Salween in an easterly direction. That the Province abounds in natural 
 forests of that valuable wood, all the accounts I have been able to procure combine 
 in asserting, and that the forests on the river just visited must at least at one time 
 have been very productive, may easily be proved from the vast quantity of timber 
 which has been consumed in the construction of the Stockades at Martaban, and the 
 numerous religious and other buildings, existing both there and at many other places 
 along the banks, which it is very unlikely have been supplied from any distant 
 
 source." 
 
 Attaran River.— 21. On the 25th March 1827 Dr. Wallich again 
 started from Moulmein, and proceeded in the gnn-boat " Ber- 
 hampooter" towards the Attaran River, which he reached in about 
 half an hour, as the tide was very rapid. He was accompanied 
 bv Captain Montgomerie, of the Madras Artillery, who was associ- 
 ated with him in this excursion by Sir Archibald Campbell. The 
 sencral course of the Attaran is from S. E. to N. W. ; at the outlet 
 it is deep and wide. The water is salt, and continues so for 
 some distance up the river, and the banks are low and thickly 
 overgrown with the sort of jungle belonging to such localities. 
 In these respects this river differs entirely from the Salween, which has 
 sweet water and high banks at its very mouth, and produces a vegeta- 
 tion of an opposite description. Among the numerous trees which 
 cover the low banks there are several sorts of mangroves, and a great 
 abundance of rattans. " These plants gradually rising from the size of 
 small shrubs near the water's edge, where their growth is retarded by 
 the overflowings of the tides, to that of large trees, produce a very pleas- 
 ing effect, the banks appearing as if planted by art." The entrance to 
 the Attaran is marked on its right side by a small hill with a pagoda at 
 the top, which, together with a similar object at Moulmein, continue in 
 sight a good way up. At a distance varying from two to six miles from 
 the left bank, and running nearly parallel to it in a south-easterly direc- 
 tion, is a range of low hills, which commence at Moulmein and extend 
 twenty-six miles in length. These hills consist chiefly of primitive lime- 
 stone, and resemble the hills on the Salween, excepting that on the Atta- 
 ran they are confined entirely to one bank, sometimes approaching close 
 to the water's edge, and at other times receding to a moderate distance; 
 
( 69 ) 
 
 while on the Salwccn thcv occur on both sides. Their average height 
 is calculated to be about 400 feet. 
 
 "One of these hills, called Paining, is remarkable on account of its being perforated 
 by a nullah, which runs right through it. It is of a lengthened form, its greatest 
 diameter extending N. and S. along the river, to which it presents a precipitous and 
 almost perpendicular wall. Towards its southern extremity it gradually shortens into 
 a small eminence, surmounted by a little pagoda, and having a Kvoum at the base. It 
 is at some distance from this end that the above-mentioned excavation occurs, formino- 
 a vaulted canal, which traverses the solid rock, and is about 40 feet long and 20 feet 
 wide; the depth of the water on the first rise of the flood being 8 feet, and the height 
 above the surface to the roof about 12 feet. This latter is vaulted, and in most parts 
 covered with massy but short stalactites, variously tinged with green and yellow, partly 
 from decomposition, and partly from a minute cryptogamie vegetation. In the inter- 
 stices between these, the vault appears curiously scooped out into small faces, forming 
 one vast concave polygon." 
 
 "At a distance of about 8 miles higher up the river, is a hill remarkable on account 
 of a hot spring which issues a mile from the foot of it. We visited this remarkable 
 spot on the 28th January, walking from the mouth of a small, nearly dry nullah below 
 the former village of Attaran, through a thick grass jungle, in which there was no other 
 path than that made by elephants. After proceeding about 1^ mile, we came to a 
 shallow expanse of water, which was sufficiently hot to prevent our visiting the spot 
 from whence the spring itself rises. The water was tasteless, and covered with a 
 frothy calcareous deposition ; the thermometer, which in the shade was 98°, rose on 
 immersion immediately to 1 32°." 
 
 22. On proceeding farther, the river was found to be narrower and 
 more tortuous, while its banks gradually rise several feet above high 
 water mark, and are frequently precipitous and broken. The stream 
 becomes perfectly clear, and is very rapid and impetuous, especially at 
 places where it is interrupted by islands, rocks or sandbanks. Be- 
 hind the banks are extensive plains, which had been densely grown with 
 reeds, but these at the period of Dr. W allien' s visit, were being burned. 
 " The massy volumes of smoke and the crackling of the flames which rose 
 far and near, and sometimes to an awful height, bore ample testimony 
 to the effect of a scorching sun, and the diligence with which the 
 scanty population are endeavouring to rid the ground at once of jungle 
 and of wild beasts." Dr. Wallich fell in with two or three species of 
 Dischidia on the third day after leaving Moulmein \ one of these which 
 he calls " curious," he describes thus : — 
 
 " Like all the rest, it climbs upon old trees, rooting along the rough bark of the 
 trunk to a considerable extent. The character which renders this plant extremely 
 remarkable consists in its producing along the stem, reservoirs or bags three inches 
 
( ™ ) 
 
 lon°- anil one and a third broad, of an oval compressed form, and of a somewhat 
 leathery texture, green on the outside, but deep purple and shining within. Each of 
 these is attached to the stem at the base, close to a small thickened orifice, and 
 through this orifice, or mouth, is always found entering a root issuing from the stem, 
 and branching out into many fibres within the cavity of the bag, which is nearly filled 
 by them. Can this singular apparatus possibly be designed for the protection of the 
 tender roots until they acquire sufficient vigour to adhere to the tree, at which time the 
 covering bag would gradually decay and disappear? — Or is it to be supposed, that the 
 root fibres imbibe from the inside of the reservoirs some nourishment or support only 
 secreted there? In the latter case we should have an unique instance of a plant 
 feeding as it were on itself." 
 
 23. On the 28tli March Dr. Wallich reached a deserted village 
 called Assaniee, and ahout a couple of miles above it he got to a small 
 island, the first which occurs above the mouth of the river ; here the 
 flood-tide failed, and the river was so very shallow that he found it 
 useless to attempt pushing on any further in the gun-boat ; his party 
 accordingly got into canoes, with which they had provided themselves at 
 Moulniein, and proceeded up the river, but Dr. Wallich says, — 
 
 " Our canoes, although of the smallest description which could be procured or used 
 by us with any sort of safety, got frequently aground ; we were obliged in many 
 instances to employ all our men in dragging the boats over sandbanks, which had 
 scarcely half a foot of water on them, and we were more than once under the necessity 
 of making the people walk forwards and backwards to establish a sort of temporary 
 channel, through which we had to pull the canoes. Frequent and tedious impediments 
 were also occasioned by the large trees, which had tumbled down from the precipitous 
 banks, and which were not rarely seen lying bodily (root, trunk, and crown) across the 
 bed of the river, barely admitting us to pass between them and the shore ; at times 
 we had even to cut our way by dividing large trunks which were obstructing our 
 passage. I need not say that all these impediments cease during the monsoon, in 
 which season the largest floats may be conveyed down, and all sorts of boats carried far 
 up the river and its branches." 
 
 24. Elephants, buffaloes, deer, and other animals were numerous in 
 this part of the Provinces; Dr. Wallich writes, — 
 
 "The marks of elephants became exceedingly numerous, especially ghauts, or paths 
 as accessible and cleared of jungles and rubbish as they could have been made by the 
 hands of man, by which that sagacious animal is in the habit of going down to the 
 river in order to drink or bathe, or to ford across it ; it was therefore not unusual to see 
 two such ghauts, the one directly opposite the other. The deep and fine sand on the 
 banks generally conceals quantities of tortoise eggs, which our Burmese showed much 
 dexterity in discovering, by walking about and at each step pushing a small stick into 
 the sand to a depth of one to two feet, (the distance from the surface at which the 
 cautious animal deposits its eggs.) By means of this sort of probe they soon find out 
 
( n ) 
 
 by the touch or sight whenever they have broken an egg, when they immediately set 
 about digging down with their hands, until they come to the hidden treasure. Near 
 these places grow a Lycium-like Ehretia and a Buddleia. Jungle fowls, peacocks, 
 rhinoceros-birds, divers, snake-birds, and kingfishers were very common. We saw only 
 once the trace of a tiger in the sands here. I had an opportunity of examining a 
 mongoose, differing, I think, from that of Hindustan, and a large innoxious snake, 
 nearly six feet long, and probably the same as the Dharaes of Bengal ; it is called Limoe 
 by the Burmans, who eat its flesh. 
 
 25. On the morning of the 29th March, Dr. "Wallich reached a Teak 
 forest which was on the right bank of the river ; before this he had passed 
 a few Teak trees lower down, but they were stragglers, occurring seldom, 
 and growing at some distance from the river ; this forest Dr. "Wallich 
 therefore considered to be the first regular Teak forest on the Attaran. 
 It contained about 40 excellent Teaks, a few that were more or less 
 decayed, and several small trees. It had been worked shortly before 
 Dr. "WaHidi's visit, in order to meet the wants of the civil department 
 of the Province, and he had an opportunity of examining and measuring 
 the timber which had been taken from it. Half a dozen logs gave an 
 average girth of about 4^ feet, and an average length of about 30 feet ; 
 the average girth, however, was thought to be below the true dimension. 
 Having been informed that higher up the river, on the opposite bank, 
 there was another Teak forest, Dr. "Wallich visited it the following day, 
 30th March, and gave the following account of his visit : — 
 
 " Early this morning we crossed the river, and ascended the high and steep bank at 
 a place, overgrown with bamboos, surrounding a small dilapidated pagoda. Within 
 40 vards from the river we had the gratification of finding that we were in a fine 
 forest, consisting chiefly of teaks, and those of a superior description. Many of them 
 were very large, and of these the plurality had been affected more or less at the base 
 in consequence of the fires which had taken place here formerly. Yet in no case was 
 the damage so extensive as not to leave untouched a sufficiency of sound wood, ade- 
 quate often for the largest purposes, even on occasions where the trees had com- 
 pletely died. In few instances did the damage extend beyond the sap-wood, and in no 
 single case did it exceed the outermost layers of the centre-wood, which had only 
 become somewhat paler than those within, but not less oily and scented. While writ- 
 ing this I have before me musters of wood which we cut out on the spot from the 
 lower part of two trunks that had been burnt unusually much, so as to be almost per- 
 forated, yet though their surface is charred, the substance is as sound and fit for use 
 as ever teak was. We all know that piles and similar timbers are generally charred 
 in order to preserve them against the injurious effects of water and insects ; but I will 
 venture to say that very few trees besides teak would resist, under similar circumstan- 
 ces, the consequences of exposure to several successive monsoons ; for it was evident 
 
 K 
 
( 72 ) 
 
 that the jungles had not heen burnt this season, and probably not the last either. The 
 Thengan or canoe-tree (Hopea odorata) rivals the teak for marine purposes, and in all 
 probability surpasses it in durability in fresh water, but it cannot stand its exposure to 
 the atmosphere ; and the wood-oil tree, another giant of our forests here, which con- 
 tains more of an essential oil than either of these, is little fit for wet and totally unfit 
 for dry exposure. Some trees had fallen down in consequence of violent winds or of 
 fires, which had injured the base so much as to be unable to support the weight of the 
 tree itself; others, though not many, had been cut, and we saw a good-sized canoe made 
 of teak lying on the ground, and wanting only to be widened in the usual way by the 
 application of heat. It was perfectly sound, except in the bottom, where it had shared 
 the fate of many of the trees in being partially burned." 
 
 26. This forest extended along the bank of the river for about a 
 mile, where it reached a swampy nullah, but it recommenced a little 
 higher up, and beyond the nullah. Dr. "Wallich computed that he saw 
 180 to 200 capital Teak trees within half a mile in one direction, and 
 three quarters of a mile in another direction, on high and even ground. 
 The average girth, taken from twenty-seven measurements, approached 
 nearly to 10 feet. He thought it was extremely desirable to fell in this 
 forest " as much and as soon as possible, in order to avoid the contingency 
 of future fires, which would soon ruin the forest." Rattans of great length 
 were very common in this neighbourhood. 
 
 27. From this place up to the Mittigate creek, which Dr. "Wallicli 
 reached on the afternoon of the 1st April, he saw a " constant succession 
 of Teaks on both sides of the river." In some places at intervals along 
 the banks, the tree formed regular forests, growing down to the water's 
 edge, and then receding a little way inland ; it was also found frequently 
 scattered among other trees, and occasionally for a short distance it 
 disappeared altogether, but as Dr. Wallich ascended he observed that 
 the Teak trees became more numerous, and the timber improved in 
 quality. In the neighbourhood of the Mittigate creek, Dr. "Wallicli 
 found a vast number of rattans and bamboos, both of the best descrip- 
 tion, and he writes thus of the latter : — 
 
 " The bamboos were of the finest, though not the largest, that I have ever seen, 
 and belong to the thorny very straight kind called Woah-Kyah. They were from 6\) 
 to 70 feet long ; at the base their average circumference was 15 inches, and at 54 feet 
 it was 10 inches; the thickness of the sides, 1 inch. We were told that a man could 
 only cut and clean 30 stems per diem by the usual process employed by the natives, 
 namely, by dividing them at 10 or more feet from the ground, instead of felling them 
 at the base, which would require much more labour iu consequence of the intricate 
 
( 73 ) 
 
 manner in which the stiff and thorny branches embrace and entwine each other. At 
 the above rate a man would be able to hew down 900, or say 800, in a month, ready 
 for being; floated down, in which state they would cost only 15 Madias Rupees, sup- 
 posing the laborer to receive 8 annas a day. I should think the transport to Moulmein 
 of the number just quoted could not cost beyond 10 or at the utmost 15 Madras 
 Rupees, which would give a total of 30 Madras Rupees. In Calcutta I have been in 
 the habit of giving from 25 to 30 Sicca Rupees per hundred of the best sort procur- 
 able there, which, however, is not to be compared to those I speak of; so that even 
 admitting that they were equally good, the difference of price would amount to 800 
 per cent., a circumstance well worthy of serious consideration, because stems of a size 
 adequate for commissariat purposes have for many years past not been procurable in 
 Bengal, and constitute a great desideratum from hence." 
 
 28. Shortly before reaching the Mittigate creek, Dr. Wallich 
 and his party were obliged to quit their canoes and march through 
 the country, as the river became very shallow, and the obstructions in 
 it more frequent and more difficult to overcome. In the afternoon of 
 the 2nd April, after walking through a " narrow lengthened valley confin- 
 ed between two parallel ranges of small hills entirely covered with Teak," 
 Dr. Wallich halted near the Kyoon-ben-Kyoung, " or Teak-tree Nullah.'" 
 This rivulet runs WNW., with a clear stream, which, notwithstanding 
 the advanced state of the season, had two feet water in the middle, and 
 was about 36 yards wide, with banks sufficiently high to defend the 
 adjoining lauds from inundation. The botanical features of the coun- 
 try here were the same as in other parts lower down the river ; the 
 soil for the most part consisted of sand and clay of a yellowish color, 
 remarkably dry and arid, especially in the vicinity of the Teak forest. 
 Of this extensive forest Dr. Wallich writes, — 
 
 " Of all the forests which I have seen, this is by far the largest and most deserving of 
 the name of a teak forest. It extends 5 or 6 miles from the above-mentioned vallev, until 
 it comes quite close to the rivulet, which it follows for a considerable distance on both 
 sides, disappearing towards a range of hills which are visible to the south. The 
 ground here is in general high ; at a few places it is broken and ravinish, at others 
 intersected with nullahs, which fall into the Kyoon-ben-Kyoung. This rivulet and 
 its branches would unquestionably be quite adequate to convey with ease all the tim- 
 ber to the Attaran, and it would, I apprehend, be difficult to find any spot more than 
 two or at the utmost three miles from its bank or from one of its branches. It is 
 quite unnecessary to expatiate on the important advantages accruing from this circum- 
 stance alone, and I shall content myself with observing, that some thousands of teaks, 
 far exceeding the greatest size required for gun-carriages, might be hewn down here, 
 and conveyed to Moulmein with ease. Our inquiries being especially directed to the 
 examination of these forests with reference to their employment for military purposes, 
 
( 74 ) 
 
 we did not enter into any particular examinations as to their capabilities for maritime 
 uses. But we saw enough to warrant the assertion, that the forest in question would 
 yield plenty of very fine mast and keel pieces, a fact which will be evident from the 
 different measurements which will be subjoined. In order to prove how numerous 
 the trees are in some parts of this forest, it is only necessary for me to remark, that 
 during our return from a visit to that part beyond the Kyoon-ben-Kyoung, in a line of 
 less than two miles in extent, we counted somewhat more than 250 excellent teaks, in- 
 cluding only those that were standing within forty yards of our path. 
 
 " The proximity of this fine forest to the frontiers of Siam, a country of which the 
 inhabitants are much dreaded by the Burmese, will sufficiently account for its having 
 remained almost untouched up to this day, and at freedom to attain its present degree 
 of perfection. Only a small number of trees had been felled, but none within the 
 last two or three years, and a few had seemingly been blown down. One of the former 
 measured 9 feet by 64 feet, one of the latter 11 feet 8 inches by 20 feet of clear stem. 
 The forest is about 22 miles distant from the three pagodas and a hundred from 
 Moulmein, to which station floats might be conveyed during the proper season in a 
 week's time. The innumerable bamboos, of the very finest description, which abound 
 in the neighbourhood of the forest might be employed to great advantage for the 
 support of the floats ; at the same time they would prove very valuable, not only at 
 the Military station, but also for transmission to Bengal, as I have already explained 
 in a former part of this Report. But above all things would it be desirable to employ 
 a number of elephants for the conveyance of the timber to the nearest nullahs. 
 I have on a preceding occasion, in my Salvveen Report, taken the liberty of suggesting 
 the expediency of adopting speedy measures for catching elephants in our acquired 
 Provinces. 1 shall therefore only observe in this place, that with people properly 
 accustomed to that sort of work, a sufficient number of that useful animal might be 
 caught in one season for all our timber forests. Buff aloe carts might also with great 
 ease be employed in these forests, the ground being for the most part even and 
 unbroken. 
 
 " A number of the trees had been more or less injured at the base from the effect of 
 the burning of the under-wood and jungle which grows among them. The effect of a 
 fire near the root of a tree is in the first instance superficial and trifling ; it is confined 
 only to the immediate spot, which has happened to be in contact with some dry mate- 
 rial. The effort of nature, however, soon heals the injury by the production of a fresh 
 layer of bark to supply that which has become affected. But if a succession of fires 
 take place in one or more seasons the injury does not confine itself to the bark ; it 
 next attacks the sap-wood, which decaying, any subsequent conflagration will hurt the 
 tree permanently. It is thus the noblest trees are sometimes seen partially or totally 
 excavated at the bottom, and yet, such is the strength and durability of this admirable 
 tree that, even in the worst cases, where the portion of the trunk nearest the ground 
 had become hollow quite through, with the inner surface converted into charcoal and 
 nearly dead, scarcely an instance occurred where the remainder of the trunk was not 
 perfectly sound. It is obvious that the prevention of this sort of mischief would be 
 an object of great importance in the management of these forests ; but at the same 
 
( 75 ) 
 
 time, I am far from thinking that fires do any essential harm unless on occasions 
 when, from the cause I have alluded to, a partial injury has already been sustained. 
 I think that it would almost he impracticable to clear these forests from the gigantic 
 under-wood which fills them, and which acquires renewed vigour and strength each 
 monsoon, without the aid of fire, which, while it clears the ground from jungle, produ- 
 ces a beneficial manure. All that is required would be to remove from the vicinity of 
 the trunks any dry piece of wood or the like, which might continue burning longer 
 than the grass jungle generally does." 
 
 29. The results of Dr. Wallich's measurements in this forest were an 
 average girth of 11 feet 4 inches, with clear stems of 25 and 30 feet, and 
 sometimes of 50 and 60 feet. One tree had a girth of 24 feet 3 
 inches, divided at 8 feet into " three mighty limbs/' and was the largest 
 trunk Dr. Wallich had seen. Having examined this forest, which he 
 considered the principal one on the Attaran, he commenced his 
 return to Moulmein on the morning of the 4th April. On passing 
 near the Kyoon-ben-Kyoung he had the curiosity to measure a wood-oil 
 tree of great size; its girth was 24 feet 6 inches at two feet, and 21 feet 
 4 inches at six feet above the ground ; its trunk, 60 feet up to the first 
 branch, and as straight as an arrow. There was no appearace of oil 
 having been extracted from it or from any of the other trees of this 
 sort which Dr. WaUich passed. About this place was seen " a number 
 of small grey tail-less monkeys, performing astonishing leaps, and emit- 
 ting a singular plaintive sound." Capt. Montgomerie shot a " large 
 flying squirrel, differing from two kinds" which Dr. Wallich had met 
 with in Nepal and Singapore. A large lizard was also shot down from 
 a tree, " it resembled one of the Guanos of Bengal ; " and Dr. Wallich's 
 men killed " a very curious animal of the cat tribe." 
 
 30. Dr. WaUich had not met with the Soondry tree on the Attaran, 
 though he looked out for it ; but it appears to be common in these pro- 
 vinces, for he says of this valuable tree : — 
 
 " It grows to a size in these parts far surpassing any that I have ever heard of in 
 Bengal. On Beligeon the common girth at 5 feet above the base, where it throws off 
 large buttresses, is 7 to 8 feet. In the estuary of the Irrawaddy, called Panlang, I got 
 a trunk measured by my people, which had a girth of 12 feet 3 inches at the base and 
 6 feet at 6 feet above the ground. This disparity of dimensions would make one 
 hesitate almost in considering the tree as the identical one of the delta of the Ganges 
 and the Berhampooter, if they did not in all other respects appear extremely like each 
 other. Be this as it may, the wood, I doubt not, will be found equally good with the 
 Bengal sort, which stands unrivalled for elasticity, hardness and durability, and which, 
 if it is not extensively employed for the construction of naves and felloes of gun- 
 carriages, it is solely because pieces of adequate dimensions are not procurable there. 
 
( ™ ) 
 
 The charcoal made from it is hetter than any other sort for the manufacture of gun- 
 ponder, and as a mere article of fuel it is excellent, and is universally employed in Ben- 
 gal for hurning bricks. The tree is called Kounyoo by the Burmese, and is much 
 employed for posts in house-building." 
 
 31. The Report concludes with the following remarks : — 
 
 " Our return was rapid, and unattended with any circumstances that need be men- 
 tioned. The Attaran is far more scantily peopled than the Salween, but it is to be 
 hoped that the settlement of the Taleyen Chief on that river with many of his people 
 will soon reverse this state of things. At present there are but very few villages, the 
 inhabitants of which occupy themselves principally in fishing and in cutting bamboos. 
 "We did not see a single Cotton or Indigo plant, so common on the Salween. After 
 passing the old Attaran village we hardly met with a canoe, and during our march to 
 the great teak forest we did not fall in with a single human being. In short, these 
 beautiful healthy and fertile tracts, together with most of the other parts of the Pro- 
 vince, seem to have been entirely abandoned to Nature by that despotic and thoroughly 
 bad Government from which we have wrested them ; and it requires not much sagacity 
 to predict that, under the British sway, they will rapidly rise to that importance to which 
 their wonderful natural capabilities so fully entitle them. In this last respect our 
 ceded Provinces are second to no other part of the Honorable Company's possessions 
 with which I am acquainted ; in point of timber forests they stand altogether unrival- 
 led. I trust I have already advanced grounds in my Reports sufficient to warrant this 
 assertion, and I pledge myself to substantiate the fact on a future occasion beyond tlie 
 probability of refutation." 
 
 32. Dr. Wallich and his party reached the gun-boat " Berhampooter" 
 in the evening of the 6th, and arrived at Moulmein at sunset of the 
 8th April. On the 25th April, Dr. Wallich submitted his Report to 
 Government, and at the same time forwarded a copy of it to Sir Archi- 
 bald Campbell, whose attention he called particularly to the value and 
 importance of the Teak timber resources of the Province, and to the 
 necessity of measures being adopted by the Government for their preser- 
 vation and extension. On these subjects, the opinions and suggestions 
 of Dr. Wallich are especially deserving of notice, as they show that he 
 foresaw how the forests would be exhausted by the very causes which 
 afterwards produced that result. His views and suggestions will be 
 found in the following paragraphs which have been taken from his letter 
 to Sir Archibald Campbell. After stating that the forests contained 
 extensive supplies of excellent Teak, which had been proved by experi- 
 ments to be better adapted for gun-carriages than the Teak of Malabar 
 and Java, and that the country afforded very great natural facilities by 
 land and water for transporting the timber to the sea-ports, Dr. Wallich 
 wrote : — 
 
( 77 ) 
 
 " No forest exists which ean with propriety be called inexhaustible, — at least none 
 that is liable to constant and extensive demands for timber. The quantity of teak used 
 for public purposes, both military and naval, is so great, and it will go on increasing to 
 so great an extent in proportion as new sources of supplies are opened, that the Mar- 
 taban forests, ample as they are, would be soon impoverished, unless they were placed 
 under a vigilant and strict superintendence, their supplies regulated with economy, and 
 their extent gradually augmented. I hope I take a correct view of the case if I con- 
 sider all the teak forests which grow in these Provinces as the exclusive property of 
 the State, applicable only to public use, and not to be interfered with by any private 
 individual whatever. Unless this principle be acted upon from the very outset, I will 
 venture to predict that private enterprise will very soon render fruitless all endeavours 
 to perpetuate the supplies for the public Service, and one of the principal and most 
 certain sources of revenue will thus be irrecoverably lost. The most important step 
 towards establishing a proper system for the management of the forests, and without 
 which all others can be of no avail, will be a public declaration to the above effect 
 strictly prohibiting all persons, not duly authorized, from cutting down any of the trees. 
 But this done, the detail of the further management may be accomplished with com- 
 paratively trifling expense, and with little trouble. 
 
 " In the first instance it will be proper to cut down all the full-sized teaks as soon as 
 ever it is possible, in order that a large consignment of valuable timbers might be 
 speedily realized, and room afforded for supplying fresh additions to the number of trees 
 in the forests. All the young and undersized trees should be allowed to stand unmo- 
 lested, and their growth facilitated; any individual among them which was found 
 decayed should be at once cut down. Every other description of trees in the least 
 interfering with the teak ought to be removed, so far as this would be compatible with 
 safety, with reference to the necessary shelter from high winds. The places vacated bv 
 all these thinnings and fellings ought to be forthwith supplied by seedlings, which will 
 spontaneously spring up under the teak trees in every direction, and which should be 
 allowed to grow up, only removing from time to time such among them as stand in 
 the way of others, or do not promise to become good trees. 
 
 " I will go one step further, and recommend that the limits of the natural forests them- 
 selves should be extended, and that some of the high tracts of land, so well adapted 
 for the growth of teak, which are to be met with in such abundance along the rivers, 
 should be converted into plantations. It may at first sight perhaps appear premature 
 to propose the adoption of an undertaking, the expediency of which is not supported 
 by immediate urgency, and the ultimate benefit of which cannot be realized within half 
 a century or more. To these two objections the answer is very simple. The first of 
 them applies to many other public undertakings, which would prove the more beneficial 
 for not being procrastinated until the arrival of the unwelcome day of necessity. The 
 second objection is applicable to plantations of all other sorts of timber trees, with this 
 advantage in favor of plantations in India, that they are reared with less expense and 
 trouble than those in Europe, and become in general available in half the time required 
 by them. Millions of money would have been saved to Great Britain, if, by early at- 
 tending to the importance of reinforcing and enlarging the internal resources of timber, 
 
( 78 ) 
 
 the necessity of foreign importation had been superseded. Surprising as it may be, 
 the fact is not the less true, that our Indian forests of standard timber have within the 
 last 20 years become very perceptibly deteriorated ; the forests which were looked upon 
 as holding forth the prospect of unceasing supplies, have become exhausted, and even 
 the vast saul forests of Hindustan have begun of late to fail. It is a circumstance 
 worthy of being remarked here, that this tree, the saul, grows perfectly wild at Moul- 
 mein." 
 
 33. Dr. Wallich concluded his letter to Sir Archibald Campbell 
 with the following further account of the bamboo : — 
 
 " I have repeatedly had occasion to mention that bamboos of large size for Com- 
 missariat uses are not procurable in Bengal, and less so in the Western Provinces. 
 With respect to this article, the province is fertile to an extent which I should have 
 hardly thought possible, had I not personally witnessed it. It abounds everywhere 
 in that most useful material, of every size and quality. I have in the accompanying 
 Report mentioned those in particular which we met with in the direction of the teak 
 forests, and which I consider especially fit for military purposes. There is no country 
 in the world which produces bamboos in the perfection and of the size which they 
 attain in Pegue. I omitted to mention in the body of the accompanying Report, that 
 on my previous tour I saw bambooos of the largest sort, called Woah-Boh, near the 
 Needung Hills, 70 feet in height and 25 inches in circumference at the base. Those 
 on Beligeon are still more ample ; I have in my possession a stem brought from 
 thence which measures near the base the enormous girth of 33 inches, giving a dia- 
 meter of 10| inches, with sides 1^ inch thick. The Thag-Woah, or male bamboo, 
 is 9 to 10 inches thick, and either quite solid or very slightly perforated. The small 
 sort used for roofing, &c., grows everywhere, and in the utmost abundance." 
 
 34. In submitting his Report to Government, Dr. Wallich referred 
 to his letters to Sir Archibald Campbell for the opinions he entertain- 
 ed and the suggestions he had made regarding the Teak forests ; he 
 however urged on the attention of Government, also, the importance of 
 reserving the whole of the Teak forests for the use of the State exclu- 
 sively, and of making a modified reservation in respect to some other 
 trees, such as the Thengan, Soondry, and Bamboo ; and he strongly 
 advised the establishment at Moulmein of a Commissariat timber-yard 
 for half-wrought materials, by which he believed a great saving would 
 be effected not only in the charges for freight, but also in the expenditure 
 of timber. Shortly after this Dr. Wallich proposed going again to the 
 Attaran River, to procure a supply of Teak timber, and despatch it 
 to Calcutta in order to enable the Government of India to decide 
 on the expediency of having at Moulmein such an establishment as that 
 which he had recommended. Sir Archibald Campbell approved of the 
 
( 79 ) 
 
 proposed excursion, and having placed at Dr. Wallich's disposal an 
 Artillery Serjeant and six Pioneers, to assist him in the object he 
 had in view, the party started for the Attaran river on the 10th May, 
 1827. Although a month only had elapsed since Dr. Wallich's last ex- 
 cursion on this river, its appearance and that of its banks had completely 
 changed. The river had swelled considerably, and the banks become 
 proportionately low from recent heavy rains, which indicated the 
 beginning of the monsoon. In place of obstacles, such as sand-banks, 
 shallows, and fallen trees, which had been encountered in the former 
 trip, were now experienced other difficulties from the rapidity and force 
 of the current, which in some places, especially above the influence of 
 the tide, had become very impetuous. The vegetation along the banks 
 had also strikingly altered, more particularly as regarded the prevailing 
 deciduous trees, the Jarrol, Cuddum, and Simool, (Lagerstraeniia, Nau- 
 clea, and Bombax) ; these trees at the period of the former excursion were 
 leafless, but on this occasion they were in a state of the most luxuriant 
 foliage, and "in short," Dr. Wallich says, "everything around me point- 
 ed out the actual presence of the monsoon ; it was evident even that the 
 latter had commenced earlier up here, than lower down ; at any rate the 
 season for felling timber had passed by." He could not proceed higher up 
 than about twelve miles beyond the village of Assamee, in consequence 
 of the great strength of the current. The rise of the river in the 
 neighbourhood of this place was so sudden and rapid as to overflow the 
 ground on which the tents of the party had been pitched, and the 
 adjoining bank, to a height of eight feet, in less than twenty-four hours. 
 Under these circumstances, Dr. Wallich resolved to return to Moulmein 
 without effecting his object, (the collection of timber,) but on his way 
 back, having fallen in with a few Teak trees close to the river on the 
 right bank, about a mile and a half from the former village of Attaran, 
 he availed himself of the opportunity which thus offered of felling the 
 largest tree, measuring 17 feet 3 inches in length of trunk, and 1-1 feet 
 9 inches in girth, and by this means obtained nearly 300 cubic feet of 
 most excellent wood " exceedingly fine, of a dark color and strong 
 scent." The operation of felling and cutting the branches and prepar- 
 ing the timber for rafting to Moulmein occupied the Pioneers about a 
 day and a half, but it is explained that the work was several times 
 interrupted or retarded by showers of rain, and that the process of 
 cutting and sawing was rendered unusually tedious, owing to the wet 
 
 L 
 
( 80 ) 
 
 state of the wood. Dr. Wallicli was satisfied, however, that the work of 
 the Pioneers was better and less expensive than that of hired laborers, 
 as the Birmans " will not work for less than 12 annas a day, be it as 
 wood-cutters, boatmen, or common laborers, and besides, they would 
 perform only one half of the quantum of work which the Pioneers would 
 get through in the same given time." The other Teak trees, of which 
 there were four in this forest, were girdled or ringed, an operation that 
 was performed " by removing six inches of the bark and sap all round 
 the trunk near the ground." 
 
 35. The results of Dr. Wallich's researches were acknowledged* bv 
 
 the Government of India to have been " highly 
 1827. e 1 U ^ satisfactory, as well with regard to the resources 
 
 to be drawn from our new territories, as to the 
 additions which have been made to botanical science," and, in accordance 
 
 with his suggestions, instructionsf were issued 
 ^Letter dated 6th July tQ m Maingy, who had meanwhile been 
 
 appointed Civil Commissioner of the Tenas- 
 serim Provinces, to hold the forests as Government property, and to 
 protect them from depredation or injury by individuals. In reply to 
 
 this letter, Mr. Maingy solicited^ for his 
 cember"^? , 6 *' guidance more particular instructions as to the 
 
 management and working of the forests, and 
 he remarked, with reference to Dr. Walliclr's reports, that from inquiries 
 which he had made, and from personal observation, he was of opinion 
 that the forests were by no means so extensive as to be considered 
 inexhaustible, that the plan of extending them would be difficult in a 
 country overrun with elephants, and that instead of incurring the ex- 
 pense of establishments for preserving them for the sole use of Govern- 
 ment, the most advisable course would be " to issue licences to private 
 individuals to cut timber on condition of paying to Government a duty 
 of 10 or 15 per cent, upon the value of the timber when brought down 
 for exportation; the value to be fixed by arbitration; and it being always 
 optional with Government to take any portion of the timber at such 
 valuation." Mr. Maingy also thought " a general and equal duty of a 
 certain sum upon each tree cut would be a good mode of preventing the 
 smaller and less valuable trees from being cut down" ; and that " a 
 regulation also confiscating all timber cut under specified dimensions 
 would tend to preserve the young trees." Nothing was done on the 
 
( 81 ) 
 
 subject of this letter, though Mr. Maingy was 
 
 * Letter dated 28th De- /» J4 , i n . .% , x i 1.4. 
 
 eember 1827. informed* by Government that the matter 
 
 would be considered on the receipt of further 
 information. In the mean while, the forests were being worked as 
 a monopoly entirely by the Government, and large supplies of timber 
 had been prepared for meeting an indent from the Military Depart- 
 ment at Calcutta and for other public purposes, when it was proposed 
 to ship some of the timber as an experiment to the Calcutta market. 
 Accordingly, in May 1828, a cargo of 511 logs of Teak, valued at 
 Rupees 6,000 nearly, was conveyed in the Hon'ble Company's ship 
 " Ernaad" from Tavoy to Calcutta, where shortly after its arrival 
 it was sold by public auction at a loss of Rupees 250 nearly. This 
 unfavorable result put a stop to further shipments of timber for the 
 market. 
 
 36. In April 1829 Mr. Maingy again suggested to Government that 
 the trade in timber should be thrown open, and private individuals 
 allowed to proceed into the forests and fell trees of any description 
 under the following rules : — 
 
 " Rules of 1829. — 1st. All persons applying to fell timber are directed to point out 
 where they intend employing themselves for that purpose, together with the number of 
 men in their service. 
 
 " 2nd. — No timber shall be removed from the banks of any river without the sanction 
 of the Commissioner, his Deputy or Assistant, having heen previously obtained. 
 
 " 3rd. — All timber shall be subjected to a duty of 15 per cent., to be levied in kind or 
 in money, at the option of the Commissioner, his Deputy or Assistant. The timber to be 
 valued by two arbitrators, the one to be selected by the Commissioner, his Deputy or 
 Assistant, the other to be chosen by the owner of the timber ; in the event of a difference 
 
 » 
 
 of opinion between the arbitrators, the Commissioner, his Deputy or Assistant, shall be 
 at liberty to appoint a third. 
 
 " 4th. — It shall be at the option of the Commissioner, his Deputy or Assistant, to select 
 for the use of Government any portion of the Teak timber felled in this Province, the 
 value of such timber to be settled by two arbitrators as above stated. 
 
 " 5th. — No Teak trees shall be felled the girth of which shall not exceed four feet, and 
 all such trees felled within that girth will be confiscated by the Commissioner, his 
 Deputy or Assistant." 
 
 37. The failure of the experiment of cutting and exporting timber 
 
 for the Calcutta market induced the Govern- 
 1829, p. 14. a C * ay ment* to adopt Mr. Maingy's repeated sug- 
 
 gestions to throw open the forests to private 
 individuals, on the terms of the rules quoted above, or with such 
 
( 82 ) 
 
 modifications of them as liemiglit deem it expedient tomake. Accordingly 
 the measure was carried out, and several speculators, both European 
 and Native, seem to have taken out lehmats, or licences, to cut timber 
 in particular localities in the forests. From this time (May 1829) 
 nothing material appears on the records of Government till August 
 1831, when Mr. Maingy, who had carefully observed the Teak timber 
 of Tenasserim, being convinced that not only timber of a much larger 
 size, but of a superior quality to that generally imported into Cal- 
 cutta from Rangoon, could be obtained from Moulmein and deliver- 
 ed in Calcutta at a lower cost, submitted a tabular statement in 
 support of his views. The statement was referred to the Marine and 
 Military Boards, but whether those authorities availed themselves or 
 not of the Commissioner's recommendation in favor of the Tenasserim 
 Teak, does not appear from the records. 
 
 38. In 1831, while in England on furlough, Dr. Wallich was ques- 
 tioned by the Navy Board regarding the production of timber in the 
 newly-acquired Burmese Provinces. In reply he submitted a copy of 
 his journals (which have been already noticed), with a letter, from 
 which tlie following extracts are taken : — 
 
 " The province of Martaban abounds more than any part of India I have ever visited 
 
 in a luxuriant profusion of the noblest vegetable productions; the number and variety of 
 
 fine timber trees produced there is, I believe, quite unparalleled. But in regard to the 
 
 Teak, such is the quality of it, such the beauty of the climate where it grows, such the 
 
 numerous advantages which present themselves there, of proximity to the main British 
 
 possessions, &c, that I venture to offer it as my firm conviction, that the Province might 
 
 and ought to be made to furnish the British Navy with a permanent supply of the very 
 
 best timber in the world. To this end I would suggest that plantations of Teak 
 
 should be established on an adequately extensive scale, which, it requires very little 
 
 foresight to predict, would within a comparatively very moderate lapse of years become 
 
 productive of almost incalculable benefit. 
 
 ********** 
 
 "The next to which I shall advert is the Thengan, the most gigantic timber tree in 
 India, reckoned by the Burmese as little inferior to Teak in quality, and far exceeding 
 it in point of dimensions. It grows in vast abundance near the sea-shore, where it 
 constitutes one of the principal features of the forests. It is used chiefly in the con- 
 struction of canoes, the largest of which are often formed of one single excavated trunk. 
 There are several other trees of the identical class with the Thengan, which attain a 
 great size and afford valuable timber. They all abound more or less in a beautiful and 
 clear resin, which is easily extracted, and is superior in quality to the dammer or resin 
 obtained from the Saul of Hindustan. 
 
 " It may perhaps not be deemed improper to mention in this place two substances 
 which are produced in vast quantities in the Burmese territories, and which in my 
 
( 83 ) 
 
 humble opinion deserve being brought into extensive use for marine purposes. One 
 of these substances is the wood-roil, derived from an immense forest tree of the same 
 tribe with those just mentioned, and found everywhere on the Tenasserim coast ; the 
 other is the Petroleum, or earth-oil of the banks of the Irrawaddi. The former is an 
 excellent and cheap substitute for linseed oil, possessing moreover superior preser- 
 vative properties ; the latter I know to be an infallible remedy against the attack of 
 insects, especially the white ant, and I believe it would effectually resist the dry-rot." 
 
 39. A copy of this letter to the Navy Board was sent by Govern- 
 ment to Mr. Maingy, with a request for information relative to the 
 qualities of the timbers grown on the coasts of Martaban and Tenasse- 
 rim. Mr. Maingy's successor, Mr. Blundell, met this requisition 
 by forwarding for Dr. Wallich's examination a specimen of each 
 kind of timber, stating the extent to which it was procurable, and 
 the uses to which it was applied by the natives. It does not appear from 
 the records whether Dr. AVallich made any report on these specimens. 
 
 40. In July 1833, Mr. Maingy was authorized by Government to 
 entertain a small native establishment, consisting of one head-man 
 and eight or ten coolies, for the purpose of planting and rearing Teak 
 seedlings, and to see that the wood-cutters who were employed in 
 the forests by the holders of lehmats or licences felled the Teak trees 
 fairly, and did no damage to the forests. This appears to have been 
 the first step towards the conservation of the forests. Mr. Maingy 
 next addressed Government on the operation of the rules of 1829, 
 and stated that the throwing open the forests to the public under 
 those rules had encouraged speculators to explore the country, and 
 by that means its value and resources were being developed daily. 
 He added, " During the last three years no less than 7,309 tons of 
 converted Teak timber have been exported, and three square-rigged 
 vessels have been constructed, — and four more, two of them ships of 
 300 tons burthen, are now on the stocks. The Teak forests are found 
 to be very extensive, not only along the upper part of the Attaran 
 river, but on the eastern side of the Salween, and I see no chance of 
 their becoming soon exhausted. Our wood-cutters would be much en- 
 couraged if an import duty were charged at Calcutta as at Madras on 
 Teak, the produce of the kingdom of Ava, and perhaps the ad valorem 
 duty of 15 per cent, might be beneficially remitted for a few years on 
 all timber used for ship-building." In reply to this the Government 
 promised to take the subject into consideration, but nothing was done. 
 In July 1834, Mr. Blundell, who had meanwhile succeeded Mr. Maingy 
 
( 84 ) 
 
 as Commissioner, called the attention of Government to Mr. Maingy's 
 recommendation for the remission of the ad valorem duty on Teak timber, 
 when used for ship-building, and on the ground that a remission in 
 such cases would be attended with considerable difficulty, and the mode 
 of estimating it would prove harassing to the ship -builders, he proposed 
 as a better measure that the duty generally should be reduced to 10 per 
 cent, on all timber. Upon this letter the Governor General in Coun- 
 cil recorded the following Resolution in the Customs Department : — 
 
 Resolution dated 5th January 1835. — " The Governor General in Council having 
 considered the question referred from the Political Department in respect to the duties 
 to be levied at Moulmein upon Teak timber cut in that Province, and having referred 
 to the tariff of custom duties levied at this Presidency in their bearing on this article, 
 remarks as follows : — Saul timber the produce of the Bengal Presidency is subject to 
 a transit duty of 10 per cent., Sissoo to a duty of 71. but Teak timber produced in 
 Bengal, or imported, and whencesoever brought, pays no duty. The motive of this 
 difference was a desire to encourage by all means the production or importation of 
 Teak timber as a valuable article for ship-building. The tariff continued at these rates 
 since its enactment in 1810, and when it was adopted, the great import of Teak was 
 from the Burmese Empire, there being no forests of this timber in Bengal." 
 
 " The Tenasserim Provinces were acquired in 1825, and since they have been in the 
 possession of the British nation, the importation of Teak has been extensive, so much 
 so as to produce a fall in the price of the article at Calcutta to nearly an equality with 
 Saul. The importation from Rangoon has continued, but the article from thence has 
 been undersold by the Teak timber of Moulmein." 
 
 " It appears that, since 1829, the forests of Moulmein have been thrown open to the 
 public, free licence having been given to any one to cut the timber under the condition 
 of paying 15 per cent, on its value upon arrival at Moulmein. In the year 1833, the 
 Commissioner appears to have held out to the establishments engaged in ship-buihhng 
 at that station the hope of obtaining a remission of the 15 per cent, duty on such of 
 the timber as might be used in that way at the place. The present Commissioner, 
 finding difficulty in ascertaining the proportion of timber so used at the different 
 building-yards, proposes, in lieu of the remission suggested by his predecessor on the 
 timber used, to reduce generally the duty levied to 10 per cent. It was further sug- 
 gested, that the timber of Moulmein should be favored in the Calcutta market by the 
 imposition of a duty, as at Madras, on the Teak timber of Rangoon." 
 
 " Upon these propositions the Governor General in Council observes, first, that the 
 15 per cent, duty levied at Moulmein is in the nature of a rent, which the facility with 
 which the timber is procured and brought to market at Moulmein, as compared with 
 Rangoon, presents the means of realizing. The thriving condition of the trade under that 
 impost was the best evidence that the rent was not too high, and until the forests 
 should become exhausted, or from the necessity of going further off to find the timber, 
 the duty should be felt as a burthensome addition to the expense of bringing down the 
 article, His Lordship in Council would not be disposed to reduce the rent. Its main- 
 
( 85 ) 
 
 tenance at rather a higher rate is essential to preserve the forests from waste, ami 
 there was no particular reason why the ship-building establishments of Moulmein should 
 be favored by an exemption from this rent, seeing that the vicinity to the place of pro- 
 duction is itself a great encouragement, and this, added to the security to property, must 
 give sufficient advantages to protect them from the result of any competition that could 
 be offered by similar establishments at Rangoon. If, however, the Government should 
 have been actually pledged to grant exemption from duty on the timber used at 
 Moulmein, His Lordship in Council concurs with the present Commissioner inthinkino- 
 that a general reduction of the rent duty to 10 per cent, will be better than any attempt 
 at inquisition to ascertain and register what is applied to ship-building at the place. 
 
 " On the second point, viz., the proposition to protect the timber of the Tenasserim 
 Provinces by a direct duty to be levied at Calcutta on the timber of Rangoon, the 
 Governor General in Council cannot believe this to be necessary in the present condi- 
 tion of the trade, and with the fact before him of the fail of price that had resulted 
 since the timber of Tenasserim came into the market of Calcutta. If it should be 
 found hereafter that the Burmese authorities, by reducing their rent duty or by Tantino' 
 other facilities, aim to compete with our own Provinces for the command of the Bengal 
 market, it may then be necessary for the protection of the revenue of those Provinces 
 to impose a duty on timber imported from Rangoon, but not until then." 
 
 41. In March 1837, Mr. Blundell recommended the levy of a custom 
 duty at Moulmein on Teak timber imported there from Rangoon and 
 other places within the Burmese territory, in order to protect the timber 
 trade of the Tenasserim Provinces, as otherwise the foreign timber 
 being imported free of duty, would undersell that cut in the Provinces, 
 which was subject to a duty of 15 per cent. Lord Auckland how- 
 ever, as Governor of Bengal, declined to authorize the measure, until 
 more particular information was afforded of the places within the 
 Burmese territory whence the Teak timber was brought, and the 
 manner of its importation, and Mr. Blundell was reminded that the 
 duty of 15 per cent, which was levied on the Teak of the Tenasserim 
 Provinces was " in the nature of a rent for the free privilege of cutting- 
 timber thereon, and that at the time of the duty being so fixed, it was 
 assumed that this rate was the equivalent of similar duties levied on 
 timber cut in forests belonging to the Burmese." It was also again 
 intimated, that " if the facilities for cutting timber had been increased 
 or the consideration levied reduced in the Burmese territory," that would 
 be a reason for revising the system adopted at Moulmein ; but the 
 Government was opposed to the establishment of anything in the 
 nature of custom duties in the Tenasserim Provinces merely for the 
 sake of protecting the timber of Moulmein against competition with 
 the produce of the Burmese territories. 
 
( 86 ) 
 
 42. In April following, 1837, a correspondence passed between Go- 
 vernment and Mr. Blundell on the subject of the conservation of the Teak 
 forests, and the means by which it could be best effected. Mr. Blundell 
 pointed out that, under the rules of 1829, parties who desired to exit 
 timber were allowed " permits" or licences to do so in certain localities, 
 to the exclusion of all other cutters from those particular localities ; 
 care being taken to make it known to them that the permit was revo- 
 cable at pleasure, and though the transfer of these permits had been 
 allowed, yet they had never been recognized as conveying aught but 
 permission to cut timber in certain situations. So long as the timber 
 was procured near the banks of the river, and while the market for 
 it was in its infancy, this system answered very well ; but as com- 
 petition and the number of cutters increased, it created great confusion 
 regarding boundaries, as no survey was made when licences were 
 granted, and it was impossible to have defined correctly any other 
 boundary than the banks of the river. As parties went further inland, 
 they trenched on each other's imaginary boundaries ; this caused dis- 
 putes, and led eventually to suits in the courts, which Mr. Blundell 
 stated " we have not the means of deciding with any satisfaction 
 either to ourselves or to the litigant parties." He added, " the 
 distance of the forests from the town, their great extent, and the 
 want of an efficient conservator invested with adequate powers to 
 notice and decide on the spot all infringement of the rules framed, 
 both for insuring proper timber being cut and the preservation of the 
 young trees, must lead, I fear, ere long both to bring the Moulmein 
 timber into bad repute and to exhaust the forests, without providing for 
 their renewal in after years." To remedy these evils, Mr. Blundell 
 suggested " the appointment of some individual well acquainted Avith 
 the state of the timber market in India and England, as at least a 
 temporary conservator of the forests, with full powers to decide on the 
 spot all cases of infringement of rules and all suits relative to boundaries. 
 This person should also be directed to draw up a report on the state of 
 the forests, and above all, on the eligibility of resuming the permits to cut^ 
 and re-constituting a monopoly." These measures, he thought, would 
 ensure the cutting of only proper sized timber of good quality, the pre- 
 servation of the young trees, and the planting of others, and would also 
 enable Government to send supplies of timber to Her Majesty's building- 
 yards in England ; but at the same time Mr. Blundell very fairly stated 
 
( 87 ) 
 
 that one of the proposed measures involved " the interference with 
 apparent private rights accompanying the original permits to cut timber 
 sanctioned by eight years' adherence to the present system, and would 
 lead to expense, which in justice must be incurred in compensating the 
 holders of the original permits for their outlay towards facilitating their 
 operations in the forests." He added that if the monopoly of the 
 forests was to be resumed, the port might be thrown open to foreign 
 timber, either free of duty altogether, or with a much less duty attached 
 to it than he had before recommended for Teak timber imported from 
 Rangoon and other places ; and if it was resolved not to resume the 
 monopoly, it would still be absolutely necessary to have a survey of 
 the forests in order to define boundaries, and to continue a conservator 
 to preserve the forests and provide for their renewal. Accordingly, Mr. 
 Blundell recommended the following establishment for the sanction of 
 Government : — 
 
 One Conservator of Forests, Rs. 500 
 
 One Native Assistant, (the present man,) 40 
 
 Six Peons, (to act also as boatmen,) at Rs. 10 each, 60 
 
 Total, Rs. 600 
 
 For the office of conservator Mr. Blundell recommended the appoint- 
 ment of " a gentleman in the Service of the Hon'ble Company, one who 
 is strictly prohibited from engaging in trade, and who will consequently 
 be above all suspicion of favoring his own interests." He also proposed 
 to employ convict labor in forming nurseries, if these were to be esta- 
 blished for renewing the forests. 
 
 43. With regard to the interference with ship-building speculations 
 which would attend the resumption of the monopoly, Mr. Blundell 
 remarked that this could be considered by the person who might be 
 appointed to report on the forests ; but he was of opinion that so long 
 as Government would not require to send supplies of timber to England, 
 the market might always be adequately supplied by the Government 
 cutters with all materials requisite for ship-building, and that contracts 
 could be made with the conservator by ship-builders for their private 
 supplies, which would in no way be affected by the Government 
 demand. 
 
 44. No reply having been made by the Government to this letter, 
 Mr. Blundell again wrote, in March 1838, on the subject of the appoint- 
 
 M 
 
( 88 ) 
 
 raent of a conservator of forests, representing that the necessity for it 
 had become greater, " inasmuch as every season the forests become 
 more exhausted without adequate measures being adopted to prevent 
 waste and to ensure their renewal in after years' 7 ; and he said, " unless 
 such a person be appointed, it would be difficult to frame an applicable 
 set of forest rules, and still more difficult to render them effectual." 
 He moreover recommended an addition of 100 Rupees to the establish- 
 ment which he had before solicited for the conservation of the forests, 
 in order to enable the conservator and his assistants to defray their 
 travelling expenses ; and to meet this additional charge, he proposed to 
 raise the ad valorem duty from 15 to 20 per cent., which would not be 
 detrimental to the timber trade, as the duty was levied either in money 
 or in kind, at a valuation below the market rates. 
 
 45. This letter and the previous correspondence were submitted in 
 April 1838 by the Government of Bengal to the Governor General, 
 Lord Auckland, with the remark of the Deputy Governor, Mr. Ross, 
 that he " very much doubts whether the present great extent of the 
 Teak forests would admit of the property in the timber being guarded 
 and preserved, without arrangements calculated to be very vexatious, or 
 without establishments of a very expensive kind, Avhich the duty levied 
 on the wood-cutters would scarcely repay." Lord Auckland, not having 
 had sufficient materials before him, was unable to decide on the question 
 of the appointment of a conservator of forests ; he therefore, with a view 
 to gain further information, recommended that reports should be called 
 for from Madras on the two great Teak districts on the western coast 
 of that Presidency, one of which had been managed by a conservator, 
 while the other was without such minute superintendence. At the 
 same time he desired that the Commissioner of the Tenasserim Pro- 
 vinces should be directed to furnish information upon the extent of the 
 forests to be preserved in Tenasserim, the mode in which the clearances 
 had been commenced, and in which the plantation of young trees 
 would be prosecuted, upon the amount of public income, and the 
 effect on the general prosperity of the State resulting from the trade in 
 timber ; upon the mode in which the proposed Agency might be made 
 effectual for its purpose, and upon the powers with which the superin- 
 tending officers might safely be vested. On this last point, Lord 
 Auckland " was doubtful, whether it would be necessary or proper to 
 give to such officer full and independent magisterial powers for the 
 
( 89 ) 
 
 conservation of the forests, as was contemplated by Mr. Blundell/' 
 and he thought that an uncovonanted officer who had gained character 
 in the Department of Works and Survey, should be appointed to the 
 office of conservator if it were created, but that " in the first instance 
 there should be rather a temporary reporter on the forests, than a conser- 
 vator of them on any permanent footing, and in this event, the first object 
 would be to obtain a full account of the present state and management of 
 the forests, their progress towards exhaustion, the encroachment of culti- 
 vation or of mere grass jungles upon their site, and the measures which 
 such officer would recommend for their preservation and improvement." 
 His Lordship also observed, " that he would on no account add to the 
 present duty on timber, nor is he inclined to resume the cutting of the 
 trees as a monopoly in the hands of the Government." 
 
 46. In accordance with these orders, letters were addressed on the 
 27th June 1838 to the Government of Madras, for information regarding: 
 the Teak forests in that Presidency, and to Mr. Blundell, communicating 
 to him the sentiments of the Governor General, and requiring information 
 on the points on which His Lordship desired it to be given. The 
 Madras Government furnished the information which was required, and 
 Mr. Blundell, in reply to the orders which he had received, intimated 
 (in August 1838) his intention of first personally visiting the forests, 
 and then reporting on the several points on which the Governor Gene- 
 ral wanted information. 
 
 47. There is a great hiatus in the records of this period, for from 
 August 1838, the date of Mr. Blundell's letter, to 1840, no papers 
 regarding Teak forests have been traced. In April 1840, — the Court 
 of Directors, in a Despatch dated 26th February 1840, having directed 
 the attention of the Government of India to certain measures that 
 had been proposed for the preservation of the Teak forests of Malabar, 
 — the Government of India called upon the Governments of Madras 
 and Bombay for information respecting those forests. This requisition 
 called forth voluminous papers on the subject of the forests in Madras 
 and Bombay which will be noticed in their turn with other papers and 
 reports that are in the records of this Presidency. 
 
 48. It must be stated here that during the year 1837, on a sug- 
 gestion made by Lord Auckland, in a Minute dated 26th December 
 1836, the Government of Bengal deputed the late Dr. J. W. Heifer 
 to inquire into the natural and commercial capabilities of the 
 
( 90 ) 
 
 Tenasserim Provinces, " in order that the Government and the public 
 may be enabled to judge with what advantages of circumstance, and 
 consequently with what prospect of success commercial speculations 
 and the employment of capital may be directed towards them." The 
 results of Dr. Heifer's researches were submitted by him to Government 
 in three reports, which were printed in 1838-39. The following extracts 
 regarding the Teak have been made from two of those reports : — 
 
 Dr. Helper's Report.—" The Teak forests do not occur contiguous throughout 
 the country, seldom also intermixed in the forests with other trees,— generally they 
 occupy almost exclusively the ground where they appear. It is difficult to determine 
 the conditions of the soil on which Teak trees will grow : it is much easier to answer 
 
 the questions negatively. 
 
 " (a) The Teak will not grow on low ground which is exposed to the regular influence 
 
 of the tides. 
 
 " (b) On rich alluvial soil, without a substratum of clay or gravel. 
 " (c) On places under otherwise favorable circumstances, where already other trees 
 have got the ascendancy. 
 
 " (d) On bare limestone hills. 
 " (e) On poor sandstone ground. 
 "(f) On black clay slate. 
 
 " (g) Upon mountains attaining a considerable height. 
 
 " The most frequent localities are moderately elevated sloping plains, (very often near 
 rivers.) The Teak forests in this country are either in the neighbourhood of the Sal- 
 ween, the Thoung-yeen, or the Attaran river. 
 
 " I had onlv opportunity to visit those on the Salween. There a greater number of 
 trees perish by bad management than are used. 
 
 " (a) The persons occupied with that part of the labour called killing the trees, 
 destroy a number which they do not find afterwards fit for use. 
 
 " (b) This number of killed trees which are suffered to decay generate a host of 
 insects. Though it is pretended that Teak is not attacked by vermin, yet a great deal 
 of these decayed trees are attacked by Bostrichus, Passalus, and other coleopterous 
 insects, and the consequence is that these animals have attacked other good trees 
 before they were sufficiently seasoned. 
 
 " (c) The same negligence of the natives which reigns throughout the country, with 
 reeard to wanton destruction of the forests by fire, extends equally to Teak forests ; and 
 I saw extensive tracts utterly destroyed, because it was the pleasure of some wild 
 Karean to fix his abode in the vicinity, and for this purpose to clear the jungle by 
 burning all down. 
 
 " As Teak is such a valuable article in general, and, it may be safely asserted, hitherto 
 the only one to which Maulmein owes its daily increasing prosperity, the preservation 
 of Teak forests should be the principal care of Government. 
 
 " But not only the preservation, equally so the multiplication. It cannot be denied, 
 that even with good management the number of trees must yearly decrease, and that 
 
( 91 ) 
 
 timber in localities of easy access must soon become rare. Experience lias sbown tbat 
 new trees disseminated by nature on places where timber has been hewn, grow only 
 very scantily up. 
 
 " Teak plantations therefore will be of the greatest importance, and this not only on 
 places where Teak already existed before, but also in localities which in regard to 
 chemical composition of the soil and other circumstances are equally well fitted. 
 
 " Government possesses such vast tracts of country in these Provinces, that a choice 
 of land to accomplish this cannot be difficult, and how could the land be better em- 
 ployed than by preserving that source of wealth which has manifested itself already 
 by such striking proofs. 
 
 " But in the method of cultivation, I would deviate from that adopted by the Dutch 
 in Java. It is an old experience that forest trees do not thrive well if they are treated 
 like fruit trees or other more delicate plantations. The system of nature should be 
 imitated. No nursery beds and no transplantations should be employed. After 
 having cleared the jungle in the chosen places, and after having loosened the soil 
 sufficiently to receive the seed and to be able to cover it with a little earth, I would 
 advise the seeds being disseminated without any further care. The plantation must 
 of course be inclosed to prevent the disturbance of any kind of wild animals. After 
 two or three years, the plants, when sprung up too close to each other, ou^ht to be 
 thinned, besides jungle parasites and other impediments carefully removed. 
 
 " This easy operation should be annually repeated in different parts of the country 
 over wide tracts. Localities affording facilities for the transport of timber, such as 
 rivers and nullahs, ought of course to be the first chosen. 
 
 " This would ensure for ever the existence of Teak forests ; the value of the Provinces 
 would annually increase, and in time prove a most important source of revenue to the 
 Government. 
 
 " This cursory exposition of the natural resources shows sufficiently that the country 
 possesses the elements of great wealth and prosperity, and there are certainly many 
 more hitherto unknown, which time and a protracted examination will develope." 
 Report on Amherst Town, pages 38 to 40. 
 
 " The Teak forests of the Tenasserim Provinces do not go lower than the 16° of 
 latitude, or they are only to be found in the country through which the Attaran river 
 and its tributaries run. Beyond the range of mountains which divides the Ye river 
 territory from that of the Attaran, not one single Teak tree is to be found, much less 
 so in the Provinces of Tavoy and Mergui. In Province Amherst, which is consequently 
 the only one producing Teak timber, three separate districts must be distinguished, 
 — 1st, the Teak district on the Thoung-yeen river; 2nd, the district of the Salween 
 river ; and 3rd, the Teak district on the Attaran river. Of the Teak forests belonging 
 to the two first divisions, I have already treated in my first report ; it remains therefore 
 only necessary to speak of the last. The Teak forests existing on the Attaran are the 
 most extensive within the British boundaries, and the timber which they produce is 
 considered superior to that which is cut on the Salweeu and Thoung-yeen rivers. The 
 same system which is used in the two first districts is equally followed in the last. 
 The forests are let out by Government to private individuals, and a tax of one rupee 
 
( 92 ) 
 
 levied upon each tree brought to Moulraein. This unrestrained liberty accorded to 
 any individual to appropriate to himself any unoccupied forest under such liberal con- 
 ditions, contributed without doubt in the first instance very much to render Moulraein 
 a prosperous place, but it cannot be denied that a continuation of the same system 
 will lead in a short time to the extermination of all available Teak forests, and deprive 
 Moulmein of this valuable resource, and render Calcutta once more dependent upon 
 foreign importation for Teak timber. It cannot be expected that individuals whose 
 only care it is to render themselves independent in as short a time as possible, 
 should care about the preservation of the forest, and experience has taught that by 
 far more trees are destroyed than used. A particular survey of the Teak forest, well- 
 drawn lines of demarcation, an improved system of regulations, the appointment of a 
 respectable European to enforce the observance of these regulations, and new plan- 
 tations laid out in all the places where Teak formerly grew, and where it is now almost 
 extirpated, are measures necessary to be introduced to secure an uninterrupted supply 
 of Teak timber for the future. Mr. Blundell, the Commissioner of the Provinces, 
 having particularly addressed the Government upon the subject of adopting these or 
 similar measures, I refrain from entering into further particulars." — Report on Ye, Tovoy, 
 and Mergui, pages 64 and 65. 
 
 49. Regarding timber in general in the Tenasserim Provinces, Dr. 
 Heifer wrote as follows : — 
 
 " The Tenasserim Provinces are an almost uninterrupted immense forest from the 
 water's edge to the most elevated mountain ridge, 6,000 feet in height ; all ground 
 left to nature is without discrimination, without exception, covered witli timber. 
 There are no marshes, no sandy plains, no bare rocks, no such thing as an American 
 Savannah, nothiug resembling a New Holland pasturage, only the pygmean endeavours 
 of man, rescuing the soil for his own purposes with the assistance of fire, have divested 
 a small fraction of the area from the primitive forest. 
 
 " The area being £0,000 square miles, it may be assumed that one-fifteenth part of it 
 is cultivated ; leaving one other fifteenth for rivers and two other fifteenths for country 
 which has been burnt down, and where only local vegetation has taken possession of 
 the »round, there remains yet 22,000 square miles occupied by forests. Supposing that 
 trees (measuring at least seven inches in diameter) stand 30 feet apart from each other 
 on an average in a forest, then each tree occupies 900 square feet or 100 square yards. 
 
 4,840 yards = one acre, 
 600 acres = one mile, 
 
 100)290,4000 yards in one mile, 
 
 29,040 trees in one square mile, — multiplied by 22,000 miles, 
 there are 638,830,000 timber trees in the Provinces. 
 
 " Each tree counted on an average at two annas intrinsic value on the spot, there is 
 at present a dead capital of 79,860,000 rupees in the timber alone, which wants to be 
 called forth into activity to prove useful. 
 
 " Though one-half of it is so situated that centuries will elapse before it will be turned 
 to any use, yet the other half is so placed that it is available. The whole of the 
 
( 93 ) 
 
 country, on an average not more than 50 miles broad, has a sea-coast, accessible in all 
 parts, of 6 degrees or 414 miles in length ; the land is intersected in all directions by 
 numerous rivers ; the tide ascends in some parts 120 miles up the country ; the timber 
 of the islands is close to the edge of the sea, — and with all these facilities the timber is 
 hitherto entirely neglected. I have now already gathered a catalogue of 377 different 
 species of trees, each of which attains at least a diameter of 7 inches, and amongst 
 these are species fit for every imaginable purpose. 
 
 " The trees in general can be divided in, — 
 
 ' 1st. — Precious trees — that is, such where the wood is sold according to weight, 
 such as sandal-wood, camphor-wood, the fine-grained ebony, the iron-wood used by 
 the Chinese instead of nails, the sapan-wood, and other woods yielding dyes. 
 
 " 2nd. — Woods fit for objects of ornament, such as the chessman tree, excellent for 
 turnery, fit for furniture, such as the mahogany of the Provinces. 
 
 " 3rd. — Timber for ship-building — besides the Teak, such as the anam, the anjin, 
 the kananthi, the pynmah, and twenty others, some of which are by the natives pre- 
 ferred to Teak, such as the Thengan (Hopea odorata), for that part of the vessel which 
 remains under water. 
 
 " 4th. — Such as are fit for military store-house building and utensils, of which there 
 is a great variety. The number of heavy woods not floating in the water is compara- 
 tively very great. 
 
 " 5th. — Such as yield spars for vessels. 
 
 " 6th. — Such as are peculiarly fitted for planks. 
 
 " 1th. — Such as yield good charcoal. 
 
 " 8th. — Fire- wood. 
 
 " The greatest number of trees have the peculiarity to rise straight up, to elevate 
 their branches above the lower vegetation of the forest, many having a bare trunk of 
 from 40 to 100 feet in height without one single branch, and these form generally a 
 small crown compared with the size of the tree. Another peculiarity of these majestic 
 productions is, that the circumference of the tree is not in the same proportion 
 to the height as we are accustomed to see in Europe, that is, the height is in perfection 
 far greater than the circumference — which is to be considered as an advantage, as in 
 most cases the length of the tree is of greater value than the thickness. 
 
 " The firmness and elasticity of the greatest part of the woods is another character- 
 istic, and this again is the natural consequence of their great height. If nature had not 
 given them this property, they could not stand the impetuosity of the storm, but would 
 have been broken down in numbers. This is, however, very seldom to be seen, and in 
 no way proportionate to the damages which forests, chiefly of fir and pine, suffer in 
 Europe." — Report on Ye, Tavoy, and Mergui, pages 65 to 67. 
 
 50. In 1840 Captain E. P. Halsted, of H. M. S. « Childers," then 
 crnizing off the east coast of the Bay of Bengal, greatly interested 
 himself in the resources of the Tenasserim Provinces. His inquiries 
 related chiefly to the facilities afforded by Moulmein, with its plen- 
 tiful supply of timber, for the construction of ships, and he formed 
 
( M ) 
 
 the opinion that its advantages in that respect " were not surpassed, if 
 equalled, by any spot in India," but " were not so well known as they 
 should be for general usefulness." Captain Halsted submitted to 
 Lord Auckland, in August 1840, all the information on the subject 
 which he had 'collected, in a paper which is appended to this Summary, 
 there being much valuable and interesting matter in it. 
 
 51. In November following, Captain Halsted again addressed Lord 
 Auckland, and submitted a report on the comparative strength of some 
 Tenasserim Pine which he had obtained from Moulmein, and some Riga 
 Pine supplied from the " Childers." His anxiety to introduce the Te- 
 nasserim Pine to notice arose from his having been aware that the Admi- 
 ralty had for some time been extending their researches for that wood to 
 distant parts ; that the supply of it for spars of men-of-war in India 
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 exhibits the results of the experiment to test the strength of four pieces 
 of Tenasserim Pine and two pieces of Riga Pine. 
 
( 95 ) 
 
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( 96 ) 
 
 Remarks. — "The tree from which these Moulinein specimens were taken, and the 
 only one then sent down, was felled at hazard by a native in clearing his ground, and 
 lay nearly three years exposed to the weather on the river bank. Its appearance on 
 arrival at Moulmein, in July last, tended to confirm this account of it given to me by its 
 owner, Captain Warwick. 
 
 " Before cut up into specimens tried, it lay as a planed spar on the " Childers' " 
 deck two months, exposed to sun and rain without cover or paint. 
 
 " Each specimen had in its weakest point, and where the weights were applied, a 
 knot of considerable size. 
 
 " All were taken from but one, the only tree. While these combined reasons forbid 
 this trial from being held conclusive of the quality of Moulmein Pine, they hold out 
 the stronger hope that under trial on an average of favorable circumstances, it will be 
 found a very valuable timber." 
 
 52. The reports of Dr. Heifer and Captain Halsted, to the effect that 
 the unrestrained working of the Teak forests in the Tenasserim Provinces 
 was fast leading to their extermination, convinced Government of the 
 necessity for an efficient system of conservancy, though the evil at that 
 time did not seem to justify the resumption of the " permits," or a 
 re-constitution of the former monopoly as had been recommended by 
 Mr. Blundell. With this view it was determined, in November 1840, 
 to appoint to the Department of Public Works in the Tenasserim 
 Provinces an executive officer, who in addition to the duties of that 
 Department, instead of a separate conservator, should have the charge 
 of the Government Teak forests. A moderate establishment was to be 
 allowed him for their preservation, and for regulating the cutting of 
 timbers in those forests where the Government could, without injustice, 
 interfere with the grantees, and he was also to act as Agent for providing 
 timber for Government shipping purposes at Moulmein, or for consign- 
 ment to the Presidencies. Captain Tremenheere, of the Bengal Engineers, 
 was selected for this appointment, and the Military Board were desired 
 to instruct him, to complete a survey of the existing Teak forests and of 
 places suitable for fresh plantations, and to report on the condition of 
 the several forests, their capabilities under proper management, and the 
 means of increasing and perpetuating the resources of the Province by 
 the appropriation and plantation of new tracts. The Military Board 
 were desired also to request Captain Tremenheere to submit a scheme 
 for the supervision of the forests, consistently with the rights of the 
 grantees, to define and note the boundaries of each existing grant, 
 and as far as possible, to discourage the practice of cutting up valuable 
 timbers into pieces. 
 
( 97 ) 
 
 53. In March 1841, about the time of Captain Tremenheere's 
 appointment, Mr. Blundell was required in concert with Mr. J. M. 
 Seppings, Surveyor of Shipping, and Captain Johnston, Controller of 
 Government Steamers, both of whom were then at Moulmein, to report 
 on the means in the Tenasserim Provinces for building Teak men-of- 
 war for the Royal Navy, and to furnish information on the following 
 points : — 
 
 " The facility of procuring timber, and the quality of it ?" 
 
 " "Whether a sufficiency of good timber can be commanded?" 
 
 " What may be the fitness of the locality and of the river for 
 
 undertaking the building of large vessels ?" 
 
 " To what tonnage and draught of water can vessels be built at 
 
 Moulmein ?" 
 
 54. Mr. Blundell was also requested to give an estimate of the 
 prices by which the expense of building ships was regulated at Moul- 
 mein, and to say if the proposition to build men-of-war for the Navy 
 could be recommended for adoption ? 
 
 55. It will be observed that all the information sought had been 
 supplied by Captain Halsted in his report, which is appended to this 
 Summary, but that paper was not before Government when the pre- 
 ceding instructions were issued. 
 
 56. In reply to the inquiries of Government, Mr. Blundell sub- 
 mitted a memorandum drawn up by himself, another by Mr. Seppings, 
 and remarks by Captain Johnston. The information given in these 
 papers merely confirms the statements of Captain Halsted that Moul- 
 mein possessed great faculties for building ships, that good timbers 
 were spoiled and wasted by being cut up into small pieces, and that the 
 forests were mismanaged. They show further that labour in Moulmein 
 was abundant, but expensive ; that Burmans were employed for the heavy 
 and coarse work, and Chinese for work which required nicety ; and that 
 ships were put together generally by contract, different parties contract- 
 ing for different portions of the work. Mr. Seppings in his memorandum 
 suggested the formation of a Timber Department at Moulmein, and recom- 
 mended the purchase for that purpose of Natmoo, the building and timber 
 yard of Cockerell and Co., as it was well adapted for a Government 
 yard. Mr. Blundell stated that Natmoo was selected originally by a 
 Captain Warwick, who was the first European who felled timber and 
 brought it down to Moulmein from forests which he had leased under 
 
{ 98 ) 
 
 the rules of 1829. He became involved in pecuniary difficulties, and 
 his yard and right of cutting in the forests were transferred to Cockerell 
 and Co. Captain Johnston surveyed the passage from Amherst to 
 Moulmein in 1826-27, and he was of opinion that there was sufficient 
 depth of water for launching and floating the largest class ship, and 
 that as the soil was of a hard and stiff nature, little preparation would 
 be required "for laying blocks and ways for the heaviest ship." 
 
 57. On the receipt of these papers, Mr. Seppings was directed* to 
 
 proceed again to Moulmein (he had returned 
 •Letter dated 24th March to Calcutta), and there institute minute in- 
 quiries "as to the feasibility or otherwise of 
 building ships of war at that port." 
 
 58. In the mean while Mr. Blundell had deputed Captain O'Brien 
 of H. M.'s 63rd Regiment, to survey and report on the forests of the 
 Attaran. It is not stated under what authority or instructions Mr. 
 Blundell made this arrangement, but it is presumed he acted on the 
 suggestion of Lord Auckland (already noticed), to have in the first 
 instance " rather a temporary reporter on the forests, than a conser- 
 vator of them." 
 
 59. The instructions which Mr. Blundell gave to Captain O'Brien 
 were, to draw up a report on and a map of the Teak forests of the 
 Attaran river ; to mark off the localities held by individuals, showing 
 their extent and boundaries ; to point out the position and direction of 
 hills and streams ; to observe the difference in the appearance of trees, 
 and in the quality of timber between those on the banks of the rivers 
 and those further removed from it, and to endeavour to assign a cause. 
 To state the distance through which the timber will have to be dragged 
 before it can be floated or rafted ; the approximate number of trees, how 
 many killed, how many felled; the probable number of young trees 
 growing in those spots whence trees have been removed, and if planted 
 or of spontaneous growth ; the best site for planting, the facilities for so 
 doing, the impediments in the shape of wild beasts, fires, &c, and how 
 these can be obviated. To examine forests which had not been ex- 
 plored ; to note all instances of wanton cutting of timber ; to suggest 
 the best means of supplying the waste of the forests, and to state the 
 extent of establishment which might be required for converting timber 
 on the spot. To submit information regarding the manner in which 
 trees are killed, felled, dragged to the water and sent down ; in fact, the 
 
( 99 ) 
 
 process of bringing a tree standing in the jungle, to toAvn, the time 
 taken in such process, and the proper seasons for the several stages of 
 the process ; the quantity of water in the main and subordinate streams, 
 and their capability for floating down timber ; and calculating the 
 consumption of Teak during the last ten years, to say what time it will 
 take to exhaust the existing supply. 
 
 60. Captain O'Brien was engaged in examining and reporting 
 on the forests on the Attaran river; his report does not give 
 all the information which Mr. Blundell called for, but it shows 
 that several forests had been entirely neglected by those who held 
 lehmats, or licences, to cut in them ; that some forests had been com- 
 pletely worked out without any authority whatever ; and that other 
 forests had been abandoned apparently from the difficulty of transport- 
 ing timber from them. Mr. Blundell in submitting this journal to 
 Government, requested instructions as to whether these forests should 
 not therefore be resumed, " and if resumed, whether together with 
 forests that may be hereafter discovered, they should be given 
 to private individuals, or remain to be worked by Government 
 for the Royal Navy." Two questions were raised upon this, — first, 
 what should constitute neglect, or in other words, failure to work 
 a forest grant ; and second, what remuneration should be made 
 to grantees for trees killed or felled by them, but not removed from 
 the resumed grants. Mr. Blundell was of opinion, on the first question, 
 that if the grantees had not visited their grants and had not brought 
 away any timber from thence for two years, that should be held to 
 constitute neglect. On the second question, he considered the 
 grantees were fairly entitled to the value which the trees bore on the 
 spot, and where expense had been incurred by them in forming roads 
 or clearing channels in the nullahs, some compensation ought to be 
 made, but that no compensation whatever should be given for the 
 resumption of the mere right of cutting. He believed, however, that 
 very feAV of the grantees had invested any capital in their grants, and 
 under all these circumstances, he suggested that new rules should be 
 framed to meet the few cases of the kind. This suggestion was ap- 
 proved by Government, and Mr. Blundell was requested to prepare 
 rules that would define the first point raised, " leaving the second to be 
 determined with reference to the particular circumstances of each case/' 
 provide for the survey and definition of boundaries, impose restrictions 
 in the working of all new or lapsed or resumed grants, and secure to 
 
( ioo ) 
 
 Government the right of resumption on failure of the conditions of the 
 grants, " due notice being first given in the manner that should be 
 most conformable to local circumstances and to the nature of the 
 engagements." 
 
 61 . In reply to the foregoing instructions, Mr. Blundell, on the 23rd 
 April 1841, submitted the draft of a set of rules. He also forwarded a 
 journal from Captain O'Brien and a report from Captain Tremenheere, 
 who had accompanied the former officer during a few days in the end 
 of March 1841. The following are the rules : — 
 
 " Notice is hereby given, that from and after the 1st proximo, the permits under 
 which individuals are now allowed to fell Teak trees within certain localities will be 
 cancelled and resumed, and such localities will be leased or farmed out to the same 
 individual for a period of twenty years under the following rules : — 
 
 Rules dated the 12th April 1841. " 1st. — That the farmer keep up such an 
 establishment for the preservation and working of the forest as may be considered 
 necessary by the Government superintending officer, in order that the trees be felled 
 without injury to those surrounding them, by having proper ropes, &c, for lowering 
 them ; and that the requisite assistance of men, elephants, trucks, carts, &c, be provided 
 for removing them when felled. 
 
 2nd. — That no trees shall be killed or felled of a less girth or circumference than 
 6 feet, measured round the bark 10 feet from the ground. 
 
 3rd. — That every tree shall be killed by a broad rim of the bark, say 1 foot, being 
 taken off round the trunk of the tree near the root, at a height not exceeding 2 feet 
 from the ground, and further by cutting to the spine or through the hard wood, to 
 prevent the least portion of sap from rising. This process is only to be done during 
 the months of January, February and March, before the sap commences to rise, and at 
 no other period of the year. 
 
 4th. — That no tree shall be felled till the expiration of at least two years from the 
 period it has been killed, in the manner pointed out in rule 3rd. 
 
 5th. — That every tree felled be removed from the forest with the least possible 
 delay. 
 
 6th. — That for every tree felled and removed, five young trees of a proper size shall 
 be planted by the farmer, or by the Government at the expense of the farmer. 
 
 1th. — That no tree shall be on any account cut up into short lengths (called 
 loozars), but that every tree shall be removed as felled, and be brought in that state 
 (after removing the branches), either down the river to the town, or to saw-pits 
 established in the forest. 
 
 On proof of breach of any of the above rules, the locality wherein such breach may 
 have been effected will be at once resumed by Government. 
 
 The transfer of a lease of any forest from one party to another, must be registered 
 in the office from which the leases are issued, and no transfer will be valid without 
 such registry. 
 
 The dutv on timber will continue to be levied as usual. 
 
( ioi ) 
 
 62. Mr. Blundell was of opinion, however, that these rules would 
 be ineffectual without the appointment of a conservator, and 
 that Captain Tremenheere's other duties would preclude his devoting 
 that attention to the forests which they required. He accordingly- 
 proposed the appointment of an officer as conservator alone, on 750 
 Kupees per month, with an adequate establishment, which expenses he 
 asserted would be repaid by the timber that would be sent down on 
 account of Government; and he suggested that the commissariat 
 elephants, then unemployed, should be made over to the conservator for 
 the conveyance of the timber. Mr. Blundell then proposed to appoint 
 Captain O'Brien to the office of conservator, and in fact, in anticipation 
 of the sanction of Government, he made the arrangements he suggested. 
 
 63. Before these measures were taken into consideration, Mr. 
 
 Blundell again addressed* Government, and 
 
 isli^"^' dated 26th AprU forwarded a P a P er from Mr. Seppings, furnish- 
 ing all the information, to obtain which it 
 will be remembered he was deputed to Moulmein. Mr. Blundell 
 recommended that Mr. Seppings should be directed to fix his head- 
 quarters at Moulmein, to superintend and regulate the operations he 
 had advised in his paper. 
 
 Journals and Reports. — 64. Before noticing the orders of the 
 Government on these two communications from Mr. Blundell, it will be 
 as well to supply an abstract of the reports and journal which were 
 enclosed in them. The first are the report and journal from Captain 
 O'Brien ; the second is the report from Captain Tremenheere ; and the 
 last is Mr. Sepping's " Observations." 
 
 Captain O'Brien's Report and Journal. — 65. The Teak trees on 
 the tributary streams of the great rivers appear to be of the best quality, 
 being of immense girth, tall and straight, and the grain of the wood 
 particularly fine and clear. The trees farthest from the bank become 
 crooked and rough, those growing in the Weinyo and Zimme are 
 particularly good, but no reason is given for this difference. Teak is 
 not fairly found within the influence of the tide, hence a long distance 
 must be traversed ere it is met with. 
 
 No mention is made of the distance of the furthest boundary 
 of a forest from the bank of a river, though in one place Captain 
 O'Brien states that he never saw Teak growing at a greater distance 
 than 150 yards from a stream or rill, which sometimes is not cal- 
 
( 102 ) 
 
 culated to float down timber; and he instances the Teak on the 
 Weinbraw river requiring to be dragged eight miles before it could 
 be floated ; this however was the maximum distance any timber would 
 have to be transported overland. 
 
 Some forests in the lower part of the Weinyo river, which had been 
 granted to natives, were totally exhausted. 
 
 The first forest of any consequence had been granted to Mr. Wales ; 
 the greater portion of it had been felled, but about 500 trees and a very 
 few young plants still remained. Beyond Mr. Wales' boundary a 
 native had killed 500 trees without any grant whatever. Farther up 
 the Weinyo were two unexplored forests, but Captain O'Brien appears 
 not to have had time to examine them minutely, and consequently he 
 gives no details. One of these forests is on the Thengan-nyee-Nyoung ; 
 it had the best trees which he had seen. 
 
 On the Megwa river there were about 3,000 trees, with many 
 young plants. On the Upper and Lower Tyghee, where Cockerell 
 and Co. had grants, there were about 1,500 trees standing. On 
 the Kyoon Geown, another of Cockerell and Co.'s grants, there 
 were upwards of 10,000 large trees, and as many young plants. 
 About a mile from the Kyoon Geown, Darwood and Co. had a forest 
 almost entirely exhausted, and higher up another forest with about 
 300 trees. 
 
 The Parkat forest, below the Mezelee river, produces excellent timber, 
 but it had been much worked, and had not 1,000 trees standing. 
 
 On the Goonjee and Nat-choung tributaries the grants were held 
 by Messrs. Agar and Richardson, but the Teak is somewhat inferior. 
 
 On the Mittigate there is a fine forest, which had been granted to 
 Captain Biden and a native of Calcutta, named Annund Chunder 
 Mittre ; the upper part contained about 4,000 trees, the lower part had 
 been much worked. There are two forests on the Mittigate Coodoog- 
 way which are particularly mentioned as containing several thousands 
 of the finest possible young trees intermixed with a sufficient number of 
 full-grown trees, which would amply repay the expense of forming a 
 road to convey them to the stream ; many trees had been killed by 
 natives without any grant whatever. Captain O'Brien advised Govern- 
 ment working these forests. 
 
 The Lhang-booa forests were recommended to the notice of Govern- 
 ment as containing principally young trees and producing excellent 
 timber from the matured trees. 
 
( 103 ) 
 
 Captain O'Brien does not state the number of young trees he 
 saw, nor whether he believed those which he did see to have grown 
 spontaneously, or to have been planted; he regretted the absence 
 of nurseries, which he considered to be the only method by which 
 the waste of the forests could be repaired. Sites near rills and streams 
 well suited for this purpose were numerous. It would merely be 
 necessary to guard against fires, by the removal of the long grass 
 which in the dry season becomes very inflammable. No animal or 
 insect attacks the plant. 
 
 On one of the grants of Cockerell and Co., Captain O'Brien found 
 several instances of trees having been cut while they were in a 
 green state, and unfitted for any useful purpose, without even an 
 attempt at killing them previously. The natives also destroyed some 
 of the most magnificent timber, that would have served for the lower 
 masts of frigates, by cutting it up, either from not having possessed the 
 means, or from unwillingness to incur the greater expense of removing 
 large pieces to the bank of the river. Many fine trees were also shat- 
 tered in their fall, no precautions having been used in lowering them. 
 
 When the working season (the beginning of December) arrives, 
 cutters, who are also sawyers, are hired; they proceed to the spot, 
 establish saw-pits, fell the trees, and convert them into crooks. 
 
 Bend Planks, 20 cubits 12 X 6 in. 
 Square Timbers, 20 ditto ditto. 
 Long round ditto, 20 ditto ditto. 
 Loozars, 20 ditto ditto. 
 
 In one season a forest that produced 310 crooks, 179 pieces of bend 
 planks, 61 square timbers, 12 long round timbers, and 11 loozars, had 
 employed — 
 
 15 Men for crooks. 
 40 Ditto bend planks. 
 20 Ditto square timbers. 
 20 Ditto round loozars. 
 
 95 Men in all. 
 
 After being thus cut up, the timber is rafted in the month of 
 April, and floated down to Moulmein. The best crooks were obtained 
 from the grants of Messrs. Cockerell and Co., on the Upper and Lower 
 Tyghee, but they were not numerous. 
 
( 104 ) 
 
 A tree should be girdled or killed a year at least previously to 
 felling, iu order that when cut down it may be perfectly dead. The 
 process is to cut a circle through the bark, at two or three feet from 
 the ground, one inch deep and three inches wide, which causes the 
 death of the tree. It should then be felled, and (to be properly seasoned for 
 ship-building), should be stripped of the bark, and left to dry for another 
 year, after which it may be dragged by elephants to the bank of the 
 river, or converted in the saw-pits, made into rafts and floated down the 
 river. February is the season for killing and felling, and April is the 
 best time for constructing rafts and floating the timber. 
 
 The main streams appear always to have abundance of water to float 
 down the timber; the subordinate streams also have a sufficient quantity 
 generally; in the monsoon a rise of 7 or 8 feet takes place. 
 
 Captain O'Brien seems not to have inquired into the extent of the 
 supply, calculated on the preceding 10 years 5 demand and consumption, 
 though in one place he mentions that " with care" a forest might last 
 25 or 30 years, but he does not say what extent of forest it must be to 
 last that time, nor how much wood can be cut from it. 
 
 Captain O'Brien, at the conclusion of his report, observed that 
 the value of timber standing without claimants, and of that killed 
 without grants, together with the newly discovered forests, would 
 amply repay any outlay in making roads and in planting nurseries, by 
 which a most valuable supply of timber would be secured. 
 
 Captain Tremenheere's Report. — 66. Captain Tremenheere started 
 from Moulmein on the 26th February 1841, to join Captain O'Brien, 
 and fell in with that officer on the Zimme river, above its junction 
 with the Weinyo, in that portion of the forests where the grants were 
 held principally by natives. Captain Tremenheere inspected the 
 grants of two natives, and found every tree that was worth cutting 
 had been felled in a green state, and many young trees had been cut 
 down : on the opposite bank there appeared the same mismanagment; 
 he suspended the licence of one man, and desired the others to discon- 
 tinue cutting or removing any timber till further instructions. He 
 recommended the suspension of all these grants for a time. 
 
 Mr. Agar's forest on the course of the Nat-choung river had 
 fine young trees, but was not worked in consequence of an in- 
 sufficiency of full-sized trees. On Captain Richardson's grant on the 
 Goonjee, 80 trees were girdled, and 15 saws were at work convert- 
 ing the timber into planks, which, owing to the winding course 
 
( 105 ) 
 
 of the Goonjee, was the only form in which it could be conveyed 
 easily to Moulmein. Farther np the river there were many trees 
 that had been girdled by a native about five years previously. 
 
 The upper part of the river Ghyne, called the Houndrow, is a 
 clear deep stream about 100 yards broad, but the smoothness of its 
 course is disturbed by a bed of limestone rock. Captain Tre- 
 menheere followed this stream as far as its junction with its tributary 
 the Authan, and found well-grown Teak, but in patches which he 
 remarked grew on the left bank of the river only, while there was none 
 on the right bank, although the soil and circumstances of both banks 
 were apparently the same. He therefore recommended seeds being 
 sown on those banks, which are opposite to banks on which Teak is 
 found, as he saw no reason why extensive plantations should not be 
 raised on both sides. Owing to the sinuosities of the Authan, land 
 carriage as far as the Houndrow (a distance of three miles) is recom- 
 mended, the latter river being well adapted for the floating of timber 
 during the monsoon. 
 
 Proceeding on the course of the Houndrow, Captain Tremenheere 
 came upon some excellent Teak trees, with straight stems of great 
 dimensions, which he ascribed to the elevation of the locality, 1,100 
 feet above the sea, where Teak, he thought, nourished better than in 
 the level plains. The climate here was temperate, being 76° on the 
 same day that the thermometer was 82° at Moulmein. This place was 
 only six hours' journey from the Shan territory. 
 
 Captain Tremenheere remarks on the extreme slowness by natural 
 means of the spread of Teak. He takes Teak trees growing on the 
 Goonjee and Authan as types of the low country, and those on the 
 Houndrow as the standard of trees growing in elevated situations, and 
 he shows that a return might more easily and speedily be expected 
 from planting in the plains, where also greater facility of carriage 
 exists. The following extract from his report will better explain 
 Captain Tremenheere' s opinion : — 
 
 " The following Table, which is designed to show more clearly the distinction between 
 the early growth and the usual age of full-grown trees on the plains, compared with 
 those which occupy valleys elevated considerably above the sea, represents the thickness 
 of wood, or the increase of semi-diameter, measured from the centre, attained by each 
 tree during successive periods, which are so chosen as to show the changes which 
 occurred in the rate of growth, or the differences which were apparent in the average 
 breadth of the annual rings. 
 
( 106 ) 
 
 
 Situation of the Tree. 
 
 Number of Kings from the 
 Centre. 
 
 © 5 o 
 
 Si <o 
 
 -a « 
 
 o-Sw-3 
 
 
 In the Plains 
 
 ins, | 
 
 10. 
 
 11. 
 
 12. 
 
 13. 
 
 1,100 feet < 
 above the sea, ( 
 
 On the bank of 
 the Authan, 
 
 Ditto, 
 
 A Loozar found 
 in the bed of the 
 Authan, 
 
 On the bank of 
 the Goonjee, ' 
 
 Ditto ditto. 
 
 The first 20 rings 
 
 The next 7 „ 
 The next 10 „ 
 The exterior 45 „ 
 
 The first 41 rings, .... 
 
 The next 19 , 
 
 The next 9 „ 
 
 The exterior 19 „ .... 
 
 The first 55 rings, .... 
 The next 19 „ 
 The next 26 „ 
 The exterior 37 „ .... 
 
 The first 7 rings ; the ex- 
 terior 15 were of soft 
 wood, 
 
 In all 80 rings, 
 
 The first 91 rings, 
 Theexterior 123 „ 
 
 The first 100 rings, 
 
 The next 100 „ 
 
 The exterior 63 „ 
 
 The first 92 rings, 
 
 The next 74 „ 
 
 The exterior 46 „ 
 
 The first 76 rings, 
 
 The next 90 „ 
 
 The exterior 50 „ 
 
 The first 44 rings, 
 
 The next 67 „ 
 
 Theexterior 110, 
 
 The first 40 rings, 
 
 The next 30 „ 
 
 The next 20 , 
 
 The next 100 „ 
 
 The exterior 43 „ 
 
 The first 88 rings, 
 
 The next 52 , 
 
 The next 30 „ 
 
 The next 30 „ 
 
 The exterior 51 „ 
 
 The first 142 rings, 
 
 The next 35 „ 
 
 The exterior 40 „ 
 
 Inches. 
 10 
 
 n 
 
 14 
 
 H 
 ll 
 
 15 
 
 9 
 
 4* 
 
 12 
 
 10 
 
 11 
 6 
 
 4 
 
 13* 
 
 6l| 
 
 H 
 
 12i 
 7 
 2i 
 
 ol 
 
 ~4 
 
 7 
 
 4 
 
 H 
 
 16 
 5 
 2 
 
 1 
 
 H 
 
 28 
 4 
 2 
 
 Yrs. 
 
 82 
 
 88 
 
 137 
 
 86 
 
 80 
 
 214 
 
 26a 
 
 212 
 
 216 
 
 221 
 
 233 
 
 251 
 
 217 
 
 Ft. In. 
 
 8 
 
 9 6 
 
 12 O 
 
 6 6 
 
 7 6 
 
 10 
 
 11 10 
 
 10 7 
 
 11 
 9 6 
 
 13 
 
 13 3 
 
 12 
 
( 107 ) 
 
 " Nos. 1, 2, 4 and 5, from the closeness of the external rings and other characters, 
 had every appearance of mature trees ; the principal increase in these cases took place 
 during the first 40 or 60 years of their growth, and the increase of bulk after that 
 period, or for the next forty years, is extremely small : whereas with those of higher 
 situations on the Houndrow, the difference of rate during succeeding periods was much 
 less distinctly marked, the advance of the tree being throughout accomplished by very 
 slow degrees. 
 
 " The average age of full-grown trees on the Goonjee and Authan was 84 years, and of 
 those on the Houndrow, 228 years. The average breadth of annual rinn-s of the former 
 was a quarter of an inch, sometimes separately exceeding one inch ; the average 
 breadth of those of the Houndrow was one-tenth of an inch only, and seldom amounted 
 separately to one-fifth of an inch." 
 
 Captain Tremenheere remarks on some forests on the Houndrow 
 which were held by natives, where timber had been felled, but had not for 
 the want of means been removed. This timber he advised being purchased 
 by Government, and removed with the aid of Commissariat elephants. 
 He recommended that Government should retain for its own use 
 the unoccupied forests in the Weinyo, visited by Captain O'Brien 
 as these forests had the finest trees, and were likely to furnish Govern- 
 ment with timber on more advantageous terms than those from which 
 supplies were then obtained. He considered also, that independently 
 of economy, the retention of these forests by Government would have 
 a beneficial effect on the grantees, who seeing the possession of 
 them not lightly esteemed, would be more careful than they 
 had been of their culture and propagation, for no seed had been 
 sown by any one possessing grants. The Mittigate forest was particu- 
 larly recommended to be retained, as the timber, from the river beino- 
 unfavorable to its transport, would have to be drawn overland six 
 or eight miles to the northward to a better part of the stream, which 
 process would be ruinous to private individuals, but could be easily 
 accomplished by means of Government elephants, the expense of which 
 would not be felt. 
 
 The road from the Attaran to the Houndrow was narrow, running 
 through a dense jungle, and winding so much as to prevent any- 
 thing being seen in advance beyond a few yards ; the difficulties of 
 surveying or making geological researches, owing to local impediments, 
 were great, and almost insurmountable. 
 
 The geological character of the range of hills separating the Houn- 
 drow and Ghyne from the Attaran and Zhnme, and of that dividing 
 the Shan provinces from the British territory, is described by Captain 
 
( 108 ) 
 
 Tremenheere : the former hills consist principally of silicious sand- 
 stone, possessing also crystalline limestone, quartz, and slate; the 
 latter are composed entirely of granite. 
 
 Mr. Seppings' Observations. — 67. Mr. Seppings thought that the 
 supplies of Teak timber procurable from the Tenasserim Provinces had 
 been greatly overrated, and that the tracts of land where Teak was 
 procured were not forests of that timber, but merely patches of Teak 
 trees which were met with here and there interspersed with other 
 kinds of timber. The whole of the available Teak timber then at 
 Moulmein for sale and shipment was estimated at 2,000 tons of good 
 straight timber. In the preceding nine years, Teak timber to the 
 extent of 5,000 loads had been annually exported, but that quantity 
 could not be exported for ten years longer without exhausting the Teak 
 districts then known. Crooked Teak, of sizes suited to the frames 
 of line-of-battle ships, were procurable, but not in large quanti- 
 ties. A two-decked ship might have been built in five years at 
 Moulmein, but a frigate was recommended to be first built, in 
 order to test the capacity of the Teak districts. There was sufficient 
 timber at Moulmein to build, in two years' time, a 36-gun frigate, 
 with hull entirely copper-fastened, together with masts, yards and 
 fittings, at £24< per ton, — the sails, gunner's and boatswain's stores 
 being supplied by the Crown; whereas the hull only of a similar 
 vessel, if built in one of Her Majesty's dock-yards, would cost 
 £25 per ton. 
 
 Artificers were then scarce, but it was believed their numbers could 
 easily be increased. The shipwrights were Burmans or Taliens; the 
 joiners were Chinamen, the blacksmiths and caulkers were from 
 Madras and Calcutta ; all were good workmen, if superintended by 
 Europeans. Mr. Seppings pointed to the steamer " Tenasserim," which 
 was built at Moulmein in proof of his statements, and he mentioned 
 that two pilot brigs for the Company were being built of Teak, and 
 entirely copper-fastened, with masts and yards complete, at the rate of 
 Rs. 189 (£18, 185.) per ton; whereas in 1819, Ks. 278 (or £27, 16s.) 
 per ton was paid to Messrs. Kyd and Co. of Calcutta for two similar 
 vessels, entirely iron-fastened; and at Bombay Rs. 323 (or <£32, 6s.) 
 per ton was the price paid for the same description of vessels, only 
 partially copper-fastened. 
 
 Mapoon, on the bank of the river three miles below Moulmein, 
 was considered best adapted for ship-building, water for the largest 
 
( 109 ) 
 
 ships being found there, as the depth at low water was 5 to 6 fathoms. 
 The shore is shelving, and the soil a mixture of clay and iron, which 
 hardens from exposure to the sun, and is well calculated to form a good 
 foundation for a dock. 
 
 Vessels which do not draw more than 17 feet could be taken down 
 the Moulmein river without a steamer, and with a steamer, vessels of 
 the largest draught may be taken down. 
 
 Mr. Seppings pointed out the importance of securing supplies of Teak 
 timber for the Royal Navy, and with that view suggested that no more 
 lehmats, or licences, should be granted, but that Government should 
 retain the right to fell in all the ungranted forests. By this measure he 
 thought 2,000 loads of Teak would at once be available, and could easily 
 be removed by elephants. He recommended also the employment of 
 qualified persons to examine the Teak ■ and Pine forests of the Shan 
 territory, and the appointment at Rangoon of an agent for purchasing 
 timber for Government ; and concluded his paper with again advising 
 the establishment of a depot at Moulmein. 
 
 68. It does not appear from these reports and journals that a single 
 seedling had been seen growing even where the Teak tree was found 
 in a wild state. Nature had clone nothing apparently for continuing 
 the supply, unless the absence of seedlings be attributed to the fre- 
 quent burning of the jungle, or to other causes not stated. 
 
 69. On the 2nd June 1841, the above-mentioned reports and 
 journals were submitted to the Government of India; and Mr. Blundell 
 was desired to convey the thanks of Government to Captains O'Brien 
 and Tremenheere and Mr. Seppings for the information supplied by 
 them. The only defect that could be remarked was the omission of all 
 notice of other woods than Teak. Mr. Blundell was authorized to 
 secure the site at Mapoon, " for forming a timber depot, and if it shall 
 be so resolved, for building ships," and to retain the services of Captain 
 O'Brien with the view of exploring the forests in the northern country, 
 and of cultivating the friendly co-operation of the Shan chiefs. He was 
 further desired to do all in his power " to promote the security and 
 facility of communication by land and water." The proposed employ- 
 ment of a paid agent at Rangoon was not approved, but the employment 
 of one or more merchants resident there for the purpose of collecting 
 timber, being remunerated by a commission, was suggested. Mr. 
 Blundell was authorized to collect for Government all the timber he 
 
( no ) 
 
 could get at moderate prices, and to employ the Government elephants 
 in the collection and conveyance. These elephants were attached to 
 the military establishment at Moulmein, in order to enable the troops to 
 move at a short notice ; and the expense of maintaining them was said 
 to be considerable. It was expected, therefore, that the proposed mode 
 of turning them to account would prove in every way profitable. 
 
 70. The consideration of the proposed rules was postponed, as the 
 subject of forest control and superintendence was one that required 
 much attention and very careful proceedings. Mr. Blundell was in- 
 formed, however, that Lord Auckland was unfavorable to any proposi- 
 tions which might tend "to an extensive disturbance, even of very 
 unsettled occupations"; that the primary object of the conservator 
 should be " to mark and define the boundaries of existing forest grants, 
 and to lay down conditions of management" ; and that if the occupiers 
 consented to abide by them, they should be confirmed in their holdings 
 except in sites particularly required for public objects. 
 
 71. On the same date, (2nd June 184-1,) the opinion of Dr. Wallich, 
 the Superintendent of the Hon'ble Company's Botanic Garden, was re- 
 quested as to the best means of perpetuating the supply of Teak, and a 
 
 * Marine Despatch, No. copy of all the papers was forwarded* by Lord 
 13 of 1841. Auckland to the Court of Directors. His Lord- 
 
 ship requested the sentiments of the Court, both on the measures which 
 had been taken and those which had been proposed for the manage- 
 ment of the forests. He pointed out the advantages possessed by 
 Moulmein for building ships for the Navy, and solicited instructions 
 regarding the proposal to form a depot at Moulmein and collect timber 
 for Her Majesty's dock-yards. On this last proposal the Court's 
 orders were particularly solicited. 
 
 72. Dr. Wallich's Suggestions, 1841. — On the 21st June (1841) 
 Dr. Wallich submitted his reply. He remarked that the absence of 
 young Teak seedlings in the Tenasserim forests was justly attributed to 
 the destructive burning of the jungle (against which in 1827, in his 
 report on the Attaran river, he had recommended precautionary mea- 
 sures being taken), as that appeared to him to be the only rational ex- 
 planation of the matter. And as " it is a known fact that Teak-seeds 
 will spring up in quantities wherever the tree is found, either in its wild 
 state or planted by the hand of man, growing in forests or standing 
 singly, — and that the seedlings will continue thriving and become large 
 
( 111 ) 
 
 trees unless choked by each other or by some dense jungle of other 
 plants, or else destroyed by the firing of the forest," — it was ouly ne- 
 cessary for the preservation of these to cut down every other kind of 
 timber, and allow the Teak to spring up naturally. He observed more- 
 over, that " some explorers may have unconsciously overstated the scar- 
 city of seedlings, for the Teak tree was completely deciduous, and it was 
 possible that a casual observer visiting the forests during the dry months 
 of the year would hardly recognize the seedlings in their twiggy and 
 naked condition, and might therefore be easily led to an inference that 
 seedlings were never found in the natural forests." For this reason 
 Dr. Wallich thought it probable that the officers who had visited the 
 forests had in some measure overlooked the seedlings. He had no 
 doubt, nevertheless, that the true cause of their general absence was 
 ascribable to fires, ' ' and that by simply removing that cause, a ready 
 mode would be secured of filling up the vacant spaces in the forests." 
 A strict prohibitory order was therefore necessary against foresters or 
 others burning the coppice or underwood, and in order to promote the 
 germination of the seeds "the lands should be freed from jungle, the 
 ground should be loosened a little under the trees about the time the 
 seed is expected to ripen," and above all, the young plants should be 
 protected against injury from the " annual burning of the tall and 
 stout grass which overruns all waste lands in those parts." Further, 
 he considered it would be necessary, either by fencing or some other 
 means, to keep away wild elephants and other animals that might do 
 mischief. The establishment of local nurseries in the immediate neigh- 
 bourhood of each of the principal forest tracts, and of a general nursery 
 at Moulmein, also appeared to him a desirable measure. 
 
 73. These several suggestions were communicated to Captain Tre- 
 menheere, (who had taken up the duties relating to forest conservancy,) 
 in order that they might be carried out ; but as it had been stated that 
 the soil at Moulmein was not calculated for the groAvth of Teak, and 
 that place consequently not adapted for the establishment of a general 
 central nursery, Captain Tremenheere was required to report particularly 
 on that point after visiting the forests. 
 
 74. On the 8th September following (1841), the rules dated 12th 
 April 1841 were approved by Government, but Mr. Blundell was 
 informed of the wish of Government not to disturb the occupancy of the 
 grantees unless on very strong grounds ; he was therefore desired to report 
 
 p 
 
( 112 ) 
 
 on the practical operation of the rules before lie proceeded to enforce the 
 penalty clause, especially with reference to the prohibition against cutting 
 up the timber, which, so far as it was designed to protect the Government 
 duty, it was thought would admit of relaxation if that duty could be 
 previously secured by any other arrangement. This object was eventu- 
 ally effected by calculating the duty on the cubic contents of each log 
 without reference to its size, and levying the ad valorem duty of 15 
 per cent, on a commutation price of 30 Rupees per ton of 50 cubic feet. 
 It was decided at the same time (with reference to the proposed resump- 
 tion of some land in Mapoon, which was in the occupancy of Annund 
 Chunder Mittre, and was required to form the depot recommended by 
 Mr. Seppings), that the occupation was one of mere sufferance, and 
 would be withdrawn at the pleasure of the public authorities. 
 
 75. In September 1841, Mr. Blundell reported that there had been 
 so great a rise in the market price of timber, that he considered it 
 injudicious to purchase any on account of Government, and that the only 
 step he had adopted towards collecting a stock of timber was levying 
 the duty on it in kind instead of in money, — a measure which had 
 caused dissatisfaction among the traders. Although by the rules it 
 was optional with the Government to levy the timber duty either way, 
 still as the practice had been to collect it in money, and this course had 
 received the sanction of time, and the change had given dissatisfaction, 
 Mr. Blundell was directed not to persevere in the measure, but to levy 
 the duty ad valorem, and to make purchases for Government only when 
 necessary, at the market price. The demand for timber having, 
 however, increased, and the price having been still further enhanced, 
 Mr. Blundell was prohibited from making any purchase of wood which 
 had not previously been approved by a competent judge of its quality 
 and value. 
 
 76. In January 1842, the Military Board forwarded some papers 
 from Captain Tremenheere, containing a suggestion with reference to 
 clause 6th of the rules, for establishing a few centrically situated 
 nurseries, instead of having a nursery at each forest, as it appeared 
 that the grantees were either unable or unwilling to plant young 
 trees. The correspondence was referred to Mr. Blundell for his opinion. 
 
 77. In June 1842, a question was raised as to whether the timber, 
 which was brought from the Shan States down the Salween river into 
 Moulmein, was properly liable to the inland duty of 15 per cent, which 
 
( 113 ) 
 
 had been levied upon it, as upon timber brought from the forests within 
 British territory. Exemption was claimed by the dealers, on the 
 ground that Moulmein was a free port, and that a duty on the Shan 
 timber had been previously paid to the Shan Government. Mr. Blundell 
 upon this advised the substitution of an export for the import duty, 
 but this alteration was not deemed advisable by the Government of 
 India, who decided that as the Shan timber derived its value only 
 from the circumstance of its being available for the Moulmein market, 
 the inland duty of 15 per cent, ad valorem levied on it should be 
 continued. It must be remarked here that this order of the Govern- 
 ment of India differs from that of 1837, noticed in para. 41. The 
 Commissioner had no authority for levying a duty on foreign timber 
 previously to this last order of 1842. 
 
 78. In September 1842, the Military Board submitted a second 
 report from Captain Tremenheere on the Teak forests, suggesting fur- 
 ther modifications of the forest rules of 12th April 1841. The following 
 is an abstract of the report : — 
 
 Captain Tremenheere's 2nd Retort. — 79. Captain Tremenheere 
 stated, that in the latter end of March 1842 some of the Teak forests on 
 the Attaran river were visited by Mr. Maling, the Assistant Surveyor, 
 and the remainder by himself. The object of Mr. Maling's visit was to 
 ascertain the extent of certain breaches of the forest rules, which had 
 been the subject of a case in the civil court, and to define boundary 
 lines between different forests. His route was through Mr. Richardson's 
 grant and the Mittigate direct to Kyoon Geown, which is the southern- 
 most forest of any extent. The purpose of Captain Tremenheere's 
 visit subsequently, in April, was that of general inspection. He pro- 
 ceeded partly by the same route, but leaving the Mittigate he struck off 
 to the Megwa forests, and to those at the head of the Weinyo. He 
 visited the following grants : — 
 
 Goonjee Forest, held by Mr. Richardson. 
 
 Mittigate Forest, held by Annund Chunder Mittre, and worked by 
 his agent, Mr. Fox. 
 
 Kyoon Geown Forest, held by Cockerell and Co., and worked by their 
 agent, Mr. Sutherland. 
 
 Megwa Forest, held by Captain Clerk. 
 
 In all these grants the forest rules framed by Mr. Blundell had 
 been entirely disregarded ; many under-sized and young trees had been 
 
( 11-4 ) 
 
 killed and felled ; many trees had been felled before having been killed, 
 or before the expiration of the prescribed interval between killing and 
 felling ; many trees had been killed for several years, bnt had not been 
 felled ; and a great many trees had been killed, and felled above the 
 killing mark. 
 
 The explanations of these acts given by the grantees, were chiefly 
 that they had been done by the native contractors, or before the pro- 
 mulgation of the forest rules, or from ignorance, or in consequence of 
 the appearance of decay in the tree felled. In one case, (Mr. Richard- 
 son's,) that gentleman stated that he had instituted a suit in the Com- 
 missioner's Court against some of his native contractors, for damages 
 sustained in his grant by their violating the rules. It was evident, 
 however, that as far as the forests above noticed were concerned the 
 rules had been inoperative, notwithstanding that the grantees them- 
 selves had endeavoured to observe them. Captain Tremenheere attributed 
 this to the character and habits of the Burmese timber-cutters, who 
 always followed their own practices in killing and felling, and to the fact 
 that only the extreme penalty of immediate resumption of the grant 
 was provided by the rules in question for any breach of them, as it was 
 generally believed by the natives that the Government could not desire 
 to have all the forests thus thrown on their own hands. 
 
 Captain Tremenheere next noticed in detail the practical effects of 
 each of the clauses in the rules framed by Mr. Blundell, with the man- 
 ner in which each had been disregarded, and then suggested the follow- 
 ing rules : — 
 
 Rules dated 11th July 1842. — " Leases will be granted to all persons who now 
 possess the right of cutting in the Teak forests of the Tenasserim Provinces, assigned 
 to them either by written documents, or by the felling and removing of timber carried 
 on therein under the sanction or by permission of the civil authorities or Superinten- 
 dent of forests at Moulmein. The boundaries wherein the lease-holder is permitted to 
 cut or carry away Teak, or any other timber the locality produces, will be defined in 
 each lease, but it will confer no proprietary right in the soil. 
 
 " The period of lease will not be limited, but will continue so long as the lease-holder 
 shall pay the required observance to the following rules, and shall keep up such an 
 establishment for the working of the forests, as may be considered necessary by the 
 superintending officer. 
 
 " The transfer of a lease from one party to another must be registered in the office of 
 the Superintendent, and no transfer will be valid without such registry. 
 
 " 1st. — Every lease-holder shall appoint a responsible agent, to be resident in the 
 forest during the killing, cutting, and rafting seasons. 
 
( 115 ) 
 
 " On the first of December of each year, the lease-holders shall make known to the 
 superintending officer the number of gangs they intend to hire for killing trees 
 during the season, and the number and strength of parties of men and elephants they 
 intend to employ in felling, dragging, and rafting in their respective forests, when 
 Government peons, in sufficient numbers to prevent any unnecessary delay or 
 obstruction to the work, will be deputed with proper instruments to place a mark 
 on each tree to be killed, and on each log to be brought away. 
 
 " The peons shall make a report to the superintending officer of the number of trees 
 or logs marked, which report, in order to prevent collusion, shall be countersigned by 
 the agent of the lease-holder in the forest. 
 
 " 2nd. — The position of the mark will determine the killing and felling point, which 
 may be immediately below, but not above it. 
 
 " Every tree marked shall be killed during the same season, and no tree shall here- 
 after be killed or felled without first receiving this mark. 
 
 " 3rd. — Every tree marked shall be girdled by cutting through the sap-wood and 
 penetrating the heart-wood, or duramen, to prevent the sap from risin». 
 
 " This is only to be done during the months of January, February, March and April. 
 " 4th. — No tree is to be killed of a less girth than 6 feet, measured at 4 feet from 
 the ground. 
 
 " 5th. — No tree shall be felled until the lapse of one rainy season, after bem°- killed 
 in the manner prescribed by Rule 3rd. 
 
 " 6th. — No raft is to enter the Moulmein waters without a pass, bearing the 
 signature of the agent employed to inspect them. 
 
 " 7th. — For every tree felled, or log brought away, three young trees shall be 
 planted out on their timber sites. This will be effected by perous employed by Govern- 
 ment, and the expenses are to be defrayed by the lease-holder. 
 
 " The expense of marking the trees and logs, as directed by the first rule, is to be 
 borne by the lease-holder, at the rate of 2 annas for every tree or log marked. Any 
 surplus over the annual outlay on this account will be carried towards defraying the 
 charges for planting provided for by Rule 7th. 
 
 " Fines and Penalties. — If any lease-holder should neglect the 1st Rule, no fi'mber 
 shall be allowed to enter the Moulmein waters from his forest during the succeed- 
 ing year. 
 
 " For every breach of the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th Rules, a fine - l0t exceeding 
 500 Rupees will be levied from the lease-holder. 
 
 " The fines are to be levied at the discretion of and by the dec ;,on of the superin- 
 tending officer. 
 
 " Information by letter will be given by the superintending °ffi° er to the Assistant 
 Commissioner's Court, of the amount of fine due to Gover lDent °V anv lease-holder, 
 which letter shall be considered sufficient proof of the v - ldlt y °f tlle claim, and shall 
 be sufficient warrant for levying the amount of fine b distraint on the property of the 
 lease-holder." 
 
 Captain Tremenheere visited some orests on tne Weinyo r i ve r at its 
 junction with the Thengan-nyee-N oun & and in tne Mittigate Codoog- 
 
 
( 116 ) 
 
 way, for which grants were never given, but in which many trees had been 
 killed without permission. He confirmed Captain O'Brien's report of the 
 great extent of the latter forests and of the excellence of their timber, 
 and joined in the recommendation that Government should work them. 
 
 At the head of the Houndrow, Captain Tremenheere fell in with 
 other " ungranted" forests, in which natives had without permission kill- 
 ed and felled the largest trees, but had not removed them for want of 
 means ; in fact, he noted numerous instances of wasteful killing and 
 felling, and he therefore particularly requested the orders of Govern- 
 ment regarding the leasing out of these ungranted forests. 
 
 The quantity of timber remaining in the southern forests on the 
 Attaran, Weinyo and Houndrow, was estimated at about 20,000 trees 
 fit for felling, and in the northern forests on the Thoung-yeen, Salween 
 and Lhang-booa, at 7,000, exclusive of young trees, which were numerous 
 in that direction. The Teak on the northern boundary of the Thoung- 
 yeen river was said to be more abundant, but the forests there were 
 held by natives, and little attention had been paid to them, the convey- 
 ance of the timber being difficult. The following extract from the report 
 will afford some useful information : — 
 
 " The quantity of timber which has been brought from the Government forests 
 to Moulmein between the 12th April 1841 and 12th April 1842, is as follows : — 
 
 
 Long Logs, 
 Av. 35 feet. 
 
 Loozars, 
 Av. 17 feet. 
 
 CO 
 
 CO 
 U 
 
 09 
 
 'E< 
 
 BO 
 
 as 
 
 Squares 30 
 feet 12 X 12 
 and over. 
 
 CD 
 
 o 
 
 p 
 
 6 
 
 ^x 
 
 -5 c> I* 
 
 Froiu the Southern forests \ 
 
 Attars and Weinvo, . . . . ) 
 
 The Northern forests Thoung-") 
 
 yeen Lh. Q g_ DO oa, and Sal- [• 
 
 4,798 
 4,771 
 
 2,103 
 1,157 
 
 35 
 107 
 
 461 
 3 
 
 13,563 
 1,390 
 
 1,368 
 
 130 
 
 
 
 Total from Govern, ent f ores ts, 
 
 9,569 
 
 3,260 
 
 142 
 
 464 
 
 14,953 
 
 1,488 
 
 " The amount of duty ea ii ze a on all timber including that from the Shan States, 
 from 1st May 1841 to 30th ^ ril lg42j during the past commercial year is— 
 
 " On 8,944J tons, in cash, Rs 36J21 5 3 
 
 " On 2,062 pieces of all desfew^ m kind> equal to ^ 13j0] 9 g 9 
 
 " Total of duty received in Comp^ Rs this year> (18 41-42), Rs. 49,140 14 
 « The exports during this period hav amounte( i to 8,681 tons of Teak, in value 
 2,60,430 Rupees, at the lowest quoted pricey 3Q rupees p er ton." 
 
( 117 ) 
 
 Regarding the nurseries which Captain Tremenheere established, he 
 writes as follows : — 
 
 " Nurseries. — Three trials have been made this year (of growing young Teak from 
 the seed) of nursery beds, which have been commenced at three different spots in the 
 Attaran forests marked in the plan ; — one at the southernmost and most distant 
 forest, at the junction of the Kyoon Geown stream and the Zimme, near the forests of 
 Messrs. Cockerell and Co., whei - e the timber is best and most abundant : another on 
 the bank of the Mittigate in the forest of that name, where also the Teak is of fine 
 growth : the third is on the Nat-choung stream, which is one of the forests nearest to 
 Moulmein, or about four tides' journey. The Teak here is not large, but a nursery on 
 this spot has tbe advantage of being more convenient for inspection, and is also near a 
 village, by the head-man of which it will be in some measure overlooked. 
 
 " At each of the two first places five beds, raised about a foot from the level of the 
 ground, with trenches for drainage between them, have been prepared. 
 
 " The beds average 78 feet long by 12 feet broad, and are thickly sown with seed 
 freshly gathered from the trees in all January, soon after the seed had perfected itself. 
 They were sown in holes about a span apart and 2 or 3 inches deep, three or four seeds 
 being put into each hole. A few were also sown in these beds in March, having been 
 previously soaked three hours in warm water. 
 
 " At the Nat-choung nursery four beds were prepared. The seeds which remained 
 longest on the tree were gathered and sown in April, the end of the dry season. Those 
 of three beds were immersed three days in the stream before they were planted, and 
 the rest were previously allowed to float on the surface of a pool of water exposed to 
 the sun for an equal period, — the intention being, in the two last cases, to imitate in 
 some degree the process of Nature, or the conditions to which the seed, in its natural 
 state, is exposed before it is deposited on a spot favorable to germination. All the beds 
 were watered for a few weeks after the seed was sown, and they were protected from 
 the direct rays of the sun, and from the violence of the first fall of rain, by a slight 
 covering of leaves and grass placed on a frame work of jungle-wood about 6 feet high. 
 
 " The seed of Teak is imbedded in a thick and very hard stone which is surrounded 
 by a spongy rind, a light substance of brown colour of the nature of bark. There irt 
 three distinct cells in each pericarp for the reception of the seed, but there is sehbm 
 more than one seed perfected. 
 
 " Of about 300 stones freshly gathered, which were opened, only one-eleventh of toe 
 whole had any seed at all. All had externally the same appearance, and there is no 
 criterion by which to ascertain whether the stone contains a seed or not. The free 
 produces them in great abundance, but the seed in by far the greater number appears 
 either not to be perfected, or to wither very soon after it is formed. 
 
 " This fact may be added to the causes I have before assigned for the very scanty 
 increase of the tree by natural means, viz., the absorption by the seed at the com- 
 mencement of the S. W. monsoon of more moisture than it can assimilate ; its rapid 
 passage from the spot on which it falls to the tidal waters, which, from the heavy rains 
 and slope of the country, must generally occur ; and the small chance that exists of being 
 arrested in its progress and covered with soil or vegetable matter before the seed decays. 
 
( US ) 
 
 " About 50 seeds, in which sound kernels were found, were placed in the ground 
 separately at the Nat-choung nursery. 
 
 " No manure or dressing for the ground was used in any case. The beds have not 
 been visited since April, so that I am not able to say whether any of the seed has 
 sprung, but from the hard nature of the stone I should not expect this result till at 
 least the termination of the S. W. monsoon. 
 
 " About 22,000 seeds have, I think, been sown. The expense has been trifling, 
 having been done chiefly by the peons of the establishment under the direction of the 
 forest Goung, with three men in addition hired for about a month, — all of which has 
 been charged in the monthly current expense bills." 
 
 Captain Tremenheere closes his report with a very interesting de- 
 scription and a list of other forest trees, the uses to which those trees 
 are applied, and the value of their timber, but nearly the same infor- 
 mation will be found in Captain Halsted's report, in the Appendix. The 
 Thetzee or varnish tree, mentioned by Dr. Wallich in his Report on 
 the Salween forests, is particularly noticed by Captain Tremenheere. He 
 says that the varnish obtained from it is extensively used in the lackering 
 of Burmah and Shan boxes ; and that it has the peculiarity of drying 
 and hardening in the shade and in damp weather, or in damp situations. 
 He considered it would be a very good material for coating iron-work 
 or guns and gun-carriages. 
 
 80. Mr. Blundell appended to the report some remarks in reference 
 to the proposed supersession of the rules of 12th April 1841, but 
 expressed his approval of Captain Tremenheere' s suggestions, and his 
 proposed revised rules. 
 
 81. With the approval of the Government of India, the proposed 
 revised rules were sanctioned, the only alterations made in them being 
 that five young trees, instead of three as provided by Captain Tre- 
 menheere, should be planted in place of every tree felled, and that 
 the Commissioner should exercise appellate jurisdiction in the 
 ctses of fines which the superintendent of forests might impose for 
 bieach of the rules. The superintendent of forests was at the same 
 tine invested with magisterial powers to enable him to impose fines 
 no: exceeding 500 rupees for any breach of the forest rules, and he 
 was authorized to employ some additional establishment, with a view 
 to mark off the trees to be killed and the logs to be removed, as pro- 
 vided by the new rules. 
 
 82. The Military Board were of opinion that the forest leases 
 should be limited to a specific period, but this was not practicable 
 
( 119 ) 
 
 without a breach of faith with those who held licences at the time, 
 though the Government appear to have had it in contemplation, and to 
 have expressed the intention, in the event of granting leases for unoc- 
 cupied forests, to limit such new leases to twenty years, renewable on 
 the expiration of that time, conditionally on the lessees' strict observance 
 of the rules. The grant of leases for unoccupied forests was in the 
 meanwhile prohibited, pending the receipt of orders from the Court of 
 Directors, on the reference which had been made to them by Lord 
 Aucklaud. 
 
 83. In February 1842 the orders of the Court of Directors were 
 received. The Court reviewed the measures of the Government and 
 the local authorities, for the management of the Teak forests, from the 
 earliest period down to Captain Tremenheere's appointment, and ex- 
 pressed doubts as to whether the rules which had been framed by 
 him would be sufficient to meet all the difficulties which had arisen. 
 The Court were of opinion that a proper survey of the forests was an 
 indispensable preliminary to any new system, but they thought that it 
 was scarcely possible for the conservator, with the aid of any establish- 
 ment which could be allotted to him, to exercise so minute and search- 
 ing a superintendence over such extensive forests, as would enable 
 him to prevent the felling of other trees than those selected by himself, 
 or to see that the business of planting was properly attended to. But 
 even if such interference were practicable, the Court considered it would 
 still be undesirable to commit to any individual powers so liable to abuse. 
 
 84. In order to insure the preservation of the forests held by private 
 persons, the Court were of opinion that it should be the object of Govern- 
 ment to make it the interest of those persons to take care of them, and 
 to remove all temptation to injure them. For this object long leases 
 should be granted on condition of the payment of a certain per- 
 centage on all timber felled, and under an obligation not to clear the 
 land for cultivation or to employ it for any other purposes besides 
 plantation. The felling of timber below a certain size should be strictly 
 prohibited ; and a modification of the duty might be made to check 
 the wasteful practice of cutting up large timber. The farmer would 
 then have an interest in the improvement of his forests, and would 
 probably be inclined to plant of his own accord. Even if he neglected 
 to do so, the self-sown plants, which he would no longer have any 
 
 object in destroying, would in most other situations insure to some 
 
 Q 
 
( 120 ) 
 
 extent the perpetuation of the forests. The Court also suggested that 
 it should be made obligatory on the farmer to supply the places of the 
 trees felled by him, by forming new nurseries and carefully rearing 
 the young plants until they attained maturity; that Government should 
 reserve to itself the right of forming nurseries at the farmer's expense, in 
 the event of his failing to do so; and that the conservator should be allow- 
 ed to exercise such a limited control over private forests as would merely 
 enable him to see that these conditions of the lease were observed. The 
 conservator should also attend to the forests retained for the public 
 service, and Goverment should reserve to itself a resource independent 
 of the market, by selecting for itself from the ungranted forests such as 
 were conveniently situated, and sufficiently extensive for all purposes, 
 and placing them under proper management, so as to afford a constant 
 supply of timber, both of Teak and of other useful kinds indigenous in 
 the country. 
 
 85. With regard to securing supplies of timber for the Royal Navy, 
 or for building vessels of war at Moulmein, the Court stated that Lord 
 Auckland's Despatch of June 1841, representing the advantages possess- 
 ed by Moulmein for those purposes, had been laid before the Lords 
 Commissioners of the Admiralty, but that their Lordships had declined 
 to recommend the employment of the timber of the Tenasserim 
 Provinces, on the ground that there was reason to think it possessed no 
 desirable qualities. In consequence of this intimation, the Court 
 desired the Government to abandon the idea of forming a building- 
 vard or of collecting a stock of timber at Moulmein, for shipment to 
 Europe, and simply to confine their attention to supplying the de- 
 mands of the Indian Governments, and to the preservation of the 
 Tenasserim forests in the manner that had been suggested. 
 
 86. In accordance with the sentiments and order of the Court, 
 Captain Tremenheere's attention was directed to the preservation of the 
 forests held by private individuals. He was desired to discontinue 
 forming the stock of timber which had been ordered in June 1841, 
 and to retain the unoccupied forests to supply the wants of Government, 
 working them with the aid of Government elephants, when they were 
 available for the purpose, or when the application of their labor might 
 fall short of the assistance required, to have recourse to contracts 
 in preference to any other system. A report was also required of the 
 arrangements to be made for the general management of the forests, 
 
( 121 ) 
 
 and on the subject of the unfavorable opinion entertained by the Lords 
 of the Admiralty of the qualities of the Tenasserirn Teak. On this 
 point the Marine Board were desired "to call upon Mr. Seppings, the 
 surveyor of shipping, to state his opinion of the qualities of the 
 timber of the Tenasserirn Provinces, for the construction of ships, as 
 formed from the examination of vessels built with it." Accordingly 
 Mr. Seppings submitted a memorandum, (a copy of which was sent to 
 the Court of Directors,) from which the following extract is made : 
 
 Mr. Seppings' Memorandum. — " Teak is the most durable, but differs very much 
 in quality. I will first speak of Malabar Teak, of which there are two kinds, the 
 Northern and Southern ; the first is far superior in point of durability, but more 
 difficult to procure, which I believe arises from the land carriage, or from its not 
 being felled near the rivers and streams of the country. The Malabar Teak is classed 
 at Bombay as follows : 
 
 "Northern curved timber, which is brought a distance from Bombay, of from 130 to 
 140 miles. 
 
 " Southern Calicut Teak. 
 
 " Northern Pattey or straight timber, used for small vessels and boats. 
 
 " Bassein curved timber. 
 
 " The great length cf time several vessels have lasted, from thirty to fifty years, 
 built of Malabar Teak — in some particular instances they have run nearly a century — 
 makes me designate the prime Malabar Northern Teak the most valuable timber in 
 the world for ship-building. It is however, like every kind of wood, liable to early 
 decay if not properly or gradually seasoned by exposure to a moderate current of air 
 after being felled. 
 
 " To show how much I desire to see the Malabar Teak used in preference to any other 
 wood, I beg to give the following extract from a letter, dated 25th January last, ad- 
 dressed by me to the Marine Board : ' In conclusion, I beg to state that economy and 
 efficiency point out the use of Malabar Teak in the construction of all vessels having 
 to endure the heat of a tropical climate. So important is the use of this very valuable 
 wood, for so it may be justly termed from its great durability, that I addressed the late 
 Commander-in-Chief, Sir E. Owen, suggesting its more general introduction in the 
 construction of ships for His Majesty's Navy, particularly in such men-of-war as may 
 be destined for hot climates.' 
 
 " I have unfortunately mislaid my letter to Sir Edward, but I think I stated that if 
 Teak was only partially used, it would be an immense saving to the State, viz., the 
 whole of the outside and inside plank and thick stuff, from ten strokes below the upper 
 edge of wales [upwards] together with the beams, waterways, shelf-pieces, &c, of the 
 decks, to be converted from good Teak-wood ; all of which should be connected too-e- 
 ther, or fastened by bolts and nails, excluding all treenails, which never last in a hot 
 climate when exposed to the rays of a tropical sun, which causes them to shrink ; 
 water then oozes in, and rot ensues ; one of the first Calcutta-built ships called the 
 Nonsuch, I was informed by Mr. White, (late a merchant builder at Chittagong,) was 
 
( 122 ) 
 
 completely ruined by being treenail-fastened ; be observes — ' I examined her when 
 fourteen years' old, and found the timbers completely rotten all round the treenails.' 
 A^ain, I have seen so many instances of decayed or perished treenails above water, in 
 Europe-built ships visiting this port, that I have no hesitation in giving it as my 
 decided opinion that they are the cause of early decay in many Europe-built vessels 
 in India. 
 
 " India-built vessels, with the exception of the Nonsuch and one or two others, have 
 their hulls entirely fastened with iron, or iron and copper ; the latter of course is 
 by far the most preferable, on account of the corroding nature of iron, particularly 
 under water. Malabar Teak is so seldom imported into Calcutta, from the expense of 
 bringing it round Ceylon or on account of the distance, that it may be said never to 
 be used in the building of any Calcutta vessel, large or small. 
 
 " Pegue and Moulmein Teak is extensively used by the ship-builders of the Hooghly, 
 and is the only description of Teak imported in any quantity into the Calcutta 
 market ; it is brought in a half wrought state, the logs or planks being squared. The 
 usual size and dimensions of them are given in the annexed statement : 
 
 Description of Teak Timber imported from Rangoon, Moulmein, and the Tenasserim Coast into 
 
 Calcutta. 
 
 Description as imported 
 or brought into the 
 Market. 
 
 Prices including 
 original cost of 
 the Timber, re- 
 moval from the 
 Market, with all 
 charges of Coo- 
 lies for bringing 
 to the pit all 
 losses by un- 
 soundness. 
 
 Length ave- 
 raging. 
 
 Moulded or Breadth 
 averaging. 
 
 Sided or Thickness 
 averaging. 
 
 
 03 
 
 * 
 
 < 
 
 -' 
 
 -- 
 
 
 a 
 ft 
 
 en 09 
 
 0> 0> 
 
 ■^ A *■* — 
 » u oi "o 
 » a ® a 
 6h M Ph m 
 
 CO 00 
 
 -^ .a -t 3 ja 
 r? a £ a 
 
 rH M W M 
 
 Teak, Crooked Large, at 
 Ditto, ditto Middling) 
 
 Ditto ditto 3rd sort, ... 
 
 Ditto, Boat Timber ^ 
 Large to side from 6 > 
 to 4-J Inches, at ) 
 
 Ditto, ditto to side from ) 
 
 Ditto, Duggies Large, at 
 Ditto ditto Small, 
 
 40 
 25 
 15 
 
 6 
 
 3 
 
 45 
 
 32 
 
 6 
 
 3 
 
 16 
 8 
 30 
 24 
 10 
 
 6 
 
 70 
 
 20 
 100 
 
 80 
 
 60 
 16 
 10 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 (1 
 
 
 
 
 II 
 
 
 
 II 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 (1 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 each 
 
 u 
 11 
 
 11 
 it 
 
 11 
 
 it 
 tt 
 it 
 it 
 n 
 
 91 
 
 11 
 
 per foot. 
 
 ii 
 
 each 
 
 tt 
 
 a 
 percent. 
 
 each 
 ii 
 
 18 to 20 
 
 15 „ 20 
 14 „ 20 
 
 28 „ 32 
 25 „ 27 
 50 „ 60 
 45 „ 50 
 20 „ 24 
 14 „ 20 
 
 16 „ 
 14 „ 
 65 „ 80 
 
 60 „ 70 
 
 40 „ 50 
 
 16 „ 
 55 ,, 65 
 
 20 „ 
 
 12 „ 
 25 „ 27 
 25 „ 
 
 1 6 to 1 4 
 1 3 „ 1 2 
 1 2 „ 1 1 
 
 1 6 to 1 9 
 1 „ 1 5 
 1 8 „ 2 
 1 4 „ 1 6 
 1 „ 
 
 10 „ 
 
 1 8 „ 
 1 3 „ 1 
 1 10 „ 1 6 
 
 1 5 „ 1 2 
 
 9 „ 1 1 
 
 1 6 „ 2 
 1 6 „ 1 2 
 10 „ 
 
 8 „ 
 
 1 3 „ 9 
 
 11 „ 1 4 
 
 1 1 to 1 3 
 10 „ 1 
 7 „ 9 
 
 11 to 1 1 
 
 9 „ 10£ 
 
 Square. 
 
 Ditto 
 
 8 to 
 
 5 „ 
 
 Diameter. 
 
 Ditto 
 
 Ditto 
 
 Ditto 
 
 Ditto 
 
 6 to 8 
 
 6 „ 8 
 
 0} „ 
 
 Of „ 
 3 „ 4 
 2 O 91 
 
 Ditto Keelpiece Large, at 
 
 Ditto Arties Long, at ... 
 Ditto ditto Short, at ... 
 Ditto Loozars, Large, ... 
 Ditto ditto Small, 
 
 Ditto Mastpiece Large, at 
 Ditto ditto ditto Mid- » 
 
 Ditto Mast, Small, or 1 
 
 Ditto Gun Carriage \ 
 
 Ditto Bend piece, at ... 
 Ditto Sheathing Board, ) 
 
 Ditto ditto ditto Short, at 
 Ditto prime Shinbeen, at 
 Ditto Indifferent, at ... 
 
( 123 ) 
 
 " The Pegue and Moulmein Teak is a coarse, porous, open-grained wood when compar- 
 ed with Malabar Teak; its weight, when moderately seasoned or dry, may on an average 
 be stated to be 42 lbs. per cubic foot, whereas the latter, Malabar Teak, is from 45 to 
 52 lbs. per cubic foot, on an average. 
 
 " The forests of Tongnyo and Sarrawaddi supply the whole of the Pegue Teak. The 
 first grows the best quality, the country being high and not flooded during the rainy 
 season, whereas the latter is always in a swampy state, and part of the year covered 
 with so much water as to allow the trees to be floated from where they are felled. The 
 Burmans are in the habit of tapping the Teak tree,* particularly those which are 
 straight grown, to extract varnish or oil from the capillary tubes, which is highly 
 prized by them, and used chiefly for protecting their pagodas, or temples of worship, 
 from the weather, which it effectually does for twelve months. These sacred edifices 
 are built entirely of Teak, the principal parts being sunk in the ground, and although 
 so fixed remain perfectly sound, notwithstanding many of them have stood nearly a 
 century ; they are all built of untapt Teak, as the Burmans consider the Teak much 
 injured both in strength and durability, by being deprived of its oil. 
 
 " The importation of Teak from Moulmein and the Tenasserim coast has only taken 
 place since the Burman War ; prior to that period Calcutta was supplied almost exclu- 
 sively from Rangoon, but only with straight Teak : the Moulmein market first imported 
 crooked Teak timbers, which sold at such prices as to induce the Rangoon merchants 
 to send crooked timber from thence : the quantity, however, is so very limited, that the 
 greatest difficulty is experienced at present upon the Hooghly in completing, without 
 great delays, vessels of from 100 to 400 tons, entirely of Teak : the only vessels that 
 have been so constructed are as follows : 
 
 Sylph. — Opium Clipper, 300 tons, built in 1831. 
 Lady William Bentinck. — Pilot Brig, 200 tons, built in 1834. 
 Cowasjee Family. — Opium Clipper, of 430 tons, built in December 1835. 
 Hope.— Floating Light, 180 tons, built in 1834. 
 Rob Roy. — Opium Clipper, 333 tons, built in 1837. 
 
 " The short period of time these vessels have been launched, prevents any comparison 
 being drawn as to the respective durability of Pegue and Moulmein Teak with Malabar 
 Teak. My long experience in my profession in India, however, enables me to say that 
 the Pegue Teak is not to be relied upon, particularly that of a pale brown, which I 
 have seen go rapidily to decay. Pegue and Moulmein Teak is generally of a very 
 mixed quality, and the importation so limited that it is almost impossible to select 
 from the various cargoes brought to Calcutta a sufficient quantity of what may be 
 termed prime timber (dark, close-grained Teak) to build a vessel of 200 tons. Inferior as 
 it is in quality when compared with the Bombay Teak, I prefer it to the Saul or Sissoo 
 brought to Calcutta within the last fifteen years. The accounts I have heard of the 
 forests of Pegue and Tenasserim are, that they are inexhaustible : and if encouraged and 
 properly worked, would supply timber of the largest size and in sufficient quantity to 
 meet the whole supply required for the royal yards of England. I have particularly 
 
 * This statement is probably quite erroneous, the tapping- being- practised on another kind 
 of tree, wholly distinct from Teak.— Vide ante, " Report," p. 14, para. 35. 
 
( 124 ) 
 
 noticed in the batches of Teak brought from the Tenasserim coast, a species of dark- 
 coloured Teak (approaching to black) which appears to be of a superior description ; it is 
 very tough, and the grain close and irregular. I am informed it is brought down from 
 the forests mixed with the common or brown Teak. The following useful information I 
 obtained from Captain Touzar, who was engaged in the Moulmein timber trade, Octo- 
 ber 1832. 
 
 " The head Burman carpenter mistry offered to supply and trim Teak timbers all 
 round at 4 Rupees each (for a ship of 400 tons), or to execute the whole of the work 
 as it regards the supply of carpenters for Sicca Rupees 10,000, including joiners' work 
 for hull, masts, yards, &c. 
 
 Price of Teak crooks at Moulmein : 
 
 1 st sort, large to side, about, 12 to 15 inches, each 7 Rupees. 
 
 2nd ditto, middling ditto, 11 „ 8 „ ,, 3 to 5 „ 
 
 Cashmere Merchant's Cargo (imported into Calcutta) cost at Moulmein in 1832 : 
 
 51st sort, large, each 9 Rupees. 
 2nd ditto, middling, .... „ 6 „ 
 3rd ditto, small, „ 4 ,, 
 
 " Boat timbers to side from 3 to 6 inches, from 4 to 7 feet long, 20 to 25 Rupees per 
 hundred. 
 
 " The other kind of Teak used in India for ship-building is the Java, of which, during 
 the time the English governed that island, considerable quantities were imported into 
 Calcutta. Of late years scarcely any has been imported deserving of notice. From 
 what I have seen of the Java Teak, it is of a superior quality ; anil judging from the 
 vessels I have examined, built of that wood, 1 should say it is nearly equal to Mala- 
 bar Teak. 
 
 " All descriptions of Teak, if sound and free from defects, such as sap-wood, partial 
 decav, and such like unsoundness, are proof against the white ants ; whereas all other 
 descriptions of timber are liable to the attacks of these destructive vermin, which in 
 India are frequently the cause of most serious injury to vessels ; completely destroy- 
 ing the component parts of the hull, wherever they make a lodgment. No conception 
 can be formed, except by those who have witnessed it, of the devastation, if I may so 
 express myself, the white ants occasion ; I have an instance now under my hands, the 
 Hon'ble Company's Steamer the Ganges, particulars of which I will relate, as it 
 deserves to be recorded. The Commander of this vessel reported to me that the 
 rudder would not go over. On examining it, I found the head had cast or was out of a 
 centre, which occasioned the rudder to take the counter plank. I desired it to be unhung 
 and the hole to be enlarged. On cutting away the timbers, or chocks, which formed the 
 sides of the hole, they proved rather soft, which made me search further. On doing so, the 
 white ants made their appearance. I then took some of the inside planks off, when 
 several nests presented themselves, swarming with millions of these insects : so 
 extremely defective were several of the timbers, that prior to removing the parts badly 
 eaten I called a special survey and the attention of several scientific gentlemen to 
 witness and report the havoc that had been done. Several of the heads of timbers abaft 
 under the wing transom quite destroyed, and the stern-post so much injured as to 
 
( 125 ) 
 
 require to he scarfed more tlian half way down. After opening out the hull in other 
 places, I found several other traces of these destructive vermin, making it absolutely 
 necessary either to sell the vessel out of the public Service, or go into a heavy repair, 
 (which has been duly reported upon, and is now before Government.) From what has 
 been stated, it will be evident that the principal lodgment of the ants had been made 
 abaft, under and above the wing transom ; now this very part about four vears ago 
 had been opened out, and was found to be perfectly free from white ants, and the 
 timbers quite sound. The Ganges, previous to this opening out had been steamed 
 to a very great extent for nearly two days ; the hull, previously to being steamed, was 
 made perfectly air tight ; to such a degree was it carried that the very dammer was 
 melted out of the seams of the deck, and where the caulking was bad, the steam 
 issued out from the top sides. I mention this fact, because it has been positively 
 asserted that steam will exterminate the white ants ; so far from this beino- the case, 
 I could, if necessary, give other instances where it had failed equally as much as in the 
 Ganges ; besides, the steaming of vessels, I am convinced, is prejudicial to durability : 
 the operation is so searching, (if properly done by a steamer alongside) that it insinuates 
 itself into parts where there is scarcely any circulation of air ; the consequence is, 
 condensation takes place, the water so left is decomposed and rots the timbers and 
 planks. To show that Teak if sound is proof against the white ants, the Teak planks 
 covering the Saul and Sissoo timbers (of the Ganges so infected with white ants) are 
 perfectly sound anduntouched, except the surface of three slightly eaten, which evidently 
 has been occasioned by the inner surface of the planks being soft. If the white ants are 
 closely watched, it will be observed they emit from their mouths a viscous kind of matter 
 which, in my opinion, has the effect of softening and decomposing the wood they attack. 
 
 87. Iu August 1843, there was a correspondence on the subject of the 
 duty on timber. Major Broadfoot, who had succeeded Mr. Blundell as 
 Commissioner, finding that while the Tenasserim and Shan timber 
 was subject to an impost at Moulmein, — the former under the Rules 
 of 1829, and the latter under the Order of 1842 (see para. 77) — the 
 timber taken to that place from Martaban was free from all duty 
 and that this exemption gave rise to many evils, thought it necessary to 
 impose a duty of 15 per cent, on Martaban timber likewise, and request- 
 ed authority from Government to levy the same amount of duty on 
 all foreign timber. The Bengal Government, however, adverting to the 
 inconsiderable income derived from the impost on foreign timber, to 
 the serious hindrance Avhich it offered to trade, and to the injurious 
 effects it must have on the prosperity of Moulmein and the Tenasserim 
 Provinces, referred to the Government of India, and with the approval 
 of that Government directed (on the 18th March 1844) the entire 
 abolition of the duty which Major Broadfoot had levied on the Shan 
 and Martaban timber, and declined to sanction any impost on foreign 
 
( 126 ) 
 
 timber imported into Moulmein. This step was entirely approved by tlic 
 Court of Directors in para. 5 of their Despatch No. 6 of 1845, in the 
 Separate Revenue Department. With regard to the Government forests, 
 instructions were given to continue levying rent from the lessees for the 
 privilege of felling trees under the Rules of 1841. Major Broadfoot, 
 however, delayed carrying out this Order in as far as it related to foreign 
 timber, considering that it would cause a needless sacrifice of revenue ; 
 but in order to meet the wishes of Government in some measure, he re- 
 duced the rate of assessment, although he was of opinion that the former 
 rate "did not prevent a great increase of the timber trade," which was 
 then in a thriving state. Subsequently Major Broadfoot's successor, Major 
 Durand, represented these facts to Government, and showed that after 
 the changes which had been made in the mode of measuring and valuing 
 the timber, the duty amounted to only 5 per cent, ad valorem, which he 
 thought was a very moderate and unobjectionable tax. Under these 
 circumstances the Government of India, on the 4th October 1845, sanc- 
 tioned " the levy of a duty of 15 per cent, calculated on a valuation at the 
 rate of Co/s Rs. 14 per ton on all timber imported into Moulmein, 
 whether the growth of the Tenasserim Provinces or of any foreign 
 territory." 
 
 88. Major Broadfoot, in the same letter, reported the measures he had 
 adopted for levying salvage on timber which had drifted from its depot, 
 and had been recovered from being carried out to sea and lost. The 
 quantity of timber carried away by the floods was stated to be " enor- 
 mous," and in the endeavours which were made to secure it, " the whole 
 course of the river became a scene of violence," and often the timber 
 was detained by the salvor and appropriated to his own uses. Major 
 Broadfoot therefore issued a " Circular Order" which provided for the 
 protection of this timber, and for the payment of salvage on its recovery. 
 The Native timber owners were satisfied with this Circular Order, but 
 the Europeans objected to it on the ground that in America salvage was 
 not allowed under similar circumstances. As the precise nature of these 
 objections was not stated, Major Broadfoot was desired to communicate 
 with the European merchants, and report their sentiments on the 
 subject. No report however appears to have been furnished, nor has 
 the subject been traced again on the records. 
 
 89. In September 1844, a Despatch was received from the Court of 
 Directors, dated the 26th June, in which the Court noticed Capt. Tre- 
 
( 127 ) 
 
 mcnhecre's revised Rules of 1842, quoted in paragraph 78 of this Sum- 
 mary, and approved generally of them ; but they objected to those clauses 
 which required lease-holders to report at the beginning of each season the 
 number of men and animals each proposed to employ in his forests, and 
 placed restrictions in regard to the felling of trees. " These regulations," 
 the Court remarked, " must often prove exceedingly vexatious, and they 
 can only be enforced by means of a number of petty officers invested 
 with powers which ought not to be placed in such hands" ; they there- 
 fore repeated their suggestion forgiving long leases, on such conditions as 
 would make it the interest of the lease-holders to preserve the forests 
 and maintain a succession of timber trees on their lands. The Court 
 at the same time expressed their approval of the intention of Govern- 
 ment to retain the un granted forests in the Tenasserim Provinces 
 for the supply of the wants of the public Service. 
 
 90. On the 2nd October 1844, Captain Durand reported his having 
 directed the partial removal of " the restriction which Major Eroadfoot 
 had issued on the 2nd August 1843, for the killing and felling of timber 
 in the Thoung-yeen forests." The order by the latter officer is stated 
 to have been given with a view " to check the system of oppression 
 under which the Karen inhabitants of the Thoung-yeen districts had 
 long suffered." It has not been traced in this office, and therefore 
 neither the particular circumstances which called for it, nor its precise 
 terms can be ascertained; it appears however, from the correspondence, 
 that timber cutters had proceeded to the Thoung-yeen forests, in which 
 the Karens seem to possess the forest rights, and without authority had 
 cut timber, employing the Karens themselves for the purpose of killing 
 and felling the trees, and either not remunerating them for their labor 
 or maltreating them. Major Broadfoot's prohibition put a stop to 
 these proceedings so suddenly, that the timber-cutters could not even 
 remove the trees which they had felled and killed. On a representation 
 of this circumstance by some of the parties interested, Captain Durand 
 permitted them to proceed to the Thoung-yeen forests to bring away 
 this timber, and deputed a native officer, or Goung-gyouk, to accompany 
 them and arrange all disputes which might arise between the claimants 
 to the timber. Captain Durand was anxious also to conciliate the 
 Karens, and to induce them to settle along the Thoung-yeen Valley, 
 as the ill treatment they had received at the hands of Talayens, Burmese, 
 and other classes for a long series of years, had driven them to employ 
 
 R 
 
( 128 ) 
 
 fire and other means of diminishing the value of their forests, and thus 
 of obtaining freedom from oppression by discouraging the visits of 
 strangers. Captain Durand, however, hoped by protecting them to 
 make them " the best conservators of forests which the British 
 Government could employ" on the Thoung-yeen. He accordingly 
 issued some instructions with the object of securing to them the com- 
 mon rights of British subjects, and of making them value those rights. 
 No orders were issued on this matter. 
 
 91. About the middle of 1844 Captain Tremenheere deputed his 
 assistant, Mr. Maling, to survey and report on the Thoung-yeen Teak 
 forests, (which had not before been surveyed,) preparatory to adopting 
 proper measures for protecting those engaged in the timber trade, and 
 more particularly the oppressed Karens who inhabited those forests. 
 The report of Mr. Maling was submitted by Captain Tremenheere with 
 his own remarks. These papers will now be noted along with that 
 officer's observations on the Rules required for the management of the 
 Thoung-yeen forests. 
 
 92. It mav be stated here that a recommendation had been made to 
 
 Government for increasing Mr. Maling's salary to that drawn by a 
 
 Senior Sub-assistant in the Survey Department. This was sanctioned 
 
 on the 7th November, on its being ascertained that the receipts on 
 
 account of the Teak Forests Department were in a favorable proportion 
 
 to the charges, as will be seen from the following statement : 
 
 Receipts and Charges on accoimt of Teak Forests in the Tenasserim Provinces for the Years 
 
 1841-42 to 1843-44 inclusive. 
 
 Provinces. 
 
 1841-42. 
 
 1842-43. 
 
 1843-44. 
 
 Total three Years. 
 
 Remarks. 
 
 Receipts. 
 
 Charges. 
 
 Receipts. 
 
 Charges. 
 
 Receipts. Charges. 
 
 Receipts. 
 
 Charges. 
 
 Amherst, 
 
 50,634 
 
 1,993* 
 
 52,924 
 
 
 
 29,464 
 
 100 
 
 1,33,022 
 
 2,093 
 
 * This item 
 includesCap- 
 tainO'Brien's 
 salary and ex- 
 penses. 
 
 Mergui, 
 
 95 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 95 
 
 
 
 
 Tavoy, 
 
 S64 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 364 
 
 
 
 t The pro- 
 portion of the 
 charges to the 
 receipts is 
 
 Grand Total, ... 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 l,33,481t 
 
 2,093t 
 
 only 1* per 
 cent. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Mr. Maling's Report. — " The river Thoung-yeen takes its rise in the mountains 
 called Kyokhet, about 120 miles from Moulmein in a S.S. -Easterly direction, and 
 
( 129 ) 
 
 continues its course nearly N.-YV". to Lat. 17° 50' 46" N., emptying itself into the 
 Salween river at the nothernmost point of the British territory, about 80 miles from 
 Moulmein. Its average breadth is about 80 feet, and its waters during the N.-E. 
 monsoon are perfectly clear, with a sandy and rocky bottom. The country towards 
 its junction with the Salween is mountainous to its very banks, but here not a single 
 Teak tree is to be seen. Above the point at which the main road from Zimme crosses 
 the Thoung-yeen, the country is comparatively level near the river, but gradually 
 rises towards the ranges of the mountains on either side of it. 
 
 " The Tav-oke Choung is the highest forest visited by me. The Thoung-yeen here is 
 shallow and rapid, and timber is never brought from above this point, nor does the 
 road for elephants or men extend beyond it. It contains several hundred trees, of 
 the largest size and of very straight growth, increasing in number towards the tops of 
 the hills. A few hundred trees have been girdled in this forest by a Karen named 
 Tha-dok, late Thooghee of the village of Koklaik, but as yet no trees have been 
 removed, on account of the great difficulty that would occur in dragging them to the 
 main stream, as the Tav-oke Choung is too rocky and narrow to allow of timber to 
 be floated down it, and even when dragged into the main stream it would require 
 many elephants to push it along, the water being very shallow. Teak is said to be 
 more abundant on the Shan side, opposite the mouth of this stream. 
 
 " The next forest below Tav-oke is on the Megualar stream, which is equal in breadth 
 to the Thoung-yeen. This forest extends for several miles on either side of the 
 Megualar, and has been partially worked by the Karens of that district. Teak is 
 the prevailing tree in this forest, and grows larger than any I have seen ; one measur- 
 ed by me was 14 feet in the girth. Young trees are growing up annually, but a 
 great many of them are destroyed by wild elephants, as well as by those used by persons 
 employed to drag and bring down timber. The five elephants with my camp were observ- 
 ed to destroy, daily, numbers of young trees amounting often to two or three hundred. 
 Nga Bean has worked in this to the extent of seven or eight hundred trees, but as yet 
 about three hundred only have been removed. Teak occurs in occasional patches of 
 from fifty to a hundred trees between the Tav-oke and Megualar Choungs, but is to be 
 found of much finer growth towards the hills. 
 
 " About four miles to the eastward of the mouth of the Megualar stream is a Fir 
 forest, extending several miles in a N.-Westerly direction. The soil on which this 
 tree is seen to grow is of a red gravelly nature, and the country here is never 
 flooded. The Fir does not grow to a very large size, and the bark is very thick ; I 
 doubt whether a spar of three feet circumference, after taking off the bark, could be 
 procured. The Karens annually destroy a great many by making a large incision 
 near the root of the tree for the purpose of extracting the turpentine, which they 
 use in great quantities for making torches. Few trees of other kinds are intermixed 
 with the Fir, and young trees are growing up annually. 
 
 " Following the downward course of the Thoung-yeen, Teak occurs in occasional 
 patches near its banks ; it is more plentiful near the hills called Kyokhet, where 
 the banks of the river are upwards of 300 feet high. There is a fall of about six 
 feet in the bed of the river, which is caused by the projection of two rocks, between 
 
( 130 ) 
 
 which there is not a water-way of more than six feet during the dry season ; this 
 makes it very difficult for the foresters to bring down the timber from the forests 
 above this. The usual mode of passing the hill grain down this river, adopted by 
 the Karens, is by raft, which they form by lashing together 10 or 12 bamboos : this 
 raft they do not hesitate to guide down the falls, but several accidents have occurred, 
 sometimes attended with loss of life. There are several villages inland between 
 Megualar and Kyokhet Hill. One of the Karens of Kyokhet brought a 
 piece of wood to me, which he stated as being the most durable wood used by this 
 race of people for making spears, dar-handles, &c, and that this was the only 
 place from whence it could be procured. The tree itself grows to a large size, 
 and will not float even when seasoned. The wood is not known to Burmans in 
 Moulmein. 
 
 " Twenty-two miles to the Westward of Kyokhet is the old town of Meerawaddi, 
 situated in a bend of the river. It is surrounded by a brick wall 10 feet high 
 and 8 feet thick, in the form of a square, and has two entrances, N. and S. Nothing 
 now remains but the ruins of several pagodas in the midst of jungle ; fruit trees of 
 different kinds, but principally the mangoe and jack, are plentiful, on either side of 
 the river. On the right bank or Shan side of the stream, young Teak trees are very 
 numerous, while scarcely an old tree is to be seen. 
 
 " There are extensive plains commencing about five miles East of Meerawaddi, 
 which were formerly used by the inhabitants for cultivating grain. The Fir forest 
 before mentioned extends as far as the old town, but is not seen to pass the Meplai 
 stream. This stream is about fifty feet broad, and takes its rise from a hill of the 
 same name ; it is well calculated for bringing down timber of any size, and abounds 
 in Teak of very fine growth. 
 
 " The Mekenai and Laumat Choungs are tributaries to this stream, and on their 
 banks young trees are very numerous, but large timber is not as abundant as on the 
 Meplai. These forests have been worked by the Karens of Mekenai village, but 
 no killed trees have as yet been felled ; the fallen or dead trees only have been 
 removed. The Teak is of very straight growth on Meplai Hill, rising without 
 branches to the height of upwards of 100 feet; they could only be brought away by 
 an efficient force of men and elephants. 
 
 " The Thengan tree, which is used by the Burmese for making their boats, is very 
 plentiful on Meplai Hill. On the flat country between the range of hills and the 
 stream, the soil is rich and of a black sandy nature, and the underwood so thick as 
 to prevent persons penetrating it on either side of a small road or pathway, made 
 by the Karens in travelling from one village to another. 
 
 " Teak is not to be seen for more than two miles inland till you arrive at Kamokla, 
 where it grows very large. The Karens of the village of Kamokla have killed a 
 great many trees ; there are three rapids at Kamokla, over which it is very difficult 
 to float timber except during the months of December and January. The banks of 
 the river are perpendicular, and very high. 
 
 " The Padouk tree is very plentiful on this hill. Below Kamokla is the Mieraway 
 Choung, which is the highest point worked to any extent by the natives from 
 
( 131 ) 
 
 Moulmein. Teak is very plentiful on this stream, as well as on the smaller ones 
 tributary to it. 
 
 " Tegaliore is the next stream, and one of considerable breadth, abounding in Teak 
 of the largest dimensions. The country below Kamokla is more hilly than above it, 
 and the river is broader, with sand-banks sometimes a mile in length. 
 
 " Terrapensike, so called on account of the mangoe tree growing there, contains 
 very fine Teak. 
 
 " Tunnoo and Winsaw are the two streams which have been mostly worked, but 
 the whole country between the Kamokla Hills and Maithee Choung is covered with 
 Teak, and on many of the intervening streams Teak is the prevailing tree. Very 
 few of the Teak trees that have been brought to Moulmein from the Thoung-yeen 
 forests appear to have been seasoned timber, for the wood of this district will never 
 float till the lapse of four years after girdling. The quality of the timber cannot 
 therefore be said to have had a fair trial, for that which might have been partly 
 seasoned has been brought down intermixed with dead timber, without which it 
 could not have been floated. 
 
 " All the tributary streams, as well as the main river, are full of sunken timber cut 
 down before the tree has been properly seasoned. On each of these streams Karen 
 villages occur at intervals of 10 or 12 miles. These Karens stated to me that they 
 had only commenced killing timber four years ago, and that before that time all the 
 timber brought away from the Thoung-yeen by Burmans was " Nat-that," or trees 
 that have perished from natural causes. 
 
 " The Karens annually destroy a great number of young trees in clearing away 
 the jungle for their cultivation ; they prefer spots where young Teak abounds to any 
 other, the soil being generally richer and well elevated. The young tree shows 
 itself in all the Thoung-yeen forests of all sizes, and bears a proportion of 10 to 1 to 
 the old trees ; in some parts, as near Meerawaddi, the young Teak is seen to spread 
 for miles, and often unmixed with other young trees. 
 
 " Lance-wood may be procured from the hills near Maithee stream, but I could not 
 ascertain if it was procurable in any large quantity, having only met with three or 
 four trees. It grows very straight, to the height of about forty feet, and is from three 
 to four feet in girth. It is used by the Karens for making bows. 
 
 " The next stream below Maithee of any size is the Weenwee, issuing from a smaller 
 range of mountains connected with the Toung Ghee by small hills. Teak is very 
 scarce about here, for only a few patches of trees were seen by me between Maithee 
 Choung and the main road from Zimme to Moulmein. Below this road, about half 
 way to the mouth of the river, only one small clump of from 20 to 30 trees was seen 
 on a small creek, but the timber was very small and of very inferior quality. 
 
 " The march here is also very tedious, as along the bed of the stream is the only way 
 practicable, crossing and recrossing it from one sand-bank to another without any 
 shelter from the sun ; several elephants have died of fatigue in performing this 
 journey. 
 
 " The road from Moulmein to the higher forests on the Thoung-yeen is called the 
 Koklaik-lau, as it passes through a village of that name, commencing at Megalon on 
 
( 132 ) 
 
 tbe Iloundrow river. It is of considerable breadth, and practicable to horses and 
 elephants ; where it crosses the range of mountains there are three ridges, but these 
 are neither steep nor very high. It falls on the Thoung-yeen about 3£ miles north 
 of Meerawaddi, which may be reached by this road in 9 days, marching about 8 
 hours a day. 
 
 " The next road below this is the Nubboo Lau, which verges on the left bank of the 
 Kubboo stream, a tributary to the Lhang-booa river, and takes its rise in the 
 Touno- Ghee Mountains. This road is not much used at the present time ; the 
 passage over the mountains is practicable to elephants, but not to horses or other 
 cattle. It reaches the Thoung-yeen river opposite the village of Melamar, at the 
 mouth of the Melamar stream, and occupies from 10 to 12 days from Moulmein. 
 
 " There is another road which is generally used by the wood-cutters, being the 
 shortest way to the forests worked by natives of Moulmein, but this is far more 
 tedious than the other two, and very difficult to ascend. By this road the passage 
 from Moulmein to the Thoung-yeen occupies only 7 days. Last year two elephants 
 were killed descending Daunat Toung. This road commences from Daghyne, and 
 crosses the Thoung-yeen between the Tunnoo and Winsaw streams. 
 
 " The lowest and most frequented is the main road from Zimme, and by which the 
 o-reater part of the Shan cattle is brought to Moulmein. It leads through a gorge 
 in the Weenwee Hills, a branch of the Toung Ghee, and might be made practicable 
 for carts or caravans between the Thoung-yeen and Moulmein. 
 
 " The total number of trees said to be killed on the Thoung-yeen, and which are 
 claimed, is as follows : — 
 
 By Burmese, ) 
 
 „ f (Not stated in original.) 
 
 „ Karens, ) 
 
 The higher forests, that is, from Megualar upwards, are estimat- 
 ed to contain, 10,000 
 
 Mepelai stream, 1,000 
 
 And the streams between Kamokla and Maithee Choung, 
 
 upwards of 3,000 each, 39,000 
 
 ■ — Being in all, including felled trees and those fit for felling, — (Not stated in original. j 
 " These numbers are given from information derived from the Karen inhabitants 
 of the district." 
 
 Captain Tremenheere's Remarks. — 93. On the question of 
 conservancy, Captain Tremenheere was of opinion that the Karens of the 
 Thoung-yeen forests should have an actual and not merely nominal 
 property in the timber of their native forests, precautions being taken 
 at the same time to prevent monopolies. With respect to the working 
 of these forests, he thought it would be sufficient to assign a specific 
 girth within which no tree should be felled or brought down, except 
 under the penalty of three times the ordinary duty, and of a quadruple 
 duty fur every tree brought down before it is properly seasoned. This 
 
( 133 ) 
 
 rule could be enforced without any direct supervision of the forests, as 
 any infringement of it would be easily detected by the collector of timber 
 duties on the timber-rafts arriving at Moulmein, and as no provision 
 was necessary for the perpetuation of the Thoung-yeen forests, which 
 renovate themselves. 
 
 94. The consideration of these suggestions was postponed by Govern- 
 ment, because the Commissioner was desirous that no rules for the 
 Thoung-yeen forests should be introduced until he should have ascer- 
 
 tained the state of the Karen population there. 
 
 * 5th February 184o. x x 
 
 A copy of Mr. Maling's report was forwarded* 
 to the Agricultural and Horticultural Society, and has been published 
 in part 1, volume IV. of their Journal. 
 
 95. In February 1845, instructions were issued for levying the duty 
 on timber in money, instead of in land, and for the abolition of the 
 Government timber depot at Moulmein, — it being intended that Govern- 
 ment should enter the market when timber was required for public 
 purposes, in the same manner as other purchasers. In April following 
 Mr. J. H. Miller, who was employed by a party in Calcutta to superin- 
 tend the building at Moulmein of a vessel of 500 tons' burthen, pro- 
 posed the remission of the timber duty upon all vessels built at Moul- 
 mein, with the view to encourage ship-building at that place. It will 
 be seen from paragraph 40 of this Summary, that when a like proposal 
 was made in 1833, it was negatived by Government; Mr. Miller's 
 proposal was similarlyrejected, — Captain Durand, who strongly supported 
 it, being informed that there appeared no reason for adopting it. 
 
 96. In April 1846, the Military Board submitted to Government a 
 correspondence on the conservancy of the forests, which thev had had 
 with Captain Guthrie, successor of Captain Tremenheere as Executive 
 Engineer and Superintendent of forests in the Tenasserim Provinces. 
 This and other voluminous correspondence regarding the proceedings 
 of Captain Guthrie in the forests department, down to September 1846 
 will be found in a paper entitled " Copies of all Reports ivhich have been 
 made to the India or Home Government respecting Teak forests in the 
 Tenasserim Provinces" which was printed by an order of the House 
 of Commons dated 15th August 1848. This paper will be briefly 
 noticed, and some extracts made from it in order to preserve the 
 thread of the narrative in this Summary. 
 
( 184 ) 
 
 97. Soon after Captain Guthrie assumed charge of his appointment, 
 he determined on ascertaining the extent and condition of the Teak 
 forests of the Province; with this view he personally inspected the 
 forests on the Thoung-yeen, as being the most important, and those on 
 the Houndrow as being the least known. Captain Guthrie deputed 
 Mr. Salmond, whose services he had been authorized to engage for the 
 purpose, to visit and report on the Attaran forests, and employed 
 Burman subordinates to examine the forests on the Salween. The results 
 of these investigations were submitted to Government by Captain 
 Guthrie, in a long report dated the 20th June 1845. The following 
 extracts from the report will show the extent and condition of the 
 forests on the Thoung-yeen. 
 
 " 8. The Thoung-yeen forests being the most important, and the least known, I 
 determined on examining them myself ; their state is well depicted 
 in Captain Tremenheere's letter No. 25, of the 2nd March, when 
 he states, ' Major Broadfoot recommends that all permission to work in the Thoung- 
 yeen forests should he withdrawn in consequence of the lawless state of those districts, 
 and the oppression which the Karens have suffered from the timber-cutters frequenting 
 them.' — Mr. De la Condamine, Senior Assistant to the Commissioner, by whom all 
 permits were signed, has more than once assured me that he has never granted 
 lehmats for these forests. The following is an extract from a demi-official note from 
 that officer on the subject : 
 
 " ' I have invariably refused grants on the Thoung-yeen to Talayens and Burmese ; my 
 reasons for refusing grants were, that I was ignorant of the locali- 
 
 No grants on the t j eg tna j w i ien J visited that frontier I found numerous Karens 
 Thoung--yeen. 
 
 who had killed many trees, had their villages and gardens there, 
 
 and were paying a regular annual tax, besides being subject to incursions from the 
 
 Shans, who levied taxes upon them. I thought they had the first right to the produce 
 
 of their own forests as a means of paying the demand on them, and they immediately 
 
 set to killing ; and to all applicants for grants I replied, go and buy from the Karens ; 
 
 this accordingly has been the practice for 10 years. There exists no such thing as a 
 
 grant on the Thoung-yeen.' 
 
 " 9. I may here observe that no written or other right was given to the Karens ; 
 
 they were merely allowed to work while others were prohibited ; the practical result 
 
 was, that all classes who felt disposed worked the Thoung-yeen forests, until at last 
 
 it was found necessary, on the 2nd August 1843, to cancel by public notice all claims 
 
 to cut timber in the Thoung-yeen. A subsequent public notice, of 10th October 1844, 
 
 allowed persons who had any claims, even though they never had any permit, to 
 
 remove trees; to the end of the dry season 1845-46 was allowed for this; and as it 
 
 was necessary to make arrangements for the management of these forests to gain the 
 
 required information, I left Moulmein on the 30th December, intending to proceed to 
 
 the head of the Thoung-yeen, and march down to its mouth. 
 
( 135 ) 
 
 " I proceeded by the route shown in the annexed sketch, and returned on the 5th 
 February. Major Broadfoot, the late Commissioner, and the present Commissioner 
 Captain Durand, were in favor of the Karens being considered as having a right to 
 these forests ; with this I agreed ; it would tend to fix and increase the Karen 
 population, induce them to preserve the Teak, and I believe it could be purchased from 
 them at as low a rate as it could be worked by hired labour. During my tour in 
 Thoung-yeen, I invariably told the Karens of the disposition in their favour, avoiding 
 at the same time any pledge ; they were always told that they must notwithstanding 
 get passes to cut or kill, and must attend to forest rules. 
 
 ******** 
 
 " 13. The upper division of the Thoung-yeen, or from Meerawaddi upwards, I did 
 not visit, but got much information from the former assistant 
 veeif^ er oun °" forest surveyor, Mr. Maling, who was the first person to work it ; 
 he worked it this season, but from the obstacles to floating, he 
 succeeded in getting only 240 logs down out of 580 felled and dragged ; he represents 
 the timber to be of particularly fine growth, straight, clean, thin bark, and of rather 
 large size. The rocky beds and small size of the stream renders it difficult to work. 
 One great obstacle is a barrier of rocks, having a water-way of six feet only, through 
 which timber must be passed singly, and led by conducting booms, so as to hit the 
 opening, end on. I have inquired much about this obstacle, and from all I learn, a 
 barrel of gunpowder and blasting would remove it. The total number of trees, given 
 after careful consideration, is 13,200 trees, of which 11,200 are full sized; this estimate 
 does not include trees below two feet in girth. 
 
 " 14. Meerawaddi to Meplai. — From what I saw, and from such information as I 
 
 could procure, I estimate the number of Teak trees at 5,200, exclu- 
 
 Middle Thoung-- s i ve f saplings, which abound, viz. above six feet, 1,200, below 
 yeen. in 
 
 six feet, 4,000. The Teak here was not of fine growth, and 
 
 appeared to suffer more from large parasitical creepers than any other tree. 
 
 " Meplai Creek I did not visit, but have received information from Mr. Maling, who 
 worked it last season, and from others. The estimated number of trees is 6,400,— 
 2,400 being full sized. This locality is described as being easily worked, and the trees 
 of fair straight growth. Young trees are in abundance. There are about 2, 1 00 trees 
 fit for felling, most of which I think are undersized. 
 
 " Meplai mouth, to Kamokla.— Teak seen in considerable plenty on both sides of 
 the river ; landing repeatedly, I was disappointed in the appearance of the Teak, very 
 probably from all the fine trees being felled near the river. On reaching Kamokla I 
 ascended the hill, and saw many first-class trees, and have little doubt that much fine 
 timber will be procurable from this locality ; I estimate the contents of these forests at 
 13,000 full size, and 16,000 under size, exclusive of saplings, which are in considerable 
 numbers. 
 
 " Kamokla to Winsaw.— From the former place to as far as Theekabaugh stream, 
 
 containing a number of very fine young trees, the finest forest I had 
 
 Lower Thoung- seen j fl n( j i n mv note-book, " this locality should be reserved 
 
 for any Government purposes." There is some difficulty in drag- 
 
 S 
 
( 136 ) 
 
 ging the timber, on account of many small li ills and water-courses. Below Theeka- 
 baugh to Winsaw the trees run small ; the total estimated number of trees, 23,070, — 
 5,070 being full sized ; the very young Teak is not so plentiful as above Kamokla. 
 
 " Winsaw to Eklaik. — This locality I have not visited, there being no timber of size 
 to fell ; I have, however, heard that there are between 2,500 and 3,000 very small trees 
 ready for removal. The number of trees from two to five feet in girth I estimate at 
 7,000. 
 
 " 15. Of the Thoung-veen Teak I may remark, that I have seen it growing and 
 thriving in everv variety of locality ; it has generally the advantage of carrying its girth 
 well to a great height, not tapering quickly ; it appears somewhat liable to small cells, 
 isolated, but which appear in sawing up, (this may be caused by the trees being killed 
 when full of sap) ; notwithstanding this, it is good and strong as any Teak that comes 
 to the market. 
 
 " 16. Further experience, and the employment of subordinate agents to count and 
 examine the trees in each forest, will enable me to give a correct detail regarding the 
 Thoung-veen forests. In the mean time I have acquired much useful information that 
 will enable me to check proceedings in the localities visited. I may add, that by 
 the measurement of Thoung-yeen timber brought to market this year, that one-third 
 is under size. 
 
 " 1 7. From the Winsaw I marched towards the Lhang-booa forests, crossing the hills 
 bv a very steep and high pass over the Daunat Hill. I was desirous of inspecting one 
 of the experimental nurseries established near the village of Klay, on the Lhang-booa 
 river, by Captain Tremenheere, in the year 18-13, when seeds were sown, and 
 seedlings came up ; of this not a vestige remains. The seeds are represented as 
 having grown well, but the plants were burnt up in the annual fires ; many recovered 
 and flourished on the rains setting in, but were subsequently destroyed by a heavy 
 inundation. I regret to have to report the same of the other three nurseries at 
 Nat-choung, Keon-choung, and Mittigate ; with the exception of a single tree at 
 Nat-choung, no trace remains, — a natural consequence of not maintaining an estab- 
 lishment for keeping them up. 
 
 " 18. My march was directed so as to pass the forest of Melon, represented to me 
 as the best in the Lhang-booa, and to pass through a part of the country that had not 
 been traversed before ; the information obtained is embodied in the statement and the 
 accompanying plan and references. Buffaloes are much used in dragging the Teak of 
 these localities ; there is some straight fine timber, but its general character very 
 crooked, peculiarly hard, sound and close grained, well adapted for ships' crooks ; it is 
 generally thought to be of a stunted growth, and not to attain a great height and size ; 
 this excuse is urged for cutting it before it has reached the prescribed girth of six feet. 
 I however am inclined to think that, if permitted, it would reach a large size, an opinion 
 confirmed by there being two trees at the village of Wenkiang, having all the 
 distinctive marks of the Teak, irregularly crooked form and short stem, and 15 
 feet in girth. Where these forests have been worked I saw many under-sized stumps 
 and killed trees." 
 
( 137 ) 
 
 98. On the Houndrow Captain Guthrie discovered ff more Teak trees 
 than had been before known/' but nevertheless his " expectations, both 
 as to the extent of the Teak forests and the fine growth of the timber, 
 were disappointed." He estimated the number of the Teak trees 
 on this river at 2,000. The larger number of these was in the 
 upper part of it, where the trees were comparatively preserved 
 from the axe in consequence of the difficulty of transporting the timber 
 thence to Moulin ein. Regarding the general state of the forests 
 on the Attaran, Houndrow, and the Lhang-booa, Captain Guthrie 
 says : 
 
 " 28. I may report on the general state of the forests, that the inadequate govern - 
 
 ^ , . c ment establishment could not enforce the judicious rules made 
 
 General state ot J 
 
 forests. Zimme & for their working and maintenance ; they are worked to produce 
 
 the greatest and easiest sure profit. Many of the forests on the 
 
 Zimme and Weinyo (which join and form the Attaran) are worked out, others are 
 
 getting gradually cleared of full-sized trees ; at the end of five years there will not be 
 
 2,000 full-sized trees in the forests worked by private persons, aud there are but few 
 
 trees that by their growth will soon attain full size, in consequence of the prevalent 
 
 practice of felling all trees that approach the full size. There is one very satisfactory 
 
 point ascertained this season in these forests, viz. the fact of there being very many 
 
 young trees; both Captains O'Brien and Tremenheere reported that a young tree was 
 
 not to be seen. Mr. Salmond saw several ; all the most accessible trees have been 
 
 worked off. 
 
 " 29. On the Houndrow the forest may be considered unworked. In three localities, 
 
 on the Weinloung, Authan, and Methan, I found trees that have 
 Houndrow. , 
 
 been abandoned, having been killed 10 years ago. In the Minnunda 
 
 there were some fine trees being worked this year, said to have been killed 12 years ago. 
 The present supply of Teak procurable is too small to be of importance ; the size, how- 
 ever, of many of the trees, and the breadth of the annual ring showing rapid growth, 
 point to this locality as a favourable one for extending the forests by artificial means. 
 " 30. The Lhang-booa and Salween, from their approximation to Moulmein, and 
 
 the readiness with which the trees can be brought to market, 
 Lhang--booa. . . 
 
 and from the practice of dragging timbers with buffaloes, are 
 
 more liable to waste and destruction than other forests. There are a great number 
 
 of workers of these forests ; and from reports received, it appears that fully one-third 
 
 of the full-sized trees in these forests at present are either killed or felled." 
 
 99. The total number of Teak trees in the Province Captain Guth- 
 rie estimated at 1,94,000, as shown in the following statement, and he 
 considered that number capable of yielding annually, without injury 
 to the forests, 5,000 tons of timber in the unoccupied forests, and 3,050 
 tons in those occupied by private individuals. 
 
( 138 ) 
 
 
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( 139 ) 
 
 100. Captain Guthrie, in noticing the Rules of 1841, says, " though 
 the rules may be amended in some particulars, they are good rules, 
 and well adapted for the preservation and maintenance of the forests," 
 "but have proved inoperative chiefly though the non-enforcement of 
 the penal clause. He accordingly proposed to resume all the forests 
 in which the rules had not been strictly observed, and the introduction 
 of the following new regulations which seem to have been framed 
 originally by Captain Tremenheere in 1843 : — 
 
 " Conditions. 
 
 " 1st, — The forest to be worked by a proper establishment of elephants, &c. 
 
 " 2nd, — Payment of 15 per cent, on all timber brought to Moulmein, excepting such 
 as may be hereafter specified. 
 
 " On all logs of more than 8 feet girth in the centre, and 60 feet long and 
 upwards, a modified duty of 10 per cent, will be levied. 
 
 " In addition to this duty a payment of annas on each log, or on its equiva- 
 lent of converted timber, to cover the expenses of planting three young trees on their 
 timber sites for every tree removed. 
 
 " The present payment is fixed at three annas per log, subject to alterations according 
 to the outlay that by experience may be found necessary to effect the object in view. 
 
 " 3rd, — The forest land not to be cleared for cultivation, nor to be employed in any 
 other way besides plantations. 
 
 " 4th, — If these conditions be not fulfilled, or the forest not worked for three con- 
 secutive years, the lease will be resumed by Government. 
 
 " Rules. 
 
 *' 1st, — Trees to be killed during the months of December, January, Februarys March, 
 and April, and at no other period. 
 
 " 2nd, — No trees to be killed or felled measuring less than six feet, or four cubits, 
 immediately above the killing mark, or at the butt end of the log. 
 
 " 3rd, — No trees to be felled till the lapse of one rainy season after having been 
 killed. 
 
 " 4th, — No raft to enter Moulmein river till arrangements of the duty have been 
 made by the appointed persons. 
 
 " The superintendent of forests is vested by the Government of Bengal with magis- 
 terial powers to impose fines, not exceeding Company's rupees five hundred, for any 
 breach of these rules. 
 
 " There is power of appeal to the Commissioner's court, by which, or in the court of 
 his Assistants, the fines are recoverable on the decision of the superintendent being 
 upheld by the Commissioner." 
 
 "101. The following extract from Captain Guthrie's report will 
 show why he proposed that all forest grants in which the rules had not 
 been observed, should be resumed and worked on account of Govern- 
 ment. 
 
( 140 ) 
 
 " 37- Mr. Blundell, in his letter to Government of 28th April 1837, advocating the 
 resumption of the forests, fairly states the argument against the measure, viz., the 
 apparent interference with private rights accompanying the original permits to cut 
 timber, sanctioned by eight years' adherence to that system, and the expense which in 
 justice must be incurred for their outlay towards facilitating their operations in the 
 forests; this argument is now strengthened by nine years' additional adherence. 
 Durino- all this period persons receiving permission to cut were continually informed 
 that the permissions were resumable at pleasure ; this notice was useless, as it could 
 be enforced without any breach of faith. That outlay has been incurred towards 
 facilitating the operations in the forests, is undoubted ; it has however been solely for 
 the profit of the workers, and not in any way to meet the favourable consideration of 
 Government ; they have neither prevented the destruction of under-sized trees, nor the 
 fellinc of green timber ; they have not attended to the past rules ordered by Govern- 
 ment ; have, from neglect, annually allowed hundreds of trees to be destroyed by fire, 
 thus depriving the State of revenue and the public of valuable timber. 
 
 " 38. The practical result of allowing private individuals to work forests, has been 
 shown in their present condition and the reckless system of working them. I see no 
 prospect of justice being done by continuing them in the hands of private persons, 
 who argue that the present rules cannot be carried out, being impracticable ; that it is 
 impossible to do justice to the forests, and they are therefore to be held excusable for 
 past breaches of forest rules, and wish to carry them on under authority for the future. 
 I advocate their general resumption, and the best mode of doing so for the interests 
 of Government and consideration of the individual may be considered. The question 
 is much simplified from none of the holders having done anything for the prospective 
 
 benefit of the forests. 
 
 « i s t s The nature of the tenures being at will, allows of their immediate resump- 
 tion ; there might be apparent hardship, though without 
 Resumption of forests. T . . . . , , 
 
 reason, as 1 think has been shown. 
 
 " 2nd, — They might almost all be resumed for breach of forest rules, the penalty 
 prescribed by the last clause; but some localities however would escape from not 
 bavins been broken in all the worked forests is, I believe, undoubted; in some, 
 however, proof cannot be brought forward, from being unworked ; in others, breaches 
 that could be proved would be so numerically trifling, that there would be an apparent 
 hardship in enforcing the penalty. 
 
 " 3rd, — The holders might be induced to give up their possessions by payment of 
 
 money. 
 
 " 39. Any system of resumption providing for a variety of cases, would, I think, be 
 complicated and liable to objection. I would suggest a notice to the following effect ; 
 it mioht be either a simple Government order or an explanatory one, thus : 
 
 « \ s t y — The State requires that its forests should be worked to the best advantage. 
 
 " 2nd, — Experience has proved that in the forests entrusted to private individuals 
 many under-sized and green trees are felled and killed, and at prohibited seasons of 
 the year, when the trees are full of sap ; and further, that a number of seasoned trees 
 of the full size are annually left on the ground to be destroyed and injured by the 
 
( 141 ) 
 
 periodical fires ; this being a prevalent reckless anil wasteful system, anil in opposition 
 to the Government rules of 1841, enacted for their preservation and maintenance, the 
 right of resuming the forests at will having been reserved by Government ; and further, 
 that resumption being the prescribed penalty for any breach of the forest rules, notice 
 is now given that Government resume these forests. 
 
 " 3rd, — The occupiers of Government forests have done nothing for the benefit of the 
 forests they hold ; yet when capital has been expended in killing, felling, and dragging 
 the timber, they shall be allowed a certain period for bringing it away, or a fair value 
 given, under such arrangements as the local authorities shall consider suitable. 
 Unlicensed timber, that is, timber cut against rules, to be forfeited and brought down 
 at the expense of the forest -holder. 
 
 " 40. The transgressors against the forest rules should not be allowed to get off 
 with impunity, and an order of the nature contained in the last part of the above notice 
 ensures a punishment in proportion to the extent of the transgression ; but as the 
 probable cost of bringing the logs down the Attaran may be seven rupees each, the 
 punishment may be considered excessive ; a fine therefore on each log might be sub- 
 stituted : the simple forfeiture of the tree is too light a punishment, as the outlay in 
 killing and felling five trees might be recovered by smuggling one under-sized tree into 
 Moulmein, or by sawing into a square an undersized tree in the forest. 
 
 "41. I confess my inability, from my own ideas, of suggesting any practicable 
 rules for ensuring the keeping up of the trees in forests held by private individuals j 
 leases would of course be acceptable — the longer, the more acceptable ; but in leases 
 the inevitable result is obvious to me, the working out of the forests and their waiting 
 the renovation by natural means. Private persons here are not likely to incur any 
 outlay in planting for a benefit to be obtained after many years ; they would be very 
 apt to argue that each planted tree before it attained the age of five years would (from 
 destruction of young plants by wild animals and other causes) cost some two rupees, 
 and that it would yield a better profit other ways than waiting 50 years for a Teak tree, 
 which would then perhaps yield a profit of 10 rupees. 
 
 " 42. In December last, with reference to a quoted extract from a Despatch in the 
 
 _ , . . _, Marine Department, No. 19, of 26th June 1844, to the 
 
 Working for Government. * 
 
 effect that they approved of retaining the forests for 
 the wants of the public Service, I noticed the under-mentioned advantages that would 
 be derived from working the forests on public account, and recommended its being 
 immediately carried out, since the inspections of the forests have shown me that 
 Government had scarcely any alternative but taking them into its own hands, if they 
 are to be preserved from the extermination they are rapidly attaining. 
 
 " \st, — The advantages enumerated were securing for Government a continued 
 supply of Teak timber of all sizes, from full-grown trees, killed at the proper season of 
 the year and seasoned. 
 
 " 2nd, — Ensuring the supply at a low rate. 
 
 " 3rd, — Raising to its proper standard the character of the Moulmein Teak, now of 
 inferior repute from that exported, being mixed with unseasoned wood, young trees, and 
 that found dead from natural causes. The dead timber of the Thoung-veen has been 
 
( 142 ) 
 
 found as light as 16 cwt. to 50 cubic feet, or a ton measurement; some of the finest 
 close-grained Attaran as high as 22 cwt. 
 
 " 4th, — Introducing order into the forests, both as regards care of forests, trees and 
 persons ; at present the settlement of disputes between private persons regarding 
 timber occupies much of the time of the Moulmein court. 
 
 " 5th, — The power of supplying Her Majesty's Government with timber on which 
 they can rely, the revenue that can be derived from the forests to the credit of the 
 expenses of the Provinces, and by the sale of timber not sufficiently perfect, or for 
 other causes not required by Government purposes. 
 
 " 6th, — The small outlay and pecuniary risk at which they may be worked. 
 
 " 7th, — To these may he added the prevention of deterioration of the forests, and 
 increasing their value by a judicious system of working, and artificial extension by 
 sowing and planting." 
 
 102. Captain Guthrie offered the following remarks on the mode in 
 which the forests should be worked, and (in allusion to the measures 
 which were taken by Captain Tremenheere for renovating them ; ) on 
 the system which should be pursued for continuing the supply of 
 timber : 
 
 " 49. Captain Tremenheere gives some interesting information about experimental 
 nurseries he had established, and the seed of the Teak trees; the nursery I have 
 already reported as now being without a trace, excepting a single tree at Nat-choung ; 
 he enters into no details of arrangement. Whatever system of artificially extending 
 the forests is adopted, many men will have to be employed, and the peculiarities of 
 the persons available will inevitably entail many mishaps, much uncertainty, annoyance 
 and trouble. The Madras labourers, comparatively industrious and manageable, are 
 unsuited for the forest life ; they would be helpless, and suffer from sickness ; parties 
 of these people taken to the forests have done more work than Burmans, but soon 
 became ill, and much trouble was required in feeding tbem. The Burmans, generally 
 indolent, would be with difficulty induced to enter into any engagements to -remain in 
 the forests, where their industry could not be depended on, and they would leave 
 whenever they wished for change. The Karen dwelling in the forests is as unsteady 
 as the Burman, but if he can be induced to undertake the artificial extension of the 
 forests, he would prove a valuable instrument ; the forests, however, must be extended, 
 and the most made of the means. 
 
 " 50. I am opposed to the general adoption of a system of nurseries and transplant- 
 ing ; I have been informed by two old residents of Java that this system had been 
 adopted and abandoned by the Dutch ; it appears to me too artificial a system to be 
 suitable to these forests, and likely to be very expensive. The system I would 
 recommend is sowing the seed, planting slips, and when persons employed in extending 
 the forests have fixed dwellings in them, a nursery might be established ; this is the 
 basis of the method, the details must depend upon experience. I shall however 
 mention some of my ideas : the working of the forests will require in them the 
 presence of certain Government servants ; these will, to a certain extent, be available 
 
( 143 ) 
 
 for the extension of the forests ; mixing the duties is undoubtedly objectionable, but 
 less so than the expense attendant on different establishments. 
 
 " 51 . Equal attention and equal extension is not due to all forests alike ; all should be 
 kept up and extended, but those in favourable localities on a larger scale than others. 
 
 " \st, — The localities of primary importance appear to be the forest land on the Attaran, 
 Zimme and Weinyo rivers. The Teak produced in these forests is inferior to none in 
 strength, with a finer grain, and greater elasticity ; it is also the locality from which 
 timbers can be brought with least difficulty, and is the most accessible for supervision. 
 
 '■ 2nd, — The various forests on the Lhang-booa and Salween, perhaps more accessible 
 than the Attaran, but growing timbers of an inferior description, crooked and hard, 
 but valuable for naval purposes requiring crooked timbers. 
 
 " 3rd, — The Houndrow, below Kozaie-ko-Gyoon, or 99 Islands. These present so 
 great an obstacle to floating timber that the extension should be below them. 
 
 " 4th, — The Thoung-yeen, from its mouth to Kamokla. Above the latter place the 
 obstacles to floating are considerable ; below it there is a comparative immunity from 
 the destruction caused to young Teak from wild elephants. Bringing down timber 
 from the Thoung-yeen is very tedious, consuming much time, and attended with con- 
 siderable percentage of timber being lost, from various causes. Timber can be 
 brought from all other places in much less time, and with comparatively no risk of 
 loss. 
 
 " 52. In each of the worked forests two Government servants, or peons, must be 
 kept up throughout the year to control the working, even if done by contract : these 
 should be increased according to the scale on which it is intended to artificially increase 
 the forests, and the cost to be charged proportionately to the timber annually brought 
 down, and to the sowing and planting. 
 
 " 53. The Thoung-yeen contains, as far as I have ascertained, 15 divisions or districts : 
 seven above Kamokla, and eight below it, each under an Tsokay or Government 
 official. It appears to me that these would be suitable divisions to adopt in working 
 or sowing ; similar divisions should be made in the other forests. The duties of the 
 persons employed would, in the timber-working department, consist in preparing 
 accurate lists of the timber to be killed, and to be taken away annually ; to point out 
 to the inspecting officer the trees suitable for killing, in order that he may make his 
 selection ; to control the contractors in their work ; point out the trees to them ; see 
 that they are properly killed and felled without waste ; to prevent their being cut into 
 pieces ; to see that the branches are not wasted ; to mark, measure, bring together, 
 and number the trees. In the extension department they would be employed, at the 
 proper season, sowing seeds, in planting slips, and where there were nurseries, in 
 transplanting, in clearing away parasites, lopping redundant branches, keeping down 
 vegetation to a certain extent round the young trees, particularly at the season of the 
 periodical fires, when the dry grass should be cleared for some distance round each 
 plant : or in places where the young trees were close and over a considerable space of 
 ground, it might be preserved from fire by clearing a belt all round. There would be 
 ample employment throughout the year for parties of considerable strength; each party 
 should be of strength sufficient to authorize the employment of a responsible head 
 
 T 
 
( 144 ) 
 
 man, on a somewhat larger salary ; the additional salary need not be large ; he should 
 be able to read and write, and to record work done ; and without him the exertions of 
 the people without a head, working each as they pleased, could not result in much. 
 Each party should not be less than six ; and there should also be five men on a higher 
 salary as overseers, say 30 rupees a month, and 15 rupees travelling allowance; one 
 each for the Thoung-yeen, Zimme, Weinyo, Houndrow, Lhang-booa, and Salween : 
 they should be always moving through the forests, pointing out what is to be done, 
 and keeping the men to their work." 
 
 103. On the subject of the duty on the timber of the Tenasserim 
 Provinces, and on that imported from foreign places, Captain Guthrie 
 wrote — 
 
 " 57- The present duty is levied on Teak alone, not as a nominal ad valorem duty, 
 
 but at a commuted value of 14 rupees per ton on the single log, 
 Timber duty. . , . , . . T . . , ,. , , , 
 
 measuring the quarter girth ; this system is, 1 think, liable to the 
 
 following disadvantages ; there are three rates of duty, — that just mentioned ; a 
 
 different rate (4 annas each) on large crooks, some of which contain a ton of timber, 
 
 and should pay 2 rupees 2 annas ; another rate on smaller crooks, (2 annas.) 
 
 « \ s t } — It does not protect the Government from loss of revenue on squared timber 
 brought to the revenue stations; the revenue on the entire log would be much 
 more than on the square taken of it. This squaring of timber has been practised 
 in the forests for many years, reducing the revenue and wasting much timber in the 
 abandoned sites. The erection of saw-pits above the revenue stations to convert the 
 timber, would seriously affect the timber revenue. The proposition of constructing 
 saw-pits above the revenue stations has been mentioned by several parties who 
 were told that such an evasion of duty was not likely to be allowed. I only remember 
 the names of two, Messrs. Maling and Catchick. The present system of duty provides 
 no remedy. 
 
 " 2nd, — There is no duty laid down for other woods than Teak. I would suggest an 
 actual ad valorem duty of such rate as may be determined on all kiuds of timber, Teak 
 or others; this would provide a remedy for all the above objections. This rule might 
 be made the cause of much annoyance, if carried out against the bamboo posts or small 
 wood used by the people of the country in constructing their houses or domestic pur- 
 poses. The local authorities would however always prevent this oppressive carrying 
 out of the rule. 
 
 " 58. Mr. Bushby, Secretary to the Government of Bengal, in his letter No. 365, of 
 31st August 1842, (Sep. Department, Customs), in reply to a 
 
 Duty on foreign reference regarding duty being levied on foreign timber, states, 
 ' The Honorable the President in Council has been pleased to direct 
 that as the Shan timber adverted to in your communication is not entitled to exemp- 
 tion, and derives its value only from the circumstance of its being available for the 
 Moulmein market, an iuland duty of 15 per cent, ad valoremhe continued to be levied 
 on it as at present.' It appears to me that the importation of foreign Teak timber of 
 good size should be encouraged, also that it is desirable to prevent injury to even the 
 
( 145 ) 
 
 foreign forests, and thus endeavour to secure a supply for a somewhat lengthened 
 period : the former might be encouraged by a reduction of the inland duty to 10 
 per cent even less ; the destruction of young trees discouraged by a corresponding 
 increase on small trees within under six feet four inches from the butt ; and the waste- 
 ful system of felling young and small trees is so very prevalent that if any check is 
 practicable it should be carried out." 
 
 104. Regarding the powers to be vested in the Superintendent of 
 forests, Captain Guthrie was of opinion that without authority to 
 punish, that officer could not successfully carry out the conservancy 
 of the forests ; and therefore advised the Superintendent being allowed 
 the powers of a Joint Magistrate, in subordination however to the 
 Conimissioner, who should also have the power of awarding, when 
 necessary, greater punishments than can be given by a Joint Magistrate. 
 Captain Guthrie concludes his report with a request for the instructions 
 of Government on the following points : 
 
 " 1st, — "What are the views of Government regarding the disposal of the forests, those 
 unoccupied and those in the hands of private persons; whether to be granted to private 
 persons on long leases, or the continuation of the present system of tenants at will ? 
 
 " 2nd, — Regarding the working of the forests, — if to be worked by Government ? 
 
 " 3rd, — The periodical expenditure that will be sanctioned towards introducing the 
 useful woods of the province into notice? 
 
 " 4th, — Regarding duties being levied on other wood than Teak, they being now 
 exempt. 
 
 " 5th, — Regarding the artificial extension of forests, and the extent to which it 
 should be carried out ?" 
 
 105. Before Captain Guthrie sumitted to Government his report 
 above noticed, he had summarily resumed several forests under the 
 penalty clause of the rules of April 1811, for alleged breaches of those 
 rules by the felling of under-sized trees, and the failure to propagate 
 others in their places. Against this measure Cockerell and Co. and 
 Mackey and Co., of Calcutta, (as the holders of extensive forest grants, 
 some of which were resumed by Captain Guthrie,) appealed to 
 Government, when instructions were immediately given to the Commis- 
 sioner, Captain Durand, to restore the sequestered grants to the 
 holders " until the Government are in possession of such information 
 as will enable them to pass final orders" on the subject. But notwith- 
 standing this order, and the intimation of the opinion of Government 
 on the subject, just previously made to Captain Durand, that it was 
 not intended " to monopolize the forests, or to restrain the free trader, 
 
( 146 ) 
 
 or trench on the rights of grantees or lessees of the forest lands/' 
 Captain Guthrie, with the concurrence of Captain Durand, continued to 
 enforce rigidly the penalty clauses of the rules of April J 841. These 
 proceedings elicited from the Merchants of Moulmein, (represented by a 
 Committee formed of Messrs. Creaton, Austin, Paterson, and Maurel,) 
 
 * ^ . t ,„ , -r , a petition* of appeal to the Commissioner. 
 
 * Dated 12th June 1846. r rr 
 
 The petitioners complained of — 
 
 " 1st, — The resumption of occupied forests under charge of breach of rules, promul- 
 gated under date the 12th April 1841. 
 
 " 2nd, — The seizure of all wood brought down during the present season under six 
 feet in girth, and the subsequent levying a fine equal in amount to the Government 
 duty on all such wood being released. 
 
 " 3rd, — The prohibition to private parties from working timber out of the unoccupied 
 forests, with the avowed intention of working all such forests on Government account. 
 
 " 4th, — The recent regulations issued by the Superintendent of forests, in regard to 
 the collection of duty on, and the passing of wood at the Government station of Kadoe." 
 
 — Captain Durand, however, upheld the measures of Captain Guthrie, 
 and reported to Government his having done so. Upon this the Govern- 
 ment took into consideration the whole subject of forest management, 
 and after briefly reviewing the history of the forests, from the time that 
 they were thrown open to the public by Mr. Maingy in 1829 down to 
 
 the period of Captain Guthrie's appointment, 
 tember i«46. 6 ' * 6P ~ communicated* the following observations and 
 
 orders to Captain Durand : 
 
 "21. Captain Guthrie succeeded Captain Tremenheere as Executive Engineer and 
 Superintendent of forests at Moulmein in September 1845, and immediately turned 
 his attention to the forests. He visited in person, or by deputy, as many of them as 
 possible, and he has reported his observations in a letter to the Military Board of 
 great length, dated 20th June last. 
 
 " 22. The main purpose of his report is to exhibit, which is done very clearlv, the 
 waste and mismanagement of the grantees, and the constant breach of the rules of 
 1841, especially in the felling of under-sized trees, and the entire omission to propagate 
 new ones. It is shown, too, that all the nurseries which had been attempted on the 
 part of Government had failed. 
 
 " 23. The remedial measure advocated by Captain Guthrie is the immediate re- 
 sumption of all private grants, and the working of the forests by Government agents 
 on account of Government." 
 
 " 24. In the mean time, Captain Guthrie has not been slow to exercise the powers 
 which he conceives himself to possess for the punishment of these instances of ne°-lect 
 on the part of the grantees, and he has in several cases summarily resumed important 
 grants under the penalty clause of the Rules of April 1841, for breach of those rules 
 
( 147 ) 
 
 by felling under-sized trees ; and these proceedings yon appear to have approved and 
 affirmed. 
 
 " 25. It will have been observed from the foregoing statement, that no confirmation 
 of the penalty clause can be traced in the records of Government. If therefore any 
 confirmation be forthcoming in the office of the Superintendent of forests, a copy 
 should be transmitted for his Honor's satisfaction. In the mean time it would seem 
 that Captain Guthrie has been acting under a rule of no authority. 
 
 " 26. But even if the rule had ever been confirmed and authorized by Government, 
 it is by no means clear that its purport would have given to the Superintendent of 
 forests any power to enforce so serious a penalty ; he might possibly have reported 
 the facts and made his recommendations, but the infliction of the penalty would have 
 lain with much higher authority. 
 
 " 27. Independently, however, of these considerations, the enforcement of the 
 penalty of forfeiture of grants for breach of rules, which have been avowedly and 
 notoriously a dead letter ever since they were enacted, and which the Government has 
 never shown any intention or given any notice of enforcing, is a measure altogether 
 oppressive and inequitable ; two mercantile houses of this city have, as you are aware, 
 appealed to Government against these proceedings, and Government have been direct- 
 ed to suspend them for the present. One of the houses thus summarily stopped in 
 their works and deprived of their grants of forest locations, is known to be under a 
 heavy contract with Her Majesty's Government for the supply of timber for naval 
 purposes, and the consequences to them must be very serious. 
 
 " 28. With your present letter you have forwarded a copy of a petition from 
 Messrs. Creaton, Austin, Paterson, and Maurel, who sign as a committee on behalf of 
 the merchants at Moulmein interested in the timber trade, and who amongst other 
 matters complain very reasonably and respectfully of the sudden and ruinous mea- 
 sures of Captain Guthrie in confiscating their grants and destroying their trade, and 
 they appeal to you for redress ; but you have signified to the petitioners your approval 
 of all Captain Guthrie's proceedings. 
 
 " 29. Upon the grounds already stated, the Deputy Governor most entirely disap- 
 proves them, and he directs me to request that no time may be lost in redressing the 
 injury which has been sustained by ejected parties, and in reinstating them in the 
 rights, of which they ought not in such a summary manner, or on such insufficient 
 grounds, to have been divested. 
 
 " 30. In regard to future management, the Deputy Governor conceives the only 
 sound principle to have been suggested in the few but apt words already quoted from 
 the Despatch of the Honourable Court, dated 30th September 1S42; viz-, that no 
 conservator with the aid of any establishment could maintain a proper degree of check 
 over such extensive tracts ; that even if it were practicable it would be objectionable 
 to commit such powers to one individual, and that the best and cheapest way of 
 effecting the object would be to make it the interest of persons to take care of their 
 grants by giving them long leases. 
 
 "31. This appears to the Deputy Governor to be a perfectly just view of the 
 subject. Rules full of petty detail, teaching merchants and traders how to carry on the 
 
( 148 ) 
 
 smallest details of their business, even to ropes, and trucks, and carts, and prescribing 
 small and meddling instructions, to be enforced under heavy penalties, and this too 
 throughout vast, distant, solitary, and scarcely accessible forest tracts, by one conser- 
 vator or superintendent, with a few native subordinates (for it would not pay to have a 
 large establishment), must, in tbe nature of things, fail of any good. The rules would 
 not be observed ; their infraction could not be checked, and the penalties could not be 
 enforced. 
 
 " 32. On the other hand, the measures taken with the grantees have been such as 
 to ensure waste and improvidence. They have been sent, at one time with permits to 
 fell timber on given localities revocable at will ; at another, they have received grants 
 of undefined and disputed tracts for no specified term, but dependent on the pleasure 
 of the authorities for the time being. Even the desire of Government to grant leases 
 for 20 years, as expressed in 1843, seems not to have been carried into effect; but on 
 the contrary, Captain Guthrie as Superintendent and yourself as Commissioner have 
 taken pains to impress upon the grantees that their rights may be resumed at any 
 time, and they have indeed been practically taught that resumption may occasionally 
 be very suddenly and summarily put in execution against them. 
 
 " 33. It would be strange indeed if, under such circumstances as these, the grantees 
 were found carefully guarding the Government interests in the forests, or establishing 
 nurseries of young trees, or sparing to cut down whatever might soonest suit their 
 purposes. The grantees have been obliged by their position to make the most they 
 could in the shortest time, out of a very precarious and uncertain tenure, and their 
 conduct has only been what might have been expected from them. 
 
 " 34. The obvious remedy is to do as the Court recommend, viz., make the in- 
 terest of the grantees correspond, as far as possible, with the interest of Government. 
 
 " 35. The interest of Government is, that as much timber as possible should be 
 brought to market without injuring the forests or destroying their future productive- 
 ness. To make the interests of the grantee identical with these, he should have a 
 permanent property in the forests, and no further restrictions should be placed on him 
 than that the grant shall become liable to the payment of land revenue if ever it is 
 denuded of trees and brought under the plough. The property conveyed by the grant 
 should include not Teak only, but all trees and products of the forest. The duty levied 
 at Moulmein should be heavier in proportion, as the logs are below a given size, and 
 all below a certain girth, to be fixed as a minimum, should be confiscated. 
 
 " 36. The Honourable Court have, in the case of the grants at Mergui, claimed by 
 the Countess Noslitz and Baron des Granges, sanctioned leases for a term of 99 years, 
 and the Deputy Governor does not conceive himself authorized, without further refer- 
 ence to the Honourable Court, to grant leases for any longer term. But it is shown 
 in the reports of Captains O'Brien, Tremenheere, and Guthrie, that Teak does not 
 attain to any large size under SO years, and it is therefore obvious that grants of such 
 forests should be in perpetuity, subject to a land-rent, on tbe usual terms, for any part 
 of the land at any time brought under cultivation. The Deputy Governor is strongly 
 of opinion that the system should be pursued in regard to these forests which prevails 
 in the Crown colonies, i. e., that the locations should be sold outright, and a complete 
 
( 149 ) 
 
 title conveyed to the purchaser. A recommendation to this end will be immediately 
 forwarded to the Honourable Court. In the mean time the Deputy Governor directs 
 me to request that you will communicate with the existing grantees and the persons 
 engaged in the timber trade, in order to ascertain their views on this subject; and 
 you may also take early measures for surveying and defining the boundaries of all 
 existing grants, as well as the particular localities which, in your opinion, had better 
 for the present be resumed for Government purposes. On this part of the subject, 
 however, his Honor entertains a strong opinion, and will express it to the Honourable 
 Court, that the Government interests will be best served by attracting private capital 
 and enterprise to work the forests, and trusting for Government supplies to the market. 
 
 " 3/. It will be proper that the Superintendent of forests should take every possible 
 means of establishing Teak nurseries in fit situations, not within the boundaries of 
 occupied grants ; and it may be expected that grantees, when assured of reaping the 
 fruits of their own exertions, will themselves endeavour to propagate young trees 
 within their localities. 
 
 " 38. The present duties are estimated by you to be about 5 per cent, on the actual 
 value of the timber. Whether this rate may admit of increase is a question that will be 
 considered hereafter, and will in the mean time be submitted with the other parts of the 
 subject for the opinions of the Honourable Court. But the mode of computation now 
 in use might surely be improved and simplified, and on this, as well as on the proper 
 rate to be levied, his Honor would be glad to have your opinion, and you may invite 
 such suggestions regarding them as the merchants of the place may desire to make. 
 
 " 39. It would seem from passages which occur in the course of the correspondence 
 on this subject, that Major Broadfoot sometime in 1843 issued orders regardino- the 
 forests of the Thoung-yeen districts, which implied a right of ownership in those forests 
 residing in the Karen tribes. Major Broadfoot's report on this subject has probably 
 been mislaid or lost, as none can now be traced in this office. The Deputy Governor's 
 impression would have been that the Thoung-yeen, like all other forests in the Tenasse- 
 rim Provinces, belong to Government, and he is desirous of knowing exactly what has 
 been done by Major Broadfoot in this case, and his reasons for his measures. You 
 are therefore requested to transmit duplicates of any reports that Major Broadfoot 
 may have made regarding the Thoung-yeen forests, and also to state your own opinions 
 regarding them, and the right of ownership in them." 
 
 106. On the 21st October 1846, a report of these proceedings was 
 made to the Court of Directors by the Deputy Governor, Sir Herbert 
 Maddock, who requested the Court's attention to the preceding orders 
 as containing an exposition of his views on the subject of forest 
 management. At the same time Sir Herbert, adverting to the opinion 
 expressed by the Court in their Despatch of November 1842, (see 
 paragraph 83 of this Summary,) wrote as follows : 
 
 " I have endeavoured to carry them out, so far as I feel myself authorized to do so 
 by expressing my readiness to grant leases of forest lauds for a term of 99 years 
 
( 150 ) 
 
 subject to no conditions except those of payment of revenue at the established rates 
 of the province on all lands brought under cultivation, — payment of a duty, fixed with 
 reference to the size of the logs, on all timber brought down the river to Moulmein, 
 
 an( l confiscation of all timber below a certain size to be hereafter determined. 
 
 "7. But entertaining a strong opinion that, with reference especially to the slow 
 growth of the Teak tree, the creation of a permanent interest in favour of the grantees 
 is required for the due preservation of the forests, and that this paramount object cannot 
 be obtained by any other means, I beg earnestly to recommend that your Honourable 
 Court will give the local Government authority to sell the whole of the Teak forest 
 lands in tracts of convenient extent, and to convey to the purchasers a complete title* 
 subject only to the conditions expressed in the preceding paragraph." 
 
 107. The Court of Directors replied on the 20th October following, 
 1847 ; they approved of the orders of Government for the restoration 
 of the grants which had been resumed by Captain Guthrie, but did 
 not agree with Sir H. Maddock in his opinion on the subject of the 
 term of the leases, and prohibited " any fresh grants to be made until 
 an extent of woodland, conveniently situated, and sufficient to supply 
 the timber required for the public Service, has been selected and 
 placed under the management of Government officers." On these 
 subjects the Court wrote as follows : — 
 
 " 6. We are aware that you do not appear to admit the necessity for this precaution, 
 and you observe that * the Government interests will be best served by attracting 
 private capital and enterprise to work the forests and trusting for Government supplies 
 to the market,' but we do not concur in this opinion. It is quite possible that not 
 only leaseholders for 99 years, but even leaseholders in perpetuity may not think it 
 worth while to form plantations which must remain for eighty years without yielding 
 anv returns of value, and that after felling the timber on their estates, they may leave 
 them waste or bring them under the plough. The latter course would no doubt be 
 productive of much advantage, both public and private, but it might be pursued too 
 far and in any such case a stipulation should be introduced into the leases providing 
 for the payment of the ordinary assessment on lands brought into cultivation. It is 
 absolutely indispensable that a certain extent of forest land should be preserved for the 
 supply of timber, and that the valuable resources existing in the Tenasserim Provinces 
 should not be exhausted through a repetition of the neglect which has proved so ruinous 
 to those of Malabar. For these reasons ' Government,' as we observed in our Despatch 
 of the 30th November 1842, ' should reserve to itself a resource independent of the 
 public market' ; and we must consequently repeat the injunction made in the same 
 Despatch, ' that before any further grants are made, some forests sufficiently extensive 
 be selected and placed under proper management, so as to afford a constant supply 
 of timber, both of Teak and of other useful kinds indigenous in the country, for the 
 wants of the Bengal Government as well as of the Royal Navy.' " 
 
( 151 ) 
 
 108. Captain Guthrie was succeeded in the appointment of Super- 
 intendent of forests, which was then made a separate and independent 
 office, by Captain T. Latter, who shortly after visited the forests, and in 
 May 1848 made a long report on them. A part of this report was 
 printed by order of Mr. J. R. Colvin, the successor of Captain Durand 
 as Commissioner. The object in printing a part of Captain Latter's 
 report was " for the purpose of eliciting remarks from persons 
 acquainted with the subject; more especially in reference to the views 
 advanced on the mode of the self-propagation of the Teak plant." 
 The following extracts from the report will afford valuable information 
 on the forests, and show Captain Latter's views : — 
 
 « 
 
 6. The region occupied by the Thoung-yeen forests consists of an elevated valley, 
 (about 800 feet higher than the Moulmain plains,) having the Daunat range on the 
 West, and the range called the Toungnyo on the East. These two ranges, slightly 
 treuding towards one another, meet, and form a sort of ' cul de sac,' at the bottom 
 of which rises, and through the whole length of which, in a North- Westerly direction 
 flows, the Thoung-yeen river. It runs parallel to the Daunat range, which sinks 
 gradually into the plains to admit of its junction with the Salween river. The 
 Toungnyo range, as far as I could learn, runs due N., proceeding into regions unreach- 
 ed by our geography. I should estimate the whole length of this valley to be about 
 250 miles ; its width, an average of 25 to 30. The Thoung-yeen, keeping somewhat 
 closer to the Daunat range than to the Toungnyo, divides the valley into two long 
 strips. The one on the left or Western bank, being held as British, may average about 
 12 miles in width ; the other, or Shan, about 15 or 18. 
 
 " 7. This valley is happily and conveniently divided into three parts by two 
 mountain spurs, the Southernmost being called the Kyokhet or ' Rocks of Difficulty,' 
 the northernmost Kamokla, or ' The Ruler's Rock,' from a Talayen prince and his 
 suite having been wrecked and drowned there. Thus the valley may be considered as 
 consisting of three portions. The highest and Southernmost, from the sources of the 
 Thoung-yeen to the Kyokhet spur, may be called the Upper Thoung-yeen. The next, 
 and largest portion between Kyokhet and Kamokla, may be called the Central 
 Thoung-yeen, and from Kamokla downwards, the Lower Thoung-yeen. 
 
 " 8. Both the bounding ranges of Daunat and Toungnyo, together with their spurs, 
 consist of mountain limestone, presenting all the grey and grotesque appearances and 
 cavernous issues of sudden waters (many at a high temperature) so characteristic of 
 that rock. Their highest portions again are of granite, but of a composition in which 
 the feldspar greatly predominates, the quartz and mica being in very subordinate 
 quantities. It is for this reason the weathered peaks get very rapidly disintegrated, 
 the feldspar rapidly decomposing into Kaolin clay; the fracture of such points 
 presents the dead even appearance of a clay rock, rather than the sharp and angular 
 
 edges of true granite. 
 
 U 
 
( 152 ) 
 
 " 9. It is from the disintegrated feldspar of these weathered peaks that were proba- 
 bly, in a great measure, once supplied the deposits of stiff clay, which we find playing 
 so important a part in the economy of the Thoung-yeen forests. These ranges are also 
 said to be metalliferous. 
 
 " 10. Though the two narrow strips into which the valley of the Thoung-yeen is 
 divided by the river, belong to the same region of land, yet .in their minor features 
 they present a curious difference of physical aspect. The first thing that drew my 
 attention was the circumstance that in proceeding down the Thoung-yeen, whilst the 
 British bank presented an innumerable succession of small streams and rivulets, most 
 of them dry in the cold weather, the Shan side showed few or none of such, the mouths 
 of large streams only presenting themselves, and in most cases these were dry ; 
 whereas the only large stream of equal size on the British side (the Meplai) was full 
 of water. This is caused by the fact that whilst the central portion of the British 
 forest strip consists of a considerably raised plateau or ridge, the corresponding portion 
 of the Shan side is depressed; thus all the water on that side is shed inwards into the 
 depressed central portion, and when the level of this water gets above the mouth of 
 the evacuating streams, the water flows into the Thoung-yeen, when however it is 
 lower, this central region forms marshy rice land ; whereas on the British side, the 
 central portion being raised, (as is well shown by an inspection of the map of the 
 Central Thoung-yeen,) there is one mass of water shed directly into the Thoung-yeen, 
 another towards the Daunat range, which, with the drainage of those hills, forms the 
 Mekenai Kyoung, the Laumat Kyoung, the Meplai Kyoung, running north and south, 
 till they meet and proceed in one channel eastward into the Thoung-yeen, under 
 the common name of Meplai River. 
 
 "11. This difference in the physical geography of the two tracts affects their respec- 
 tive forests in a remarkable manner ; for as on the Shan side the forests only occupy 
 the more elevated banks of the river and the region along the base of the Toungnyo 
 hills, there is left the low central portion for rice land, by which (though unadapted 
 for Teak) a considerable population may be supported without trenching on the forests ; 
 and there exists consequently a great deal of lay, ' wet' or permanent cultivation, 
 there. Whereas an opposite state of things existing on the British side, and there 
 being no large central tract adapted for permanent cultivation, (but only a raised plateau 
 on which Teak will not grow,) the small number of inhabitants it can support are 
 obliged to clear tracts of forest for the purpose of raising their crops of grain. Their 
 cultivation, though on a plain, is therefore called toungya, ' hill, or shifting 
 cultivation.'* It will be shown that these continued and continuous clearances of 
 forest-ground have a very disturbing effect on the forest vegetation. 
 
 * " Before the occupation of these Provinces by the Burmese, the valley of the Thoung'-yeen 
 was divided into four counties or jurisdictions, extending" from the Daunat to the Toungnyo 
 rang-e, and supported a considerable Talayen population. The chief cities, the ruins of which 
 may still be traced, were Meeramaddi, Dongnreey (now Winsaw,) Donggryeen (now Eklaik,) 
 and Dong-Thoung-yeen. These were all situated on the now British bank of the Thoung-yeen, 
 whilst their rice cultivation lay on the other side of the river, now possessed by the Shan, 
 subject to Siam." T. L. 
 
( 153 ) 
 
 " 12. A thorough appreciation of these forests cannot be given without a few remarks 
 on their geological structure. The features of these are simple, but striking. 
 
 " 13. The great underlying rock is most probably the mountain limestone, of which 
 the Daunat and Toungnyo hills are composed ; but in the valley itself this nowhere 
 obtrudes itself to view. We find there the lowermost rock to be a compact sandstone, 
 the upper portion consisting of a concrete of small rolled pebbles imbedded in a 
 siliceous matrix. On this reposes a deposit of large rolled pebbles, the depth of the 
 bed varying from 8 to 14 feet. On this again, and of about the same thickness, is a 
 bed of stiff pure clay, supporting a layer of humus, or soil proper, of from a few 
 inches to a foot in thickness. 
 
 (Figure 1 on the Map.) 
 
 " These strata are generally quite horizontal, except in the upper Thoung-yeen, where 
 the sandstone has a dip of about 35 degrees. 
 
 " 14. It will be observed that the newest deposit of the above is the stiff clay. It 
 is this rock that the Teak tree affects most particularly, and in proportion to its 
 presence and thickness is the abundant growth of the tree.* The superficial deposit 
 of humus, or soil proper, composed of the decay of vegetable matter, is not favor- 
 able to forest vegetation. It is evident, therefore, that whatever local causes af- 
 fect the presence or distribution of these two beds, have a corresponding effect upon 
 the nature of the vegetation that clothes them. One great disturbing cause is the 
 washings or removals of surface caused by the heavy tropical rains. In a long sweep 
 of country such as the Thoung-yeen forests there are undulations and depressions of 
 surface : into the lowest of these the superficial soil is washed, is retained, and 
 accumulates ; and we find one sort of vegetation ; in places of an intermediate 
 depression, where the influence of the soil predominates, but is yet mixed with a large 
 quantity of clay, we find a second kind of vegetation ; till coming to the pure unmiti- 
 gated clay itself, we find the forest reigning in all its grandeur. 
 
 " 15. We find these three stages of vegetation peculiarly marked. First comes the 
 real forest, free from underwood, with its stately avenues and unbrageous tree shading 
 its dank and unripened bosom from the genial influences of the sun. Next and 
 intermediate are found growths of smaller, and as it were, more orchard-looking trees, 
 such as the papaya, the wild sloe, and many wild fruit trees, as also the coarse tall 
 
 * " This is the general rule ; there may be occasional exceptions which however will be found 
 due to local peculiarities : — A stunted Teak, for instance, is sometimes found on the very summit 
 of perpendicular cliffs many hundred feet in height, as also on the precipitous sides of a hill ; 
 but then these are always composed of limestone, which, from its tendency to abound with 
 cavities and irregular shelvings, enables clay and moisture to lodge. Ag - ain Teak is very often 
 found abundant on low hills, but these hills will be found composed almost entirely of clay, as 
 may be shown by the circumstance of elephants sinking deeply into the ground in mounting 
 over them during the rains, as also from the excessive slipperiness of the soil. — All these mark a 
 Teak soil. Whereas the portions occupied by Fir and Eugben are not at all softened by the 
 heaviest rains, and receive no impression from the weightiest tread. " T. L." 
 
( 154 ) 
 
 tiger-grass, the scrub bamboo, &c. &c. The soil here, more accessible to the ripening 
 effects of the atmosphere, has progressed a stage towards maturity. Last we find 
 occasional sweeps of soft Savannah grass, the presence of which is a sure sign that the 
 soil has fulfilled the full circle of its obligations towards the production of a cereal 
 crop. Where such tracts sufficiently abound they are used for laydau, the ' wet' 
 or permanent forest cultivation. It will be perceived that the forests depositing an 
 endless succession of decaying vegetable matter, (which accumulates and forms 
 humus, or soil proper,) would, as it were, ultimately cause itself gradually to 
 disappear, were it not that the disturbing and removing causes above alluded to put 
 off this catastrophe to an almost indefinite period. I consider these remarks of im- 
 portance, as they should be borne in mind in the selection of localities for artificial 
 nurseries. It also explains the reason why teak is found to be the most abundant in 
 the vicinity of streams. It is a very great mistake to infer from that circumstance that 
 the Teak tree affects a damp soil ; it is, on the contrary, a peculiarly dry and arid 
 looking plant. Any attempt at planting it along the low banks of plashy streams 
 would meet with failure. 
 
 " 16. Although the process which I have described above is that of nature, yet it 
 can be hastened by the hand of man. By far the greatest cause of the destruction 
 and disappearance of the Teak tree is the cutting down and clearing the forest for the 
 purpose of cultivation, or toungyas. Although all the individual Teak trees may be 
 left standing, (as they generally are,) yet the soil having been once exposed to the 
 influences of the sun and atmosphere, the vegetation that re-appears is never of the 
 original or forest kind, but of the intermediate or second stage. All the forests in the 
 Lower Thoung-yeen, from the Northern flank of the Kamokla spur downwards, are 
 gradually disappearing on this account. I have passed for days through these 
 deserted toungyas, deserted long before the memory of man, and have never seen 
 them reverting to their original type ; not but what in the lapse of ages, the words 
 of the Latin poet might not be applied to them, — 
 
 ' Magnus ab integTo soeclorum nascitur ordo.' 
 
 " 1 7- In illustration of the above, I will here submit for your inspection a section of 
 the forest, from the Thoung-yeen river to the Daunat range. 
 
 (Figure 2 on the Map.) 
 
 " The section is that of the tract, about 3 miles south of the Meplai, running due 
 East and West, and at right angles to the course of the Thoung-yeen river, where the 
 characteristics which I have endeavored to insist upon are the most marked. This 
 section shows very prominently the raised central sandstone plateau alluded to in 
 para. 10 as inimical to the presence of Teak, simply because the clay has been washed 
 off of it to the lower and more level land near the rivers. It is on this spot that are 
 found the Fir and Engben trees. This last is a tall straight tree, something like Teak, 
 with a white, light, stiff wood, and from what was said by a nautical person who was 
 for a short time in company with me, appears well adapted for spars and masts. In 
 the districts immediately above and below the Meplai district, to which the above section 
 refers, this central plateau is confurniably represented by a range of minor but preci- 
 
( 155 ) 
 
 pitous hills, running more or less parallel to the Thoung-yeen river and the Daunat 
 mountains. 
 
 " 18. But if instead of taking a vertical section of the forests in their hreadth, as 
 above, we take one in their length we find the identically same peculiarities, though 
 on a smaller scale. For instance, the one below is a section running N. and S. 
 parallel to the course of the Thoung-yeen river, of the tract of country called Thiepau's, 
 south of the Kamokla spur, and north of the Meplai. I have chosen it, because it 
 abounds in a greater number of little streams. 
 
 (Figure 3 on the Map.) 
 
 " A, — Raised plateau of sandstone, without Teak, also not elevated enough for Fir, 
 but covered with Engben. 
 
 " B, — Clay (resting on the bed of rolled pebbles), washed to the vicinity of the 
 streams, and covered with Teak. 
 
 1, Maupoothoo Kyoung, (stream.) 
 
 2, Thiekara ditto ditto. 
 
 3, Thengan ditto ditto. 
 
 4, Engyeen ditto ditto. 
 
 " It is thus evident that if a person were walking over such an extent of country, he 
 would find himself in a forest of Engben trees, then he would fall in with Teak, and 
 would know from its presence that he was in the vicinity of a stream, crossing which 
 he would again find Teak ; then he would get among Engben trees again, and so on. 
 
 " 19. A superficial observer, therefore, thinks that this connexion between Teak and 
 streams is on account of the presence of water, and that the plant affects a damp soil ; 
 whereas such is not the case, — the reason being, that in those localities the stiff clay 
 has been washed down and is enabled to lodge. 
 
 " 20. Having thus, at some length, given a description of the physical aspect and 
 geological structure of the Thoung-yeen forests, before proceeding to the next portion 
 of my subject, I will make one remark, to which I shall have to refer hereafter, and 
 that is, that when the clay, the presence of which is so necessary to the existence of 
 Teak, is largely mixed with lime, the compound thus formed being the most favorable 
 for the development of vegetation, we find in those districts through which the lime- 
 stone spurs of Kamokla and Kyokhet have obtruded themselves, (the disruption of 
 strata so created having caused their lime to mix with the clay), that the Teak, 
 although perhaps not quite so numerous, is yet individually of a far more magnificent 
 and universally vigorous growth, some bemg full 18 cubits in girth. There are also 
 very few, if any, trees of imperfect development. 
 
 " 21. Having thus mentioned the kind of soil on which Teak grows, I will proceed to 
 make a few remarks on the nature of its growth and the mode of its propagation. 
 Teak is never found in a forest entirely composed of individuals of its own kind, but 
 in company with numerous other forest trees, all requiring the same contingencies of 
 soil and circumstance, aud having the same peculiarities of growth. Sometimes a 
 patch of 30 or 40 young Teak trees may be seen without almost any intermixture of 
 other trees ; but this is only in particular cases, round some tree which is shedding its 
 
( 156 ) 
 
 seed. Teak may be said to be very numerous, wben it averages one in eigbt of tbe 
 trees of the forest. It is thus evident that all the Teak in a tract may be cleared away 
 without in any way altering the forest aspect of the remaining vegetation.* The in- 
 dividuals of other families that remain still enable the ground to keep up its original 
 tvpe. Therefore if young Teak were planted on such spots, all the contingencies 
 would exist necessary for their progress to maturity ; whereas if the ground had been 
 thoroughly cleared, as in the case of toungyas, the soil, having become altered, could 
 only afford the requisites for a totally different species of vegetation. 
 
 " 22. The grand mode by which Teak propagates itself is by seed. I have never seen 
 a single case of a sapling shooting from the root ; and in the Thoung-yeen only in a 
 few cases where the soil was adapted for a vigorous vegetation, have I seen the stump 
 that had been left of a felled trunk sending up shoots. The first spot on which I saw 
 young Teak in any abundance was half a day's march beyond the Meplai village; and 
 after a careful examination of the locality, I found that they were evidently from 
 the seeds of some partially decayed trees which had been left standing ; and in every 
 other case in which I met with young Teak, I found that their presence could only be 
 attributed to a similar cause. This is a very singular fact, but it is almost more sin- 
 gular how it explains many points, which appeared so difficult of solution, in reference 
 to the self-propagation of Teak. It is a remarkable circumstance that whenever I 
 found a great number of fine vigorous and sound full-grown Teak trees, I never saw 
 any seedlings near them. But where these fine sound trees had been cleared away, 
 and here and there some old or deformed trees, or trees decaying from being covered 
 by creepers, or with the large holes in them, &c. &c, existed, I found them accom- 
 panied by vast numbers of seedlings. It would thus appear that with the mature trees 
 injured in their growth, or trees progressing to palpable decrepitude, the vegetative 
 force of nature not being called away to the formation of woody structure, or to the 
 support of a large mass of substance, is directed to the effectual development of the 
 seed. So striking is this fact, that one might almost think the plant gifted with 
 volition, and that, conscious of decay, it hastened ere it disappeared to shed its repre- 
 sentatives around it. I do not mean by this to say that a Teak tree in its prime does 
 not produce seeds ; on the contrary, it does so in abundance, but they never come to 
 anything until the individual shall have reached the decadence of such prime. 
 
 M 23. This is the reason why that in tracts where Teak abounds, you always find it 
 very nearly of the same size and age, either all full-grown or half-grown, or seedlings ; 
 still they are always palpably of the same generation. Not as with mankind, where 
 
 * " This observation is worthy of remark, as it shows that if young Teak do not reappear in the 
 same localities from which wood-cutters have worked out the original Teak, it is not because the 
 ground or soil is altered : in such spots, viz., forests where the Teak tree only has been cleared 
 away and all the other forest trees left, the place of the removed Teak is, after some time, 
 supplied by forest trees of the same kind as those that were allowed to remain. The second 
 stage of vegetation described in para. 15, and which may be styled forest jung-le, in contradistinc- 
 tion to forest trees, only makes its appearance (except were g-rowing naturally) on spots where 
 wholesale clearances have been made of all the trees of the forests. " T. L." 
 
( I® ) 
 
 we find in every society a due admixture of old age, youth, and childhood.* Except 
 that in the case of very young seedlings, there may be a few rapidly disappearing in- 
 dividuals of a former generation left. If my view then is correct, and we take a forest 
 of fine trees, the process would be this. Nature would first rear a forest of trees ; 
 they would grow up side by side, all nearly of the same size and age ; when they had 
 fulfilled the obligations of their growth, and were nearly all about the same time 
 hastening to decay, they would simultaneously, before they disappeared, scatter their 
 young around them. A new forest would thus rise, with individuals of nearly all the 
 same size, to go through the same process. If, however, such a forest in its full prime 
 were worked, the forester would hasten to kill every tree at once, and thus most 
 effectually prevent the Teak re-appearing.f If, however, there happened providentially 
 
 * " It is not to be doubted that there may be found occasional exceptions ; but these, if any- 
 thing-, would rather tend to confirm the rule. The first years of the existence of the Teak plant 
 appear to he occupied in attaining- height. Thus a very few years' difference in the ag- e of two 
 seedling-s, offspring's of the same tree, makes an extraordinary difference in their appearance ■ 
 and the elder, of some 15 years of ag-e, would appear not of the same g-eneration as theyouno-er 
 of but a month's date. In the lapse of years, however, this disparity disappears and the full- 
 g-rown Teak tree, of 185 years of age, would equal in size and appearance one of 200 years. An 
 illustration of this is shown in the case of a patch of very numerous young- Teak, about half an 
 hour's march from the bank of the river in the march from Khyouk-pouh Tsaka>ltotheT\\o\mo•- 
 yeen. Here some half-dozen older trees have been shedding- their seed for the last 15 years or 
 so, and they are surrounded by seedling's varying- in heig'ht from 1 foot to 20 and more. 
 These last have almost the appearance of young- Teak, in contradistinction to seedling-s, and an 
 instance at first sig-ht appears of an admixture of ' old ag-e, youth, and childhood,' in reference 
 to Teak. But on examination it will be shown that none of these apparently young Teak have 
 the marks of seed capsules, whereas the old ones are covered with them ; thus showing- that the 
 seedling-s could not have been the produce of the young- Teak raised with them. Ag-ain, at times 
 very young- seedling-s may be found without any old tree near them : in such cases the parent 
 tree has fallen down, and g'ot destroyed or otherwise disappeared, letting* alone the many ways 
 iu which seeds may be conveyed by storms of wind, by birds, and even in the roug'h fur of 
 animals, &c. It is probable that the remarks in the text with reference to Teak are just as 
 applicable to all forests in a state of nature. Anyone who has seen either the forests in the 
 Korth of France, or Southern Germany, or even forest-plantations in England and Scotland 
 must be aware that when standing* in the middle of a g-iven space which the eye can contain 
 all the trees are nearly of the same size, and thus he can see a considerable distance between the 
 stems of the trees ; whereas if these trees were accompanied by swarms of seedlings of varvin°- 
 height, the line of vision would be perfectly obstructed." 
 
 t "Asa corroborative illustration of this point, the following extract is appended from an 
 article entitled, ' Teak forests and timber trade of the Tenasserim Provinces,' from the Maulmein 
 Chronicle of the 23rd December 1846 : — 
 
 ' It has been remarked that where Teak forests have been worked out by the wood-cutters 
 that no young trees have risen up in the same forests to fill up and supply the places of the 
 parent tree, but that forest trees of a different description invariably spring up and occupy the 
 ground from which Teak trees have been taken away. This curious fact is well known to the 
 Karens and Burmese wood-cutters, and has no doubt been noticed by many European observers 
 before. The reason that might be given for this is, that the ground has exhausted its strength 
 
( 158 ) 
 
 to be some imperfect or malformed trees or crooked in shape, or otherwise so injured 
 as not to be worth bringing away, these would remain to form centres of propagation, 
 and the forest would revive. This is the reason why Teak seedlings are so abundant 
 in the Middle and Upper Thoung-yeen ; whereas on the flanks of the Kamokla and 
 Kyokhet spurs, as also on the Attaran, they are not to be found, except in 
 very rare instances. From the great admixture of lime in the soil of these last- 
 mentioned districts, the vegetation is so powerful and vigorous as scarcely to admit 
 of imperfectly grown trees, (in other words, centres of reproduction), — they, being all 
 in their full prime, are being killed, and are rapidly disappearing without leaving any 
 representatives behind them. 
 
 " 24. In the Middle and Upper Thoung-yeen, the greatest enemy to the Teak tree 
 is a species of parasitical Ficus. It is curious to see the process by which this plant 
 entirely destroys a tree. At first, under the guise of a slender and graceful creeper, 
 scarce the thickness of a finger, it appears only to appeal for support. In its second 
 sta"e it \nay be seen spreading out the woody structure of its stem and shooting its 
 li"ht foliage far above the original tree, yet appearing, however, to vegetate with it, 
 as it were, on equal terms. Till last comes the closing scene ; the parasite has entirely 
 enveloped the original tree in its deadly folds, and absorbing all the juices of its life, 
 nothing remains but the projected stump of some withered arm to show that any 
 other plant had once been there. Yet, this parasite appears never to attack trees of a 
 perfectly vigorous and healthy growth ; and thus it is that I have never seen a single 
 instance of its presence in the forests of the Attaran, or of Kamokla and Kyokhet. 
 
 in bringing forth and rearing to maturity the vast forest of trees that cover the face of the 
 country and is not in a state to support and nourish another generation of young trees. Young 
 Teak are, notwithstanding the above remarks, very plentiful, springing up spontaneously in new 
 localities. They are scattered about in many places, the young plants choosing as it were new 
 spots and tracts where no old trees exist. Whenever the soil is congenial to their growth they 
 thrive well, and do not require assistance ; unassisted nature alone takes the task of rearing Teak 
 trees for future supplies, and will do so more efficiently than by any artificial nurseries that may 
 be made by man. From the number of young Teak trees found growing scattered in every 
 direction, there is no reason to apprehend a want of Teak for the future, although it is by no 
 means improbable that before the young trees attain a mature age and are fit for cutting, the 
 Teak trees worth felling will be exhausted.' 
 
 " With reference to the above extract it is very evident, from its own showing, that the reason 
 why young Teak do not appear in localities ' where Teak forests have been worked out by the 
 wood cutters,' cannot be because the ground has been exhausted of its capabilities of again rear- 
 ing a forest type of vegetation, seeing that it is immediately said ' that forest trees of a different 
 description invariably spring up and occupy the ground from which Teak trees have been taken 
 away.' Again, the circumstance of young Teak being found generally all of the same size, and 
 not mixed up with mature trees, is noticed. But if by their springing up spontaneously it is 
 meant that the soil produces them by any creative energy it may have in itself, or in other words, 
 by equivocal generation, and that they are not the produce of the seeds of some parent trees, it 
 is to be feared that modern botany would scarcely concede to ' unassisted nature' the possession 
 of so strange a power. " T. L.' 
 
( 159 ) 
 
 " 25. I have but a few remarks to make on the Attaran forests. The only tract in 
 that part which I was enabled to visit were the forests on the Zimme branch of the 
 Attaran, — having been disabled by illness from proceeding to the Weinyo. 
 
 *' 26. The forests in the Attaran river are not like those on the Thoung-yeen, situated 
 on an elevated plain, — the whole extent of country being on the same level as the plains 
 of Moulmein. I found, however, the same kind of soil obtaining as on the Thoung- 
 yeen ; namely, clay resting on compact sandstone, but the bed of rolled pebbles and 
 concrete was absent. The under-lying sandstone likewise, instead of occupying the 
 promineut part it did in the Thoung-yeen forests, even altering the nature of the 
 superincumbent vegetation, was very subordinate, and would in a great measure escape 
 the notice of a casual observer. The Attaran plains are intersected by several ranges 
 of hills ; the most easternmost, being one called the Thoung Wyn, separates the forests 
 on the Zimme from those called the Upper Mittigate. Between the Zimme and the 
 Weinyo, again, is another range of hills bearing various detached names ; and to the 
 west of the Weinyo is a third range intervening between it and the sea. All these 
 three ranges are composed of limestone ; they are somewhat low, but very precipitous, 
 and their peculiarity is that they do not consist of continuous ranges, but of small 
 detached ones, all running N. and S., and occupying different positions in the plain, 
 and at varying distances from the streams. The consequence is, that the original 
 clay has been much mixed with their lime, and the soil is of the same marly nature as 
 the forest tracts on the flanks of the Kamokla and Kyokhet spurs. The vegetatiou 
 likewise is exceedingly vigorous ; the underwood in many places impassable. The 
 Attaran Teak is therefore much more rapid in its growth, attaining a larger size in a 
 shorter time, and is altogether of a far more compact and sound substance. On 
 account of this propitiousness of soil, and consequent vigour of vegetation, it happens 
 that scarcely any imperfect or malformed trees, or trees decaying in their growth, or 
 (as I have before shown) in other words, centres of propagation, are to be met with, 
 and ergo, no seedlings. This absence of seedlings is a characteristic mark of the 
 Attaran forests. 
 
 " 27. The only way in which reproduction could take place in the Attaran forests 
 would be by leaving a few trees scattered over an extent of country, to grow old, die 
 away, and produce seedlings during the latter period of their existence ; but this is 
 prevented, for any tree that can possibly be a source of gain is cleared away. And 
 from the accessibility of these forests, their short distance from Moulmein, and the 
 navigation of the river offering no obstacles, any crooked or deformed trees which may 
 exist, and would have been left standing in the Thoung-yeen, as not worth the expense 
 of removal (and therefore ultimate sources of germination), are in the Attaran forests 
 cut for the purpose of supplying crooks for ship-building. Thus it is we are thrown 
 back to a former period, when these forests were allowed to go through the processes 
 of nature. The young Teak (in contradistinction to seedlings) which we do find on the 
 Attaran, are representatives of seeds that germinated some fifteen, twenty, or thirty 
 years ago, when the plant thrived unvexed by the presence of man. Another 
 pecidiarity is, that the force of vegetation being so powerful in the Attaran, stumps 
 of felled trees invariably throw out a number of sprouts, which after attaining to a 
 certain height, become very crooked, and thus afford a continued supply of crooks. 
 
 w 
 
( 160 ) 
 
 " 28. The Attaran Teak affects the banks of streams, not on account of any parti- 
 ality for water, but merely because there, as in all flat countries, the land immediately 
 bounding the stream is the highest. The land extending between two streams is like 
 a saucer, lowest in the centre ; and however adapted for rice cultivation, is invariably 
 shunned by Teak. 
 
 " 29. I have already alluded to two existing causes of injury to teak, first, the 
 formation of toungyas; second, a parasitical creeping Ficus. I never found one 
 instance of the last in the Attaran forests, as it would appear that this foe never 
 attacks any but plants of a less vigorous growth. The first likewise is very subordinate 
 in the Attaran. The Karen population is very scanty, (although there is going on a 
 steady immigration from the Siamese states.) But in any case the Attaran forest 
 districts could support a numerous population without in any way interfering with the 
 localities affected by the Teak plant. For as the whole extent of country is a plain, 
 intersected by an immense number of streams, and (as I have already remarked) the 
 central portion between two bounding streams is the lowest, there is to be found there 
 an accumulation of moisture and soil adapted for rice. 
 
 " 30. A third supposed cause of interference is the injury done to young plants by 
 allowing a tree when felled to fall of itself and not lowering it with ropes, &c. I think 
 that such causes of injury are so slight and local as not to be worth notice. Timber 
 is expressly and invariably dragged in the wet weather, when the surface is moist and 
 slippery, because it thus requires one tithe of the labor necessary in other seasons, 
 when the surface is rough and impeding. For the same reasons foresters, in dragging 
 a tree, go out of the way to get into a track formed by a preceding log, which has 
 smoothed the way before it." 
 
 109. The " fourth and last supposed source" of destruction to Teak 
 forests, Captain Latter says are the periodical fires which occur in the 
 month of April, when the vegetation is dry and parched up. Captain 
 Latter ascribes these fires generally to the natives, (who burn the 
 vegetation and felled trees for the purpose of clearing the ground for 
 cultivation,) and after describing the appearance and extent of the 
 fires, writes thus : — ■ 
 
 " 33. It should be remembered that though the fire may consume the stem of the 
 young plant, it does not consequently injure the root. It is surprising to what a small 
 depth of soil the heat of a very great conflagration is able to penetrate. Each succes- 
 sive destruction of the stem throws accumulating vigour into the root ; till at last, aid- 
 ed by the ashes of its former self, the plant is enabled, during the interval of visitation, 
 to shoot itself safe beyond the influence of the destroying element. This fact is 
 curiously shown by the circumstance that when a number of seedlings are found at the 
 foot of some parent tree, and the surrounding ground bears the palpable marks of the 
 last fire, the seedlings varying in height from 1 foot to 12, and even 15 feet, will be 
 found free from the slightest marks of fire. It is evident, therefore, that they must 
 have all sprung from the ground at the same time since the last fire ; although, from 
 their varying heights and concentric wood rings, actually seedlings of different years. 
 Another illustration was in the case of two seedling trees in the Attaran, near the 
 
( 101 ) 
 
 Goonjee creek. They were both within nine feet of one another, near a solitary old 
 tree which was evidently their common parent; they were both nearly the same height 
 )f 15 feet. The ground and every object around bore the marks of the last confla- 
 gration, and the only difference was, that whilst the thickest and eldest was smirched 
 with smoke, the stem of the other was perfectly clean, showing that it had sprung up 
 after the last fire. Thus the elder had already successfully withstood the effects of the 
 last fire, whilst the younger, having since that date reached the same height, and 
 nearly the same substance, would probably be as victorious over the succeeding ones. 
 It should be remembered, that it is the long dry grass and crackling underwood which 
 supply the devouring element with life. Hurried on by the terrific draft itself creates, 
 the slightest pause would be fatal to its career. A tree full of sap and green vigour re- 
 quires a regular roasting before it will succumb ; with such the fire does little more 
 than flicker up the trunk, licking off the dry moss and unsightly parasite. It destroys 
 only those trees which have been felled and left lying on the ground : the effect of a 
 conflagration on such prone trees is most destructive. In the wide extent of forest I 
 have visited, I have never seen a single instance of a healthy and sound plant per- 
 manently injured by the fires. Again, if we take into consideration the fact that every 
 tree brought into the market is killed and allowed thoroughly to dry and season for 
 three years, and is in this state exposed, standing, to the attacks of three successive 
 conflagrations, and that few bear the slightest marks of fire ; it will be evident that the 
 destructive effects of annual fires have been much over-estimated. I cannot but think 
 therefore, that any money expended in the prevention of the attack of these fires will 
 be thrown away, — the more so, that taking into consideration how rapidly a dense 
 and stifling underwood springs up in this climate, it is probable that so summary an 
 admission of ventilation, just before the setting in of the rains, is highly beneficial to 
 
 the nobler plants of the forest. 
 
 ********* 
 
 " 79- I will now refer to the subject of nurseries or artificial sowings of seed. The 
 remarks which I have already hazarded, on the mode of the spontaneous reproduction 
 of the plant, will render this subject much more simple. 
 
 " 80. Self-sown seedlings being so abundant in the Thoung-yeen, there would be no 
 need of nurseries there, except perhaps on the flanks of the Kamokla spur. It is on 
 the Attaran, where the plant is rapidly disappearing, from the causes I have already 
 alluded to, that some artificial measures might be adopted. 
 
 " 81. I have at some considerable length dilated upon the circumstance of the seed 
 of a still growing vigorous Teak tree not germinating. I do not mean to say but what 
 there may not be some rare exceptions ; but the broad fact, I feel assured, will only be 
 confirmed by further examination. It may be said, that perhaps the reason of seeds 
 not germinating in the presence of vigorously growing plants, is not so much from 
 want of germinating power in themselves, as from the ground, already taxed to the 
 uttermost for the support of one giant brood, refusing to exhaust itself by attempting 
 to rear another. To this however I cannot agree, as I have seen many instances of 
 vigorous young plants, rarely scattered here and there, from 15 to 20 years old, 
 covered with the empty capsules of fallen seeds, and yet having no seedlings around 
 them. The only modification of my opinion which I could concede, is that in favor- 
 
( 162 ) 
 
 able circumstances, where the Teak has been pretty well cleared away, those vigorous 
 young plants which are left may produce, by the kindly force of nature, germinating 
 seeds, sooner than they would have done had they been in a crowded company. 
 
 " 82. It is well known that every attempt at artificial sowings have proved a failure. 
 I will endeavour to point out what I consider the reason, viz., that instead of imitating 
 nature, her processes have been strangely violated. 
 
 " 83. One locality was selected for planting seeds, because from the number and 
 magnificence of the Teak trees on it the ground was argued to be peculiarly favorable 
 to the plant. What I have already pointed out, {viz. the fact of seedlings not being 
 found in the immediate presence of vigorous trees,) will show that this was just the 
 very reason why it ought to have been shunned. Again, on the next and last occasion, 
 a space of ground was cleared and kept clear, long ridges were thrown up on which 
 seeds were planted in drills and rows, and were expected, like the teeth of the dragon 
 in mythology, to start up in files and platoons. Here again the feelings of nature were 
 violated ; the access of the sun and the impingement of the rain altered the nature of 
 the soil, and robbed it of its capabilities of raising a forest type of vegetation. 
 
 " 84. I would, therefore, recommend that in the case of artificial sowings the process 
 of nature be imitated as much as possible. I would select a locality, in every respect 
 preserving its forest type, on which there was little or no Teak, but which had once 
 been a notoriosuly favorite locality of the plant. I would then proceed to sow the seed 
 with spargent hand, without any regard to regularity and system or arrangement. 
 And although, perhaps, I would not have sufficient presumption to imitate nature in 
 her higher combinations, and set fire to the seedling in order to see it rise again, as if 
 refreshed with sleep, yet I would leave it entirely to the varying vicissitudes of its fate, 
 and try if by that means I could not see a vigorous healthy brood arise, instead of one 
 single sickly solitary exotic ; — for it should not be forgotten, that out of the many 
 hundreds of thousands of seeds planted by Government, one only has come up. 
 
 " 85. With reference to the proper time of killing or girdling the Teak trees, I must 
 
 mention that the Karens declare that they ought to be killed in September, just as 
 
 they are getting into full flower. They say that then the tree dies sooner, the bark 
 
 comes off easier, and it seasons quicker. On this point I can form no opinion, as I 
 
 think it ought specially to be referred to a scientific botanist " whether the girdling a 
 
 tree in full flower is detrimental to the wood." 
 
 * * ******* 
 
 110. It may be observed here that many of Captain Latter's 
 opinions have been impugned, and his views of the mode of propagation 
 of the Teak plant have been pronounced to be erroneous. 
 
 111. It has beenstated in para. 108 that Captain Durand's successor, 
 as Commissioner of the Tenasserim Provinces, was Mr. J. R. Colvin. 
 This gentleman assumed charge of the office of Commissioner on the 
 29th December 1816, immediately gave his attention to the important 
 subject of forest management, and on the 28th October 1817 submitted to 
 Government an elaborate report " on the general question of the course 
 
( 163 ) 
 
 to be followed in regard to the Teak forests." It was sent in reply to the 
 letter, (quoted in para. 102,) which had been addressed by Government 
 to Captain Durand on the 7th September 1846, and contains, together 
 with much valuable information regarding the forests, a complete 
 exposition of Mr. Cohan's views and suggestions on forest administration. 
 
 112. The Teak forests of Tenasserim are described in Mr. Cohan's 
 report as being in two great divisions. One extends along the Attaran 
 rivers (the Zimme and Weinyo) in the South, and the other on the 
 Thoung-yeen river in the North. The superficial area of the former 
 was estimated at about 225 square miles, that of the latter at about 600 
 square miles ; but in either division only about the half of the estimated 
 area is supposed to have Teak growing on it. The timber from the 
 Attaran (or the Zimme and Weinyo) forests, was superior in grain and 
 durability, and averaged in size a quarter more than that from the 
 Thoung-yeen forests. There were only three unoccupied forests on the 
 Attaran, that is to say, only three forests for which no lehmats or licences 
 had been granted to individuals. These were the Upper Mittigate and 
 the Mittigate Codoogway on the Zimme river, and the Thengan-nyee 
 Nyoung, on the Weinyo river. Mr. Colvin proposed (in a separate 
 communication, which will be noticed hereafter) to grant the Mittigate 
 Codoogway forest to Messrs. J. Mackey and Co., who had applied for it, 
 as well as for the Upper Mittigate, and to retain the other two forests for 
 Government, as they were " well suited to be reserved for the purposes 
 of having a large growth of timber at command, Avhen a supply of such 
 timber may be required for the construction of the larger class of ships of 
 war." Of the other forests on the Attaran, which were occupied or held 
 under lehmats or licences by private parties, who also worked them, Mr. 
 Colvin proposed to grant long leases to those parties for their respective 
 locations, on such terms as Government might prescribe. But Mr. 
 Colvin strongly recommended the cession in perpetuity to the holders 
 of lehmats or licences of all locations which were occupied by them. 
 
 113. The general terms on which Mr. Colvin proposed to grant 
 leases for 99 years or in perpetuity were, that — 
 
 * * * "At the end of certain terms of years, say of 10 year terms, the grantee 
 should show that he has, within his limits, Teak seedlings growing up, say to the 
 extent of a third or a half of the whole number of trees which have been taken from the 
 forest on an average of the past 10 years. A restricted condition of this kind should 
 leave an ample reserve to the grantee for space occupied by more advanced trees 
 already naturally produced, and rising in the forests, (winch would of course deprive 
 
( 161 ) 
 
 him, pro tanto, of space for new plantations,) as well as for partial failures in hia 
 attempts to raise new plants. I would not mix up the Government officers in 
 plantations within the boundaries of private tenures. The grantee ought to be 
 distinctly responsible for his own failures, and to be allowed to aim at success in the 
 manner which he may think likely to be the least costly and the most effective. 
 
 " 19. The grant might include, as suggested in para. 35 of your letter, not only 
 Teak but all trees and products of the forests, with the reservation to Government of 
 the discretion to impose a duty, should it think fit, not exceeding 10 per cent, upon 
 such trees and produce, in like manner as on the produce of mines. 
 
 " 20. The grantees might either, as recommended in the letter of the Hon'ble 
 Court of Directors of 30th November 1842, be restrained by an express condition from 
 clearing the land from cultivation, or employing it otherwise than for plantations, or 
 if it is thought that the admission of absolute property within the limits above shown, 
 will be of little consequence in this uncleared territory of above 25,000 square miles in 
 extent, the property might be made complete and unconditional, subject, as referred to 
 in your letter, to a land-rent at the usual rate for any part of the land at any time 
 brought under cultivation. The objection to this last mode of procedure is, that the 
 land mio-ht lie useless in the hand of the grantee, as he would scarcely find his profit 
 in eno-atnnf to pay rent-rates for ordinary produce in those comparatively remote dis- 
 tricts. On the other hand, if the grant be made on the terms stated by the Hon'ble 
 Court, I would allow clearance to the extent of a tenth or some such proportion of the 
 area without forfeiture of the grant, so as to allow the grantee to give encouragement 
 to parties to settle near the places where the Teak grows, and to give useful assistance 
 in forest conservancy." 
 
 114. In granting leases or permanent tenures to the occupants of 
 forests on the Attaran, Mr. Colvin thought it would be advisable to 
 exclude " many of the Burmese holders of forest licences, who have not 
 the means or the character from which to look for a useful result, were 
 such a concession made to them." With this view, Mr. Colvin proposed 
 to " make it a condition of a permanent grant that not less than 200 
 logs shall have been brought down from the tract within some one of 
 the last three years." Forest-holders, who may be excluded by this 
 condition from claiming new leases, might be allowed to retain their 
 respective holdings, " but whenever as many as 50 logs shall not have 
 been brought down from the forest within a consecutive term of three 
 years, the tenure might then be absolutely resumed." Mr. Colvin 
 would leave the holders of the new leases unfettered in their mode of 
 bringing Teak to the market, by any conditions save some relating to 
 the size of the trees. These conditions he would enforce at the duty 
 station under the following rules : — 
 
 " 1st.— That the minimum girth of logs allowed to be prepared for 
 duty, be reduced from 6 to 5 feet. 
 
( 105 ) 
 
 " 2nd. — That the duty be fixed on the log, and not per ton, at the 
 rate of 3 rupees a log on all wood but that of the Attaran, and 4 rupees 
 per log on the Attaran wood. 
 
 " 3rd. — That below the standard of 5 feet girth, no timber be allowed 
 to pass beyond an allowance of 5 per cent, for branches of trees and 
 natural dwarf timber, &c, which proportion may be passed at half duty 
 along with any raft of full -sized timber. Under-sized wood in excess of 
 this proportion to a full sized raft should be confiscated." 
 
 115. The duty then existing was at the rate of only 5 per cent, on 
 the actual value of the timber, and referred to a percentage calculated 
 on the timber after adding to it the cost of conversion. But on the 
 rough log the duty ranged at from 10 per cent, upwards, " according 
 to what may be taken as the average value of the rough log," and this 
 Mr. Colvin considered the principle on which to levy the duty. 
 
 116. On the subject of the renovation of the Attaran forests, Mr. 
 Colvin concurred in the opinion of Captain Guthrie, which is quoted at 
 pages 142 and 143. He therefore proposed to select the Thengan-nyee 
 Nyoung forest on the Weinyo river for his first experiments, and with 
 that view applied for the services of a qualified person from the Calcutta 
 Botanical Gardens " to superintend the details of this experiment." 
 
 117. Regarding the management of the Thoung-yeen forests, where 
 there was a thinly scattered population of Karens, who were admitted 
 to possess certain undefined prescriptive claims on the trees, Mr. Colvin 
 wrote as follows : — 
 
 " 28. My own opinion in favour of leaving matters of this kind to private enterprise 
 is so strong, that notwithstanding even the special considerations applicable to forest 
 property to which I have before referred, I might have been disposed to have recom- 
 mended a survey, valuation, and sale of convenient divisions of forest on the Thoung- 
 yeen, if it had not been for the existence there of the Karen population, whose recog- 
 nized connexion with the forests, and rights in them, call for a suitable provision of 
 security, such as I fear cannot be given on any transfer in property to private pur- 
 chasers. I do not think that it is necessary or reasonable to allow, as of principle, to 
 the Karens, a complete and exclusive property in every tree which they kill and season, 
 but usage and expediency alike concur in assigning to them a beneficial interest in 
 every tree, and an assumed freedom also from molestation in moving about the forest, 
 and hence I see no medium between permitting the Karens to prepare the trees, for 
 an established payment, under Government superintendence, if the cost of such super- 
 intendence should not prove incommensurate, and allowing them to dispose of the 
 trees as they may themselves arrange, if the expense of supervision by the Govern- 
 ment should be found decidedly beyond any return which can be obtained by the dis- 
 posal, as on its account, of the trees in the forest." 
 
( 166 ) 
 
 118. Captain Latter having been ordered by Mr. Colvin to test the 
 system of working the Thoung-yeen forests under Government control, 
 divided the forest tracts into two portions. The first or lower portion 
 extended from the Eklaik Choung, or creek, in the North, to the Kunnoo 
 Choung in the South, and the second portion began at Kunnoo Choung 
 and extended Southwards to the Meglah or Megualar Choung. The 
 first portion, which was estimated to contain about 4,500 trees ready 
 for removal, was made over to Karens, who resided in that locality, and 
 " who came forward through their agent and offered to bring down the 
 trees for Government, receiving no advances or payment until the 
 arrival of the timber at Moulmein." Mr. Colvin assented to this 
 arrangement, in order not to withhold what he understood was almost 
 a necessary inducement to the Karens to bring timber down the river, 
 but he did not intend again " to treat them otherwise than as 
 purchasers on their own account." The second portion, from Kunnoo 
 Choung to the Meglah, was subdivided into five smaller portions, and 
 these were thrown open separately to public competition under the 
 following notification, which is here appended as an illustration of the 
 measures which were adopted under Mr. Colvin' s directions : — 
 
 " Notification. 
 
 " I. Tenders are invited for the purchase and bringing down in this season, of the 
 killed and seasoned and Nat-that Timber, in the tracts mentioned in the table annexed, 
 at a rate not less than one rupee for trees killed, seasoned, and standing ; of rupees 
 two and annas eight for trees felled and lopped ; and five rupees for trees dragged to a 
 water-way ; these rates being for full-sized trees ; and at not less than half of these 
 rates respectively for under-sized trees. Tenders for each tract to be separate, though 
 the same person may tender for one or more tracts. — Tenders to specify the rate 
 offei'ed for trees of each class, as above stated. 
 
 " 2. The killed and seasoned trees in the tracts referred to, according to the returns 
 in the office of the Superintendent of forests, are specified in the annexed table. 
 
 " 3. Should there be more killed and seasoned trees in any tract than those enume- 
 rated in the table, they may be taken on being pointed out by the forest Goung or the 
 peon of his establishment, one of whom will go up with each purchaser. For such 
 additional killed and seasoned trees, a payment will be required of one rupee for every 
 killed tree ; rupees two and annas eight for every tree felled and lopped ; and rupees 
 five for every tree dragged to a water-way, for full-sized trees ; and half payment 
 for under-sized trees, as above. Nut-that trees may be brought down without 
 any other specific payment than that included in the general terms of the tender for 
 purchase. 
 
( 167 ) 
 
 « 
 
 4. No tree, whether killed and seasoned or Nat-that, to be cut unless first 
 pointed out to and marked by the forest Goung or peon, as above, who may accom- 
 pany the purchaser ; and no tree, whether received standing or felled, to be removed 
 from the forest until so marked by the Goung or peon, with a mark to be given to him 
 for that purpose by the Superintendent of forests. For every killed and seasoned 
 tree cut or otherwise received, a receipt to be given to the Karen Tsokay of the 
 division. Any seasoned trees brought down to Kadoe in excess of the receipts so 
 given, will be liable to confiscation. 
 
 " 5. Payment of the sum tendered as purchase-money, to be completed by 1st July, 
 1848; but should any of the timber cut and brought from the tract included in the 
 tender and contract, be brought to Kadoe to be passed for duty before that date, a 
 value for such Timber, (or for so much of it as the Superintendent of forests, with 
 appeal to the Commissioner, may determine,) at a rate of Rs. 15 per ton for sound 
 timber, to be paid on account of the purchase-money, (in addition to the duty,) 
 before the timber can be passed ; and the same rule to be continued on the arrival of 
 each raft, till the whole amount of purchase-money has been paid, after which the duty 
 only on the timber will be required. 
 
 " 6. Should the amount of purchase-money not be paid in full by 1st July, 1848, 
 all timber belonging to the party tendering, whencesoever brought, to be liable to 
 seizure, at or above Kadoe, and to sale by order of the Superintendent of 
 forests, in satisfaction of the claim of Government on the contract. This not to bar 
 any right of civil action on the contract, or any lawful remedy whatever which the 
 Government may otherwise possess. All sales of timber, brought from the tract 
 comprised in the contract made before the timber has been passed at the Kadoe 
 station, to be invalid unless the purchase-money for working the Tract has been paid 
 up in full, and the Superintendent of forests to have the same right of seizing such 
 timber in that case in the hands of a third party, as in that of the party to the 
 contract. 
 
 " 7. Any timber not dragged to the water's edge before 1st January, 1848, to 
 remain in the forest as the property of Government. 
 
 •• 8. Special security may be demanded from any party tendering, at the discretion 
 of the Superintendent of forests, with an appeal to the Commissioner, and the party 
 to be similarly bound to show that he possesses, or has the means of acquiring, the 
 necessary number of elephants, &c, for working the tract for which he tenders. 
 
 " 9. With this reservation, the highest tender to be accepted. 
 
 " 10. All timber to be brought down to Kadoe at full lengths as cut. A penalty 
 for bringing down any short lengths, or for any wilful and serious damage, or waste to 
 other trees in cutting or bringing the seasoned timber from the Forest, or for cutting trees 
 otherwise than as above stated, or for removing the marks to be placed on the trees by 
 the Forest Goung or peon, to be included in finally settling the terms of each 
 contract. 
 
 " 11. Tenders to be sent in ten days, i. e. on or before 5 p. m. of Tuesday, June 
 22nd, to the Commissioner's Office, sealed. 
 
 X 
 
( 168 ) 
 
 Statement of the seasoned Teak Trees in the under -mentioned Districts on the Thoung-yeen River. 
 
 Name op 
 Djvision. 
 
 Name op 
 
 TSOKAY. 
 
 No. of Trees ready to be brought 
 down this season. 
 
 Felled. 
 
 Killed. 
 
 Under 
 6 feet 
 Girth. 
 
 Above 
 6 feet 
 Girth. 
 
 Under 
 feet 
 Girth. 
 
 Above 
 6 feet 
 Girth. 
 
 Total. 
 
 Texan ore, and ) 
 Mieraway, ... ] 
 
 Meplai, 
 
 Kyokhet, or 
 Meplai, to 
 Megualar 
 C ho ung, . 
 
 Megualar, 
 
 Gnathanyo,., 
 Phaganan, . 
 
 Gnathaaiba, 
 
 Paupopah, . 
 
 
 
 
 1099 
 
 784 
 
 1099 
 1902 
 
 459 
 
 141 
 
 518 
 
 
 
 559 
 14 
 
 867 
 239 
 
 1426 
 441 
 
 91 
 
 97 
 
 
 
 Grand ' 
 
 fotal, ... 
 
 4868 
 
 Of the 600 felled Trees ; 
 579 are dragged to the 
 Meplai Eiver, about half 
 way down to the Thoung- 
 yeen. 
 
 " N. B. — The Meplai lot of 1,902 trees will be open to tenders in two parts; viz., of 
 1,302 and of 600 trees each. It is possible that some of the Trees, above mentioned 
 as standing, may be found to have been since felled by the Karens, on purchasers now 
 going up to the forests. In that case, the fact must be noted in the receipt to be given 
 to the Karen Tsokay under article IV. of the Tender. 
 
 " The usual double duty will be charged on the under-sized Timber, which is in- 
 cluded in the contracts with the view of clearing the forests of all old dead wood." 
 
 119. For the five sub -divisions separately, Messrs. Booth and Deas 
 and five Natives contracted under written agreements, framed in 
 accordance with the terms of the preceding notification. Mr. Colvin 
 expected that the returns of this experiment would cover the expenses 
 which were incurred in properly conducting it, but he was doubtful 
 whether it would be profitable if tried on a more extensive scale, and 
 therefore recommended to Government that the question of the 
 Thoung-yeen forest management might " be left to be determined by 
 further experience." 
 
 120. On the 24th April 1848, Government replied to the foregoing 
 report. Mr. Colvin was furnished with a copy of the Despatch of the 
 Court of Directors dated 20th October 1847, quoted at paragraph 107 
 in page 150, and was informed that such of his measures and recom- 
 mendations as were in accordance with the views expressed by the 
 Court in that Despatch, were approved. The only proposition, therefore, 
 which was negatived, was that for ceding forest-holdings in perpetuity 
 
( 169 ) 
 
 to the existing occupants, who were to be allowed leases instead, while 
 the questions affecting the forests on the Thoung-yeen river were 
 allowed to lie over until experience had satisfied Mr. Colvin of the 
 advantage or otherwise of his experimental measure. A report was in 
 the meanwhile required on those forests, which it was suggested should 
 be reserved for Government in the same manner and for the same 
 purpose as the forests of the Attaran, and Mr. Colvin was desired to 
 communicate with Dr. Falconer, the Superintendent of the Botanical 
 Gardens, as to the sort of person best fitted for the proposed nursery in 
 the Thengan-nyee-Nyoung forest. 
 
 121. On the 21st June following, (1848,) Mr. Colvin acknowledged 
 the foregoing order of Government and of the Despatch of the Court of 
 Directors of 20th October 1847 which accompanied it, and again pressed 
 the reconsideration of the question of the tenure to be granted to the 
 holders of forest tracts on the Attaran river in the following remarks : — 
 
 " 2. The Despatch from the Hon'ble the Court of Directors, transmitted to me with 
 that letter, states two important objects as in their contemplation with reference to the 
 management of the Teak forests of these Provinces, — the one, that the tenure conceded 
 to occupants of particular tracts should be such ' as might interest them in keeping up 
 a succession of timber trees on their lands ;' and the next, that no fresh grant should 
 be given ' until an extent of wood-land conveniently situated, and sufficient to supply 
 the timber required for the public service, has been selected and placed under the 
 management of Government officers.' 
 
 " 3. The orders of the Hon'ble Court, prohibiting any concession of permanent pro- 
 perty, may perhaps be held to apply rather to the more extensive proposition* then 
 before them, for selling the whole of the forest lands with a full proprietary title, than to 
 the more limited question of the tenure on which it may be best for the public interest 
 to allow the actual holders of portions of the forest lands to continue in possession. 
 
 " 4. I need not repeat that the portions so held by individuals are situated on the 
 streams of the Attaran river only, and that the whole of the forests along the Thoung- 
 yeen river are within the exclusive possession and control of the Government officers, 
 so that the second of the objects above specified, as declared to be necessary by the 
 Hon'ble Court, is already effectually provided for. 
 
 " 5. In respect to the first object, that is, the interesting the present private holders 
 of forest lands in keeping up a succession of timber trees, it seems to be alike obvious 
 and important that such interest can only thoroughly be given by making their tenure 
 avowedly permanent. It is clear that they would have no interest in attending to the 
 rearing or preservation of a succession of timber trees, which would come to maturity 
 only after the expiration of their 99 years' lease, other than such a compulsory one as 
 might be attached to them by the exaction of a penal condition, the fulfilment of which 
 
 * See pag-e 150. 
 
( 170 ) 
 
 they might neglect or evade, and yet hope to save themselves from the stipulated 
 consequences, under the shelter of many excuses which might be partially fair and 
 reasonable, or at the least specious. 
 
 " 6. I strongly believe that it would be decidedly better for all parties, the 
 Government as well as the present holders of forest tracts, that their tenure should 
 be at once made permanent, instead of being for any term of years. 
 
 " 7. I feel there is much truth in the remark of the Hon'ble Court, that even holders 
 in perpetuity may not think it worth while to form plantations, or provide for fresh 
 growths of trees, which must remain for 80 years, or even more, without yielding to 
 them any returns of value. But the question here is not whether it is desirable to 
 part with forest lands to private persons, but whether having parted with them it is not 
 better that the transfer to such persons should be on the most secure and acceptable 
 tenure. 
 
 " 8. I am satisfied that all the general objects which the Hon'ble Court have in 
 view regarding a full independent command of valuable forest resources in this 
 territory, will in no way be effected by the measure proposed of granting to actual 
 holders a change from a 99 years' lease to a permanent property. 
 
 " 9. The question would then remain whether to give over these tracts, to be held as 
 
 forest property only, upon some special conditions such as are referred to at the close 
 
 of paragraph 18 of my report of the 28th October last, or to make them absolutely 
 
 over on no other condition than that of payment of revenue, at the rate of the 
 
 locality, on all or the greater part of such of the lands as might hereafter be brought 
 
 under cultivation. Of course, special conditions, such as were before mentioned by 
 
 me, might be eluded, or a violation of them might be palliated by holders on a 
 
 permanent title subject to such conditions, as well as by holders for 99 years; but then 
 
 there would be strong motives of direct personal interest superadded, in order to 
 
 secure an observance of those conditions. The Government, however, may probably 
 
 be prepared to adhere, in preference to its original recommendation, that the concession 
 
 of a permanent tenure in these cases should not be fettered by any such special 
 
 precautionary arrangements. 
 
 " 10. I would venture to solicit, if it should appear proper to the Right Hon'ble the 
 Governor, that the point here discussed, referring solely to the present holders of forest 
 tracts in the Provinces, should be particularly submitted, with the explanations offered 
 in this report, for the definitive consideration and orders of the Home Government." 
 
 122. On the 10th. July following, Mr. Colvin again addressed 
 Government, and submitted for approval a copy of a memorandum 
 prepared under his orders by a Committee consisting of Captains 
 Phayre, Berdmore and Latter, " for the purpose of finally settling the 
 rate of duty per log" to be charged in the Provinces, in lieu of the old 
 duty per ton. Mr. Colvin says " the Committee sat publicly, so as to 
 show to all parties interested the data on which they proceeded, and to 
 receive any suggestions which such parties might desire to offer." 
 The rates of duty which the Committee proposed differ but slightly from 
 
( 171 ) 
 
 those suggested by Mr. Colvin in his report of the 28th October 1847, 
 and quoted in para. 114, being 4 rupees for each log brought down the 
 Attaran river, and 2 rupees 12 annas, instead of 3 rupees, for each loo- 
 brought down through the other rivers. It was expected that the levy 
 of a uniform duty on every log below a minimum size would discourage 
 the felling of under-sized trees. 
 
 123. On the 7th August 1848, Government authorized the adoption 
 of the proposed scale of duty, and on the 13th September folloAving, a 
 full report on the subjects of Mr. Colvin's report dated the 28th 
 October 1847, of his two subsequent communications of the 21st June 
 and 10th July 1848, and of the orders of Government thereon, was sent 
 to the Court of Directors under instructions from the Earl of Dalhousie, 
 the Governor of Bengal. The favorable consideration of the Court of 
 Directors was solicited to the proposal of Mr. Colvin for converting 
 the leases for 99 years into grants in perpetuity. The Court replied to 
 this report on the 12th September 1849. They disapproved of Mr. 
 Cohan's proposal for granting leases in perpetuity, but sanctioned all 
 the other measures which had been suggested and those which had been 
 introduced, the modified rates of duty included. On the subject of the 
 proposed leases in perpetuity the Court wrote, — 
 
 "5. We cannot accede to any recommendation which would alienate from Govern- 
 ment in perpetuity the proprietary right in these forests. We attach little importance 
 to the argument urged by the Commissioner, as we are of opinion that, where the 
 prospect of obtaining any remuneration for the labor and expense bestowed on the 
 forests is so distant, as must necessarily be the case in regard to the plantation of 
 young Teak trees, a perpetual tenure would have little, if any, advantage over a 99 
 years' lease, in inducing the grantees voluntarily to incur that labor and expense, where 
 there exists no express condition to that effect. We consider that a far more effectual 
 plan for securing a renewal of the forests on the tracts occupied by the present holders, 
 would have been to make it a condition of the lease that three seedlings should be 
 planted whenever a tree had been cut down, and that any default iu this respect (which 
 might be ascertained by periodical inspections) should render the grant liable to 
 resumption. Such a condition, if faithfully performed, would secure for the future a 
 constant supply of Teak timber, and it might be held out as an inducement to the 
 lessees to exert themselves for the improvement of the forests, that if they were 
 successful in that object, they might look forward to a renewal of the lease at the 
 expiration of the present term." 
 
 124. The Court of Directors further deprecated the recognition of 
 any proprietary right in individuals, whether European or Native to 
 either the growing timber or the land in the Thoung-yeen forests. 
 They observed, in reference to Mr. Colvin's report on this subject, that 
 
( 172 ) 
 
 " in the proceedings of the local officers, there appears to be a tendency 
 to blend the right of property in the timber with the fair reward for 
 labor." The Court thought the Karen inhabitants might " reasonably 
 expect a fair remuneration for their labor in felling and preparing the 
 trees, but they must not be allowed to have any right of property in 
 the timber itself or in the land on which it grows." These orders of 
 the Court of Directors were communicated to the Commissioner of the 
 Tenasserim Provinces on the 14th January 1850. 
 
 125. In the meanwhile Mr. Colvin's application for the services of 
 a person from the Calcutta Botanical Gardens to superintend the 
 nursery in the Thengan-nyee-Nyoung forest, resulted eventually in the 
 deputation of Dr. Falconer, the Superintendent of the Botanical Gardens, 
 on a tour of inspection of the forests. Dr. Falconer embarked for 
 Moulmein in January 1849, and after having made a tour of the Teak 
 tracts in prosecution of the objects of his mission, returned to 
 Calcutta in April following, with all the requisite information for 
 suggesting proper measures for the renovation of the forests. Pending 
 the submission of his report on that subject, Mr. Colvin's experimental 
 measures in respect to the Thoung-yeen forests have been continued 
 from year to year, under certain modifications rendered necessary by 
 circumstances ; leases also have been granted to certain holders of forest 
 tracts, in accordance with the instructions of the Court of Directors 
 on this subject, and with the further special reservation that these 
 leases are to be considered only as temporary until the settlement by 
 Government of the general questions connected with the forests. 
 
 126. Mr. Colvin's proposal to grant one of the three unoccupied 
 forests on the Attaran, the Mittigate Codoogway, to Messrs. Mackey 
 and Co., who had applied for it as well as for the Upper Mittigate, has 
 been mentioned in para. 112. The question of the tenure of these 
 forests led to a voluminous correspondence between Government and 
 Messrs. Mackey and Co., who asserted a claim to the proprietary right 
 in both forests. This claim was subsequently abandoned, and the firm 
 has been allowed to hold only the Mittigate Codoogway under a 
 temporary licence pending the decision of Government on Dr. Falconer's 
 promised report on the subject. 
 
 127. Here I might stop in this Summary of the principal papers 
 relating to the Teak forests of the Tenasserim Provinces, there being 
 none others which come within its scope ; — but before concluding, it may 
 
( 173 ) 
 
 not be amiss to add a paper entitled " Suggestions for the better 
 regulation of the timber trade of Moulmein/' which was submitted to 
 Government in August 1846, by Mr. O'Reilly, a gentleman of some 
 experience in the timber trade : — 
 
 " Suggestions for the better Regulation op the Timber Trade at 
 
 moulmein. 
 
 " 1. Previous to the year 1838, the export of Teak timber from the Tenasserim 
 Provinces was confined to the demand for it in the Calcutta, Madras, and Mauritius 
 markets, and subsequent to that period, a demand in the home market has been 
 created which has steadily increased up to the present date, and involves in itself an 
 amount of 20,000 to 25,000 tons per annum, which with efficient regulations for the 
 better security and encouragement of the trade, will progressively increase up to the 
 maximum of the capacity of the Provinces to supply. 
 
 " 2. The supplies brought into the Moulmein market are derived not only from 
 the forests within our own boundary, but also very extensively both from the disputed 
 boundary on the right bank of the Thoung-yeen river, and from the Karennee and 
 subadjacent territories, situated in the Burnian country, above our boundary on the 
 Salween river. 
 
 " 3. To the want of a properly defined boundary line to the eastward of the 
 Salween may be attributed the constant litigation in the local courts affecting the 
 non-performance of contracts with the native dealers ; these people being of the 
 lowest scale of principle, induce the cutters, on what may at present be termed the 
 Shan side of the Thoung-yeen, to annul their previous contracts to others, and give 
 them possession of the material they may have ready, which, on its arrival at the 
 Government station, or, as is frequently the case, on its way down the river, is seized 
 by the first purchaser. A case in court ensues, and should no jurisdiction be proved, 
 the matter is referred back to the native authorities from whence it was obtained, 
 and there settled on the principle of the ' longest purse the winner' ; the defeated 
 party then re-commences proceedings in the English court, and generally succeeds, 
 by the same vexatious process repeated over and over again, in placing the case 
 almost beyond the power of the local authorities to adjust. 
 
 " 4. It has occurred to my notice on several occasions, that cases of the above 
 description have passed through the different courts seven, eight, or even ten different 
 times, with the original cause for a case, altered, however, in some shape to meet the 
 spirit of the litigant. 
 
 " 5. The remedy for the evil above stated lies with Government, and can be 
 applied without inflicting injustice in any sense of the word. It is by adjusting the 
 boundary to the same limits as that under the Burman rule previous to our occupation 
 of the country, which extended to the old city of Meerawaddi, situated some distance 
 to the eastward of the Thoung-yeen river. 
 
 " 6. I feel convinced that the early settlement of this point would tend greatly to 
 enhance the prosperity of that branch of the trade (timber) of Moulmein, inasmuch 
 as it would place that territory under the surveillance of our own authorities, and 
 deprive the petty chiefs and others, who at present arrogate a right of possession in 
 
( 174 ) 
 
 that quarter, of the means of annoyance to the local Government, which, since the 
 demand for the Teak of the Thoung-yeen has been created, has been so prevalent. 
 
 " 7. Other fertile sources of mismanagement, dispute, and consequent litigation, 
 have their origin in, and a want of a proper system of registry of contracts with the 
 native cutters, a measure I consider absolutely necessary in the absence of a Queen's 
 court of justice, for the reason that, as the trade has increased, so also has the business 
 of the local courts, to a much greater extent than such trade warrants. The cause 
 may be traced to the employment of law agents, who not being professional men, and 
 not over-scrupulous as to the means employed in bringing 'grist to the mill,' have 
 effected a system of chicanery and bad faith on the part of the native dealers, of 
 which the court records afford convincing proof. 
 
 " B. The carelessness, I might say with truth, the wilfulness of the timber dealers 
 themselves in their indiscriminate transactions with all and every class of natives, who 
 by fair means or otherwise obtain possession of a few logs of timber ; the constant 
 depredations by the Burmans of the timber which comes down the falls of the Salween, 
 and without great precaution on the part of the owners floats over to the Bunnan side 
 of the river, where it is seized, carried to Martaban, and is there disposed of to the 
 agents of timber merchants of Moulmein. On its arrival at the latter place there is 
 always some claimant on the part of the original proprietor ready to institute 
 proceedings for its recovery ; suit upon suit ensues, and thus is the time of the local 
 administration completely occupied in the settlement of these and the like cases. 
 
 " 7. The remedy I would propose in regard to the foregoing, is as follows : — 
 
 " A. That a system of registry of all contracts with the natives be instituted, to 
 form part of the duties of the principal assistant, and a charge made of one per cent, 
 as registry fee, to be borne equally by the contracting parties. Such contracts to be 
 made in the native language, with an English translation attached, so that the native 
 dealer may not have the excuse, so frequently made, of not understanding the terms 
 of the contract. 
 
 " 8. Such a system would have the effect of restoring a more healthful tone to 
 the trade by placing it out of the power of the law agents to create disputes, as a 
 consequence of the present defective one. 
 
 " 9. In regard to B., it must be obvious that by removing the cause that incites 
 the cupidity of the Burmans, an improved state of things would follow as a natural 
 consequence ; I would suggest, therefore, that on the boundary including our pos- 
 session of both banks of the Thoung-yeen being settled, all timber otherwise than from 
 our own forests, viz. the stolen timber from Martaban, and that from the Karennee 
 country, be chargeable with a rate of duty to the extent of 20 to 25 per cent, above 
 that paid by the timber of the Provinces. 
 
 " 10. The inefficiency of the present existing regulations for the conservancy of 
 the Teak forests is but too apparent ; in fact, the application of the terms of those re- 
 gulations, from their impracticability, has rendered them a dead letter from the date 
 of their enactment, nor is it a difficult matter to assign the mismanagement and con- 
 fusion which has crept into this branch of the trade of the Provinces to the absence of 
 all tenure bestowing a proprietary right to the parties working the forests. It is not 
 to be expected that regulations of the nature of those now in operation, which gave 
 
( 1*5 ) 
 
 no right of property (being merely licences to cut within specified limits,) are adapt- 
 ed to the proper conservancy of the forests, and although the most stringent rules 
 may be made to this effect, the circumstance that Government can at any time resume 
 possession, as was lately exemplified in the proceedings of the Superintendent of 
 forests, will continue to operate against any and every measure that may be enacted 
 on the present system. 
 
 " 11. As connected with the future interests of the Provinces, the subject of the 
 preservation of the Teak forests, and propagation of the tree to meet the continued 
 demand which has been created, is of the most vital importance. It must therefore 
 be the wish of Government to adopt such a method as will effect so desirable an 
 object, and place the matter on the most permanent basis for the future, to which 
 end I woidd suggest, — 
 
 " \st, — That the Teak forests wherein no licences have been granted be classed 
 under a survey, giving to each an equal distance of water frontage, and sold 
 in perpetuity. 
 
 " 2nd, — That those forests which have been worked for a period of not less than 
 four years should also be so disposed of, giving the same extent of boundary as they 
 now possess in the lehmats, or cutting licences, &c. 
 
 " 3rd, — That all other forests from which no regular supplies of timber have been 
 received, and consequently no large outlay incurred, be resumed by Government, 
 classed, and disposed of as those of No. 1. 
 
 " 4th,- — That a Government duty of 10 per cent, ad valorem be continued on all Teak 
 timber, the produce of the Provinces, and 35 per cent, upon all timber from other 
 quarters. 
 
 "12. The foregoing, applying so immediately to the best interests of the proprietor, 
 would insure a proper attention to the preservation of his forest, with the view of 
 rendering it a valuable transferable property, and besides the Teak, an inducement 
 would thus be created to bring into notice and use the other valuable timber which 
 abounds in the Provinces. 
 
 "13. Upon the extent of the stock of old and new timber, and its proximity to the 
 water, would depend the value of each forest ; hence it would be the object of each 
 proprietor to renew the exhausted stock upon his grants, to ensure its enhanced 
 value in the event of sale or transfer. 
 
 " 14. In thus disposing of the Teak forests of the Tenasserim Provinces, it would 
 be requisite in the first instance to have a thorough inspection, survey and report, 
 upon which to form a prospectus for the information of capitalists at home, whose 
 attention to this staple of the Tenasserim Provinces has of late been directed ; and 
 on the completion of the necessary documents, a sufficient time should be given to 
 allow of intending purchasers making themselves more intimately acquainted with 
 the subject, by reference to the coast, ere the final disposal of the forests be made. 
 
 u 15. It would be almost impossible to state the probable amount that would 
 accrue to Government from the sale of the forests, but as the only available ground 
 upon which to form an opinion is that of present value, under the less advantageous 
 circumstances to the proprietor, I may state that a second-rate forest was some time 
 
 Y 
 
( 17-6 ) 
 
 ao-o transferred to a party for upwards of 60,000 rupees, and as this purchaser had 
 merely the right of cutting the timber, it is reasonable to suppose that a right of 
 possession in perpetuity would confer a higher rate of valuation. 
 
 "16. In conclusion, I would urge on the notice of Government the impolicy of 
 interfering in any way, beyond what has been stated, with so important a part of 
 the commerce of the Provinces ; it will be but too apparent, on a retrospective view 
 of the proceedings of the local administration, that to the circumstance of such 
 interference, both directly by the authorities on the spot and also through the 
 Commissariat Department for military purposes at Madras, must in a great measure 
 be attributed the almost inextricable confusion and mal-administration which has 
 prevailed, to the detriment of other more important matters affecting the welfare of 
 the people and the general interests of the Provinces. 
 
 " 17. Supplies of Teak timber for Government purposes, to any extent and of the 
 best quality, can always be had by tender and contract with the respectable part of 
 the mercantile community, and until a difficulty presents itself in this respect, I 
 conceive that Government would do wisely to adopt the plan of proceeding which 
 entails the least interference in or connexion with the trade of the coast." 
 
 128. There is also another paper by Mr. O'Reilly, dated 15th April 
 1849, entitled " Observations in connexion with the route across to the 
 head of the Houndrow river," which contains valuable information 
 about the extent and condition of the Teak forests, as observed by him 
 so recently as 1849, besides some interesting remarks on the subject of 
 the propagation of the Teak tree. This will be found in the Appendix. 
 
 W. R. BAILLIE. 
 Bengal Secretariat, 1851. 
 
( 177 ) 
 
 SUMMARY OF PAPERS 
 
 RELATING TO THE 
 
 MADRAS AND BOMBAY FORESTS. 
 
 1. The papers relating to the Teak forests of the Madras and 
 Bombay Presidencies, submitted by the Governments of Madras and 
 Bombay, and mentioned in paras. 46 and 47 of the " Summary of papers 
 relating to the Tenasserim forests," will now be brought under review. 
 It may however be remarked here, that although these papers are very 
 voluminous, the information they contain on the early history of the 
 Madras and Bombay forests is not so complete as that which has been 
 obtained regarding the Tenasserim Teak forests. 
 
 2. The principal forest districts are those of Malabar, Canara, 
 Travancore and Goojerat, on the Western coast of the Peninsula of 
 Hindoostan. There are also in the neighborhood of Rajahmundry, on 
 the Eastern side of the Peninsula, extensive forests which stretch inland 
 in a Westerly direction towards the territories of the Nizam. The 
 abundant stores of excellent ship timber which were supposed to exist 
 in the Malabar forests very early attracted the notice of the Bombay 
 Government, to which the Province of Malabar was subject for some 
 years after its acquisition. At first the forests were regarded as private 
 property, but shortly after, there appeared ground for believing that, 
 during the dominion of Tippoo Sahib, the right of felling timber had 
 been, (as it was up to 1840 in the neighbouring countries of Cochin and 
 Travancore,) an exclusively royal privilege. Accordingly, in August 
 1800, the Court of Directors authorized the Bombay Government to 
 assume this right on behalf of the East India Company. The Province 
 of Malabar having, however, been made subordinate to the Presidency 
 of Fort St. George, the Court's instructions remained some time 
 without effect. In 1805 the Bombay Government, to which the control 
 of the forests had been intermediately restored, appointed Commis- 
 
( 178 ) 
 
 sioners of survey to ascertain the limits of what might be considered 
 public forests, and to distinguish them from groves and plantations 
 forming part of private estates. In 1806 an officer was appointed Con- 
 servator, but it was not till the 25th April 1807 that a proclamation 
 was issued asserting the Company's right of sovereignty over the forests, 
 and forbidding the felling of the timber by private individuals. 
 
 3. In the district of Palghaut, Captain Watson, the Conservator, 
 reported that the inhabitants generally resigned their claims to the forests 
 " without a murmur." Some of the forests were claimed as hereditary 
 property, but the claimants afterwards admitted that they held the 
 forests only on a grant from the sovereign Rajah of Palghaut to some 
 of their ancestors, and consented to resign their claims to the Company, 
 and to take charge of the forests as the overseers of Government. 
 Upon this the Conservator, Captain Watson, following up what he 
 conceived to be the spirit of his orders, agreed to grant them a com- 
 pensation for the loss they might sustain by the resignation of their 
 claims in favor of the Company. In making this compensation, two 
 modes suggested themselves to the Conservator, viz., either to grant the 
 claimants pensions or to allow them a fee or reward for every tree that 
 was felled. To the grant of a pension was opposed the consideration that 
 the Company would be burdened with a permanent and heavy charge 
 without securing the services of the claimants. Captain Watson, there- 
 fore, adopted the other alternative. This mode of indemnification was 
 afterwards reported to have proved perfectly agreeable to the wishes of 
 the claimants. 
 
 4. The instructions of the Court of Directors, of August 1800, 
 show that their object was to receive a regular supply of timber 
 for public purposes, from unappropriated lands, to which alone the 
 proclamation was intended to apply. It was not designed to invade 
 private property, or to prevent any one from disposing at his pleasure 
 of the timber on his own estate. The Conservator, however, assumed 
 much larger powers than were entrusted to him. The proclamation of 
 1807, which formed the basis of his authority, contained no definition 
 of the term " sovereignty," nor had those forests been specified over 
 which the sovereignty extended. But the Conservator acting upon his 
 own views on these points, succeeded in a short time in establishing 
 a monopoly of all the timber of the two Provinces of Malabar and Tra- 
 vancore. He cut down and appropriated to the use of the Company, 
 
( 170 ) 
 
 not only the trees of the private forests, but even those growing on 
 cultivated lauds, paying revenue to Government, while the proprietor him- 
 self, unless expressly permitted by the Conservator, was prevented from 
 cutting a piece of wood on his own property, or removing the young 
 seedling plants that were injuring his land. It does not clearly appear 
 whether any payment was made to the proprietor for the timber taken 
 by the Conservator from his estate, but he was obliged, nevertheless, to 
 pay duty upon the timber growing upon his own property when he 
 made use of any of it for his own purposes. The trade in timber was 
 almost annihilated, for even if the merchant could obtain the Conserva- 
 tor's permission to purchase private timber not required by Government, 
 he had no longer the same means of disposing of it, its exportation 
 having been prohibited soon after the establishment of the new system. 
 Finally the peasantry were deprived of the privilege of cutting wood 
 for fuel and other ordinary purposes, a privilege which they had enjoy- 
 ed from time immemorial, and which was stated to be particularly 
 prized in the rainy climate of Malabar, where large buildings are 
 required by the peasants for the protection of themselves and their 
 property. 
 
 5. These evils and the consequent discontent having been unheeded 
 for a considerable time, at length attained so great a height that 
 in 1822 the office of Conservator and the whole prohibitive system 
 were abolished, and Government for several years exercised only a very 
 slight control over the forests. The greater number seem to have been 
 abandoned to the neighbouring rajahs and landholders, who had held 
 possession of them on the first occupation of the Province by the Com- 
 pany's Government, and even in those which were considered as 
 Government property, permission to fell and carry away timber was 
 granted to any one on payment of a small duty. 
 
 6. It was, however, brought to the notice of the Government of 
 Bombay in 1830, by a representation from the Nelumboor Rajah, that 
 this perfect freedom had given rise to inconveniencies of scarcely less 
 magnitude, though of a different nature from those which existed under 
 the former conservancy system. The forest-holders, or the persons who 
 obtained from them, or from Government, permission to fell timber, 
 looking only to their present interests, began to clear the land completely, 
 cutting down all the trees indiscriminately, and leaving no young 
 plants to succeed them. Some of the more accessible forests seem to 
 
( 180 ) 
 
 have been destroy ed, or materially injured by these means. Timber of 
 the best quality could not be procured, and the inferior kinds only were 
 obtainable at an enhanced price, and this state of things seemed likely, 
 if unchecked, to issue in the entire dissolution of the forests. 
 
 7. Under these circumstances, the Government of Bombay, on the 
 20th April 1830, called upon the Indian Navy Board to submit a report 
 on the Malabar forests, with a view to arrangements being made for 
 their preservation and improvement. The Indian Navy Board replying 
 on the 29th May 1830, strongly advised the appointment of a Conserva- 
 tor, " whose attention should be solely devoted to the preservation of the 
 forests, on the same principle as that part of the duty of the Con- 
 servator was formerly exercised." The Government of Madras being 
 next consulted on the subject, transferred the correspondence on the 
 22nd April 1831 to the Board of Revenue at that Presidency, for " con- 
 sideration and report." 
 
 8. Nothing, however, appears to have been done in the matter 
 until September 1837, when in consequence of the receipt of a report 
 from the Resident of Travancore on the forests of that Province, the 
 subject was revived, and the Government of Madras again called the 
 attention of the Board of Revenue to the letter of 22nd April 1831, and 
 with reference to the report on the Travancore forests, requested the 
 Board's consideration of the general question of adopting measures for the 
 security and improvement of the timber forests. The Board of Revenue 
 replied to this communication on the 26th October following, to the 
 effect that the attention of the authorities on the Malabar coast had 
 been specially directed to the subject, and that on the receipt of informa- 
 tion from them, the Board would not fail to submit their sentiments on 
 the measures required for the preservation and improvement of the 
 forests. 
 
 9. At the same time, the Board forwarded a report from the 
 Principal Collector of Malabar, Mr. Clementson, dated 3rd April 1834, 
 in which that officer, referring to the Terroopaad Rajah's letter and to 
 the recommendation of the Indian Navy Board, condemned all direct 
 interference by the officers of Government in the cutting of timber in 
 that district, considering that this would be an infringment of the 
 rights of private property ; but he suggested the imposition of a heavy 
 duty on all Teak timber which weighed less than three candies. Mr. 
 Clementson wrote as follows : — 
 
( 181 ) 
 
 "The policy which induced the Government at Fort St. George to recommend the 
 abolition of not only the monopoly of timber, but the office of Conservator of forests, 
 was obviously to afford protection to the inhabitants of Malabar against any encroach- 
 ment on their private property. That the monopoly which prevailed until 1823 was 
 an encroachment upon private rights and property, has been established beyond a 
 doubt. How far, therefore, the adoption of a measure nearly similar to the one which 
 had been done away, in consequence of its being pregnant with the most baneful 
 consequences, would be expedient and consistent with justice, appears to be extremely 
 doubtful. 
 
 •* However desirable it may be to prevent the cutting of young Teak trees growing 
 in the vicinity of rivers, I confess I am at a loss how any impediment can be laid 
 without infringing upon private rights, for with the exception of certain forests in the 
 talooks of Palghaut, Temalpoorara and "Wynaad (from which timber was never cut, 
 though they abound with the finest trees) which belong to the Government, all the 
 rest are private property. The subject does not appear to have escaped the attention 
 of the former Collectors. Both Mr. James Vaughan and Mr. Sheffield repeatedly 
 issued Circular Orders, impressing on the minds of the proprietors of such forests the 
 injury they did to their own interests by cutting half-grown trees. Mr. Sheffield in 
 the 7th para, of his letter to the Board, dated the 25th December 1828, proposed that 
 the cutting down young Teak trees should be altogether prohibited under a heavy 
 penalty. I cannot concur with that gentleman in this opinion, as it will be an illegal 
 interference with private rights, which would be not only inconsistent with the liberal 
 views of Government, but one which would, I fear, excite the greatest discontent ; all 
 that can be done to discourage in some degree a practice which is likely to be injuri- 
 ous to our maritime interests, appears to be the imposition of a heavy duty on all Teak 
 timber measuring under three candies." 
 
 Upon this point, the Board of Revenue promised to report more 
 particularly on the receipt of the information they had called for from 
 the local officers. 
 
 10. In September 1838 the Board of Revenue again addressed the 
 Government of Madras, and forwarded reports regarding the forests of 
 Malabar, Canara, and Rajahmundry from the Collectors of those Pro- 
 vinces. Before, however, adverting to the sentiments of the Board on 
 the subject of the conservation of the forests, these reports and the 
 report on the Travancore forests will be noted. 
 
 Travancore, 1837. — 11. The report regarding the Travancore 
 forests, dated 12th August 1837, was addressed by Mr. Monro, who was 
 the Conservator of the Travancore forests at the time, to the Resident, 
 Colonel Fraser; the Teak in that Province having been considered 
 the property of Government, and a Conservator appearing to have 
 been " always" employed for its preservation and improvement. 
 
( 182 ) 
 
 12. Mr. Monro says, — "The Teak tree shoots up for the first seven 
 or eight years remarkably fast, till it attains the height of 12 or 15 feet, 
 after which its growth is uncommonly slow, and it does not attain the 
 rise of the 6th class log even in the most favorable situations till it 
 is about 35 or 40 years' old ; a 5th class takes about 50 years, a 4th 
 about 60, a 3rd about 70 or 80, a 2nd about 90, and a 1st class takes 
 about 100 to 120 years." Mr. Monro makes this statement with con- 
 fidence, as he acquired all his information from his " own personal 
 observation and the experience of nearly 20 years in the woods." He 
 adds that a tree of the 1st class will remain " round and good" for 
 nearly 200 years, and then begin to decay slowly ; he had ' ' an enor- 
 mous tree of the 1st class cut some years ago, which could not have 
 been less than 1,000 years ; it was full of earth, almost to the top, and 
 so hollow and decayed, that it was good for nothing." The Teak 
 which grows on the sides and tops of the mountains is far superior to 
 that which grows in the black heavy soil of the low grounds, and though 
 it takes a longer time to attain the same dimensions as the other, yet 
 in strength and durability it is generally superior. That which grows 
 in the valleys is by no means to be despised, and only yields in quality 
 to the mountain timber. 
 
 13. The plan Mr. Monro adopted for the preservation of the 
 forests, was " for any 10 trees fit to cut, two are to be left for seed, and 
 for every tree actually felled, 10 are to be planted." His mode of 
 seasoning was, after barking, to allow the tree to stand one or two 
 vears, when it is felled and piled up in dry places from whence, in the 
 following, the third year after barking, it was sent to Alleppee for sale. 
 But it is stated that many trees are so full of oil that they will not 
 float for five or six years after they have been felled, and the only 
 wav of floating them down the streams was to raft them with lighter 
 
 wood. 
 
 14. Mr. Monro ascribed the destruction of the Malabar forests to 
 their having been thrown open to all who wished to work them, and to 
 contractors having been employed in getting timber from those forests. 
 He says : 
 
 " The system, of throwing open Teak forests to all who wish to cut, or giving them 
 to contractors, is in the highest degree ruinous. They cut indiscriminately all that 
 comes in their way ; any range of forest, however extensive, would be destroyed if 
 left to their tender mercies. They never think of planting, and all that such specula- 
 tors calculate on is present profit or loss, without troubling their heads about depnv- 
 
( 183 ) 
 
 ing future generations of the benefit they now enjoy. The Teak forests in Malabar 
 are, I am told, in this predicament, and if the British Government do not oblige them 
 to plant, and also leave some large trees here and there for seed, this valuable tree will 
 be extinct. There are two ranges of hills in our forests that were formerly rented to 
 a Parsee, and if the contract had not been taken from him before it was too late, he 
 would not have left a Teak tree standing. It will take 40 or 50 years before the 
 forests recover the effects of his avarice." 
 
 15. Mr. Monro estimated the number of Teak trees in the Tra- 
 vancore forests fit for cutting, in 1837, to be about 1,00,000. 
 
 Malabar, 1837-38. — 16. .Regarding the Malabar forests, besides the 
 Report of the 24th May 1838, submitted by the Board of Revenue from 
 the Collector of the Province, Mr. Clementson, there is a paper dated 
 27th July 1837, written by Captain Cortlandt Taylor, who was deputed 
 to the coast with a view to obtain supplies of Teak for the Ordnance 
 Department at Madras. These two papers will be noted together. 
 
 17. The Malabar forests are, with few exceptions, the property of 
 private individuals, who appear almost generally to have permitted the 
 felling of the Teak, without discrimination as to the age or size of the 
 tree, in consideration of what was termed the " kooty kanurn" Avhich 
 was a fee of one rupee paid by the coast timber-dealers for each tree cut 
 down. The only forest owner who pursued a different course was the 
 Nelumboor Rajah, Terroopaad, who, being aware of the value of the 
 timber, acted as a merchant on his own estate, cut and conveyed the 
 timber to the stream, where he disposed of it to the best advantage to 
 the coast merchant, and thus realized a profit of about 100 per cent. 
 
 18. The forests of Malabar are at some distance from the coast, 
 but the timber is conveyed to it during the periodical rains at the flux 
 of the internal streams. " At first the trees nearest these streams were 
 felled, but gradually they have disappeared from such neighbourhoods, 
 and are now only to be found at considerable distances from the 
 rivers. As the largest and most valuable trees become more difficult 
 of access (only their stumps and stunted shoots marking the places 
 where they once stood), the younger ones have fallen to the axe." 
 This was one of the supposed causes of the ruinous consequences already 
 described, and with a view to its removal, Captain Taylor remarked, if 
 the felling of trees below a certain girth were prohibited under direct 
 penalty, or by a high additional duty, " it would even now tend much 
 to the future preservation of the forests, and would in due time vield 
 proportional benefits to the proprietors and to the State." 
 
 z 
 
( 184 ) 
 
 19. The timber merchants who purchase the trees have them felled 
 and conveyed to the adjacent streams, down which they are taken to 
 the market on the coast, where an inland duty of five per cent, is levied. 
 From this depot the Bombay or foreign merchant exports it, " at an 
 enormous profit to the coast dealer, who then pays an additional 
 three per cent., or in all a duty of eight per cent, per candy, on its 
 leaving the coast." This duty is levied on an assessment of the 
 article, on the average of 9f rupees the candy, the first class timber 
 being assessed at 12 rupees, the second class at 9 rupees, and the 
 third class at 8 rupees the candy. The revenue derived from this 
 source by the Madras Government, it was stated, (in 1837) was about 
 27,000 rupees annually on an export of about 35,000 candies. 
 
 20. Captain Taylor recommended that the assessment on which 
 the duty was levied should be raised, and that the increased assets 
 should go towards the support of a Conservator and establishment, for 
 protecting and improving the forests. 
 
 21. Mr. Clementson in his report first contrasts the condition of 
 the Travancore forests with those of Malabar. He ascribes the healthy 
 condition of the former to their being the property of the Sircar, 
 and observes — "nothing can be easier, therefore, than the adoption 
 of measures calculated to preserve them in an efficient manner." But 
 the forests of Malabar being almost all of them the property of indivi- 
 duals, the Government could adopt no such protective measures without 
 interfering with private rights, on which point Mr. Clementson 
 referred to his letter of 3rd April 1834, noticed above, and he repeated 
 the suggestion he made in that letter, for the imposition of an enhanced 
 duty on under-sized timber, " as the best and only equitable means of 
 checking in some degree the destruction of the young trees." Mr. 
 Clementson fully admitted that a great number of young trees were 
 annually cut, notwithstanding the repeated remonstrances which were 
 addressed to the proprietors upon the injury they did to their own 
 interests, but he stated also that the forests abounded in valuable 
 trees, and that the exportation of timber was progressively increasing, 
 and it was his opinion that the difficulty alleged to have been ex- 
 perienced in providing timber had been greatly exaggerated. 
 
 22. With respect to the Government forests in Palghaut, it was 
 reported that no trees had been felled in them since 1828, and that 
 they were very rich in timber. 
 
C 185 ) 
 
 Canara, 1838. — 23. The report on the Teak forests of Canara is 
 dated 18th August 1838, and was written by the Acting Principal 
 Collector, Mr. H. M. Blair. 
 
 24. The Teak forests of the Province of Canara " are considered 
 the property of the State, or at least the Government assumes the 
 sovereignty of the forests," and no trees can be felled without per- 
 mission. 
 
 " In the Southern talooks of Canara little Teak is to be found. The principal forests 
 are situated in the Mogamies, lately added from Coorg, and are in most instances 
 claimed as private property, but this claim is founded more on presumptive right 
 established by previous enjoyment than on the possession of sunnuds or other 
 documents conferring a proprietary title. 
 
 *' In the four talooks of Sondah, Soopah, Honore and Ankola, in North Canara, consi- 
 derable quantities of Teak timber are to be found, both at the foot of and above the 
 ghauts. These forests were formerly considered sufficiently valuable to be placed 
 under the charge of a Conservator, who was stationed at Sedasheghur, and had a 
 large establishment under him to fell the timber and bring it to the coast." 
 
 25. The Conservatorship and establishment were abolished in 1823 
 in consequence of the Bombay Government not requiring further 
 supplies of wood for the Dock-yards. The forests were then left under 
 the care of the revenue authorities, who took measures to prevent the 
 trees from being injured or felled, but from want of an establishment 
 and experienced servants, were unable "to improve the trees, or to 
 plant young ones when required." 
 
 26. The Teak which grows in the four talooks of Sondah, Soopah, 
 Honore and Ankola, in North Canara, was divided into two classes. 
 " The first is a dwarfish stunted tree, seldom growing 50 feet in height, 
 of which there are extensive forests on the eastern frontier of the 
 Soopah and Sondah talooks. The degenerate size of this tree is 
 attributable to its growing at a distance from the line of ghauts in a 
 tract of country where the soil and air have little humidity, and the 
 same cause would in all probability prevent its improvement." The 
 wood was not fitted for ship-building purposes, but was thought well 
 suited for gun-carriages, agricultural implements, and small beams and 
 rafters. The forests of this description of Teak were estimated to 
 contain about 1,54,000 trees. Considerable numbers of these trees 
 were felled annually, and conveyed to the Mahratta country for building 
 purposes by private individuals and merchants, who first obtained 
 permission to fell the tree, subject to the payment of a transit duty of 
 
( 186 ■) 
 
 5 per cent, on the value of the wood, estimated at 9 rupees the candy. 
 The collections from this source amounted in the two years 1836 and 
 1837 to rupees 5,424, and Mr. Blair was of opinion, that the system of 
 allowing these trees to be felled upon application should be continued, 
 as they were generally unfit for public purposes, and it was necessary 
 to put some check on their increasing number. 
 
 27. The second class of Teak " is found along the line of the ghauts, 
 and is the description which is valued for naval purposes." There 
 were supposed to be upwards of 40,000 of these trees in the forests, but 
 this number was merely conjectural. Most of the trees were at some 
 distance from streams, and therefore difficulty would be experienced in 
 conveying them to the coast ; " all timber which could be easily floated 
 down was removed by the Conservator." The natives divided these trees 
 into five classes, of which the first class included trees varying in age 
 from 60 to 100 years, and yielding logs from 12 to 16 inches square. 
 There was however no regular standard of measurement, and Mr. Blair 
 says " as the Teak, like the Sandal-wood, has been hitherto the exclusive 
 property of the Sircar, few persons have ever engaged in the trade, or 
 are acquainted with the different qualities and value of the wood." 
 
 28. Mr. Blair thought that the preservation of these forests was suf- 
 ficiently secured by the system then in force, by which persons were pre- 
 vented felling trees without permission, which was not granted in cases 
 where the trees were fit for public purposes, or grew in places of easy 
 access. As little Teak-wood was used within the district, and its clandestine 
 removal was attended with difficultv, the trees were seldom stolen. 
 The greatest injury which appeared to be done to the forests was the 
 " occasional destruction of young trees when the sides of hills are being 
 cleared for the cumere, or up-land cultivation," but this evil was easily 
 checked by the revenue authorities. Mr. Blair said the improvement 
 of the forests was a work of some difficulty, as there were no persons 
 in the province acquainted with the best methods of raising young 
 trees and with the soils most suited to their growth. Colonel Gilbert, 
 who was the Conservator for some time, " planted some small experi- 
 mental gardens, both on the coast and under the ghauts," but they 
 had proved failures, though " with a little experience and care, the 
 measure ought to be successful, as trees are continually springing up 
 in the jungles from self-sown seed." Mr. Blair recommended the 
 deputation of an officer to inspect the forests, in order to obtain 
 
( 187 ) 
 
 information of their quality and value when compared with the produce 
 of other forests. He also expressed his concurrence with Mr. Monro, 
 in the remarks that gentleman had made on the impolicy of renting out 
 the forests,being of opinion that no trees ought to be cut excepting such 
 as were pointed out by a proper officer. In concluding his report, Mr. 
 Blair said that the Canara forests were deserving of examination by an 
 experienced person for other products besides Teak, as they contained 
 " Poon-spars, Blackwood and other more common timber, which 
 might be found a valuable source of revenue." 
 
 Rajahmundry, 1838. — 29. The report regarding the Rajahmundry 
 forests is from the Collector, Mr. G. A. Smith, and is dated 18th 
 August 1838. 
 
 30. The forests in which the wood is grown do not appear to be in 
 the Rajahmundry district exactly, but about seventy miles beyond its 
 extreme frontier, " in the territories of the Nizam, in that part called 
 the Cumbham Mettoo Sircar, in the talooks of Dresteo Mahepauldavoo, 
 Chirlah, Madenerow, Palmenchah, Ashwarow, and Rickapillay Soor- 
 reddywar." Parties who desire to purchase the timber of these forests 
 send agents or servants to make advances to the hill people, who cut 
 and deliver the timber to them on the banks of the Godavery, " or the 
 Aukhundah Gowtamy, as it is called by the natives at that point, from 
 which it is brought by Palmenchah Badrachillum and Rickapillay to 
 Palavaram, the frontier chowkey" in Rajahmundry, and from thence 
 to Rajahmundry, where the Godavery branches off to Coringa and 
 Narsapore. 
 
 31. The timber was divided by the natives into two classes, styled 
 toondoos and cuddies. The former vary in length from 12 to 18 or 20 
 feet, and yield a plank of from 12 to 18 inches; the latter run from 24 
 to 30 feet, and give planks of from 6 to 8 inches. The price of the 
 former on their arrival at Coringa was rated at 8 rupees 4 annas each, 
 and that of the latter at 2 rupees 14 annas each. The cost and 
 expenses being as follows : — 
 
 For Toondoos. Rs. As. P. 
 
 Hill peoples' charge, 4 
 
 Roossooms, ... 8 
 
 Nizam's duty, 8 
 
 Soorreddywar at Rickapillay, 8 
 
 Hill Keddies between the Nizam's and Company's Territories, ... 4 
 
( 188 ) 
 
 Transport to Palavaram, including all charges and Company's duty, 12 
 
 Transport to Coringa, 12 
 
 Total, Rupees 8 4 
 
 For Cuddies. Rs. As. P. 
 
 Original charge at Rickapillay, 1 
 
 Soorreddywar's Roossoom, 10 
 
 Reddies' ditto, 2 
 
 Hire, duty, &c, to Palavaram, 6 
 
 Ditto, to Coringa, 6 
 
 Total. Rupees 2 14 
 
 " The time for purchasing the timber is from December to June, the 
 latter being the period when the freshes of the Godavery allow them 
 to be brought easily down that river. In a season, from ten to three 
 thousand may be procured" of the dimensions given above, but to 
 obtain planks of larger size, extraordinary exertions are necessary* 
 The timber is formed into rafts, fastened by chains, and turned adrift 
 on the river in the height of the freshes, to float down towards the 
 
 coast. 
 
 32. This was all the information which Mr. Smith was able to 
 obtain. He had not himself seen any large timber, and he was inclined 
 to believe the supply to be very limited, because when he first joined 
 the district in 1822, there was an " immense quantity of timber" at 
 Coringa, for which the forests appear to have been severely taxed, inso- 
 much that " for several years the ordinary natural supply of the district 
 was stopped to an extent which caused a good deal of complaint." 
 
 33. In submitting the Reports of the Collectors of Malabar and 
 Canara, the Board of Revenue merely observed, with reference to the 
 measures to be adopted for the preservation and conservancy of the 
 Teak forests, that interference, if at all necessary, should be exercised 
 through the channel of the revenue officers, and not through a conser- 
 vator with distinct and independent authority. That the Collector of 
 Malabar might be " required to issue local orders requiring all land- 
 holders to obtain permission previous to the felling and indiscriminate 
 cutting of timber, as in Canara, and might be authorized to take such 
 
 * It appears that on one occasion an European firm obtained some timber from the 
 forests about 50 feet in length, yielding a plank of 22 inches. 
 
( 189 ) 
 
 steps as seemed necessary to prevent the cutting of small timber and 
 under-sized trees, Avitli a view to the preservation of this valuable product, 
 as well as to secure a future supply by planting and protecting young 
 trees." Regarding the Rajahmundry forests, the Revenue Board said 
 nothing. 
 
 34. The question was then referred to the Military Board at Madras 
 for their views regarding the forests, as well with respect to the perpe- 
 tuation of a supply of the Teak as to the development of their other 
 timber products. The Military Board on the 13th November 1838 
 deputed Lieutenant Miller, the Deputy Commissary of Ordnance at 
 Canara, for inquiry in that Province, but no officer was available at 
 Rajahmundry for a similar purpose. The instructions given for the 
 guidance of Lieutenant Miller at Canara were, to examine the forests 
 " particularly with reference to their resources in Saul timber, as well 
 as Teak," and on the 14th December 1838, the Resident at Travancore 
 and the Principal Collector of Malabar were also desired to give such 
 information as each possessed or could obtain regarding the resources 
 of the Travancore and Malabar forests in Saul timber. 
 
 35. In the mean while, the attention of the Bombay Government 
 had for some time been directed to the capabilities of the Malabar and 
 Canara forests for affording supplies of large timber, and to the best 
 means, whether by contract or agency, of obtaining timber for the public 
 service. The subject of the supply of large timber was brought to 
 notice in May 1838 by the Commissary General at Bombay, who, 
 previously to concluding a contract for the ordinary supply of timber 
 for the naval and military departments of the Government, requested 
 instructions as to whether he should stipulate also for a supply of large 
 timber for frigates and line-of-battle ships in anticipation of such 
 vessels being again built at Bombay for Her Majesty's Service. The 
 Government referred the matter for the opinion of Admiral Sir C. 
 Malcolm, then Superintendent of the Indian Navy, and requested him to 
 consult Captain Harris of the Indian Navy thereon, as that officer in 
 the year 1828-29 was Timber Agent in Malabar, and had some practical 
 local experience in the timber resources of the Malabar forests. 
 
 36. Sir C. Malcolm replied to this requisition in June 1838, and 
 submitted a report from Captain Harris. Upon this report he remark- 
 ed, " From a want of system and the due care necessary to perpetuate 
 the supply in those parts of the forests which border on the rivers, 
 
( 190 ) 
 
 by preventing the cutting down of trees before they have arrived at 
 their proper growth, that every year the difficulty of procuring tim- 
 ber must increase ; as now, in the absence of all prohibition, the trees 
 which may be at the least distance from water-carriage are cut down 
 without reference to age or size, and thus every successive supply 
 must be obtained from a still greater distance, and at a proportionately 
 higher cost, owing to the greater expense for land carriage to the 
 nearest river or nullah." To remedy this state of things, both Sir 
 C. Malcolm and Captain Harris recommended the appointment of an 
 officer at Malabar as Agent for the supply of timber, and Sir Charles 
 Malcolm further proposed to add to the situation of Agent the office 
 of Conservator of forests, with full powers of management in the cutting 
 down such timber as was required, and of preserving the young trees 
 and saplings sufficiently to renew the stock. But as a preliminary step, 
 he advised the deputation of an intelligent officer to Malabar and Canara, 
 "to examine into the state of the Teak forests, and report upon them." 
 Captain Harris's Report, 1838. — 37. Captain Harris states that the 
 forests of Malabar contained abundance of timber of the first quality, 
 but that it remained unavailable to all but the rajahs, from the 
 remoteness of water-carriage and the inadequate means of the generality 
 of the merchants ; and also, that when he was Agent for the supply of 
 timber in 1828-29, he had been supplied by the Summaree and the 
 Terroopaad Rajahs. 
 
 38. Captain Harris gives the following description of the method of 
 preparing the timber: " On the opening of the season the tree is sawed 
 through above the roots and left in that state for a time to absorb the 
 sap, then felled to the ground and trimmed into shape ; here it may 
 be left one or two seasons, or is at once dragged by elephants to the 
 bank of the river, and finally floated down to the sea on the first rise 
 of its waters." The cause of there being no superior quality of timber 
 within a moderate distance of water carriage was stated to be, that 
 " since the abolition of the conservatorship, every tree, instead of 
 being nourished and protected in its growth, has been cut down, the 
 proprietor of the soil disposing of it for the kooty kanum, or insigni- 
 ficant sum of one or two rupees, to the coast timber merchants, by 
 them convej'ed to the coast, and disposed of at a very considerable 
 profit, unattended with the risk and loss that would follow in the 
 attempt after the superior timber." This practice of felling Teak trees 
 
( 191 ) 
 
 without discrimination as to age or size, had tended to devastate those 
 parts of the forests which were situated within a few miles of the streams 
 by which the timber is conveyed to the river. 
 
 39. As regards the question whether a contract or agency was the 
 better mode of obtaining timber, Captain Harris points out the difficulty 
 a merchant would experience in providing timber of a superior quality, 
 from the want of means of transport, — water-carriage of any kind being 
 in some places leagues off, the natural obstacles to be overcome being 
 very great, and the aid of elephants with experienced men inured to 
 the work of transport being also required. He adds that out of four 
 contractors for the supply of a portion of superior timber, only one 
 fulfilled his agreement ; he therefore " firmly believed and should expect 
 that if Government made a contract with any such persons for supplies 
 of this nature, they would be inv olved in disappointment." 
 
 40. In regard to the best method of procuring timber of superior 
 quality, Captain Harris observes, " the sources whence this quality of 
 timber could be procured have, since the abolition of the conservator- 
 ship, been gradually consuming, and have now no doubt become quite 
 absorbed ; it will follow that as the distance from the water-carriage has 
 increased so has the value of the article, and consequently it now 
 becomes an object no doubt of serious consideration, in the event of the 
 building of large ships and frigates at Bombay, to obtain a supply fit 
 for such purposes." Accordingly, Captain Harris recommended that the 
 Summaree and Teroopaad rajahs, and the Emam Khawn should be 
 invited to supply the required timber, as they had the means of bringing 
 it down to the coast, though perhaps at an increased price ; that an officer 
 should be stationed at Malabar in communication with the above persons, 
 for the purpose of examining timber, and that he should have the 
 support of the Madras Government and of the civil authorities of the 
 Province ; that means should be adopted for the preservation of the 
 young Teak trees and saplings, and that trees under three candies should 
 not be allowed to be felled. On these points, it appears Captain Harris 
 generally agreed in the Teroopaad rajah's recommendations. 
 
 41. On the 19th June 1838, the Commissarv General ajjain address- 
 ed the Government of Bombay, on the subject of the supplies of timber, 
 and submitted a Report by Lieutenant Threshie, and a letter from Mr. 
 J. Fell, " senior merchant at Calicut," regarding the resources on the 
 Malabar Coast and the best means for their development. Lieutenant 
 
 a 2 
 
( 192 ) 
 
 Threshie was Sub-Assistant Commissary General at Malabar, and 
 appears to have been deputed during April 1838, expressly to obtain 
 information and report on the resources of the Malabar forests, and on 
 the state of the coast timber markets. Mr. Fell belonged to the Bombay 
 Civil Service, and was consulted on account of his knowledge of the 
 subject, he having long resided on the coast and given his attention to 
 the timber trade. 
 
 42. The Commissary General advocated the appointment of an 
 officer, who should be located on the coast, for the purpose of securing 
 supplies of timber and of looking after the forests, but he thought that 
 the best way to protect the young trees would be to levy a heavy duty 
 on all timber under three candies, as recommended by the Collector of 
 Malabar, Mr. Clementson. 
 
 Lieut. Threshte's "Report, 1838. — 43. Lieutenant Threshie' s report 
 is confined to the forests of Malabar and the state of the local timber 
 marts. He was not able to extend his inquiries to Canara by personally 
 visiting that Province, but as far as he could ascertain, the supply there 
 was very small, and the export " not exceeding 500 or 600 candies per 
 annum, Canara being chiefly noted for its Poon-spars." 
 
 44. With regard to the forests of Malabar, Lieutenant Threshie was 
 of opinion that the statements which had been made of the alarming 
 decrease of their resources in Teak timber were groundless, and that 
 there was no reason for apprehending any diminution in the supply, " to 
 meet the demands of the Indian Navy, were they even much greater 
 than they are at present." Lieutenant Threshie admitted that young 
 trees to a " certain extent" had certainly been cut, but he says, " there 
 is, and always will be a rapid succession of young plants, self-sown from 
 the seed of the parent tree, which requires no care, as the strongest 
 plant will always make way for itself." 
 
 45. All the Teak-timber and plank which was exported from 
 Malabar was felled and conveyed to the coast from forests, the property 
 of private individuals ; but there were also extensive forests belonging 
 to Government in the talooks of Palghaut, Temalpooram and Wynaad, 
 in which the finest Teak-trees were procurable in great abundance. 
 These forests, however, had not " felt the axe for the last 30 years" ; 
 owing, as Lieutenant Threshie was of opinion, to their situation with 
 reference to water-carriage not being so favorable as those of private 
 individuals, though he considered the superiority of the Government 
 
( 193 ) 
 
 forest timber " would in itself compensate for any difference in 
 outlay," so that if the supplies from the private forests failed, the 
 Government still had their own forests to fall back upon. 
 
 46. Referring to the destruction of young Teak-trees, and to the daily 
 increasing difficulty which must consequently be experienced in procur- 
 ing timber, Lieutenant Threshie wrote, — " No doubt, as the work of 
 felling the trees for the supply of the market progresses, the distance it 
 has to be transported to the nearest river will increase from year to 
 year, unless protection is afforded to young trees in the vicinity of the 
 rivers, and thereby add to the expense of the timber, but many years 
 must elapse before this can materially affect the prices," though it may 
 throw " a number of small traders out of the trade, which is to be 
 wished, owing to their wretched means of transport and want of funds, 
 which merely enables them to deal in small timber." 
 
 47. The disregard by the proprietors of the repeated and pressing 
 remonstrances addressed to them by the Collector agaiust allowing their 
 young trees to be cut down, Lieutenant Threshie attributed to the fact 
 that the timber was of trifling value in the forests, one to two rupees 
 the tree, and that " the owners of the forests, seldom looking to futurity, 
 are anything but careful of their state." — " A merchant or forester 
 purchases a right to fell the number of trees he may consider equal 
 to his means of transport for the next two or three years, procures a 
 permit or order for the same from the owner, and sends the people 
 with whom he may have contracted or merely engaged at a certain 
 rate per tree (about one rupee) to the forest," when the operation of 
 cutting commences. This operation is described as " cutting round the 
 tree from about the height of a man's shoulders," the hatchet being 
 more easily wielded at that height. The girth of the tree, as in the 
 Tenasserim Provinces, determines the depth of the cutting. The trees 
 are then allowed " to remain in this half-cut state for a greater or less 
 period, according as the merchant requires a fresh supply of timber 
 to meet the demands ; however, one season is actually necessary, that 
 the sap may be sufficiently absorbed to render it capable of being 
 transported and floated down the river ; some trees remain two or 
 three years in the forest, and again on the coast a year or two." It 
 was stated to be the interest of the merchant to have the timber well- 
 seasoned, as otherwise the expense and trouble of conveying it down 
 the river was greater. 
 
( 194 ) 
 
 48. Lieutenant Thresliie was of opinion that to put an effectual 
 stop to the destruction of young trees, and so also to check the exporta- 
 tion of inferior timber, no way could be better than, as suggested by the 
 Collector of Malabar, by imposing a heavy duty on all Teak timber 
 measuring less than three candies, as two-thirds of the straight timber 
 exported was nothing more " than the shoots or saplings from old 
 trunks, soft and spongy, and soon liable to decay in ship-building." 
 In fact he thought all that was required to check the destruction of 
 young trees was to protect them by rendering their export unprofitable. 
 The duty levied at the time was eight per cent, upon all Teak timber, of 
 which five per cent, was the inland duty and three per cent, the export 
 duty. 
 
 49. On the subject of the classification of Malabar Teak timber 
 and plank, Lieutenant Threshie says, — " All timber is classed simply as 
 above or under three candies, in which straight and crooked is 
 included ; this is the usual method, and it is sold accordingly in the 
 trade, but selections are frequently made, a purchaser inspecting the 
 lot marking such logs as he requires, and making his bargain after- 
 wards with the owner. This is according to the value of the logs 
 selected, more or less expensive, the cheapest way being to take the 
 whole lot without any rejection, allowance being made for defective 
 or unsound timber," and a further allowance of 10 per cent, being 
 added " to cover all trivial imperfections in the timber." If the 
 purchasers required planks, the timber was cut up at their expense ; 
 there were " various ways of delivery, viz., on board the vessel, — merely 
 giving it over where it lays, — and floating it in the river, forming a raft 
 of it, and making it over to the purchaser." The last was more 
 generally preferred. All timber was exported on Bombay bottoms, no 
 tonnage being procurable on the Coast excepting what arrived from 
 Bombav. The freight varied in 1838 from one and a half to two 
 rupees per candy, and from four to five rupees per hundred guz of 
 plank. The immediate purchasers were brokers. There appeared to be 
 no fixed or paid agents in Malabar, and the brokers purchased for 
 the Bombay merchants for a percentage of from one to two rupees, 
 " and even more according to circumstances," namely the terms of pay- 
 ment and the credit of the individual ordering the wood ; " the broker 
 being considered by the vendor, as the responsible person for the 
 purchase-money." 
 
( 195 ) 
 
 50. The price of the timber was, above three candies, 12 rupees 
 per candy ; under three candies, from Sh to 10 rupees per candy; plank 
 of any description, without an arrangement being previously made for 
 its supply, was rarely procurable, the merchants having an objection to 
 supply it as there was no market for the refuse. 
 
 51. The timber measure in Malabar was, — 
 
 1G Moganics to 1 Borel. 
 24 Borels to 1 Kol, 
 24 Kols to 1 Candv. 
 The plank measure of " one Malabar guz" was — " one guz in length, 
 twelve borels in breadth, and one borel in thickness." 
 
 Sawyers' work was estimated by the guz or candy, which was one 
 guz in length and the same in breadth : the usual charge was one 
 rupee per such candy. 
 
 The guz used in all measurements was 28| inches. 
 
 52. The working season in the forests is said by Lieutenant 
 Threshie to be from June till February, during which time elephants 
 are brought into requisition for the transport of the timber. These 
 elephants are kept expressly for that purpose, and are hired out by the 
 owners to the foresters. " The latest season that timber and plank 
 can be sent from the coast is up to the 15th of May/' but after the 1st 
 May Lieutenant Threshie thought it could not be done with safety. 
 
 53. Lieutenant Threshie did not think the system of contracts 
 desirable, as he doubted its ever affording satisfaction, but " a person 
 on the part of the Commissariat, with a competent person from the 
 dock-yard could always make a satisfactory purchase" for the 
 ordinary supply of one or two years. For any extraordinary demands, 
 however, an officer ought to be stationed on the coast, " who would 
 gradually obtain a permanent influence on the market, and might also be 
 useful in procuring other supplies." 
 
 Mr. Fell's Letter, 1838. — 54. Mr. Fell's letter contains his opinion 
 on the question, " whether a contract or an agency was the better 
 mode for procuring timber for the public service" ? He was " decided- 
 ly in favor" of an agency, as all contracts within his knowledge since 
 1832 for any large supply had failed or proved unsatisfactory ; and 
 independently of this, he added, " I am in doubts of there being any 
 person in possession of kooty kanum, or right of selling Teak timber, 
 to make a contract, and if there are, whether in the forests to which 
 
( 19G ) 
 
 that right applies there be trees adequate for naval purposes, for 
 with the exception of one district in the North-Eastern quarter and 
 another to the Southward all the forests of Malabar are exhausted." 
 Mr. Fell also stated that the class of people who were contractors were 
 not such men as could be charged with the responsibility of a contract 
 for supplying the public service, and he moreover mentioned as an 
 important objection to contracts, that the forest proprietors had made it 
 a practice to sell the same timber " to ten different persons/' which 
 caused so much litigation in the local courts that it induced the belief 
 that the free trade in Teak timber had proved " a curse rather than a 
 benefit to that country." 
 
 55. The Government of Bombay appear not to have acted upon the 
 foregoing Reports, but their substance was communicated to the Court 
 of Directors, and a copy of the whole correspondence was forwarded on 
 the 31st October 1838 to the Government of Madras for " any sugges- 
 tions or arrangements" which that Government could make, " calculat- 
 ed to assist" in obtaining the required supplies of timber. The Govern- 
 ment of Madras thereupon referred the correspondence to the Board of 
 Revenue for report, and the Board replied on the 28th January 1839. 
 They noticed the great diversity of opinions regarding the state of the 
 forests, remarking that Lieutenant Threshie was inclined " with Mr. 
 Clementson to treat the reports of the decrease of their resources as 
 greatly exaggerated if not unfounded, and to consider the forests adequate 
 to meet any demands for the Indian Navy," while Mr. Fell, on the other 
 hand, gave it as his opinion that most of the forests in Malabar are 
 exhausted, and that there are few in which any timber can be found 
 adequate for naval purposes. The Board added, however, that both 
 Mr. Fell and Lieutenant Threshie were agreed in opinion on the 
 " advantages of an agency over the endeavours to procure timber through 
 the medium of contracts," and therefore, if a duly-qualified agent were 
 appointed to inspect personally, and report upon the extent and condition 
 of the timber, they anticipated much benefit from his labors. " For," 
 the Board stated, " if the continuance of the present system is leading 
 to the speedy exhaustion of the forests, and if, as Mr. Fell states, the 
 free trade in timber has been anything but a benefit to the country, no 
 time should be lost in taking steps to reform a system which must 
 ultimately prove so injurious to the interests of the Province in the 
 destruction of one of its most valuable products." 
 
( 197 ) 
 
 5G. During the time that this correspondence was passing at Madras, 
 the Government of Bombay, on the 12th January 1839, was addressed 
 by the Superintendent of the Indian Navy, Sir Robert Oliver, regard- 
 ing the available means of procuring timber for the construction of 
 certain steam-vessels which it was in contemplation to build at Bombay. 
 Sir Robert's letter to Government was 'written in consequence of 
 a representation which had been made to him by the Controller of 
 the dock-yard, Lieutenant Williams, that the stock of timber iu 
 hand was small, the supply in the market scanty, and the prices 
 increasing, while the quality was daily becoming inferior. Under these 
 circumstances, and as the proportion of timber which was usually 
 contracted for was calculated only for ordinary purposes and exclusive 
 of building new vessels, Sir Robert advised " immediate steps being 
 taken to procure the required supply of timber, both for present and 
 future consumption, of good quality and fair and equitable prices, 
 either by means of an agency on the coast to break the monopoly," 
 or by some other means ; " for," he said of contracts, " a continuance 
 of the present system will preclude the possibility of building at all 
 in Bombay, and be the means of forfeiting the high character hitherto 
 maintained in this branch of the service." 
 
 57. On the 23rd January 1839, Sir R. Oliver again pressed on the 
 attention of Government the necessity of adopting some steps for the 
 early supply of timber requisite for building the steamers, and advised 
 the deputation of Lieutenant Williams to the forests as Agent, to select 
 and purchase the required quantities. 
 
 58. On the 29th January 1839, the Government of Bombay 
 sanctioned the deputation of Lieutenant Williams to the Coast of 
 Malabar, but only as a temporary measure, and on the same date the 
 arrangement was reported to the Government of Madras with a request 
 that that Government should direct the revenue authorities of the 
 coast to render every assistance in their power to the undertaking. 
 
 59. The Government of Madras replying, on the 19th February 
 1839, to the above-mentioned communication of the 29th January 1839, 
 and to that of the 31st October 1838, forwarded for the information of 
 the Government of Bombay the correspondence that had passed among 
 the officers of the former Presidencv, with a view to show that the 
 improvement of the forests in Malabar had already engaged their 
 attention, though, they said, " nothing decisive towards that end has 
 
( 198 ) 
 
 been done, in consequence of the limited nature of the information that 
 has been supplied by the local officers on the coast, as well as of the 
 difficulties which seemed to stand in the way of such improvement." 
 The Government of Madras under these circumstances thought the 
 recommendation which had been made by the Board of .Revenue at that 
 Presidency, for the appointment of a qualified person to inspect and 
 report on the forests, was the best that could be adopted, and as Lieut. 
 Williams had been deputed to Malabar, they advised his being also 
 " entrusted with the duty of obtaining more accurate information 
 respecting the state of the forests and their resources" ; and, in 
 anticipation of the Government of Bombay approving of this measure, 
 the Government of Madras instructed the revenue officers in Malabar 
 to render every aid to Lieutenant Williams in furtherance of that 
 object, as well as in the execution of the duty with which he had been 
 specially charged. 
 
 60. Shortly after the receipt of these papers at Bombay, Mr. Farish, 
 who was then Governor of that Presidency, recorded a minute, dated 
 4th April ]839, on the several points connected with the supply of 
 timber and forest conservancy. Mr. Farish advocated the location 
 permanently of an Agent on the Malabar Coast for the purchase of 
 timber for both Governments, as he did not agree in the opinion held 
 by Mr. Clemcntson as to the great abundance of Teak in the forests. 
 In order to distinguish the Government forests from private forests, 
 and so also to secure private rights, Mr. Farish proposed a survey of 
 the forests ; and he considered that during the progress of the survey, 
 and as the private claims were admitted, the Government should 
 " endeavour to purchase the royalty or forest right" over such tracts as 
 were well situated for transporting timber to the coast, or which were 
 on other accounts desirable, either on the plan adopted by Captain 
 Watson in 1807-8, or in some other way. By the term " roijalty or 
 forest rights" Mr. Farish explained that he meant " a right to exercise 
 the conservancy of the forests, and to forbid the felling of timber not of 
 proper size, or not requiring to be removed for the purpose of thinning 
 the forests, or other sufficient reason of which the Conservator would 
 be the judge." 
 
 61. The tracts near rivers in Malabar from which the large timber 
 had been cleared were recommended for purchase, and Mr. Farish 
 advised that on all lands of which the royalty was purchased, the 
 
( 199 ) 
 
 Government should retain a prior right to the timber felled, on pay- 
 ment to the proprietor of the usual rate of a rupee for each full-sized 
 tree ; while for saplings or young trees, which the Conservator might be 
 allowed to cut for thinnings or otherwise, the rate which the proprietors 
 had received from others should be continued to them, and they should 
 moreover have the privilege of felling timber bond fide for their " own 
 buildings within such lands on obtaining due permission." 
 
 62. Mr. Parish was of opinion that the effect of the proposed 
 measures would not be fully seen for twenty years, adding, " we are now 
 in 1839 perceiving the effect of the retrograde movement of 1821, and it 
 will not be till the approach of 1860 that the advantage of any changes 
 now adopted will be well appreciated," and therefore the measures 
 which may be adopted " must not be ephemeral or liable to be changed 
 by future Governments ; they must be continued for at least 30 years to 
 show their effect, and any record of their success must be made with 
 reference to that distant period." 
 
 63. In the office of Conservator, Mr. Farish saw nothing that need 
 have interfered with private rights, but on remodelling it, all powers 
 which were likely to invade those rights should be taken away, and the 
 office placed under the Collector of the district, without any other 
 duties attached to it than those of a Conservator, and with a responsi- 
 bility to the Collector directly, for the careful preservation of the forests 
 on the principle followed in Travancore. — " If a higher officer be not 
 thought essential when the survey and purchase of the royalty has 
 been completed, a steady and intelligent European ship-builder, or other 
 person having some scientific acquaintance with timber, might be 
 found to execute the office, having under him a competent establish- 
 ment of natives. In such case, the agent for purchasing timber should 
 be a separate officer employed for the occasion." 
 
 64. Mr. Farish did not approve of Captain Taylor's proposal to make 
 it more the interest of the proprietors to fell large rather than small 
 timber, by levying a high rate of export duty per tree, as a prohibitory 
 duty on a useful article was not in Mr. Farish's opinion a desirable 
 measure. 
 
 65. Being of opinion that the principles and measures advocated in 
 reference to the Malabar forests should be applied to all other forests 
 similarly circumstanced, Mr. Farish proposed to send Lieut. Williams a 
 copy of the correspondence received from Madras, and as therein 
 
 b 2 
 
( 200 ) 
 
 recommended, to request that officer personally to inspect and report 
 on the " present extent and condition of the timber for the joint 
 information of the two Governments/' so that measures might be taken 
 for the preservation of the forests, and " for the more efficient and more 
 economical supply of the dock-yard and ordnance department." 
 
 66. The Government of Bombay, on the 16th April 1839, carried 
 out the suggestion in respect to Lieutenant Williams, and apprised the 
 Madras Government accordingly, forwarding to that Government a 
 copy of the minute by Mr. Farish. The whole subject was also report- 
 ed to the Court of Directors on the 13th May 1839, in the hope that 
 efficient measures for remedying the evils complained of would be 
 sanctioned by that authority. 
 
 67. On the 12th June 1839, the Superintendent of the Indian Navy 
 submitted to the Government of Bombay two letters or reports from 
 Lieutenant Williams, both dated 11th May 1839, from which the 
 following information is gathered regarding the forests and the supply 
 of timber then obtainable from them, as well as respecting that procur- 
 able in the market. 
 
 Lieutenant Williams's Reports, 1839. — 68. In his first letters 
 Lieutenant Williams notices that timber was selling at an unusually 
 high rate, because the timber market, on the abolition of the agency in 
 1831, had fallen into the hands of three or four moneyed natives, who, by 
 advancing money from time to time to the forest proprietors, contrived 
 to get many of them into their debt, and thus created a monopoly. 
 He succeeded, however, by engagements made personally with the forest 
 proprietors in obtaining promises of supplies to the extent of about six 
 thousand candies at reasonable rates. Lieutenant Williams mentions 
 the timber of the Nelumboor forests as the very best in all Malabar, 
 and the supply not likely to fail for six or eight years. 
 
 69. In the second communication Lieutenant Williams, in reply to 
 the instructions to inspect personally and report on the extent and 
 condition of the Teak forests, states his inability to do so then from the 
 rainy season having set in, but he makes a report on a forest in the 
 neighbourhood of Wadakancherry, which he had visited, from which he 
 thought some opinion could be formed of the result of a general 
 inspection, as most of the Malabar forests were stated to be much in 
 the same condition. Lieutenant Williams found " the greater part of 
 the Teak trees had been cut down, and that those which remained 
 
( 201 ) 
 
 . >) 
 
 standing were from four to five miles from the nearest water-carriage 
 He said, " no care lias been taken to perpetuate a supply, no seeds have 
 been planted, and such few self-sown from the large trees as may take 
 root are mostly all destroyed in the annual burning of the dried leaves 
 and brushwood. Trees of every age and size have been felled indiscri- 
 minately, and very few small trees are now to be met with, for those 
 being of easier carriage and yielding a quicker return were the first to 
 be cut down on the removal of the heavy restrictions which were in 
 force until the year 1834." No precautions appear to have been taken 
 in barking, felling, and seasoning the timber, and in its transport, for 
 instead of being dragged by a proper path to the nearest water-carriage, 
 the logs were pushed over declivities, sometimes of hundreds of feet, 
 thereby causing rents in the timber, and contributing in some measure 
 to its general inferiority. Since the abolition of the office of Conservator, 
 the most reckless devastation had been committed upon the smaller 
 sized trees, every stick that promised to yield a return having been cut 
 down. "Within twenty-one preceding months from the time that 
 Lieutenant Williams wrote, it appears that forty thousand young trees 
 had been floated down from the jungles, " the diameter of which did 
 not exceed 12 inches, and a great proportion of which was under six 
 inches. Nothing can more plainly show the ruin the forests are 
 sustaining, and the necessity of prompt measures to avert the incon- 
 venience to which Government are likely to be subjected, by the 
 almost entire loss of one of the most valuable and important products 
 of the country." As it was the practice with some forest proprietors 
 to sell their trees at a rupee each, Lieutenant Williams proposed to 
 purchase a number for Government, leaving them to be felled when 
 required at any future period. 
 
 70. The Government of Madras possessed three forests in the 
 vicinity of Palghaut, which contained between five and six hundred 
 trees, but very few young trees and saplings, as mostly all that spring 
 up from self-sown seeds are destroyed in the dry season by the burning 
 of the grass and weeds. Two of these forests contained " many 
 valuable full-grown trees of blackwood," and the third was reported to 
 abound in Cedar trees, but to have fewer Teak trees than either of the 
 
 other two. 
 
 71. Lieutenant Williams further noticed the total absence of all 
 care or endeavour to provide for the future, and adds, that near Wada- 
 
( 202 ) 
 
 kancherry, in the immediate vicinity of water-carriage, not a seed had 
 been sown. He therefore suggested the propriety of preserving and 
 improving the Palghaut forests, as a reserve to meet in after years the 
 exigencies of the Government. 
 
 Minute by Mr. Farish, 25th June 1839. — 72. Upon these reports 
 of Lieutenant Williams, Mr. Farish recorded his remarks and sugges- 
 tions in a second minute, dated 25th June 1839. 
 
 73. Mr. Farish considered that the information afforded by Lieut. 
 Williams strongly corroborated in many points what had been assumed 
 respecting the state of the forests in the minute of the 4th April, and 
 fully established the error of the representations that there was no 
 deficiency of timber, and that the resources of the forests were as 
 abundant as formerly. Mr. Farish, therefore, again advocated precau- 
 tionary measures for the preservation and improvement of the forests. 
 
 74. He considered that the proposition for purchasing trees on the 
 ground by the payment of the kooty kanum to the proprietors was a 
 judicious one, " if no method of obtaining the royalty of the forests," 
 as recommended in his previous minute, could be devised, but the 
 purchase should be extensive, so as to embrace all exhausted Teak 
 tracts which were situated favorably for water-carriage, and to include 
 a right of controlling the management of the forest, in order that the 
 burning of the jungle might be prevented as it is in the Travancore 
 forests, and measures adopted for planting young trees and preserving 
 them during their growth." 
 
 75. A copy of the above minute, and of each of Lieutenant Williams's 
 reports, seem to have been forwarded to the Government of Madras, and 
 Lieutenant Williams, it would appear, was directed to proceed and 
 " inspect personally other forests and report upon them." 
 
 76. In the mean while the Government of Madras, on receiving the 
 letter of the Government of Bombay dated 16th April 1839, transferred 
 it and its accompanying correspondence to the Board of Revenue at 
 that Presidency, on the 3rd May 1839, with a request for a report on 
 the matter. The Board of Revenue, to aid them in forming a judgment 
 on the measures for preserving and increasing the supplies of forest 
 timber which were proposed in Mr. Farish's minute of the 4th April, 
 sent a copy of the papers to the principal collector of Malabar, who in 
 reply made a long report on the forests of that Province from the 
 period that Government took possession of them up to the date of the 
 
( 203 ) 
 
 report. The Board of Revenue submitted this report to the Government 
 of Madras on the 7th November 1839, with their remarks on it and on 
 the minute by Mr. Earish, but before taking up the Board's letter, the 
 report of the Collector of Malabar will be noted. 
 
 Malabar, 1839.— 77. The report on the Malabar forests is dated 
 12th September 1839, and was drawn up by Mr. Underwood, who was 
 acting principal Collector of the province at the time. Mr. Underwood 
 divides his report under the heads of Royalty, Conservator, Re-opening 
 of the timber forests, and Proposed measures for preserving the forests. 
 
 78. Royalty. — On the subject of royalty, Mr. Underwood states 
 that under the former rajahs the trade was free, and the right of private 
 individuals unfettered, the owners of forests working them or not as 
 they pleased, — the only interference by the ruling authority being the 
 levy of a small duty of about one rupee per candy. When Tippoo 
 Sahib took possession of the Province of Malabar, he, in the exercise of 
 his rights as a conqueror, annihilated this private right and created the 
 forests into a monopoly, working them himself. From Tippoo's own 
 statement, it appears that by this measure he gained a revenue of 
 rupees 90,000 annually, exclusive of charges. " He, however, so far 
 recognized the rights of the proprietors as to make them an allowance 
 of two fanams per tree of 10 inches diameter." Tippoo appears to have 
 first assumed the royalty of the forests in 1784-5, and it is argued that 
 on the cession of the country by him, the Company's Government 
 acquired the same rights, and in fact, on the transfer of the territory, 
 did assume and temporarily exercise those rights, but afterwards threw 
 open the trade and levied a duty of two rupees per candy. The 
 monopoly, however, was re-established, — 
 
 " First, by the proclamation of the Collector in 1806, which prohibited the fellino- 
 and exportation of timber; and secondly, in the proclamation of the Madras Govern- 
 ment dated 25th April 1807, wherein the sovereignty of the forests was assumed, and 
 all persons prohibited from cutting or destroying trees or young plants under the 
 penalty of being treated as plunderers." 
 
 — Thus it continued till 1822-23, when the office of Conservator was 
 abolished. With reference to these circumstances, Mr. Underwood 
 thought that the Government might in equity assume the royalty over 
 all private forests. He observed, — 
 
 " They belong so far to Government that their destruction cannot be permitted, 
 as this would be an infringement of their rights, and on the other hand they are bona 
 fide the property of individuals who are entitled to the entire profits to be derived 
 
( 201 ) 
 
 from the timber ; this latter right has been freely exercised, so as nearly to extinguish 
 the right of Government, and it is now high time that they should take prompt and 
 immediate measures to preserve their interests from destruction by the entire 
 exhaustion of the forests." 
 
 79. Referring to the alleged purchase, in 1807, of the proprietary- 
 right in some of the forests by Captain Watson, the Conservator, Mr. 
 Underwood, reported that he could not trace the fact in the records. 
 Captain Watson seems to have merely offered small sums to individuals, 
 but there was no proof of actual payment. The Government therefore 
 were really the proprietors of only three forests which had lapsed to 
 them from the failure of heirs. 
 
 80. Conservator. — Regarding the office of Conservator, Mr. Under- 
 wood gives no further material information than has been already 
 afforded in different parts of this Summary. The first Conservator 
 appointed at Malabar was Captain Watson, and he in a short time, 
 under the assumed sovereignty of the forests, " exercised the same kind 
 of authority as if, by a universal forfeiture, all the trees and all the 
 timber of Malabar and Canara had escheated to the Government." 
 But while Captain Watson was so zealously asserting the right of the 
 Government to the forests, he took no measures whatever for their 
 perpetuation, and his successors seem to have been regardless of that 
 object, for, Mr. Underwood observes, " after a careful search, I cannot 
 discover that any Conservator has planted a single tree, or that they 
 took any effectual or systematic measures to perpetuate the forests in 
 which they felled timber/' 
 
 81. The state of the forests under successive Conservators has been 
 already detailed. The acts of those officers, and the system pursued by 
 them appeared to Mr. Underwood to have received the support of the 
 Government of Bombay " under the idea that a large portion of the 
 forests of Malabar was the undoubted property of the Company, 
 whereas in truth and in fact they did not possess the right of property 
 in one." 
 
 82. Re-opening of the timber trade. — The Conservator and his 
 establishment were withdrawn in April 1823, and Mr. Underwood 
 says — " the first effect of the withdrawal of the monopoly" was the 
 assumption by private proprietors of the right of property in the 
 entire forests, and no sooner were they " in possession of their rights 
 than the rage for Teak timber was such that it was felled promiscuously, 
 and trees, small and large, cut down in every direction." These 
 
( 205 ) 
 
 proceedings were entirely subversive of the rights which Government 
 had asserted in the proclamation of 1807, and yet Mr. Underwood 
 could not discover that those rights had been relinquished by any 
 subsequent public act or proclamation of the Government, or by the 
 measures of the Conservator. He did not think it was intended that 
 liberty so unrestricted of felling timber and destroying saplings was 
 meant to be conceded to the people, and this opinion is confirmed in a 
 great measure by the terms of the Government order for the abolition of 
 the office of Conservator, for it directed the Collectors to " submit such 
 suggestions as may seem to them most proper for preserving the trees 
 in the public forests and for procuring supplies of timber for tlie public 
 service, without encroaching on the rights or comforts of the people at 
 large" ; and in a later order of Government to the Board of Revenue, 
 dated 17th October 1823, it is laid down that, — 
 
 " Next to protecting the people from any obstruction in the enjoyment of their 
 property, and in the exercise of their prescriptive privileges, (which it is hoped has 
 already been sufficiently provided for,) the first great object is to secure the valuable 
 property in the public forests from fraudulent or wanton injury, and the second to 
 render the produce of those forests available for useful purposes." 
 
 83. Though no definitive arrangements were made by the Board of 
 Revenue up to September 1823, it appears that they had merely 
 awaited the receipt of reports from the local officers, " regarding the 
 tenure of the forests in Malabar and Canara, the extent of the tracts 
 they occupy and the nature and value of their produce" ; whence Mr. 
 Underwood inferred that by the abolition of the office of Conservator, it 
 was not intended absolutely to abandon all Government right to the 
 forests, and therefore the Government possessed a " much stronger 
 claim upon the forests than they assume " 
 
 84. Referring to the injurious effects of the abolition of the office of 
 Conservator, Mr. Underwood says, a very different result was anticipat- 
 ed from that which followed, and he quotes the following passage from 
 a minute by Sir Thomas Munro, in which the throwing open of the 
 trade in timber was strongly advocated : — 
 
 " The people of Malabar and Canara are chiefly agriculturists and merchants, a 
 considerable proportion of the ryots are traders, and their country being intersected 
 by rivers and creeks, enables them to bring the produce to the Coast in their own 
 boats for sale, and they are too good traders not to cultivate Teak, or whatever wood 
 is likely to yield a profit. They are fond of planting. They plant trees for sale 
 for their private use, and in order to devote to their temples; and to encourage 
 
( 20G ) 
 
 tliem, no regulation is wanted, but a free market. Restore the liberty of trade in 
 private wood ; let the public be guarded by its ancient protector, not a stranger, but 
 the collector and the magistrate of the country, and v\ e shall get all the wood the 
 country can yield more certainly than by any restrictive measures. Private timber 
 will be increased by good prices, and trade and agricultnre will be freed from vexation." 
 
 The Marine Board of Bombay, in a letter to Government dated 15th 
 April 1823, entirely agreed in this opinion, but Mr. Underwood shows 
 that these expectations were frustrated by the perfect freedom which 
 followed the abolition of the office of Conservator. 
 
 85. Proposed Measures. — The measures which Mr. Underwood 
 proposed, were, — 
 
 1st, — The revival of the Company's right of royalty in the forests by a proclamation. 
 
 2ndly, — The revival of the office of Conservator with abridged powers. 
 
 3rdly, — The purchase of tracts in exhausted forests with a view to their replantation. 
 
 Athly, — That Government should work their own forests, cutting down all timber 
 but Teak, in order to replant them with Teak. 
 
 bthly, — The appointment of a joint Agent by the Governments of Bombay and 
 Madras for the purchase of timber. 
 
 86. Regarding the first measure Mr. Underwood observed that 
 Avhen Tippoo monopolized the forests, the neighbouring Rajahs of 
 Travancore and Cochin " took the hint and seized the forests which they 
 appear never to have relinquished, and if their right be one of assump- 
 tion, and yet be recognized as a legal tenure" ; he thought the Govern- 
 ment could " with equity and propriety" assert their claims to the 
 royalty in the restricted sense in which the term had been used by Mr. 
 Farish, which was a right to regulate the felling of timber ; and he 
 recommended this being done at once by a proclamation without delay. 
 
 87. Touching the second measure, Mr. Underwood stated that the 
 Collector of the Province should be ex-officio Conservator, with an 
 assistant under him to be employed expressly upon that duty ; the 
 royalty to be vested in the Conservator, who should exercise the follow- 
 ing rights : — 
 
 " 1st, — No tree shall be cut without his permission, it being distinctly understood 
 that he will grant leave to cut all that can be called timber, reserving a tree here and 
 there for seed." 
 
 " 2ndly, — No tree shall be cut until, say, ten seeds or saplings are sown or planted 
 in its room." 
 
 " 3rdly, — Young trees are not to be cut without leave, but the Conservator will 
 allow this whenever it is requisite to thin plantations, and he will permit shoots from 
 old trees, or trees that have been felled, to be cut down." 
 
( 207 ) 
 
 It was conceived that tliis would allow forest-owners as much small 
 timber as could be necessary. 
 
 88. On the third and fourth propositions Mr. Underwood made no 
 particular remarks, but with respect to the fifth, viz. the appointment 
 of an Agent, he urged the creation of that office independent of that of 
 Conservator, as the duties of the two were incompatible in the same 
 person. The Conservator would plant and protect, while the Agent 
 would select the trees, and regulate the time and manner of their being 
 cut. The Conservator would follow his steps, and replant where the 
 timber had been felled. The Agent must be left unfettered, to proceed 
 from place to place to find the best market, but the Conservator's pre- 
 sence was indispensably required in the forests. 
 
 89. For obtaining supplies of timber, Mr. Underwood suggested 
 three modes ; the first was to purchase in the market, the second to 
 make large contracts, and the third, to purchase forests, either in per- 
 petuity or for a series of years, or to obtain the exclusive right of cutting 
 trees upon the payment of a fixed amount. This last mode was consi- 
 dered the most desirable, but whichever might be adopted, it was re- 
 commended that the right to plant should under any circumstances be 
 secured. 
 
 90. Mr. Underwood thought that if his suggestions were followed, 
 the Government would obtain all the timber they required. The 
 landlords would be subject to no interference, while the private merchant 
 and the ship-builder would both be able to purchase timber. " On the 
 other hand, the forests will be preserved from destruction, and gradually 
 regain the luxuriant condition in which they were when delivered, 
 without restriction to the proprietors, who have delivered them to the 
 unsparing axe of mortgagees; these have devasted them with a cupidity 
 that will, if allowed to continue, ensure their total destruction, and it is 
 to relieve them from the wanton and indiscriminate spoliation of 
 these individuals that the present restrictions are proposed." 
 
 91. Mr. Underwood submitted an agreement which a proprietor of 
 forests had sent to him, with a request that he would interfere and pre- 
 vent the contractors from cutting down the young trees, and on this 
 point he added, — " no doubt most proprietors feel as this man does, and 
 would hail the appointment of the Conservator, as now proposed, as 
 a boon, as would all classes except the mortgagee, whose plans and 
 conduct it is my object to control." Mr. Underwood also submitted a 
 
 c 2 
 
( 208 ) 
 
 statement showing " the number of forests, the trees they contain, the 
 parties who own them, and as far as practicable, the individuals to 
 whom and the rates for which they are mortgaged." 
 92. The following is an abstract of the statement : — 
 
 Abstract Statement of the Teak Forests in Malabar, 1839. 
 
 Talooks. 
 
 Temalpooram 
 
 ( Private property, . 
 Palghaut,. < 
 
 ( Government ditto, 
 
 Walloowanaad, 
 
 Nedoonganaad, 
 
 Ernaad, 
 
 Wynaad, .... .... 
 
 Cartenaad, .... .... ... 
 
 Coormenaad, .... .... 
 
 Calicut, .... .... ... 
 
 Total, .. 
 
 
 73 
 
 38 
 3 
 
 64 
 
 22 
 205 
 
 40 
 5 
 
 23 
 
 
 478 
 
 
 4 
 24 
 1 
 15 
 4 
 8 
 7 
 2 
 2 
 
 
 o 
 
 O > rs 
 
 o a 
 
 ..a a 
 
 o ts « 
 
 43,270 
 
 249 
 
 140 
 
 4,031 
 
 500 
 
 2,955 
 
 2,402 
 
 105 
 
 54,521 
 
 .§5 . 
 
 159,093 
 
 5,692 
 
 575 
 
 16,525 
 
 4,372 
 
 36,818 
 
 6,415 
 
 755 
 
 5,139 
 
 4,710 
 
 240,094 
 
 o a 
 <• a g 
 
 .5 «• a; 
 
 223,700 
 
 7,410 
 
 4,550 
 
 26,250 
 
 19,550 
 
 200,000 
 
 ■Not stated. 
 
 16,685 
 18,700 
 
 516,845 
 
 " Temalpooram. — Of the four proprietors in that talook, or district, three had either 
 rented out or mortgaged their forests, but the fourth held his forests unincumbered. 
 
 " Palghaut. — Of the twenty-four proprietors in tliis District, three had rented out or 
 mortgaged some of their forests ; the remaining forests were held by their proprietors. 
 The Rajah of Palghaut and some other zemindars were " in the habit of renting the 
 privilege of cutting Teak-trees in their respective forests." 
 
 " Walloowanaad. — Of the sixteen proprietors in this District, only four had leased 
 out their forests. 
 
 " Nedoonganaad. — One of the four proprietors in this District, the Rajah of Calicut 
 allowed trees to be cut in his forest ; between two other proprietors there was a dispute 
 respecting the right of seventeen forests ; the forests of the fourth proprietor contained 
 only saplings, and were free from any contracts. 
 
 " Ernaad. — A. few of the forests here were mortgaged, the others were free from the 
 leases or contracts which existed in Palghaut and Temalpooram. 
 
 " Many of the forests were stated to be so infested by wild Elephants, that it was 
 found impracticable to ascertain with any degree of accuracy the number of trees 
 in each. 
 
( 209 ) 
 
 Wynaad. — This talook is above the ghauts, and deprived of the convenience of 
 water-carriage to the coast. Teak-trees were felled only to meet the demand in 
 Mysore, whither the wood was carried on bandies, after being cut in convenient 
 sizes. Mr. Underwood thought it was worthy of consideration, whether the timber 
 could not be cut into planks and carried to the Coast at a moderate price, and if the 
 forests could not be purchased by Government for smaller sums than those forests 
 which were below the ghauts. 
 
 Board of Revenue, 1839. — 93. On the several points discussed in 
 the minute of Mr. Parish, dated 4th April 1839, and in the above 
 report of Mr. Underwood, the Madras Board of Revenue expressed their 
 sentiments in the letter to the Government of Madras, dated 7th 
 November 1839, (in reply to the requisition of the 3rd May preceding,) 
 already noticed in para. 76. 
 
 94. The survey of the forests suggested by Mr. Farish, the Board 
 thought would be a work of useless labor and expense, as Mr. 
 Underwood's report had shown clearly that the Government could 
 claim the proprietary right in no more than three forests situated in 
 Palghaut ; they therefore did not recommend a survey. In all other 
 points connected with the forests the Board fully agreed in opinion 
 with Mr. Underwood, and accordingly they recommended the immediate 
 adoption of the several measures suggested in his report, except the 
 fourth proposal, — the purchase of all tracts of forest lands in which 
 the Teak had been totally exhausted for the purpose of replantation. 
 This measure the Board thought should be left for consideration when 
 further experience on the subject had been acquired. The Board 
 further doubted whether the right of royalty after having been 
 abandoned for a considerable period could be legally revived by means 
 of the proclamation which was recommended to be issued; they 
 therefore advised a reference to the legal authorities, and that on 
 issuing a proclamation the term royalty should be carefully denned 
 to mean merely the right to prevent the indiscriminate felling of 
 timber, and to enforce regulations for securing a perpetual supply of 
 trees, and not to include any privilege of monopoly, pre-emption, or 
 fixing of the price. Of Mr. Underwood's suggestions for obtaining 
 supplies of timber, the Board observed that the principal one, the 
 appointment of an Agent on the Coast, had been carried out. They 
 agreed with Mr. Underwood that the office should always be distinct 
 from that of Conservator, and that the same Agent should purchase for 
 the Madras and Bombay Governments to obviate loss from competition. 
 
( 210 ) 
 
 On the other suggestions the Board refrained from remarking, as they 
 believed that the Agent on the spot could best determine the propriety 
 or otherwise of adopting them. 
 
 Court of Directors' Order, 26th February 1840. — 95. In Febru- 
 ary 1840, the Court of Directors wrote to the Government of India 
 regarding the report made to them by the Government of Bombay on 
 the 13th May 1839, which has been alluded to in para. 66. 
 
 96. The Court, after briefly reviewing the history of the forests 
 from the date of their order of August 1800 down to the date of 
 Mr. Farish's minute of 4th April 1839, remarked that the plans which 
 were proposed required considerable modification, as in 1805 and the 
 following year surveys of several Districts in Malabar and Canara had 
 been executed and although the supplies of timber which were then 
 reported to exist were inapplicable to 1840, yet they believed that 
 sufficient information had been collected to render a second formal 
 survey unnecessary. The Court also remarked that, — 
 
 " The forests of the districts of Palghaut in Malabar, as well as others of consider- 
 able extent in Canara, are admitted to be public property, and if these are inadequate 
 or unfit to supply the demand of Government, a properly qualified person should be 
 deputed to select other and more conveniently situated tracts of which Government 
 should endeavour to obtain the complete ownership. The Bombay Government indeed 
 proposes to purchase merely the royalty or forest right, which is described in a minute 
 by Mr. Farish as the right to exercise the conservancy of the forests and to forbid the 
 felling of timber at a fixed rate which it is proposed to secure to Government, and with 
 the further obligation imposed on the proprietor to abstain from cutting Teak-wood, 
 even for his own use, without permission, would place Government nearly in the 
 position of a perpetual lessee ; and though all public purposes might thus be 
 answered, room would be left for dissatisfaction on the part of the proprietor, who 
 might naturally complain if in consequence of a rise of prices he found himself 
 compelled to dispose of the produce of his estate, for less than the market rate. 
 At the same time there will be no advantage in purchasing more land than may 
 appear sufficient to supply the average quantity of timber required for the public 
 service. The forests not required for this purpose should still be left in the hands 
 of the actual tenants, and we would suggest for your consideration whether it might 
 not be desirable to prevent material injury to the timber by legislative enactment 
 forbidding the felling of Teak-trees under a certain size, except on payment of a high 
 rate of duty." 
 
 97. The Court of Directors, however, desired the Government of 
 India to give the whole subject early and attentive consideration, and to 
 exercise their own discretion with regard to the instructions to be issued 
 to the local Governments. But at the same time the Court added, — ■ 
 
( 211 ) 
 
 " We shall merelv express our anxious wish that in the prosecution of the survey, 
 if such a measure should appear necessary, and of the ulterior operations, the utmost 
 care may he taken to avoid any infringement of the rights, or any unnecessary 
 interference with the convenience, of private persons. It will probably be found 
 expedient to commit the management of the Government forests to a Conservator, and 
 to subject him in matters connected with the official duty to the orders of the 
 Government of Bombay, but with the view of guarding against a recurrence of the 
 evils which formerly flowed from the particular office, the conservator should at the 
 same time be made responsible to the local authorities, and his powers should be so 
 strictly defined as to afford no pretext for exceeding them." 
 
 98. On the receipt of the foregoing Despatch, the Government of 
 India, on the 22nd of April 1840, called upon the Governments of 
 Madras and Bombay for information, regarding the Malabar and 
 Canara forests. 
 
 99. The Government of Madras was required to report the extent 
 of the forests in each of the two Provinces which were admitted to 
 be public property, their condition " and the situation of the timber 
 thereupon with respect to its fitness to supply the local and Marine 
 demands of Government," in order to enable the Governor General 
 to determine " whether additional forests or other forests more conve- 
 niently situated," which were private property, should be " acquired by 
 the State sufficient to supply the average quantity of timber required 
 for the public service," and whether it would " be desirable by some 
 legislative provision to prohibit generally the felling of Teak-trees 
 under a certain size, except on payment of a high rate of duty." 
 
 100. The Government of Bombay was desired " to furnish any 
 information relative to the timber of these forests, and the objects of 
 inquiry which are suggested in the Hon'ble Court's Despatch," that 
 would assist the Governor General in Council in carrying into effect 
 the instructions of the Court for the preservation, and if necessary, for 
 the extension of the Government forests in Malabar and Canara by 
 purchasing new tracts. 
 
 101. The Government of Madras, in reply to the foregoing 
 requisition (para. 99), forwarded to the Government of India on the 
 30th June 1840, in addition to the correspondence regarding the Teak 
 forests of Malabar and Canara, which has been already noticed, a letter 
 from Mr. Conolly, acting principal collector of Malabar. 
 
 Malabar, 12th June 1840.— 102. Mr. Conolly's letter is dated 12th 
 June 1844. He confirms the fact of the whole country of Malabar, 
 
( 212 ) 
 
 whether forest or plain, being the property of private individuals, 
 with the exception of three forests in Palghaut which, on the death 
 of the owner Chenat Nair in 1802 and in default of heirs, reverted to 
 Government. These forests had been scarcely worked, but the supply 
 available from them was not much. The private forests, on the 
 other hand, had been " dilapidated by a selfish and short-sighted 
 policy," and urgently called for some measures to put a stop to their 
 total destruction. Mr. Conolly thought that no system could be better 
 than that of prohibiting the felling of Teak-trees under a certain size 
 by a high rate of duty on under-sized trees. He did not approve of 
 the proposal to re-assert the royalty in a modified degree on behalf of 
 Government, as he apprehended its assumption, so long after its virtual 
 relinquishment in 1823, would cause great and general discontent, 
 while the chief advantages anticipated by that measure, would be as 
 effectually obtained by the much less objectionable imposition of a 
 prohibitory duty. 
 
 103. Mr. Conolly was favorable to the plan for the " acquisition of 
 private forests sufficient to supply the average quantity of timber 
 required for the public service," but as " it might be a difficult matter 
 with the feelings entertained by the natives of this country of the value 
 of their proprietary rights, and of the loss of honor entailed by alienat- 
 ing them, to make many purchases out-and-out/' Mr. Conolly thought 
 the desired end would be " just as effectually secured by taking forests 
 on the usual mortgage-tenure of the country," and by advancing nearly 
 the value of the estate the Government can secure themselves against 
 any intrusion, as " in Malabar mortgages are never foreclosed, but by 
 a common tenure, (kooty kanum) ; the proprietor in case of redemption 
 is bound to pay for all improvements made by the mortgagee." This 
 plan would ensure perpetual possession, where the original sum advanced 
 was equal or nearly so to the value of the property, and it would leave 
 the proprietary right untouched " to feed the harmless vanity of the 
 proprietors, whose sole rights will be sundry seignorial ones," such as 
 the tusks of elephants that may die within the forests, the wild honey, 
 bees-wax, &c, " which will in no way interfere with the full occupation 
 and use of the ground," and one of the greatest advantages of which 
 will be the power of replanting the tracts that are denuded of Teak. 
 
 104. Mr. Conolly further proposed the appointment of an active 
 and trustworthy person, who possessed a knowledge of arboriculture, 
 
( 213 ) 
 
 with the aid of an establishment to take the general superintendence 
 of the forests under the Collector. 
 
 105. The Government of Madras in reviewing the measures proposed 
 in this letter by Mr. Conolly, and those which were advised by Mr. 
 Underwood, (see para. 85) as well as the measures recommended by 
 the Board of Revenue, decided in favor of renting the forests as a plan 
 that " would effectually remove all difficulties that might arise from 
 the assertion of the proprietary rights of the people in opposition to the 
 modified title of royalty, which it is proposed to revive on the part of 
 Government, and that it Avould at the same time give the Government 
 the entire command of the forests, enabling them to obtain an abundant 
 supply of the best timber, and to nurse the forests." Accordingly, and as 
 it appeared that some forests were then rented on account of the State, 
 the Government of Madras, on the 30th June 1840, instructed Mr. 
 Conolly " to endeavour immediately to ascertain and report upon what 
 terms the several proprietors would be disposed to lease their forests to 
 Government, on the termination" of the leases which then existed, and 
 also to estimate and state as far as was practicable the probable annual 
 expense that would have to be incurred by the adoption of the measure. 
 
 106. The Government of Madras on the same date, 30th June 1840, 
 forwarded a copy of the above order and of the papers on which it had 
 been passed to the Government of Bombay, where Mr. Farish reviewed 
 the subject of them, and recorded on the 30th July 1840 a minute, 
 which will be noticed presently ; and on the 5th August, the Govern- 
 ment of Bombay replied to the requisition of the Government of India 
 of the 22nd April, (see para. 98). 
 
 Lord Auckland's Minute, 29th August 1840. — 107. Upon these 
 papers Lord Auckland wrote a minute, dated 29th August 1840, in 
 which he expressed his approval generally of the measures that had 
 been taken for the preservation prospectively of the Malabar Teak 
 forests, but objected to measures of prohibition, or to duties contrived 
 so as to discourage the felling of small trees in the hope that the 
 prospective supply of long timber would thus become more plentiful, 
 and disapproved in fact of any minute interference by Government, 
 " as it would not be compatible with a good system of forest cultivation 
 in which saplings should be made to succeed to large trees, and should 
 be thinned at intervals until the large timber trees should in the end 
 occupy their natural space." He added, that " more good might be 
 
( 214 ) 
 
 done witli the rajahs and greater proprietors of woods, and they might 
 perhaps be tied down to conditions of management by the purchase of 
 their growing trees, or upon other consideration, and be made to 
 introduce a good system." However, his lordship put off the further 
 consideration of the subject until the receipt of more information from 
 Bombay and Madras. A communication in the terms of this minute 
 was accordingly made to the Governments of Madras and Bombay on 
 the 2nd September 1840. 
 
 108. On the 16th September 1840, the Government of Bombay 
 again addressed the Government of India, forwarding the correspondence 
 then recently received from the Madras Government, with the minute 
 of Mr. Farish, dated 30th July, alluded to in para. 106. 
 
 Minute by Mr. Parish, 30th July 1840. — 109. Mr. Farish 
 approved of the proposal for renting forests by mortgages, but thought 
 that for the interests of Government it was essential that the mortgages 
 should be for a certain period, as otherwise the wealthy timber 
 merchants of Bombay, when the most valuable forests shall have been 
 preserved and carefully nursed by Government, would step in, and by 
 redeeming the mortgages secure for themselves all the advantages for 
 which Government had labored and incurred expense. Mr. Farish 
 suggested, that for the purposes of Government, and as a future reserve, 
 the most desirable forest-stracts were those lying near water-carriage, 
 which though entirely exhausted at that time, once produced fine timber. 
 Similar measures to those contemplated in Malabar should be applied 
 to Canara, and in fact wherever Teak was indigenous, and particularly 
 where it had yielded timber of good quality. Adverting to the details 
 of rearing, preserving, and felling forest-trees, Mr. Farish pointed out 
 particularly the necessity of planting, along with Teak, other trees which 
 grow faster than it, or where such existed, of preserving some of them 
 in order to shelter the young Teak from the violence of the weather, as 
 it had been ascertained that Teak did not grow and thrive without such 
 protection. It was also to be remembered that, — 
 
 " The extensive planting and judicious rearing and care of young trees, and the 
 prevention to felling those proper to be preserved to maturity, must as far as possible 
 be made to depend on arrangements not liable to be affected by the fluctuating tenure 
 of our local managers, or the frequent changes of the officers of Government itself. 
 The Government must never forget that a period of not less than thirty years will elapse 
 before the beneficial effect of these contemplated improvements can be fully appre- 
 ciated, and that their ultimate object is for years far more distant." 
 
( 215 ) 
 
 110. Entertaining these views, Mr. Farish advised the permanent 
 appointment of a sub-conservator under the collector and ex officio 
 conservator, and recommended his being a " properly qualified person/' 
 who should be remunerated by a salary progressively increasing with 
 lengthened periods of approved sendee, so as to secure his continuance 
 in the office. " He should have particular instructions as to the several 
 points of duty for which he should be held personally responsible, and 
 powers should be vested in him and in the collector to render the 
 conservancy completely effective," and his office establishment must 
 " not be liable to reduction on merely economical considerations." Mr. 
 Farish further advised the appointment of an agent, apart from that of 
 sub-conservator, for the purchase of timber, also other provisions for 
 rendering these measures permanent ; and he said, " as a very useful help 
 in keeping a knowledge of the state of the timber resources of India 
 constantly before the authorities, annual correct information should be 
 furnished by the sub-conservator in a report regarding the forests, and 
 by the agent for purchasing timber, regarding every detail of the Malabar 
 timber trade of the season." Mr. Farish looking " bevond Indian 
 interests in this national question," proposed moreover that copies of 
 these reports should be furnished to the Admiralty Board and other 
 departments that took cognizance of the timber resources for the 
 lloyal Navy. The high price of the timber which then prevailed was 
 ascribed to the competition that had arisen for the supply of the Gun- 
 carriage department, where only the very best description of timber was 
 used ; but the recurrence of this contingency the agent would be able 
 to prevent by a proper conservation of the forests, and by his having at 
 command not merely the supplies in the market, but also those in the 
 forests leased by Government ; " all departments of every branch of the 
 Indian Government which draws its timber from Malabar may then be 
 supplied by the agent there, according to the nature of their demands." 
 
 111. A copy of the foregoing minute was sent to the Government 
 of Madras, and another copy was forwarded to the Superintendent of 
 the Indian Navy, for communication to Lieutenant Williams. 
 
 112. On the 29th October 1840 the Government of Madras again 
 addressed the Government of India, and forwarded a copy of a letter 
 which they had received from Mr. Conolly, then acting principal collec- 
 tor of Malabar, in reply to the requisition of the 30th June, (paragraph 
 105,) which enjoined that officer " to ascertain and report upon what 
 
 d 2 
 
( 216 ) 
 
 terms the several proprietors would be disposed to lease their forests to 
 Government, on the termination" of the existing leases, and to estimate 
 and state as far as practicable, the probable annual expense of such an 
 arrangement. 
 
 Mr. Conolly's Report, 19th October 1840. — 113. Mr. Conolly 
 says that immediately on Receipt of the above instructions, he commu- 
 nicated with the chief forest proprietors on the subject of renting their 
 forests ; his proposals at first were received with a good deal of alarm 
 and suspicion, which were further fostered " by the artful representa- 
 tions of the merchants who had hitherto been the chief renters and 
 mortgagees of the forests, and who were extremely unwilling to lose 
 the benefit of a profitable monopoly" ; but having at last succeeded in 
 his object, he felt assured that " little difficulty will be experienced in 
 obtaining large portions of forest lands on the terms of a contract" which 
 had been drawn up in communication with some of the most influential 
 proprietors. Mr. Conolly proposed to rent the forests on the system which 
 generally prevailed in the country, " with one or two additions and 
 improvements." The terms of his contract will be best explained by 
 the following extract from the 3rd para, of his letter : — 
 
 " The Government, besides giving a fixed sum or mortgage which is to bear no 
 interest,* and which is to vary of course according to the value of the specific property, 
 are in the first instance to make an advance to the proprietor (also without interest)* 
 of a further sum regulated by the same standard, which is to be liquidated by the 
 timber felled at the rate of 1 rupee per tree, and on this advance being liquidated they 
 are to pay in arrear at the same rate for every tree afterwards felled. It is further 
 stipulated, that to enable the Government to have the full advantage of the trees which 
 it is proposed to plant in the rented forest, and which do not come to full maturity 
 till from 40 to 50 years, the mortgage be renewable every 30 years, on the condition 
 of a fine for the renewal, and payment of half a rupee on each tree so planted at the 
 time of its felling. The latter stipulation is the one which is most advantageous to 
 the proprietor, as he is to receive this sum without any expense or trouble on his part ; 
 still I do not think it at all unreasonable. It is, in fact, the rent of the ground for the 
 half century that is required to make the tree fit for cutting, and when it is considered 
 that each tree may be estimated to cost Government about 30 rupees by the time it 
 is ready for actual use as timber, this additional tax is hardly worthy of being taken 
 into account.f It must be remembered also that some clear and tangible benefit must 
 
 * " The use of these sums without interest was a point on which much stress was laid by the 
 natives whom I consulted. But the loss to Government on this account will not be consider- 
 able. The money given as panium on property of this description is generally very small as 
 compared with its real value ; that given as kooty luinum is a temporary charge which is con- 
 tinually decreasing 1 ." 
 
 t " A tree of three candies (below which none should be cut) when brought to the sea-coast 
 is worth at present about 50 rupees, but I am presuming that under good Government manage- 
 ment the price will be greatly reduced." 
 
( 217 ) 
 
 be held out to the proprietor, to induce him to alienate his land so thoroughly as he 
 is invited to do, thus departing from the usual system of giving merely a limited 
 mortage ; with this inducement, as also the others of receiving the mortgage-money 
 and advance without interest, and getting renewal fines, but little fear, as I have said 
 above, need be entertained of obtaining for the Government sooner or later a large 
 portion of the wood-land they may require on this or somewhat similar engagement."* 
 
 114. The amount of timber required for the public Service, in the 
 Bombay and Madras Presidencies, Mr. Conolly estimated at about 6,000 
 candies annually", supposing that one Government vessel is coustantly 
 under construction at Bombay. It was estimated that to furnish this 
 quantity an extent of 260 square miles of forest land was necessary, 
 as the Nelumboor Rajah obtained yearly 2,500 candies from his 
 own forests which were 130 square miles in extent. The expense of the 
 measure, Mr. Conolly remarked, would vary according to the terms 
 on which it was obtained, whether by purchase or rent. The chief 
 item was expected to be the establishment, which should be supervised 
 by an assistant conservator, under the collector, on a salary of not less 
 than rupees 400 a month, one-fourth being given as travelling allow- 
 ance. The establishment which Mr. Conolly proposed as necessary at 
 the outset, on the most moderate scale, was as follows : — 
 
 For the Conservator's Office. 
 
 1 English Writer, 35 
 
 1 Assistant Writer, 20 
 
 1 Native Gomashta, 25 
 
 1 Assistant Gomashta, 15 
 
 95 
 
 For the Conservancy. 
 
 3 Native Inspectors at 30 rupees each, 90 
 
 3 Native Inspectors at 20 rupees each, 60 
 
 1 Duffadar, 10 
 
 12 Peons at 6 rupees each, 72 
 
 60 Mahaseers at 3 rupees each, 180 
 
 12 Head Mahaseers at 4 rupees each, 48 
 
 Contingent charges, 25 
 
 Total, .. 580 
 — or annually, rupees 6,960. 
 
 Mr. Conolly strongly recommended the working of the forests by 
 contract, rather than by a Government establishment. He said 
 contracts could be obtained, — 
 
 * " Some slig-ht difference may exist in the form of agreement to be entered into with diffe- 
 rent proprietors, but the essential features will be the same." 
 
( 218 ) 
 
 " * * * to fell and drag timber to the nearest water at a rate not exceeding one rupee 
 per candy for each mile, and calculating that on the average the timber will have to be 
 brought six miles, the charge to be incurred on this account would be for the estimated 
 quantity of 6,000 candies, thirty-six thousand rupees a year. The one rupee per 
 tree for kooty kanum, and the expenses of floating the timber to the coast, would 
 cause an addition of about one rupee per candy, making the sum thirty-eight thousand ; 
 add to this the yearly expense of the Conservator's establishment, as above. . Rs. 6,960 
 
 as also the salary of the Assistant Conservator Rs. 4.800 
 
 11,760 
 Rupees, and the grand yearly total for the culture and working of the forests will be 
 49,700 rupees, a little more than 8 rupees per candy. Allowing that the price to be 
 paid for the forests in the first instance should increase this sum two or three rupees 
 more per candy, the Government would still be great gainers. The average price per 
 cundy, now paid for the Bombay and Madras Governments' supplies is not less than 
 17 rupees, so enormously has this article risen within the last few years." 
 
 115. On the 29th October 1840, the Government of Madras express- 
 ed their approval of the measures proposed by Mr. Conolly, and 
 directed the Board of Revenue, if they could rely on the correctness of 
 that officer's calculations of the extent of forest-land required for the 
 purposes of Government, to authorize him to enter into agreements with 
 the proprietors as opportunities offered, until the required area was 
 obtained. These measures were reported to the Government of India 
 for their approval, and were communicated to the Government of 
 Bombay for the information of that Government. 
 
 Order or the Government of India, or the 18th November 1840. 
 — 116. The Government of India on the 1 8th November 1840 approved 
 of the proceedings of the Government of Madras, and desired to be 
 furnished with reports of the progress of the measures " for securing a 
 permanent resource in the Teak and other products of the Canara district, 
 or the Northern Sircars, where superior descriptions of timber may be 
 found in sufficient quantity to be worthy of preservation or extension on 
 the part of the Government." On the 20th January following (1841,) 
 the Government of India reported these proceedings to the Court of 
 Directors. The Court were informed of the order which had been 
 given to the Collector of Malabar, to enter into agreements with the 
 proprietors as opportunities offered for holding in mortgage an area of 
 2 GO square miles of woodland, the extent which it had been calculated 
 would yield the quantity of timber annually required, and it was 
 explained that the terms of the agreement were the payment by 
 Government of a fixed sum without interest on mortgage, (the 
 amount to vary according to the value of the specific property,) 
 
( 219 ) 
 
 and of an advance to the proprietor, (likewise without interest,) to he 
 liquidated by the timber felled at the rate of one rupee per tree, and 
 payment of half a rupee for the felling of each tree planted by 
 the Government. The mortgage being renewable every 30 years on 
 payment of an additional 20 per cent, on the original mortgage-money, 
 the lease was virtually made perpetual, as the mortgage could not be 
 foreclosed without the consent of the mortgagee. 
 
 117. In reply to the order of the Government of India of the 18th 
 November 1840, mentioned in the preceding paragraph, the Govern- 
 ment of Madras, on the 5th January 1841, submitted further correspon- 
 dence on the subject of the conservation of the Malabar forests. From 
 this correspondence it appears that the Government of Madras, acting 
 upon a suggestion in a minute recorded by Lord Elphinstone, the 
 Governor of that Presidency, applied on the 23rd October 1840 to 
 the Court of Directors to engage the services of persons duly skilled in 
 the science of arboriculture, and send them out for the purpose of 
 being employed as sub-conservators in Malabar and Canara. In the 
 mean while, the Board of Revenue at Madras, adopting the several 
 proposals in Mr. Conolly's report of 19th October 1840, which had 
 been referred to them by Government (see para. 115) for consideration, 
 directed the revenue officers of Malabar and Canara to look out for the 
 most eligible persons on the spot to be temporarily employed under 
 them as sub-conservators. Upon this Mr. Conolly, the acting principal 
 collector of Malabar, proposed the nomination of a Mr. Smith as sub- 
 conservator, on a salary of rupees 150 a month, drew up a set of rules 
 or instructions for his guidance, and defined the powers which should 
 be vested in him to render the conservancy completely effective. 
 
 Instructions and Rules, 1840. — 118. Mr. Conolly's instructions 
 for the sub-conservator of the forests were, — 
 
 ' ]st, — To obtain a complete knowledge of the quantity and quality of timber in 
 each forest. 
 
 " 2nd, — To prevent any kind of depredation being committed in the forests, whether 
 bond fide belonging to Government or rented by them. 
 
 " 3rd, — To improve the forests by new planting, and by unremitting attention in 
 fostering the growth of young trees." 
 
 The most effectual means of attaining these ends were stated in the 
 form of rules of which the following is an abstract : — 
 
 " 1st, — To make circuits of the forests, and prepare a register of the number and 
 quality of trees in each, specifying as nearly as possible their age and size, their dis- 
 
( 220 ) 
 
 tance from water-carriage, and the probable number of otber trees, not Teak, which it 
 may be necessary to remove to prevent their interfering with the growth of young Teak 
 trees. 
 
 " 2nd, — To prevent private individuals cutting or destroying trees of any description 
 within Government forests, and to seize and make over to the nearest police officer all 
 who violated this order, to ' be dealt with according to the nature and extent of the 
 offence committed.' 
 
 " 3rd, — To see that Teak trees were carefully barked and duly seasoned both before 
 and after felling, and that none were cut excepting under his superintendence and orders, 
 and that for every ten Teak trees cut, two were left for seed. 
 
 " 4th, — To be provided with a sufficient quantity of seed for sowing at the proper 
 season, to sow and plant with proper care and attention, to protect from injury of all 
 sorts, and to take proper measures for pruning and otherwise fostering them for the first 
 few years. 
 
 " 5th, — If the Government forests were worked by contract, to guard against injury 
 being done to young Teak trees ; also to have trees that were felled cut as near the 
 ground as possible, and to protect the shoots which spring out of the stumps of felled 
 trees. 
 
 " 6th, — To see that the establishment was paid regularly, and that all the wants of 
 the employees were duly attended to. 
 
 " 7th, — To report to the Collector all instances of neglect on the part of his subordi- 
 nates, using his discretion to suspend them pending the Collector's orders." 
 
 119. The Board of Revenue at Madras considered the foregoing 
 instructions and rules salutary and proper, and under the manifest 
 necessity" for the immediate appointment of an officer to give effect to 
 the views of Government in the preservation of the Malabar forests, 
 recommended the temporary appointment of Mr. Smith, which was 
 approved by the Government of Madras, and subsequently on the 27th 
 January 1811 confirmed by the Government of India. 
 
 Duty. — 120. On the 5th April 1841 the Madras Government 
 addressed the Government of India on the subject of a letter from Mr. 
 Conolly, the Collector of Malabar, who stated that large numbers of 
 Teak saplings and under-sized trees continued to be cut with impunity, 
 and recommended either that the practice be visited with a severe 
 penalty under a formal enactment, or that a heavy duty, amounting 
 to a prohibition be laid on all Teak saplings and under-sized trees. 
 Notwithstanding the known objections of the Government of India 
 to measures of the above nature, the Government of Madras urged 
 their re-consideration, under the conviction that the evil demanded 
 an immediate remedy, and that no other more effectual alternative 
 could be discovered. The Government of India, however, saw practical 
 
( 2.21 ) 
 
 objections to both proposals ; tliey remarked to the Government of 
 Madras, (in a letter dated the 21st April 184] ,) that the removal of the 
 young trees could not be absolutely interdicted, as it was sometimes 
 necessary, to promote the health and growth of large timber. It was 
 presumed that the felling of young trees by unauthorized persons could 
 be punished, and the practice prevented without a special enactment 
 for that particular species of trespass ; but it was not clearly understood 
 by the Government of India in what way the enactment of a heavy 
 duty on the sapling could be brought into operation, nor how the 
 proposed impost should be levied, whether as a forest duty, a duty of 
 transit, or one of trade ; and if the latter, where it should be collected. 
 However, the Government of India agreed to re-consider either or both 
 propositions, if the Government of Madras submitted drafts of law for 
 effecting the purposes stated. But great doubts were expressed of 
 the practicability and permanency of any other remedies than the 
 conservancy, by the public authorities, of the Government forests 
 (including of course such grants as might be acquired under mortgage,) 
 and a proper system of felling and plantation, with its eventual 
 extension to private forests and plantations, as the advantages of 
 provident management and a valuable market for their Teak timber 
 became better understood by the zemindars and others. 
 
 Establishment. — 121. On the 11th August 1841 the Government 
 of India, on the recommendation of the Madras Government, authorized 
 Mr. Conolly to entertain a permanent establishment of rupees 51 a 
 month, and a temporary establishment to the extent of rupees 1,755 in 
 the aggregate, for the preservation and improvement of a tract of forest 
 land which had been procured from the Tricaloor Devassom, for the 
 Government. The only information given of this tract was that it had 
 few trees fit for felling, but there were saplings and plants in different 
 stages of growth which required to be preserved, and large portions of 
 the land were denuded of Teak and required to be re-planted. To 
 provide for the first object, it was necessary to remove the jungle which 
 surrounded the plants, and hindered their growth, as also to separate 
 and transplant such plants as were in too thick clusters. For the second 
 object, it was necessary to collect seeds and sow them with proper care. 
 This part of the work being novel, Mr. Conolly proposed to commence 
 it with a temporary establishment, and to employ the fixed establishment 
 solely in guarding against injury to the property, as the portion of it 
 
( 009 \ 
 
 which was situated on the hank of the Nelumboor River, was liahle to 
 depreciation, and therefore required constant watching for its efficient 
 protection. 
 
 Purchase of Forests. — 122. In October 1841 the Madras Govern- 
 ment recommended the purchase by Government of four private forests 
 in Malabar, for the sum of rupees 15,000, and the employment of 
 an establishment to the extent of rupees 140 per month for their 
 preservation and improvement. These forests were represented to 
 contain Teak and Blackwood, some felled, and others then fit for felling, 
 of the value of rupees 17,210 ; also 1,650 young Teak plants, which at 
 the prevailing rate of a rupee for each tree, was rupees 1,650. Besides 
 these there were six to ten thousand Teak saplings and other valuable 
 plants. Under these circumstances, and as it had been ascertained that 
 the owner held the forests in fee simple, and had agreed to make over 
 his full title to Government in perpetuity, the Government of India, on 
 the 1st April 1842, authorized the purchase of the four forests and 
 sanctioned the employment of the proposed establishment. 
 
 Court oe Directors, 30th November 1842. — 123. In February 
 1843, the Government of India received a Despatch from the Court of 
 Directors, dated 30th November 1842, in reply to the report of the 20th 
 Januarv 1841, (see para. 116) on the subject of the measures which had 
 been taken, in compliance with the Court's instructions of February 1840, 
 for the preservation and improvement of the Teak forests in Malabar. 
 
 124. The Court of Directors thought from the reports of the several of- 
 ficers who had opportunities of examining the Malabar forests, that former 
 accounts of their devastated condition were by no means exaggerated. 
 They remarked that the custom was pretty general among the proprie- 
 tors of allowing their trees to be felled on payment of a uniform fee of 
 one rupee for each tree, whether large or small, and this had tended to 
 destroy the interest which the owner would otherwise have had in pro- 
 tecting the young timber on his estate. The consequence was that in 
 the more accessible forests every Teak tree was cut down, while no care 
 whatever had been taken to sow seeds or plant young trees for keeping 
 up the supply; and as the seedlings which sprung up spontane- 
 ously, were destroyed by the annual burning of the grass and 
 underwood, all traces of forests were gradually being swept away. 
 The Court were also satisfied from the information given in the papers, 
 that the Government had little or no pretension to the proprietor- 
 
( 223 ) 
 
 ship of the forests. The researches of Mr. Underwood, the Collector 
 of Malabar, led them " to the conclusion, that in the time of the ancient 
 rajahs the forests were held as private property. They were indeed 
 seized by Tippoo Sahib after his conqest of the country, and after 
 its cession to the Company they were taken possession of on behalf of 
 the latter," but having for many years been abandoned to the original 
 proprietor, the Court were of opinion "it would be no less unjust 
 than impolitic to revive a claim to them which seems never to have 
 had any other foundation than Tippoo's usurpation." Under these 
 circumstances, and as the three forests in Palghaut which really belong- 
 ed to Government, (having escheated to them in 1802, as stated in para. 
 102,) contained only an inconsiderable supply of timber, the Court of 
 Directors approved of the steps taken by Government, to retain in their 
 own possession the means of supplying the quantity of timber annually 
 required for the public Service ; but the Court could not "refrain from 
 expressing some astonishment at the very large extent of country, no 
 less than 260 squre miles," which it had been calculated (see para. 
 114) was required for public forests, and the acquisition of which had 
 been authorized. On this point the Court observed, — 
 
 " The average annual quantity of Teak timber required for the public Service at 
 Madras and Bombay, on the supposition that one. Government vessel will be constantly 
 under construction at the dock-yard of the latter place, is estimated by Mr. Conolly, 
 acting principal collector in Malabar, at 6,000 candies, or about 2,000 trees, and to 
 supply this quantity annually would, as the Teak tree reaches maturity, in about 60 
 years require about 120,000 trees, planted in succession. We will not undertake to 
 say with any exactness how much ground each tree should occupy, but we are per- 
 suaded that it cannot be nearly so much as six or seven thousand square yards, which 
 is about the space that would be allotted to each tree if the number mentioned were 
 scattered over a tract of 260 square miles." 
 
 The Court therefore thought that plantations on a much smaller 
 scale would suffice for all the demands of the public Service, and 
 although it was not easy to over-rate the importance of ensuring a 
 sufficient supply of timber for the public Service both in India and in 
 England, the quantity required for the purpose should have some limit, 
 to overlook which in providing for the future would only be to incur 
 unnecessary trouble, expense, and responsibility. 
 
 Contracts. — 125. The Court of Directors were of opinion, that the 
 business of felling and conveying Government timber to the Coast 
 should be performed by contract in preference to any other mode, as 
 
 e 2 
 
( 224 ) 
 
 the advantages of this course had been "remarkably illustrated by the 
 history of the timber trade in the Tenasserim Provinces. Since that trade 
 has been in the hands of private persons, it has proved highly profitable, 
 although burthened with a duty of 15 per cent., whereas during the short 
 period in which it was engrossed by Government, timber obtained by 
 Government officers from forests belonging to the State seems not to 
 have paid one-half of its expenses"; the Court accordingly desired the em- 
 ployment of the contract system whenever it could be found practicable. 
 
 126. The Court of Directors were gratified to find that no intention 
 had been evinced of acting on the suggestions of Mr. Underwood (see 
 para. 85,) and the Board of Revenue at Madras (see para. 94,) for 
 re-asserting the right of Government to the conservancy of all forests, 
 whether held by private persons or made over to Government, in so 
 far as to prevent the indiscriminate felling of trees, and to secure the 
 planting of others in succession. On this subject the Court remarked, — 
 
 " The right of Government to interfere in this manner, now that its pretension to the 
 ownership of the forests is tacitly renounced, seems to be more than doubtful, and even 
 if it were not disputed, its exercise would be scarcely less troublesome to Government 
 than vexatious to the individuals who would be exposed to it, while all the advantages 
 that could accrue from it may be obtained indirectly in a manner equally effectual and 
 much less invidious. For although a sufficient supply of timber for the wants of the 
 public Service will be ensured by the possession of the tracts proposed to be held by 
 Government, it will still be proper to protect the community at large from the effects 
 of the improvidence and rapacity which are ruining the forests left to the mercy of 
 private speculators. Among the plans proposed with this view, the best seems to be the 
 imposition of a duty on the exportation of Teak wood, which should vary only 
 according to the length of the logs, without any reference to their breadth. Such a 
 duty, while it would tend to prevent young trees from being cut down expressly 
 for sale, would not, like a tax on the felling of timber, present any obstacles to the 
 clearing of land for cultivation, or to the thinning of plantations, neither would it 
 subject the forest-holders to any interference from Government officers." 
 
 The Court of Directors therefore recommended the matter for the 
 consideration of the Government of India. 
 
 127. In regard to the forests of Canara, it was not considered by the 
 Court worth while to incur any considerable expense for their conser- 
 vancy after what had been stated of them by Mr. Blair ; and the Teak 
 forests of the Northern Sircars, the Court remarked, were apparently 
 of no consequence. 
 
 Government of India, 22nd February 1843. — 128. In order to 
 give effect to the wishes of the Court of Directors, expressed in the fore- 
 
( 225 ) 
 
 going Despatch, the Government of India recorded thereon a Resolution, 
 dated 22nd February 1843, in which it was explained in reference to the 
 Court's remarks on the large extent (260 square miles) of country 
 reserved for public forests, that the Teak tree in its natural state was 
 found only in patches here and there, and that for one Teak tree in a 
 forest there were at least one hundred other trees. This circumstance 
 as well as the deteriorated state of the forests generally, and the length 
 of time that Teak took to reach maturity, pointed out the expediency of 
 obtaining the extent of wood-land which had called forth the observa- 
 tions of the Court of Directors. The Government of Madras was how- 
 ever desired, with reference to the Court's remarks, to report the extent 
 of forest-land that had been obtained, and whether, with advertence to 
 its ascertained capability of yielding Teak, it would be necessary to 
 acquire a proprietary right in more lands. At the same time the at- 
 tention of both the Governments of Madras and Bombay was directed 
 to the Court's instructions for felling and conveying Government timber 
 to the Coast by contract in preference to all other modes, and the 
 Government of Madras was further directed to submit a draft of the 
 rules they would recommend for the imposition of a duty on the ex- 
 portation of Teak, with the view of protecting private forests from further 
 devastation by the improvidence of speculators. On the 8th March 
 1843, the Government of India replied to the Court's Despatch of 30th 
 November 1842, in the terms of this Resolution. 
 
 129. The Court of Directors having, on the 19th July 1843, again 
 addressed the Government of India, with a request for more precise 
 information as to the title of the vendor of the four forests, the purchase 
 of which on account of Government is mentioned in para. 122, the 
 Government of India on the 30th September 1843 requested the Govern- 
 ment of Madras to submit the information required by the Court. 
 
 Tariff. — 130. In the mean while, on the 2nd September 1843, the 
 Government of Madras submitted to the Government of India, in com- 
 pliance with the order of 22nd February 1843, (see para. 128,) a long 
 correspondence on the subject of a revised Tariff, drafted by Mr. Conolly, 
 the collector of Malabar. This Tariff was approved by the Board of 
 Revenue at Madras, and the Government of Madras desired to introduce 
 it into the Provinces of Malabar and Canara, as it appeared to provide 
 effectually against the destructive practice of felling young timber. The 
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( 227 ) 
 
 131. From the correspondence submitted with the foregoing table, 
 it appears that Mr. Conolly on receiving instructions to prepare a draft 
 of rules for the imposition of an export duty on Teak, such as might 
 prevent the felling of young trees, made a reference to the Board of 
 Revenue, on what he considered to be an error in the principle on 
 which those rules were required to be framed. He remarked that the 
 Court of Directors desired the scale of duties to be fixed " only accord- 
 ing to the length of the logs, without reference to their breadth/' (see 
 para. 126) ; this Mr. Conolly observed was " a mistake of the most vital 
 importance," and quoted the following extract from a letter from Captain 
 Williams, the timber agent, in support of his opinion : — 
 
 Captain Williams. — " To show the fallacy of fixing the duty with reference to 
 length instead of thickness, it is only necessary to mention that the Teak tree attains 
 two-thirds of its extreme length before the bole acquires any considerable thickness. 
 The small Teak wood, sold under the denomination khial or kyle, is generally 25 and 
 30 feet long, but not more than five or six inches in diameter, whereas of the entire 
 quantity of full-grown timber brought to Calicut, not an eighth part will average 25 
 feet in length. Trees that are only half grown will produce longer timber than those 
 that are full grown, because the branches are sound and cut off clean, and so allow of 
 the branchy portion of the bole being taken into the length. But in a full-grown tree 
 the branches are hollow, and the hollow runs into the trunk or bole of the tree, 
 consequently the length of a full-grown tree is only that portion contained between 
 the root and the part where the superior branches commence. Though timber of 35 
 and 40 feet in length (full-grown) is sometimes produced, it is but seldom, and not in 
 greater proportion than 1 to 500 timbers of 25 feet and under. Again, many long and 
 large timbers grow in places whence they cannot be brought entire, owing to their 
 great weight ; these are now cut into short lengths, and are thus rendered capable of 
 transport ; these are the kind of timbers which I procure for and are best suited to 
 the gun-carriage manufactories, where length is no consideration and great girth only 
 is required. The imposition therefore of a heavy duty on such timber, merely because 
 it were short, would be detrimental to the interests of Government." 
 
 132. The Board of Revenue considering in consequence that a Tariff 
 framed on the letter of the instructions of the Court of Directors would 
 defeat the very object which it was intended to ensure, expressed their 
 opinion that the spirit of the Court's order would be best complied with 
 by the preparation of a Schedule, in which the rate of duty should vary 
 inversely with the breadth of the timber intended for export. By this 
 measure the duty would fall most heavily on the timber of least girth, and 
 the practice of felling young trees and saplings would thereby be most 
 effectually checked. Accordingly it will be seen that in the revised Tariff 
 table the duty falls most heavily on logs, beams, planks, &c, of the least 
 
( 228 ) 
 
 girth or width. It was prepared in communication with Mr. Blair, the 
 collector of Canara, and Captain "Williams, the agent for timber in 
 Malabar, and had been submitted to the Zamorin Rajah and the 
 Nelumboor zemindar, "men of importance in the Malabar Province, 
 and greatly interested in the subject," who considered it well adapted 
 for attaining the end desired. It will be remarked also that the 
 proposed change is only in the Tariff valuation, the small timber being 
 valued at a much higher rate per candy or kol than that of larger growth. 
 The duty will remain as before, viz. 5 per cent, inland, and 3 per cent, 
 on sea export, or 8 per cent., with a credit of 5 per cent, for duty 
 previously paid inland. 
 
 133. It was suggested by Captain Williams that the greater part of 
 the duty should be made payable as an inland duty, or it was likely to 
 be evaded by cutting up small timber into plank after its arrival on the 
 coast, and then exporting it as plank converted from large timber. 
 The Board of Revenue, however, considered such cases to have been fully 
 provided for by the Tariff, as it classed beams and planks of the 4th and 
 5th sorts at a higher valuation than the 4th and 5th classes of timber 
 from which they were cut. The schedules were therefore considered 
 equally effective, though the Board thought that on the abolition of the 
 transit duties the levy of all impost on timber should be confined to its 
 export by sea ; and that even in the event of a general reduction of sea 
 customs duty on exports, the existing rates should be maintained for 
 the 4th and 5th classes of timber, beams and planks, entered in the 
 schedules. The Board of Revenue recommended the local Government 
 to introduce the Tariff into the Provinces of Malabar and Canara, and 
 in allusion to the letter of the Government of India, (see para. 120,) 
 observed that the penal enactment therein suggested for preventing the 
 felling of young and under-sized trees, would be rendered unnecessary by 
 this Tariff. The Government of India, on the 7th October 1843, sanctioned 
 the adoption of the Tariff in the Provinces of Malabar and Canara, 
 and on the 23rd March 1844 reported the measure to the Court of 
 Directors in reference to their instructions of the 30th November 
 1842, noted in para. 126 of this Summary. 
 
 134. In April 1844, the Government of Madras forwarded to the 
 Government of India a voluminous correspondence on Teak forests, which 
 contains much useful matter regarding the various experiments that had 
 been made, and the methods which were suggested for promoting the 
 
( 229 ) 
 
 germination of the Teak seed, and affords information on the several 
 points adverted to in the Despatches of the Court of Directors of 
 the 30th November 1842 and 19th July 1843, (paras. 123 to 127, 
 and 129.) 
 
 135. From the papers relating to the experiments for germinating 
 the Teak seed, it appears that Mr. Conolly, the collector of Malabar, 
 selected a tract of land of 25 square miles in extent, in the neighbour- 
 hood of the Beypore River, for the purpose of forming Teak nurseries to 
 replenish the forests. In these nurseries the sub-conservator, Mr. Smith 
 had been employed in sowing and planting on a very extensive scale. 
 He put large quantities of seed into the ground, in the manner usual 
 with any other seed, aud planted several thousands of saplings, but the 
 seeds remained in the ground and eventually rotted without having 
 shown any signs of life. The plantations, too, seem to have proved 
 nearly as great failures as the sowings. This want of success was 
 ascribed to Mr. Smith's inefficiency, and as his conduct generallv as 
 sub-conservator, had been unsatisfactory, he was removed from his 
 office, and a Mr. Graham was appointed to the place on a lower salary*. 
 This officer commenced his duties by also sowing, under Mr. Conollv's 
 instructions, large quantities of Teak seed as his predecessor had done- 
 neither he nor Mr. Conolly being aware that any other method was re- 
 quired, and the result was the same want of success. Mr. Conolly then 
 learnt from some tehseeldars of the district, who had been consulted 
 that previously to sowing the seed, it was necessary, in order to ensure 
 its germinating, to subject it to some process which would remove its 
 outer coating; but as no exact information of the process could be obtained, 
 Mr. Conolly tried several expedients, and having failed in all of them, 
 again advocated the appointment of a trained arboriculturist as sub- 
 conservator. At this stage of the proceedings Monsieur Perotett, a 
 French Botanist, having landed at Calicut on his way to Pondicherrv, 
 Mr. Conolly invited him to visit the nurseries, and state his opinion on 
 the propriety of what had been and should be done ; that gentleman 
 after making the necessary investigation, stated his opinions at length 
 in the form of a report. Mr. Conolly also in the same manner ascertained 
 the opinion of Dr. Wight. As it may prove useful to record these 
 opinions, the different plans which were recommended, and the results 
 of those which had been tried, a short notice will be given of this por- 
 tion of the correspondence. 
 
( 230 ) 
 
 Mr. Conolly' s Experiments. — 136. The tehseeldar who advised Mr. 
 Conolly to prepare the seed, had come to that conclusion from observing 
 that the seeds which germinated in the forests without any cultivation 
 were prepared for growth, or in other words, lost their outer coating by 
 the great heat caused from the fires which annually consumed the 
 brushwood, and that therefore this process should be imitated as closely 
 as possible in artificial sowing ; Mr. Conolly accordingly caused a large 
 quantity of seeds to be spread on the ground in a bed, and covered with 
 a light coating of hay. The hay was then gradually burnt, so as only 
 to singe the rind without injuring the kernels of the seeds ; they were 
 then sown in beds previously prepared for the purpose, and covered 
 over again lightly with hay, to keep them cool and to prevent the heat 
 of the sun injuring them. However this process also proved unsuc- 
 Mr. Graham's ex- cessful, though a few of the seeds vegetated. Mr. 
 penments. Graham, the sub-conservator, then made some other 
 
 experiments. He says, — 
 
 " Not being satisfied with the above process of preparing seeds for sowing, I applied 
 fire to a few of the seeds, and found from the trial that the coating covering the 
 shell acted like turf, which convinced me that in this process the seed inside of the 
 shell must be destroyed, or in a manner roasted, and therefore be rendered unfit for 
 vegetation ; I then threw a few of the seeds into water to see what effect the water 
 had on them, I found on this trial that the coating acted something like a sponge, and 
 contained as much water as convinced me that the shell and seed must rot before the 
 time usual for the seed's vegetation, which is mentioned in the tehseeldar's letter to 
 be forty days. 
 
 " Being unable to get any useful information on the subject from any of the 
 proprietors of forests, in this part of the country, and being convinced that the shell 
 ought to be cleared of the outside spongy coating before being put into the ground," 
 
 Mr. Graham had six thousand so cleared with the knife, and had them 
 sown on the 4th of January 1843 — 
 
 " * * * in beds of about sixteen yards long and one and a quarter broad, along 
 with fourteen thousand prepared by fire, the whole covered over with a light coating of 
 bay, and in sixteen days after they had been put into the ground on removing the old 
 bay to replace it with fresh, I discovered that five of the seeds cleared with the knife 
 and one of those prepared by fire had vegetated." 
 
 Shortly after the above experiments Mr. Graham discovered that the 
 white ants could be usefully employed in clearing the seeds, he there- 
 fore intended trying some seeds from which these insects had taken 
 off the spongy coating and reporting the result. 
 
( 231 ) 
 
 M! Perotett's Report. — 137. M. Perotett in his report first notices 
 the necessity of preserving the Teak trees from injury by the natives. 
 He says : — 
 
 " Everywhere I remarked that the trees which constitute these forests were muti- 
 lated by the people living in the neighbourhood. Whenever these men are in want 
 of a piece of wood for the handle of a work-tool or any other purpose, they go and 
 procure it for themselves in the woods, cutting at random, and without any precaution, 
 from whence it follows that the trunk thus mutilated shoots again with difficult)', and 
 the shoots produced are crooked and stunted." 
 
 M. Perotett accordingly recommended the fencing of these forests, 
 " to show that it is forbidden to enter them/' and to hold the tehseeldar 
 responsible for injury done to the trees. The nurseries which were formed 
 in " separate ground" for the purpose of raising Teak plants M. Perotett 
 entirely condemned, as being in his opinion " a ruinous system, and one 
 which will never fulfil the end proposed." He suggested the sowing of 
 seeds in the forests, with only the precautions necessary to their germina- 
 tion, as well as the replanting of shoots from the roots of old trees. In 
 order to prepare the seed before sowing, M. Perotett recommended 
 their being stratified either in boxes or in a damp warm soil sheltered 
 from the rays of the sun. The process to be observed, if a box was 
 used, was to place in it successive layers of earth composed of vegetable 
 manure and seeds, till the box was filled, taking care however that the 
 box was not so deep as to cause the seeds at the bottom to rot. This 
 mass was to be frequently watered for forty days, by which time it was 
 expected the seeds would germinate, when they should be carried to 
 suitable spots in the forests and placed in couples or triplets, or in 
 twos and threes, in holes of about two inches at the deepest, and slightly 
 covered with a small portion of earth. These holes should be at the 
 distance of about 6 feet from each other. The trees when thev groAv, 
 finding themselves thus near one another, shoot more perpendicularly 
 without throwing out lateral branches. All lateral branches should be 
 cut from the ground to the summit of the tree, but up to the height of 
 20 feet they should be cut smoothly. When the young plants from the 
 seed have attained a height of between one and two feet, all trees and 
 brambles which at first were necessary to shade them, should be removed 
 to give the Teak ah' and light, " elements thenceforth indispensable to 
 the progressive development of these trees." M. Perotett, however, was 
 more in favor of the system of reproduction by replanting the shoots 
 from the roots of old trees, which he thought an easier and a shorter 
 one for multiplying Teak trees. He said, — 
 
 F 2 
 
( 23.2 ) 
 
 " I have remarked wherever I have seen Teak trees, that from their roots, and 
 especially from those that were cut close to the ground, young trees were produced, 
 that is to say, from some parts of their roots straight and vigorous shoots sprung forth. 
 We should profit then by these means which Nature points out by going into the 
 forests, slightly uncovering some of the roots and cutting them in some places in order 
 to cause the development of more shoots ; we should thus in a short time have trees 
 of handsome growth. Another precaution which I would wish to see taken in this 
 country for the preservation of forests, especially those of Teak, relates to the cutting 
 of trees. Instead of barking, mutilating and hacking the foot of the tree as is done now 
 at pleasure, I would wish, on the contrary, that they should be cut with care, and as 
 close to the ground as possible, for this reason : — I have said above that the Teak tree 
 shoots very willingly from its roots ; well, by cutting the tree in question smoothly, and 
 with a good hatchet, you would as a first result see springing from the circumference 
 of the cut (which would be made slanting, or like the mouth of a flute to facilitate the 
 running off of the rain,) several suckers, of which you would only suffer the strongest 
 and straightest to grow, and as a second, you would have fine trees and abundance 
 of them." 
 
 M. Perotett recommended, in conclusion, that his suggestions should be 
 submitted " to a man instructed in vegetable physiology and arboricul- 
 ture," and Mr. Conolly cites this suggestion as confirming his opinion 
 of the necessity of having a properly qualified sub-conservator. 
 
 Dr. Wight's Opinion. — 138. Dr. Wight, referring to the practice 
 of Mr. Graham, wrote that he did not see the "necessity for the 
 laborious operation of removing the pips from the pulp" previously to 
 sowing the Teak seed, but on the contrary was of opinion that Nature 
 gave the seed the covering for the purpose of promoting its fertility. In 
 support of this opinion he mentions the Cinnamon seed as being covered 
 with a similar coat which at first would apearto be a serious impediment 
 to germination, whereas this coat is really essential to its vegetating. 
 The manner in which vegetation is promoted is by gathering the seeds 
 together in a heap and covering them lightly with straw or fern, when 
 in a few days fermentation is caused, heat is generated, and with the 
 heat vegetation commences. The seeds thus prepared are immediately 
 sown, and a sufficiently large proportion are found to vegetate. Judging 
 therefore from analogy, Dr. Wight thought that instead of the Teak seed 
 rotting, as Mr. Graham supposed, when the spongy coating became full 
 of water, the contrary would be the result, and for that purpose not only 
 must the sponge be filled with water, but it must be kept constantly moist 
 until vegetation begins, and is indicated by the bursting of the shell, and 
 the protrusion of the young plant. This process, owing to the thickness 
 and density of the shell as compared with the size of the seed, takes some 
 
( 233 ) 
 
 time to accomplish. Dr. Wight assuming then, that as in the case of 
 the Cinnamon seed heat would more speedily excite vegetative action, 
 advised Mr. Conolly to try to promote it in two ways, first, by making 
 a heap of the seeds, (which must be previously soaked for an hour in 
 water,) and leaving them to ferment in the same manner as the Cin- 
 namon seed. They might then be sown in shaded beds of very light 
 sandy well moistened soil, and covered over with a quantity of fallen 
 leaves, which could be kept in their places by sprinkling a little earth 
 over them ; these arrangements should be completed before the rains, 
 till which time the beds are to be kept moist by occasionally watering 
 them. The second plan was to throw the seeds into nearly boiling water, 
 180° to 200° Far., and leaving them there until the water cooled, to 
 proceed then as in the former case. These plans however, Dr. Wight 
 said, were merely theoretical, and might prove as unsuccessful as the 
 others which had been tried, but he added " of one thing I am quite 
 sure, that much moisture is required, and I strongly suspect, the heat 
 of fermentation, which is naturally produced at the beginning of the 
 rains, where heaps of decaying vegetation happen to be accumulated, 
 and that it is in such situations the seeds sprout." 
 
 Mr. Graham's Remarks. — 139. Mr. Conolly referred the reports of 
 M. Perotett and Dr. "Wight to Mr. Graham, the sub-conservator, who 
 made his remarks thereon, and afforded some further information 
 regarding the germination of the Teak seed, which is deserving of notice, 
 as being the fruits of experience and observation. The first point which 
 Mr. Graham takes up in his remarks is the stratifying or heating of the 
 seed previously to sowing it ; this he maintains will not answer, 
 although the process does not injure the kernel, for he says, — 
 
 " When vegetation takes place, the seed bursts a piece out of the side of the shell 
 and comes clear out of it, it is therefore necessary that earth be convenient to the 
 young root, so that it is able to lay hold on it for nourishment ; in the event of its not 
 being able to do this and bring itself out of the shell, it in the course of almost an 
 incredible short space of time turns of a bluish color and perishes, and therefore 
 if vegetated in a box, or in heaps, it would perish as soon as vegetation had taken 
 place." 
 
 And it would not bear removal, as seeds in this state almost instantly 
 perished on being accidentally turned up by carelessness in watering 
 the beds in which they had been sown, although they were immediately 
 re-covered with proper care. Another objection to the plan of stratifying 
 arose from uncertainty as to the time the seed took to vegetate. The 
 
( 234 ) 
 
 teliseeklar and M. Perotett allowed forty days for vegetation to be com- 
 pleted, but Mr. Graham had known seeds to vegetate from the eleventh 
 dav after sowing. On the question whether the outer coating of the Teak 
 seed was essential or not to its germination, Mr. Graham was of opinion 
 that Nature had provided it to absorb moisture, and by engendering 
 damp (not heat as Dr. Wight said) to destroy the vitality of the seed ; or 
 otherwise argued Mr. Graham, nearly every seed in the forest should 
 germinate, whereas only a very small number did vegetate, and these 
 he asserted were seeds which had been cleared by the white ants, and 
 not by the annual burning of the grass, as of the six thousand seeds 
 which he had cleared with the knife, not less than four thousand had 
 vegetated up to the date of his writing, thus proving that the outer 
 coating of the seed must be removed before sowing, to ensure vegeta- 
 tion. Mr. Graham farther remarked that M. Perotett erred in stat- 
 ing that the natives cut Teak for their tools and other implements, as 
 they preferred for such purposes the tough jungle- wood, which was very 
 plentiful, and was mistaken also in his scheme of planting the forests 
 from old roots, as out of eighteen thousand planted by Mr. Smith there 
 were then scarcely thirty in existence. M. Perotett's recommendation 
 that the lateral branches of the Teak trees should cut be off smoothly with 
 the trunk was likewise injudicious, for by so doing the part cut will al- 
 ways shrink into the trunk, leave holes, and thus aggravate the very 
 defects which were to be avoided ; a better plan would be to leave on the 
 trunk a small projection of the branch cut, so as to allow of its shrink- 
 ing without injuring the trunk. Mr. Graham concluded by recom- 
 mending nurseries at a distance from water, and on the clearest ground 
 that could be procured, in order to avoid the swarms of insects which, 
 he said, devoured anything newly sprung from the ground. He also 
 informed Mr. Conolly that the simplest mode for ascertaining whether 
 Teak seeds were good was to throw them into a vessel of water, when 
 the good seeds would sink, and the bad ones float. 
 
 140. Shortly after writing the above, Mr. Graham resigned the 
 office of sub-conservator ; Mr. Conolly upon this, (for reasons previously 
 given, as well as with a view to further experiments in sowing Teak seed,) 
 urged anew the necessity for an arboriculturist being procured from 
 England. The Board of Revenue at Madras having strongly supported 
 this proposition, the Government of that Presidency favorably recom- 
 mended it to the Court of Directors, and pending their decision 
 
( 235 ) 
 
 authorized Mr. Conolly to appoint a native temporary Sub-Conservator 
 on a salary of 50 rupees a month. 
 
 141. The other portion of the correspondence received from the 
 Madras Government was submitted in compliance with the requisition 
 of the Government of India of the 22nd February 1843, (see para. 128,) 
 and contains reports, dated respectively 3rd July and 30th November 
 ] 843, from Mr. Blair the principal collector of Canara, and Mr. Conolly 
 the collector of Malabar, on the following subjects : — 
 
 Is/. — The extent, condition, situation, and capabilities of those forests 
 which were the property of Government. 
 
 2nd. — The extent and condition of the Teak forests obtained on 
 account of Government from private parties, and the tenure and terms 
 on which they were held. 
 
 3rd. — The various measures which had been adopted or seemed ad- 
 visable for the general conservancy and improvement of both descrip- 
 tions of forests. 
 
 Canara, 3rd July 1843. — 142. Mr. Blair refers to his report of 18th 
 August 1838, for information regarding the Canara forests, and adds 
 that since May 1841 the Teak forests along the line of ghauts in the 
 Talooks of Honore and Ankola, which in 1830 he had stated to contain 
 40,000 trees of a superior description, and in great request for naval pur- 
 poses, were really more extensive than he had supposed, — as it appear- 
 ed from a survey of but two-thirds of the forests by a sub-conservator 
 who had been put in charge of them in May 1841, that there were in 
 that portion alone upwards of 64,000 Teak which he classed as follows : 
 
 Above 30 years' growth, ] 7,328 
 
 Under 30 years' growth, 22,195 
 
 Under 15 years' growth, 24,618 
 
 Total, 64,141 
 
 Of this number there were 5,367 trees fit for " immediate felling- » 
 which it was supposed would yield 20,000 candies. The unsurveyed 
 portion of the forests was of some extent, and was supposed to contain 
 about 30,000 trees. Mr. Blair said, — 
 
 " The appointment of the sub-conservator and establishment had been attended 
 with every advantage that was anticipated from it. Under his superintendence an 
 accurate knowledge has been acquired, (so far as the survey has gone,) of the quantity 
 
( 236 ) 
 
 of Teak timber belonging to Government, and the proportion available for present use. 
 Strict attention has been paid to the prevention of injury to the forests from fire, or the 
 cutting of trees by private individuals, and as far as the means at the disposal of the 
 sub-conservator have admitted of it, the measures alluded to in my letter of the 8th 
 March 1841 for the improvement of the growth of the trees have been attended to." 
 
 In the course of the year 1843, a quantity of curved and straight 
 timber, urgently required by the dock-yard at Bombay, was supplied 
 from these forests, but Mr. Blair was of opinion, that to secure a regular 
 succession of seasoned timber in after-years fit for naval purposes, the 
 management of the forests should be entrusted to a person well 
 acquainted with the culture of forest trees, as the natives had no 
 knowledge of the mode of propagating them, " and their prejudices 
 are against any attempt to rear the Teak artificially." The Honore and 
 Ankola forests were supposed capable of yielding Teak for naval pur- 
 poses to the extent of 3,000 or 4,000 candies annually for ten years, but 
 Mr. Blair was confident that if they were placed under the superinten- 
 dence of a duly qualified officer, they would continue to yield that sup- 
 ply permanently. Referring to the remark of the Court of Directors, 
 (para. 127,) that no considerable expense need be allowed for the Canara 
 forests, Mr. Blair observed, — 
 
 " The value of the Teak forests in Canara would seem not to be duly appreciated 
 owing probably to the imperfect knowledge that had been attained of them when my 
 report of the 18th August 1838 was submitted. The number of trees they are now 
 found to contain is more than double the quantity they were estimated at in my letter 
 above mentioned, and from the report of the conservator, it appears that the greater 
 proportion of those already surveyed may be transported to the banks of neighbouring 
 rivers or nullahs without any considerable difficulty. The average of the increased 
 expense of transporting this timber to the coast, it is estimated will not exceed half a 
 rupee per candy. With regard to the quantity of the Canara timber, it is considered 
 by the natives to be superior to that of Malabar, being harder and containing more 
 of the oily properties of the Teak." 
 
 The Teak forests in the four northern talooks of Honore, Ankola, 
 Soopah, and Sondah are the exclusive property of Government, while 
 those in Lower Coorg, which yield a small quantity of Teak generally 
 of a stunted or dwarfish description, are mostly claimed as private pro- 
 perty by the ryots, though their proprietary right was, in Mr. Blair's 
 opinion, very questionable. He considered the contract system the 
 cheapest that could be adopted, and approved of the revised Tariff quot- 
 ed in para. 130. 
 
( 237 ) 
 
 Malabar, 30th November 1843, Government Forests. — 143. 
 Regarding the forests belonging to the Government in Malabar, infor- 
 mation has been already given in Lieutenant Williams's report of the 
 11th May 1839 (see para 67), and in Mr. Conolly's report of the 12th 
 June 1840 (see para 102). It has been shown in those reports that 
 the Government possess the proprietary right to only three forests in 
 Palghaut, which had lapsed to them in 1802-3 on the death of one 
 Chenat Nair, who left no heirs. Mr. Conolly, in the report under 
 review, states further that these forests are situated within eight miles 
 of the town of Palghaut, are about 25 square miles in extent, and are 
 placed under the general superintendence af the Talook authorities, it 
 not being thought necessary to have a special establishment for their 
 conservancy. Captain Williams, the timber agent, had felled and carried 
 away all the Teak timber that was of sufficient size to be useful in the 
 Bombay dock-yard, about 600 trees; those which remained were chiefly 
 a considerable number of self-sown saplings. Mr. Conolly proposed to 
 extend his operations of sowing, in which it seems he had proved 
 successful, to the available spaces in the Palghaut forests, and to employ 
 for this purpose a few of the hill-men, Adairs, as laborers. 
 
 Acquired Forests. — 144. Under the second head, the extent and 
 condition of the Teak forests obtained for Government from private 
 parties, Mr. Conolly states that these consist of the tract of wood-land of 
 about 50 square miles in extent, obtained from the Tricaloor Devassom, 
 " sometimes styled Nurnbidi" as stated in para. 121, and an extensive 
 forest rented from the Zamorin Rajah. The four forests which the 
 Government of India, on the 1st April 1842, authorized to be purchased 
 for rupees 15,000 (see para. 122) had not been taken, as a question 
 arose before the purchase could be completed, as to the soundness of 
 the title-deeds ; and although the Madras Sudder Adawlut subsequently 
 decided that there was no legal flaw in the deeds, Mr. Conolly did not 
 consider it desirable to take the forests in consequence of the supplies 
 of timber in the forests of Canara and in Malabar, which were the 
 property of Government, as well as in the forests of Goojerat, (which 
 will be noted hereafter,) having been found to be greater than were 
 first supposed, and as the cutting of immature trees and the reckless 
 devastation of the forests generally had been checked by the revised 
 Tariff (see para. 130), so that larger quantities of full-sized timber were 
 expected in the market, from which the Government could always 
 
( 238 ) 
 
 secure what they required. The terms on which the tract taken from 
 the Tricaloor Devassom was obtained are stated in detail in a letter 
 from Mr. Conolly, dated the 11th December 1810; this letter has not, 
 unfortunately, been traced, but it is mentioned in another letter that 
 this forest-land was assigned by the Tricaloor to Government on mort- 
 gage for Rupees 8,000, which sum was to be held without interest and 
 to be gradually liquidated by the stump money, or fee of one Rupee 
 fkooty kanumj on each tree which might be felled. Of the fifty square 
 miles comprised in this tract, about thirty five were situated in the 
 deep jungle at the foot of the "Wynaad Hills beyond Nelumboor; 
 the remainder consisted of land formerly forest, but long denuded of 
 its trees, on the West or Calicut side of the Nelumboor. Mr. Conolly 
 had with the consent of the Nelumboor Rajah made some alteration in 
 the boundaries of this land. The capabilities of the tract were not 
 explicitly stated, but Mr. Conolly intended to sow and replant on it, 
 although his first attempt to do so had failed in consequence of the 
 whole of the laborers having been attacked with " the deadly jungle 
 fever" so prevalent in these jungles. 
 
 145. The forest taken from the Zamorin Rajah is represented to be 
 of considerable extent, and to lie in the heart of the Ernaad Valley, 
 near Carcoor. The terms were no other than the payment of the usual 
 kooty kanum for each tree that was felled, which was considered to be 
 very favorable to Government. There were very few trees fit for felling 
 in this forest, as " almost every piece of timber that could fetch any price 
 in the market" had been carried away " in the last few years, and much 
 of it surreptitiously." But with time and attention Mr. Conolly had no 
 doubt the forest would recover and prove a valuable acquisition. He had 
 " induced eight hill slaves, or Adairs, to take up their residence in the 
 forest to preserve it from future depredation, on a promise of protection 
 and support," and he requested sanction to a monthly disbursement of 
 Rupees 20, to enable him to pay these men " on an average Rupees 3 a 
 head, or for the eight, Rupees 24 per mensem, but some part of this will 
 be realized by the sale of honey, wax, and other hill products which are 
 found in the forest, and the collection of which forms one of the chief 
 occupations of the Adair class." These men were to be overlooked, 
 from time to time, by the sub-conservator and his establishment. 
 
 Conservancy and Improvement. — 146. It has already been shown 
 that the renovation of those tracts of wood-land which were exhausted 
 
( 239 ) 
 
 had proved a task of great difficulty, both from the extreme unheal thiness, 
 even to an Indian constitution, of those parts of the jungle iu which 
 the operations were conducted, more especially at the planting season, and 
 from the want of practical information as to the best mode of propagating 
 the Teak tree, either from seeds or cuttings. But the experience from 
 a subsequent trial at Calicut of the various plans suggested by Dr. 
 Wight and M. Perotett for insuring the germination of the Teak seed, 
 enabled Mr. Conolly " to discern with considerable accuracy the best 
 means of arriving at this wished-for result" ; and though the discovery 
 took place too late to enable him to profit that year by the proper 
 season for sowing, he was able to put into the ground, in a favorable 
 locality a few miles below Nelumboor, some 10,000 young plants, of 
 which about 7,000 were in a healthy and prosperous condition. The 
 acting sub-conservator had also put down in the same spot and else- 
 where about 3,000 saplings which he transplanted from the surrounding 
 forests ; some few of these were reported to be looking well, " but the 
 remainder, owing probably to the injury which plants are so very 
 susceptible of" on removal to new situations, had drooped and were 
 likely to perish. Under these circumstances Mr. Conolly did not 
 advise Government to obtain more land, excepting on very favorable 
 terms : he however wrote, — 
 
 " It was absolutely necessary that Government should come forward and take the 
 initiative in the formation of new forests to replace those which have vanished from 
 private carelessness and rapacity. A work too new, too extensive, and two barren of 
 early return to be ever taken up by the native proprietor. But to do this effectually, 
 to ensure the Government resources from being frittered away with no good result, 
 it is essential, as I have shown in my report of 12th June 1840, that the duty and 
 responsibility of the planting be entrusted to some person who is thoroughly qualified 
 to udertake it." 
 
 The Board of Revenue at Madras also, in again advocating this 
 
 measure, wrote, — 
 
 " To ensure these noble forests being turned to the best advantage, they should be 
 placed under the especial charge of some person sent from England for the purpose, 
 and who, from his practical acquaintance with the system of planting and with the science 
 of arboriculture generally, may be best qualified for that peculiar duty." 
 
 147. The Government of Madras submitted these papers to the Go- 
 vernment of India in April 1844, and having again urged the necessity 
 of obtaining the services of a properly qualified person from England, 
 the Government of India on the 22nd June 1844 forwarded the whole 
 
 g 2 
 
( 240 ) 
 
 of the correspondence to the Court of Directors, with a recommendation 
 of the proposal that an experienced arboriculturist be obtained from 
 England. 
 
 Timber Trade, 1844. — 148. In August 1844 the Government of 
 Madras submitted to the Government of India a report from Captain 
 Williams, dated 30th May 1844, of his proceedings in the purchase of 
 timber in Malabar for the season 1844, together "with his remarks on 
 the state of the timber trade. The following extracts from Captain 
 Williams's report will more clearly explain its subject : — 
 
 " 2. I regret to say that the present has proved a most unfavorable season for 
 Teak timber, of which but a very small quantity only, either of large size or good 
 quality, has been brought to the Coast. Tbe deficiency is in part attributable to the 
 introduction of prohibitory duties on small timber, for notwithstanding that such have 
 only very lately been officially levied, the intention of Government to impose them 
 was known long previous, and every effort made in consequence to bring down small 
 timber (in preference to large) so long as the opportunity remained open of doing so 
 unrestrictedly ; the production of large timber has therefore been interrupted and 
 partially neglected for a time. There is however but little doubt that the principal cause 
 of a falling off in the quantity and quality of timber is a scarcity of material, caused by 
 the near exhaustion of those forests which are situated at a distance convenient for 
 the transport of timber, and there is consequently every reason to anticipate that 
 the supply of wood of large scantling will be found every year progressively to 
 decrease. 
 
 " Malabar. — 3. Tn Malabar the timber trade is evidently in a declining state ; many 
 merchants have been compelled within the last two years to relinquish it, and it is now 
 followed by but very few persons ; nearly all the forests to which private individuals 
 have had access are either worked out or are on the point of exhaustion, and there are 
 but few other available sources whence supplies of timber can be obtained. There are 
 two very wealthy rajahs, the Terroopaads of Eduwarra and Nelumboor, who are now 
 the only persons who possess extensive forest possessions, but even their jungles have 
 been so over-worked of late years, that it is probable the future supply of large timber 
 from both these rajahs will not exceed from 4 to 5,000 candies annually. There is, 
 as may be expected, much rivalry among all parties concerned in timber to secure the 
 interest of these rajahs and procure the refusal of their supplies. With the Eduwarra 
 Terroopaad I have hitherto had no direct dealing, the strategy of my opponents 
 having prevented his entering into prospective engagements with me, but I have of late 
 succeeded in opening a negociation, which promises fair to procure me the reversion of 
 all the wood which he may cut for some years to come. With the Nelumboor Ter- 
 roopaad I have had extensive dealings ever since I came to the coast, and from him I 
 have received the better portion of the supplies which I have sent to the Presidency. 
 There has, however, been a great falling off in the character of the Nelumboor timber 
 during this season, in consequence of the endeavour to bring down the greatest possible 
 quantity of small timber before the time when the prohibitory duties would render it 
 
( 241 ) 
 
 unsaleable. I have thus been compelled to receive an unusual quantity of second and 
 third sort timber, but being for the most part sound and long, it has cut up into 
 serviceable plank and sheathing-board, and in this form much of it has been sent to the 
 dock-yard and gun-carriage manufactory. I may here add that the further production 
 of small timber is effectually prevented by the prohibitory duties which have lately 
 been imposed and are now in force. 
 
 " 4. The price of large timber has been influenced partly by the deficiency of the 
 supply, but chiefly in consequence of some commission Agents here, (Messrs. Wells 
 and Morley on behalf of Messrs. Campbell, Dallas and Co., of Bombay,) having during 
 the last two seasons purchased some six thousand candies of large timber, for which 
 although the greater part of it was of inferior quality, they have been made to pay 
 very dearly. Of this wood 2,000 candies have already been sent to England ; the 
 remainder is under shipment ; it is intended for the use of private parties at home who 
 have contracted to build a number of steam-vessels, certain parts of which it is 
 stipulated shall be constructed of East Indian Teak. 
 
 " 5. The quantity of timber which has been brought to the coast this season 
 may be estimated at 13,000 candies, of which 5,000 candies have been purchased by 
 me, 3,000 candies by Messrs. Wells and Morley and others ; the remainder is still 
 unsold. In Malabar, nearly the whole of the timber, produced has come to Calicut, 
 and scarcely any to Ponany, the forests in the vicinity of this latter place being, as 
 regards large timber on the very point of exhaustion. 
 
 "Cochin. — 6. In the Cochin country the number of logs of Teak timber brought 
 down this season somewhat exceeded 600; these were for the most part so small in size 
 and indifferent in quality as to prevent my submitting a tender for the whole lot, but I 
 managed to procure from the merchant who bought the entire quantity the selection 
 of such logs as I desired. Out of the whole 600 timbers, ninety-five only were found fit 
 for the purposes of Government ; of these, 80 have been sent to the dock-yard and 15 
 to the gun-carriage manufactory. 
 
 " Travancore. — 7- In the Travancore country the supply of timber for the 
 present season has been large, but the character of the wood was not such as to induce 
 my making an offer for any part of it. 
 
 " Canara. — 8. From the Government forests in Canara, 800 candies of Teak 
 timber have been shipped off to Bombay during the season, but my report on this 
 subject has already been forwarded from Sedasheghur on the 26th of March." 
 
 Palghaut. — Captain Williams made an unfavorable report of the 
 result of the working of the Palghaut forests owing to the want of 
 proper nullahs, and the consequent difficulty of transporting timber to 
 the main river communicating with Ponany ; it was his intention there- 
 fore to discontinue the working of these forests, discharge the establish- 
 ment engaged for the purpose, and bring the accounts to a close. 
 
 149. Captain Williams appears to have driven away from the field 
 all competitors ; the Parsee merchants had retired since thedeath of 
 their agent on the coast, and — 
 
( 242 ) 
 
 " The Arabs, whose extensive dealing used formerly in some measure to influence 
 the market, have this year given up the purchase of Teak timber in favor of agency, 
 which they now consider will answer nearly as well for the planking of tbeir 
 buggaloes." 
 
 Captain Williams therefore expected to obtain future supplies on 
 more favorable terms than he had hitherto succeeded in getting. He 
 further advocated the employment of a qualified person to select 
 proper trees for felling, and to arrange in what manner they should 
 be trimmed and deprived of superfluous wood before being brought 
 from the forests, as well as to point out the standing trees likely to 
 yield Timber suitable for the purposes of the dock-yard, that the same 
 might be girdled preparatory to being felled during the following 
 season. 
 
 150. The Government of India, however, postponed the consideration 
 of this subject, pending the reply of the Court of Directors to the 
 application of 22nd June 1844, (see para. 147,) for the appointment of 
 an arboriculturist, and on the 17th May 1845 submitted these papers to 
 the Court of Directors. 
 
 Malabar, 1845 ; Establishment. — 151. In January 1845 the 
 Government of India, on the recommendation of the Government of 
 Madras, authorized an increase to the Teak plantation establishment of 
 the collector of Malabar, which raised its aggregate cost from rupees 
 221 to rupees 314-8 per month, including rupees 50, the salary of the 
 native sub-conservator. This increased establishment was represented 
 as necessary in consequence of the extended scale on which planting 
 and sowing were being carried on by Mr. Conolly, whose report on the 
 subject, dated 14th October 1844, calls for some notice. 
 
 Conservancy. — 152. In his report of the 30th November 1843, Mr. 
 Conolly mentioned that after various experiments the difficulty of 
 inducing Teak seed to germinate had been overcome, but too late to 
 enable him to profit by it that year to any extent. In the report of 
 October 1844, he says, that from November 1843 to the next sowing 
 season, which commenced in May 1844, he employed the conservancy 
 establishment in clearing and preparing a considerable quantity of 
 ground in four different sites, named Manasherry, Ariacode, Yedacode, 
 and Iravcllv Cow. The second and third sites were on the Nelumboor 
 or Beypoor River, the first on a tributary stream, and the fourth close to 
 Nelumboor itself, so that the soils and circumstances of each were more 
 or less different. Here Mr. Conolly caused to be put down in the course 
 
( 243 ) 
 
 of the months of May, June and July 1844, 50,000 young plants, which 
 had been raised in adjacent nurseries and at the date of his writing 
 (in October 1844) he said of them, — 
 
 " The generality of these plants look healthy, hut there is a marked difference in 
 favor of those raised at Yedacode and Iravelly Cow, which have a very promising 
 appearance. I have every confidence that this promise will be fulfilled, and that they 
 will become fine saplings. My confidence is founded on the excellent condition of a 
 few hundred plants which I had put down last year so soon as the difficulty with 
 regard to the seed had been mastered. Nothing can surpass the beauty of these 
 plants. In from 12 to 16 months they have shot up to 8 feet or more, with a 
 healthy and strong stem. In fact, I consider the experiment of raising healthy saplings 
 to be at an end, and have no hesitation in recommending to the Government that the 
 important object of replanting wastes with Teak be carried on with vigour in the sites 
 which have been proved to be so well suited for it." 
 
 With this view Mr. Conolly intended confining himself, at Manasherry 
 and Ariacode, to the care of the plants raised there, and to planting on 
 an extensive scale at Yedacode and Iravelly Cow, which seemed to be 
 the sites best adapted for the purpose, and where there was abundance 
 of available space. There was however yet another difficulty to be 
 overcome before the plans pursued by Mr. Conolly could be perfected ; 
 this was the pruning and tending the young plantations. On this point 
 Mr. Conolly was endeavouring to afford all the assistance he could to 
 the sub-conservator, who was a native of the district, by instructing 
 him from books which had been sent out for the purpose by the Court 
 of Directors instead of the arboriculturist, for whose services so many 
 applications had been made. 
 
 Timber Agent's Establishment, 1845. — 153. In May 1845, the 
 Government of India sanctioned for a period of six months the follow- 
 ing establishment being entertained by the Government Agent for the 
 purchase of timber in Malabar : — 
 
 1 English Writer, 20 
 
 1 Measurer, 7 8 
 
 3 Peons, at 5 each, 15 
 
 42 8 
 
 The establishment and expenses of the timber agency at this period 
 were as follows : — 
 
 Captain Williams, Agcut, 1,000 
 
 Office-Rent, 50 
 
( 241 ) 
 
 Mr. Poulter, Assistant, . , 50 
 
 Batta, 60 
 
 Travelling Allowance, 60 
 
 170 
 
 Calicut Establishment, 167 
 
 Beypoor ditto, 35 
 
 Poonany ditto, 54 
 
 Forest ditto, 50 
 
 Palanquin Allowance and Head Money to Civil 
 
 Surgeon of Calicut, 33 
 
 
 
 
 
 8 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 8 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Total, per Month, 1,560 
 
 But in addition to the above sum, Captain Williams was allowed to 
 charge, in quarterly contingent bills, such extraordinary expenses as he 
 incurred in travelling to and from the different timber stations. In 
 July 1847, the Government of India increased Mr. Poulter' s salary to 
 Us. 300 per month, but the Court of Directors, in their Despatch No. 1 
 of the 27th February 1849, disapproved of the arrangement. 
 
 154. The progress of Mr. Conolly's operations may be gathered 
 from the following Minute of the Marquis of Tweeddale, the Governor 
 of Madras, dated 8th December 1816 : — 
 
 "Minute bv the Marquis of Tweeddale, 8th December 1846. — I have 
 carefullv examined the Teak plantations which have been planted under the direction 
 of Mr. Conolly, Collector of Malabar, and under the immediate superintendence of a 
 Native of that District, trained by himself. 
 
 " As the Government had not provided that officer with the assistance of a European, 
 educated as a forester, or with any agent who understood practically the rearing of 
 young plants, the management of young trees, the selection of soils adapted to the 
 growth of particular plants, the transplanting seedlings from the seed bed, the appro- 
 priate distance at which the plants should be placed from one another, the thinning 
 and pruning of young trees, and the causes which require it, and who possessed such 
 other practical information as is necessary for the successful cidtivation of plantations, 
 and for bringing them to maturity, Mr. Conolly felt it to be his duty to make the 
 attempt with the assistance of books and a small forester's guide sent to him by the 
 Court of Directors. 
 
 "These plantations are now 1, 2, 3 and 4 years' old, and Mr. Conolly has himself 
 told me that the more he reads, and the older his plantations become, the greater 
 difficulties he has to contend with, from not possessing practical knowledge himself, 
 either as a nursery-man or forester ; nor does he feel assured that his endeavors to 
 
( 245 ) 
 
 forward the Court's views will be fully successful, unless he can procure the assistance 
 of a forester who has had experience himself in planting, pruning trees, and felling 
 timber, and who can impart his knowledge to the Natives — there is on their part no 
 want of inclination to learn, on the contrary there is every inclination and great 
 aptitude — but they must be convinced that the person who superintends is master of 
 his business. 
 
 " A district of many square miles in extent was purchased on account of Government, 
 affording a wide field of operations. The oldest plantation on it which I examined 
 was rising four years. 
 
 " The plan pursued by Mr. Conolly, appears to have been very judiciously conceived 
 and executed. The spot selected for the first essay was the banks of the Nelurnboor 
 or Beypoor, a navigable river, over an extent of five miles. 
 
 " The first operation was to clear the face of the banks, extending to a certain 
 distance into the interior, of all jungle and trees, in the most economical manner. 
 
 " The difficulty of getting the seeds to germinate in their hard shell was, after much 
 delay and frequent failures, at length overcome by steeping them in boiling water so as 
 to produce the same effect by the heat so generated as the constant fires in the jungle 
 do on the seeds which there germinate. 
 
 " By this process the plants spring rapidly from the seed bed, and when three months 
 old they are transplanted, holes are dug in the ground and the soil is trenched twelve 
 inches deep, at intervals of 8 feet, so as to give air to the plants and little opposition 
 to their tap roots (in their delicate state after transplanting) on their downward search 
 for food. 
 
 " I may observe, that the future prosperity of the Teak plantations depends upon the 
 soil selected being of that quality and in that situation in which Nature has ordained 
 the tree shall alone thrive, so as to provide it with sufficient nourishment and with a 
 suitable exposure. On these circumstances will chiefly depend the close grain of its 
 timber and its durability when exposed to varieties of climate : these will alone also 
 prevent the canker of the heart of the tree which is sure to follow if the tap root 
 penetrates soil not suited to its wants. 
 
 " After minute inspection of the plants of different ages in the plantations, and of all 
 the arrangements connected with them, I was so much struck with the efficiency and 
 ability which marked all the arrangements, that it appeared to me that the director 
 of the undertaking must either have had practical experience as a nursery-man, or that 
 he possessed a mind so practically formed that he could select from the mass of 
 information written on the planting and management of forests from time to time, 
 such as was necessary to carry on the work in a practical and satisfactory manner. 
 The latter I found to be the case, and I can assure the Hon'ble Court, that their 
 expression of confidence in Mr. Conolly's exertions for establishing a good system of 
 management in the Teak forests, as far as the plantations are now advanced, is well 
 merited. 
 
 " I have had much experience in plantations and woods on my own account at home 
 as well as in those of other proprietors, but I never saw a better commencement than in 
 the Government Teak plantations of Malabar. 
 
( 24G ) 
 
 " Tlie proximity to water-carriage, the gradual clearing of jungle towards the interior 
 for security to health, and to prepare for extending the plantations into the interior, 
 the education of so many workmen and maistries, not only for working the plantations, 
 hut also for the management of the natural woods (and making good roads of communi- 
 cations as the plantations advance,) are all objects of essential consequence to future 
 success in a new undertaking, and have all been carefully attended to. 
 
 " I have thus far expressed an opinion upon what I have seen. I do not pretend to 
 offer any opinion upon the result, as I am unacquainted with the quality of the soil or 
 sub-soil generally throughout Malabar, but I have been able to assist Mr. Conolly by 
 informing him that the best mode of suiting the tree to the soil is to dig pits (in the 
 neighbourhood of full and fine-grown Teak trees,) as deep as the end of the tap roots 
 penetrate, and experience will afterwards teach him from the appearance of the 
 surface-soil what kinds of sub-soil he may expect to meet and how far the situation 
 selected is adapted for bringing the Teak timber to maturity ; I believe I may give the 
 above opinion as an axiom not to be controverted. 
 
 " In Great Britain this labour is not required, as the stratification of the soil is 
 generally known from means not possessed in this country. 
 
 " I may remark from all I have heard and observed, that Teak requires the same 
 soil as Oak, viz., a strong pure clay, and from the peculiar localities in which the Teak 
 forests of Malabar and Canara are found, dotted as they are over the immense 
 tracts of jungle and forests of other woods, there is sufficient evidence of their partiality 
 for particular soils and situations, and it may be found that there is an imperative 
 necessity for Teak being planted in the quality of soil it naturally prefers — at all events 
 a due consideration should be early given to this vital point by Mr. Conolly, as a 
 tree at the last moment of its growth may become defective from not giving timely 
 attention to these circumstances. 
 
 " In the thinning and pruning of the plantations, great practical experience is 
 required, and I should say from my observations, more particularly in Malabar than 
 in any other country in which I have travelled, this arises from the great rapidity of 
 vegetation. 
 
 " In the four year old plantation, an experienced planter could tell the age of the 
 trees from the marked difference of the bark on each year's growth, which is beyond 
 any former experience of mine in other countries. 
 
 " From the great weight of leaves on the upper stem of the last year's growth 
 plantations, if they were well saturated with rain, and that a squall of wind followed, 
 would I think run the greatest risk of being much injured by the tops of the plants 
 being broken off, and both experience and careful superintendence on the spot would 
 at such times be necessary. 
 
 " The plants generally averaged twenty feet high at four years' old ; it is at this 
 period (or perhaps during the previous year) of the growth of a plant, that a know- 
 ledge of the proper means of counteracting its rapid growth in height is necessary. 
 
 " Thinning the plants, and allowing the air to circulate around them, gives encou- 
 ragement to the lateral branches to shoot out, and by the sap flowing into them the 
 inclination of the plant to spire up is checked ; great care is necessary that this process 
 should be gradual, and only to the extent, in one year, to create the desired effect. 
 
( 247 ) 
 
 " When the lateral shoots are well pronounced, all having a tendency to grow 
 upwards should he cut off, a judicious selection of the main branches to be left should 
 then be made, and the smaller branches pruned. 
 
 " On selecting the height on the boll of the plant, at which the first lateral branch 
 should be allowed to stand, consideration must be given to the natural height to which 
 a Teak tree grows, and the branches should be left on the four sides, so as to 
 counterpoise one another, and to stop the upward growth of the tree until its roots 
 take a firm hold of the ground, and are able to supply a sufficient quantity of sap for 
 its nourishment, so that the plant may gradually increase in substance in proportion 
 to its height. 
 
 "In the use of instruments, a sharp knife is necessary for pruning plantations; in all 
 such cases a clean cut must be given, so as to prevent the tree from being wounded. 
 
 " The rude instruments I saw in use will never answer in a well-conducted forest or 
 plantation, where clean sound timber is to be produced. In the case of pruning 
 natural-grown forest-trees, a saw may he necessary for amputating a large limb, but 
 the wound should be dressed over by the clean cut of a knife or small axe, or some 
 sharp instrument, to prevent dampness or rain affecting it, or causing decay to follow 
 the roots of the branch into the centre (or green-wood) of the tree ; great care must 
 be taken to prevent forking in the branches, as decayed vegetable matter soon lodges 
 in the clefts, moisture is then attracted, or wet from the rain is retained, and a rot is 
 generally conveyed to the centre of the tree. 
 
 " It would appear to me, where so great an interest in the successful preservation and 
 increase of Teak plantations and forests is taken by the Honorable Company, that a 
 competent person should be employed whose whole time and attention should be 
 devoted to that duty. I know that it would be satisfactory to Mr- Conolly if he had 
 an intelligent practical forester under him, and from the conversations I have held 
 with that gentleman, I am assured that unless he has a person possessing these 
 qualifications, he does not see how he can himself do justice to a charge so purely 
 practical ; nor will his other duties allow him more time than occasionally to superin- 
 tend such an establishment as will be necessary for doing the work required in the 
 plantations or Teak forests. 
 
 " In my own opinion also it appears impossible for Mr. Conolly to give sufficient 
 attention to so large a concern, and I do not see how either the plantations or the 
 forests can have justice done to them without the constant supervision of an expe- 
 rienced European eye. I would not remove the duty from his charge, but I would 
 allow him a practical forester, whose time and attention should be given under Mr. 
 Conolly's direction, to the management of the plantations and forests, and if 
 found practicable and advisable, his attention might likewise be directed to the growth 
 of Cardamums, Cinnamon, and other spice and valuable timber-trees. 
 
 " The more I conversed with competent judges and examined the defects of the plank 
 timber sent down from the Company's forests to Captain Williams, (inspector of the 
 Teak timber for the dock-yards of Bombay, at Calicut and Cochin,) the greater 
 necessity appeared to exist that my recommendation should be followed out. 
 
 " The same defects in the planks occur here as at home, proceeding generally from 
 the same causes. 
 
 II 2 
 
( 248 ) 
 
 " If my recommendation should be complied with, nearly all difficulties would be 
 overcome on this head, and this most valuable produce of Malabar, so abundant a 
 source of wealth and so important to the State, would probably be raised to an extent 
 and brought to a perfection hitherto unknown ; but if competent practical skill and 
 undivided attention is not given to the Teak, I see no ground of hope that the supply 
 will be greatly if at all increased, or a field of supply created to any extent. I cannot, 
 therefore, too strongly express my opinion of the great importance I attach to fostering 
 the plans and supporting the exertions of Mr. Conolly." 
 
 Coimbatore Establishment. — 155. In July 1845, the Government 
 of India sanctioned an establishment at a monthly charge of Us. 246-8 
 for working the Wallair forests in the Coimbatore District, with the 
 view of supplying timber to the Bombay Government, and at the same 
 time authorized an advance of Rs. 15,000 to the Collector to meet the 
 expenses for felling, barking, and the carriage of the timber in those 
 forests. 
 
 Coimbatore Forests. — 156. This is the first and only correspon- 
 dence regarding the Coimbatore forests that has been obtained from 
 the Home Office, and it contains no detailed information regarding 
 them. It shows merely that Captain "Williams, the agent for the 
 purchase of timber on the Malabar Coast, having experienced some 
 difficulty in procuring timber of a particular description from the 
 Malabar and Canara forests, applied to the principal collector of 
 Coimbatore for permission for his contractor to work the Teak forest 
 of " Anna Mala" for the timber which was urgently required, on the 
 condition of his supplying all he cut exclusively for the public Service. 
 The collector, Mr. Wroughton, stated in reply that some " restrictive 
 orders of Government" prevailed in the District which disallowed the 
 felling of timber in Coimbatore without the special sanction of Govern- 
 ment. Upon this Captain Williams referred the matter to the Bombay 
 Government, who addressed the Government of Madras, when the 
 Collector of Coimbatore was called upon to report on the subject; this 
 he did in a letter, dated 14th September 1844, in which he gave his 
 opinion as to the propriety of permitting Mr. Gardener, the contractor, 
 to fell timber in the " Anna Mala" jungles for the Bombay Govern- 
 ment, and reported generally on the condition of the forests and the 
 mode in which they should be managed. This letter is not forth- 
 coming. From the remarks made upon it by the Board of Revenue 
 at Madras, it appears that Mr. Wroughton did not think it would be 
 expedient to allow Mr. Gardener, or any other renter or contractor to 
 
( 249 ) 
 
 work the Coimbatore forests, bat as local arrangements could be made 
 to meet the demands of the Bombay Government to any extent he 
 recommended the forests being kept under " Aumaine," and worked 
 by a Superintendent or Conservator assisted by a competent establish- 
 ment. This proposal the Board of Revenue concurred in, and recom- 
 mended further that the transport of the timber to the Western ports 
 should be effected by contract, conformably with the wishes of the 
 Court of Directors on this point. The Government of Madras approved 
 of the recommendations of the Board of Revenue, and on the 14th 
 November 1844 called for a statement of cost of the required estab- 
 lishment, with an estimate of charges for the conservancy and working 
 of the forests. At the same time the collector of Coimbatore was 
 desired to place himself in communication with Captain Williams and 
 to use every exertion to meet the immediate demands of that Govern- 
 ment for timber, without awaiting the completion of his establishment, 
 or of arrangements for working the forests. 
 
 157. On receiving the above orders, Mr. Wrought on proceeded at 
 once to " Anna Mala" to inspect the forests there, but he found 
 they could not be properly worked until the commencement of the 
 S. W. Monsoon, in May or June, in consequence of the great scarcity 
 of water : he therefore directed his attention to the Wallair forests, and 
 as they contained 4 or 5,000 Teak trees admirably adapted for the 
 Bombay Government, and water-carriage was available, he decided on 
 working them. With this view Mr. Wroughton engaged a native, 
 named M. Gooroo Bux Ram Sing, as conservator and agent, on a salary 
 of rupees 100 a month, and employed an establishment to the extent 
 of rupees 146-8, and at the same time he applied to Government for 
 advances " for the discretionary disbursement of rupees (15,000) fifteen 
 thousand, to be applied to the purpose of felling, barking, and carriage 
 of the timber" to the Nurgumpully River, on the banks of which it was 
 to be stored. The establishment and advance were sanctioned, as 
 already stated in para. 155. 
 
 Bombay Forests. — 158. The correspondence which follows (in the 
 order of date) relates to the proceedings of the Government of Bombay 
 for the protection of the forests of that Presidency, and must be noticed 
 here so as to continue the narrative, but it must be observed at the 
 same time that the papers which have been traced on this subject go 
 back as far only as December 1843, while the protective measures of 
 
( 250 ) 
 
 the Bombay Government were taken as early as March 1840, when 
 Dr. Gibson, Superintendent of the Botanical Gardens, was directed to 
 visit the forests and report on their resources, and on the best means to 
 be adopted for their preservation and improvement. There is no precise 
 information, therefore, in this Office of the proceedings of the Bombay 
 Government, or regarding the forests during the four years from March 
 
 * Dated 9th December 1840 to December 1843. From a minute* 
 ]843 - written by Colonel Jervis, the Chief Engineer 
 
 at Bombay, in his capacity of Member of the Military Board, the 
 following brief account of the situation, extent and condition of the 
 Bombay forests in 1843, has been obtained : — 
 
 " On the Eastern skirts of the Goojerat Province, from Deesa downwards to the 
 Nerbudda, are forests of varying breadth. These forests are the broadest and the 
 trees in them largest where the country stretches towards Malwa. The more useful 
 timber in these tracts are chiefly Pullus, Sissoo, Tunnus and Mhowa. The whole tract 
 of these forests were said to belong to thakoors and petty rajahs, some independent, 
 but mostly feudatories of the Guicowar. 
 
 " Crossing the Nerbudda, are the Rajpeepla Jungles, a wide broad expanse which 
 was imperfectly known. They stretch upwards towards the Lautpoora range, thinning 
 as they approach the Taptee. Teak is found here in addition to the woods mentioned 
 above. 
 
 " Above the ghauts leading to Kandesh are some Teak forests, but the most 
 extensive portion is below, in the hilly and jungle tract skirting the Surat Districts. 
 
 " Southward of this is Shroongana, containing a good deal of Teak. 
 
 " Westward are the Dhurrumpore Rajah's jungles, where Teak formerly was plen- 
 tiful, but the quantity has been much reduced. 
 
 " Next come the Dumaun jungles, where Teak was mostly preserved, but it was not 
 plentiful, and cuttings for ship-building had been large. 
 
 " Proceeding South to the Pith and Ilursool country, lying Eastward of Gumbeer 
 Ghur to the ghauts, Teak was formerly very extensive, but had been largely cut away 
 chiefly for export to the Dekhan. It is sent even as far as Dholapoor. By proper 
 care and conservation it was expected that this tract would soon yield large supplies. 
 
 " Thence crossing a wag nuddee into the territory of the Jewar Rajah, which extends 
 Southward to beyond Boputghur, much Teak ivas formerly grown, but in 18-43 it was 
 very thin, having been disposed of mostly by contract, to persons exporting it to the 
 coast. 
 
 " From this part commence the jungles of Kolwun, forming the North-East corner 
 of the Tanna Collectorate. Here Teak is inferior in size and straightness to that of 
 Jowar or Ilursool. It has been mostly cut away, leaving merely stumps and crooked 
 shoots. There is also in these Kolwun jungles much valuable wood of other kinds 
 fitted for building, &c, such as Hedoo, Bibla and Kulum. Sissoo is sparingly found 
 here, and of small size. 
 
( 251 ) 
 
 " The hills stretching Westward from Doogaur anil Vijirabhoy to the sea were 
 formerly covered with wood, but in 1843, on their sea face, there was hardly a bush to 
 be seen ; all had been cut away for the Bombay market. 
 
 " In Salsette there are some small plantations preserved, but of these the greater 
 part are in villages which had been gradually acquired by Parsees. 
 
 " Southward from Kolwun, as far as Aptie, the country is mostly bare, with the 
 exception of a strip of jungle extending from Bhewndy by Potgaum, Bowmullum, &c. 
 In this are many remains of what have been good Teak trees, but they are now chiefly 
 shoots from stumps. 
 
 " Beyond Aptie is a good deal of Teak, formerly planted and conserved by the 
 Angria family. This extends Eastward to near Jamboolpara, and formed a large source 
 of supply for the Poona market. In 1843 the trees were not of great size. 
 
 " In the talooks of Nagotna, Bohee Goregaum, Nizampore, &c, belonging to the 
 British Government, there is a good deal of Teak. In many villages, such as Putwoos, &c. 
 it has been long preserved, with the exception of the cuttings allowed by the Collectors 
 and their Assistants and by the kamavisdars. Formerly a man petitioned for leave to 
 cut down trees for a particular purpose, chose the best, and through connivance of 
 inferiors helped himself most liberally. This in a great measure tended to the destruc- 
 tion of the forests. 
 
 " Further West in these Talooks, the Teak-wood seems to have been cut down annually 
 for burning in fields. Since the stoppage of Teak cutting three or four years before 
 1843, under the orders of Government, the hills have become covered with thriving 
 young Teak trees, which in the course of ten or fifteen years may be expected to afford 
 a large source of supply for smaller wood, applicable to the houses of the people. 
 
 " On the Bankote Creek there were, in 1843, several plantations of Teak. 
 
 " In ten or twelve villages of the Ryeghur Talooka are rather extensive plantations, 
 just beginning to recover from the cutting formerly allowed under the contract system, 
 which permitted a man on paying a certain sum to have the privilege of cutting within 
 certain boundaries for so mauy years. This is the system which has been already so 
 often condemned. 
 
 " South of the Latwun Khind, and from thence to Vingorla, the villages being entirely 
 on the khote system, that is, under the management of a hereditary reutor, exempt 
 from control as to the interior economy of the village, the intentions of Government 
 for the preservation of Teak could not be carried into effect here. Hence in this forest- 
 tract there is little Teak to be seen, as it is cut away along with the brushwood for 
 burning in the fields. Nevertheless in this tract are two extensive plantations which 
 were formed by the providence of the Angria family. One tract lies in ten villages of 
 the Severndroog Talook, in which the Teak is said to have been nearly all cut away 
 when Mr. Pelly was Collector of Bankote. The trees now (in 1843) existing are 
 thriving shoots from the old stumps. In this tract, however, the Teak of late has 
 considerably propagated itself by the fall of seeds, and the plantations are now regularly 
 conserved by the Collector's establishment. The other tract is situated North-East of 
 Malwan, between that port and Ramghur. It was cut down under the contract system 
 some fourteen years ago, aud the present trees are mere shoots. The soil here is 
 better than that to the Northward ; the trees consequently are more luxuriant. 
 
( 252 ) 
 
 " Regarding the forests lying East of the ridge of the Western Ghauts, and South of 
 the River Nerbudda, it is stated that a large tract of forest extends from the longitude 
 of this ridge along the valley of the Nerbudda, and Southward as far almost as the 
 immediate banks of the River Taptee to the very sources of those rivers. 
 
 " Next come the plantations South of Somghur, scattered, and of little account for 
 external commercial purposes, but capable of being turned to profitable use if conserv- 
 ed, so as to secure a succession of cuttings, all of which are applicable to increase the 
 comfort of the dwellings of the people, and this is of the more consequence here, 
 as the country is otherwise bare of wood. 
 
 " In the upper parts of the valley of the Gor River the hills are steep, and 
 afford excellent protection for young Teak trees. Accordingly it is found that they 
 had formerly been planted in all this valley by the provident care of Nana Furnavese 
 and others. They have unfortunately been subjected to a destructive process of 
 thinning, owing to the payment of the expenses of conservancy being made to depend 
 directly on this source. Hence the best shoots have been annually cut away, and only 
 the worst left. The cutting has been lately stopped, and since this young Teak plan- 
 tations have sprung up in five or six other villages of the valley. There can be no 
 doubt but that Teak seeds scattered in many such valleys above the ghauts might, with 
 very little trouble, form the basis of extensive plantations that would prove most 
 useful hereafter. And it should be borne in mind that Teak seeds vegetate only when 
 scattered on the surface, but not if regularly planted in the soil. 
 
 " At Chas Kuman is a small plantation formed by the family of Roopram Chowdry, 
 to whom the village formerly belonged. 
 
 " At six villages under the Northern face of Singhur are plantations, rather extensive, 
 thriving, and well kept. From the leaves of these (used for thatching at Poona) a con- 
 siderable revenue is derived, and the grass fostered by the shadow of the trees attains 
 a larger size than it does on the open hills or plains, and its value (near a populous 
 city) is thereby proportionally enhanced. 
 
 " Southward in the country of the Punt Suchew and in that near Sherwul, West of 
 Poorundhur, are many plantations on the hills, but it does not appear that they have 
 ever been allowed to reach any size, though the nature of the country (valleys shut in 
 by steep hills) is favorable for their growth. 
 
 " In the Southern Mahratta Country, West of Pelgaum and Dharwar, are forests 
 believed to be extensive, and showing by their luxuriance of growth the superiority 
 of the soil and that the climate is eminently fitted for them. From specimens of the 
 wood of these forests lately brought to Bombay, it would appear that the timber is 
 equal, if not superior in breadth and quality, to that of Malabar." 
 
 159. All the Teak forests mentioned contain also a great variety of 
 other timber-trees, which are very useful in particular departments of 
 public works. The Shewun is valuable for its lightness and flexibility, 
 the Sissoo for its dense fibre, and consequent strength to support 
 heavy weights or resist friction, and there are other woods useful to the 
 turner, the wheelright, and modeller. 
 
( 253 ) 
 
 160. It will be seen from preceding paragraphs that no care was 
 taken of the forests of the Bombay Presidency previously to 1840, but 
 after the appointment of Dr. Gibson, in March of that year, to examine 
 them and suggest means for their preservation and improvement, the 
 Government of Bombay, acting probably on that officer's advice, appear 
 to have made some endeavours to protect the forests. The measures 
 adopted failed however, owing, it was stated, to the want of unity of 
 superintendence, as under the plan pursued one part of the forests was 
 under the Military Department, another under the Political, and a 
 third under the Revenue Department, without there being any 
 immediate controlling authority. In December 1843, the deteriorated 
 condition of the forests, and the difficulty of obtaining good timber, 
 attracted the notice of the Military Board of Bombay, and Colonel Jervis, 
 the Chief Engineer and Member of the Board, recorded the minute of 
 which mention has been already made. In it and in two other papers 
 on the subject he made several valuable suggestions for the care and 
 conservancy of the timber forests. In compliance with these sugges- 
 tions, the Military Board recommended the Government to organize 
 an establishment under a qualified person, for the conservation of all 
 the forests, and applied to be vested with the whole control and 
 management of them, on the ground that " each department of 
 Government requiring supplies of timber, whether Public Works, 
 Ordnance, or Shipping, has in some one of the persons, either of the 
 Members or of the Secretaries of the Military Board, its appropriate 
 representative." 
 
 161. Before the Bombay Government took this proposal into 
 consideration, they called for a return of all persons who drew any 
 salary or derived any emolument from the management or conserva- 
 tion of the forests ; this return has not been traced. In the mean 
 while the Military Board, at the desire of the Government of Bombay, 
 submitted a scheme for an establishment of conservancy under Dr. 
 Gibson, who they recommended should be Conservator without giving 
 up his appointment of Superintendent of the Botanical Gardens. In a 
 subsequent letter, dated 30th April 1844, the Board further suggested 
 that Dr. Gibson, in his capacity of " Interim Conservator/-' should be 
 employed to carry out the views proposed by them for the preservation 
 of forests. It is not stated why Dr. Gibson was to be employed as 
 " Interim Conservator," but it is supposed that title was fixed upon with 
 
( 254 ) 
 
 reference to the applications which had been made to the Court of 
 Directors to send out an arboriculturist from England. The Government 
 of Bombay, seeing the necessity for placing the Department in a more 
 intelligible and efficient condition, directed the Military Board to enforce 
 such general measures as involved no particular outlay, and could be 
 superintended by the local officers with the occasional aid of Dr. Gibson 
 as " Interim Conservator," until an active and efficient system could be 
 introduced with the sanction of the Supreme Government. In Novem- 
 ber 1845, the Government of Bombay submitted the whole of the cor- 
 respondence for the consideration of the Government of India, with a 
 long report, in which their views and intentions are expressed in detail, 
 and in which they applied for sanction to employ an Assistant Conser- 
 vator under Dr. Gibson, on a salary of rupees 200 per month, and to 
 entertain an establishment to the extent of rupees 93 per mensem, or 
 in all, a forest establishment of rupees 293 monthly. 
 
 162. The Government of India replied on the 14th March 1846, and 
 required to be informed whether the conservancy measures which were 
 proposed were intended to apply to Government forests only or were to 
 be extended equally to forests, which were not the property of Govern- 
 ment, and whether the duties of the Conservator were to be exercised 
 over the forests within the limits of the Presidency of Bombay only, or 
 were to embrace those on the Western Coast under the Presidency of 
 Madras also, and if so, whether the Government of Madras was aware 
 of this intention and had expressed any opinion respecting it. In 
 September following, the Government of Bombay explained that 
 although the conservative measures had mainly in view forest-tracts 
 which were the exclusive property of Government, yet the nature and 
 extent of individual claims over some of the tracts in secluded localities 
 had not, in all cases, been fully ascertained, and their ascertainment and 
 treatment, with a view to the promotion of the general object, would 
 form one of the duties of the Conservator. It was intended also, where- 
 ever it could be effected without political inconvenience or injustice, to 
 apply the proposed conservancy arrangements to all forests belonging 
 to independent chiefs, of which description there were many. 
 
 163. The Government of Bombay also explained that the forests 
 within the Madras Presidency did not form a principal object in the 
 scheme, but it was thought that they might with convenience and 
 public advantage be comprehended in it, and it was not anticipated that 
 
( 255 ) 
 
 tlie Government of Madras would object to the arrangement, though 
 pending the orders of the Government of India on the proposal, the 
 Government of Bombay had postponed addressing the Government of 
 Madras on the subject. On this explanation, the Government of India, 
 on the 19th December 1846, authorized " the employment of an 
 establishment for the management of the forests under the Bombay 
 Presidency, at a monthly charge of rupees 293," and on the 22nd March 
 1847, the Government of Bombay appointed Dr. Gibson conservator, 
 and authorized him to entertain the establishment which had been 
 sanctioned by the Government of India. In February 1848, the 
 Government of Bombav communicated to the Government of Madras 
 the appointment of Dr. Gibson, as conservator, and the arrangements 
 which had been made in consequence, and suggested the transfer of the 
 Canara and Sondah forests, North of the Gungawallee creek, to their 
 supervision, with the view of placing them under Dr. Gibson. The 
 Government of Madras, however, did not approve of such an arrange- 
 ment, while the judicial, revenus and police authority of the forest 
 districts, proposed to be transferred to Bombay, remained in their 
 hands, but considering that every necessary object would be secured 
 by a ready co-operation with Dr. Gibson on the part of the authorities 
 in Canara, and by a strict attention to his views in regard to the 
 preservation of the jungles and the rearing of young trees, they 
 suggested (what appears to have been finally arranged with the 
 Government of Bombay and approved by the Government of India) 
 that Dr. Gibson should visit the Canara and Sondah forests, and assist 
 the authorities with his advice for their preservation and improvement. 
 Under this arrangement Dr. Gibson seems to have visited the Canara 
 forests on two or three occasions, and to have reported at length on 
 them. His reports have not been obtained, but he appears to have 
 suggested the replanting of certain tracts, and the protection and 
 preservation of other tracts in the Northern parts of Canara, for which 
 purpose applications for additional establishment were made from 
 Madras to the Government of India in November 1846, in December 
 1847, and in September 1848. On the 21st October 1848, the Govern- 
 ment of India sanctioned an addition to the existing establishment in 
 Canara, to the extent of rupees 180 per month. 
 
 Canara Forests, 1847. — 164. The correspondence submitted by the 
 Madras Government with their three letters noted in the preceding 
 
 i 2 
 
( 256 ) 
 
 paragraphs, contains several letters from Mr. Blane, (the successor of 
 Mr. Blair, as Collector of Canara,) on the subject of the forests, in which 
 the following points are discussed : — ■ 
 
 1st, — The conservancy of the forests. 
 
 2nd, — The effect which the extensive clearance of wood-land has upon 
 the general climate and fertility of a country. 
 
 3rd, — The necessity of restricting the cumere cultivation. 
 
 4<th, — The right of Government to all such forests as could not be 
 clearly established to be private property. 
 
 165. The conservancy of the forests has been already fully discussed, 
 and as Mr. Blane merely went over beaten ground, it is unnecessary to 
 state his views, particularly as they were generally anticipated by the 
 measures of the Government. 
 
 166. On the subject of the effect on the climate from the extensive 
 clearance of Avood-lands, Mr. Blane and Dr. Gibson quote authorities 
 to show that the climate of a country is very much modified by the 
 clearing away of forests. In Canara where the clearance was rapid and 
 extensive, it is alleged that much less rain had fallen than in former 
 years, when the country was covered with woods ; whence it was 
 supposed that the gradual filling up of the mouths of the large rivers, 
 which was observed along the whole length of the coast, was in a great 
 degree attributable to the decreasing body of water which flows from 
 the upper country, and by the force of which the silt was formerly 
 carried into the sea, and the channels of the rivers kept deep. To 
 show the rapidity with which the wood-land in Canara had been 
 destroyed, it is stated that within thirty or forty years the forests 
 had receded from the coast to within a few miles of the ghauts, and 
 large tracts of couutry were pointed out which were formerly within 
 no distant time covered with wood, but which now had hardly " a 
 stick large enough for firewood." This destruction had been carried 
 on to such an extent in the neighbourhood of Mangalore " that the 
 article of firewood, formerly so abundant, is now one of the chief items 
 of expense to the poorer classes of people, and is a deprivation severely 
 felt by them." Many causes had conduced to bring about this scarcity, 
 but the chief was, " the improvidence with which the wood was treated, 
 every tree and bush being felled at first, and the shoots and saplings 
 which would have grown up and supplied their places being cut down 
 every year until the roots die off, leaving nothing but the bare laterite 
 hills which will remain for ever afterwards utterly sterile and useless." 
 
( 2r>7 ) 
 
 Cumere Cultivation.— 167. Another cause of the destruction of 
 the wood-land was the cumere cultivation : this however was confined 
 to the neighbourhood of the ghauts, because it was there alone that any 
 forests remained, and it was carried on with such increasing activity 
 every year as to' bid fair to destroy the whole of the large virgin forests 
 in a short time. Mr. Blane stated that the practice was so wasteful 
 and improvident that it ought not to be tolerated excepting in a very 
 wild and unpeopled country, and he was of opinion that it should be 
 placed under considerable check and regulation, if not entirely 
 prohibited. The great difficulty, however, in the way of controlling the 
 destruction of the forests in lower Canara, was the absence of all 
 definition of the rights of private individuals, and the facility which it 
 afforded the people of asserting claims to a private property in the 
 forests, which Mr. Blane was persuaded would on due inquiry prove to 
 have no foundation whatever, as " there is nothing scarcely which the 
 people of Canara will not claim as a right if they think there is any 
 chance of its being conceded." As a remarkable exemplification of 
 this, Mr. Blane refers to Mr. Blair's report of August 1838, 
 (see para. 2-1,) in which that gentleman stated that the forests 
 in the Coorg Mogamies were for the most part claimed as private 
 property, and that " this claim is founded more on presumptive right 
 established by previous enjoyment, than in the possession of sunnuds 
 or other documents conferring a proprietary right." Mr. Blane having 
 inquired into these claims had the strongest reason for believing 
 that the supposed existence of any such prescriptive right was an error, 
 and that the Coorg ryots neither had nor ever had pretended to have 
 any right to the forests before the Province came under the Company's 
 Government. Up to that time the right to all the valuable kinds of 
 timber were, as in the rest of Canara previously to its acquisition by 
 the Company, exclusively reserved by the rajah. 
 
 " The forests were carefully preserved, and were in many places full of the finest 
 timber. They soon attracted the notice of the timber merchants in Mangalore, and a 
 set of speculators proceeded into these Mogamies and offered to purchase the right to 
 fell timber from the neighbouring ryots, who, as may readily be imagined, had no 
 objection to sell what they knew was not their own. No check was placed upon their 
 proceedings by the Sircar, and they were not slow to adopt the convenient Canarese 
 theory of large wings, including within their limits all the waste and wood-land in the 
 vicinity. The consequence has been that within the space of little more than 12 years 
 the greater part of these forests have been cleared of their valuable timber, and thou- 
 
( 258 ) 
 
 sands of the finest Teak and Poon trees brought down to the Coast and exported by 
 private individuals." 
 
 Preservation of timber. — 168. In December 1843, Mr. Blair issued 
 a proclamation for the preservation of certain descriptions of timber in 
 which Teak was included, but this had no effect practically, for timber 
 merchants continued to cut Teak whenever they found it convenient to 
 do so, on the plea that they cut it on private property with the 
 permission of the owners. Their operations proceeded actively till Mr. 
 Blane joined the district as Collector, when a dispute was referred to 
 him respecting the right to the Teak timber upon a fine tract of forest 
 which one of the timber merchants had commenced working. The 
 plea of the merchant was that he had purchased the right to cut from 
 the neighbouring ryots, but that right was now called in question, 
 bein°- claimed by the Rajah of Coomblah, in virtue of his office of trustee 
 to the Adoor Pagodah, to which he alleged the forest-land belonged. 
 Mr. Blane considered it advisable to consult the old servants of the 
 Coorg Rajah upon the subject, and from them he elicited that neither 
 the ryots nor the trustees of the Pagodah had, in custom or otherwise, 
 the slightest ground for their several pretensions. The ryots had been 
 allowed to cut jungle-wood for their own use upon application to the 
 Amildars, but the Teak had always been preserved, and the felling of it 
 and of other useful timber for wholesale export by sea, had never been 
 heard of. Mr. Blane had no doubt, therefore, but that this was the true 
 state of the case throughout the Province, judging from this fact as well 
 as from the former custom in Canara, and the consequently fine state 
 of preservation in which the forests were when the country came into 
 the possession of the Company. 
 
 169. With a view to enforce the order against the cutting of valu- 
 able timber, Mr. Blane directed that where forests were claimed as 
 private property the right should be established before the timber is 
 cut. He did not however expect that this order would be obeyed until 
 means were taken for vindicating the right of Government, either by 
 prosecuting the claimants for damages or punishing them criminally 
 for destroying Government property. Mr. Blane therefore recom- 
 mended if it was desired effectually to preserve what remained 
 of the Teak forests, the Government should distinctly assert their 
 right to all such forests as could not be clearly shown to be private 
 property. 
 
( 259 ) 
 
 170. Mr. Blane's recommendations were approved by the Govern- 
 ment of Madras and by the Government of India, and accordingly he was 
 authorized to restrict the cultivation of cumere to such places and to 
 such an extent as in his opinion might be expedient for the preserva- 
 tion of the forests and the general welfare of the Province, and to 
 assert the rights of Government to all forest-lands to which a title 
 could not be clearly established by private individuals. 
 
 Duty. — 171. In May 1848, the Government of Madras referring to 
 Act VI. of 1848, which abolished all export duty on the port to port 
 trade of India, and removed the restriction which the Tariff of 1843 
 had imposed on the felling of young trees, the property of private parties, 
 applied to the Government of India for instructions as to the course 
 that should be followed for preventing the indiscriminate felling of 
 young Teak trees. The Collector of Malabar, with a view to preserve 
 the forests, had issued instructions prohibiting the exportation of Teak 
 timber of less than thirty-two inches in circumference. The Govern- 
 ment of Madras, however, considering the measure to be open to serious 
 objections, as a great part of the forest-land in Malabar was private 
 property, had directed it to be cancelled; but as the subject was one of 
 the utmost importance in reference to the future provision of timber, 
 a discretionary power was given to the Collectors of Malabar and 
 Canara to adopt in all forests of which the Government were owners or 
 renters, whatever conservancy arrangements they thought best adapted 
 under the circumstances for the preservation of the young trees. To 
 this end the Government of India was solicited to pass an Act, either 
 to prohibit the export of under-sized Teak timber from the ports of 
 Malabar and Canara, except under the special authority of Government, 
 or to modify Act VI. of 1848 to such an extent as would empower the 
 Collectors of those Districts to levy a duty as before on under-sized 
 Teak timber exported from those Provinces, leaving other timber and 
 Teak of large girth free from all duty. 
 
 172. On the 17th June 1848, before entering upon the subject of 
 the letter of the Government of Madras, the Government of India 
 called for a copy of all rules which were in force in that Presidency, 
 in Bombav, and in the Tenasserim Provinces, for the conservancv of 
 forests. The Government of Bombay replied to this requisition on the 
 6th September 1848, that the rules for the conservancy of the forests 
 in that Presidency had not been definitively determined on, and the 
 
( 260 ) 
 
 Government of Madras reported, on the 7th December following, that 
 there were none in that Presidency either, but that in Malabar the 
 rules which have been quoted in para. 118 of this Summary were 
 observed by the Collector of the Province, while in Canara the 
 Collector had framed the following rules for the Government of the 
 forests in that Province : — 
 
 " Rules. 1st, — To cut down such Teak trees as are known to be ripe for the axe, 
 and to have them conveyed to the coast. 
 
 " 2nd, — To preserve and improve the growing timber by the removal of all dead trees 
 and branches, clearing away under-wood, weeds, &c., which choke and impede the 
 growth of the young trees, and especially to thin the forests where the trees are 
 too crowded, and to prune the branches. 
 
 " 3rd, — To guard the Teak forests against injury from fire." 
 
 173. In January 1849 the Government of India addressed the 
 Government of Bombay, and with reference to the suggestions made by 
 the Government of Madras (see para. 171) for preventing the felling of 
 young and under-sized Teak trees, desired to be informed " whether any 
 and, if any, what measures are in force under the Bombay Presidency 
 for preventing the felling of immature trees in forests which are private 
 property/' and at the same time an opinion was required upon the pro- 
 positions of the Government of Madras. In reply to this requisition, 
 the Government of Bombay, on the 26th April 1849, forwarded a letter 
 from Dr. Gibson, the conservator, in whose sentiments on the subject 
 they concurred. 
 
 Dr. Gibson. — 174. Dr. Gibson expressed himself as follows : — 
 
 " 2nd, — In the few cases wherein private parties in this Presidency have pro- 
 perty in Teak timber, there is not any rule to hinder their cutting the same at any 
 time and in any manner they may choose to do. In fact, the parties in question work 
 their jungles so much for present profit that (as may be seen in the principalities of 
 Ramnugger and Jowar,) the prospective supply from young Teak is very small. 
 
 " 3rd, — With respect to the call for a legislative enactment interdicting the export 
 of under-sized Teak timber, I am of opinion that in Malabar and Canara such an 
 enactment would be of much service. 
 
 « 4th, I have carefully weighed a consideration of some importance as connected 
 
 with this subject, viz, that an unqualified prohibition such as is contemplated might 
 in its working be oppressive, inasmuch as it will prevent the possibility of exporting 
 Teak rafters and smaller roofing timber. When, however, we advert to the fact that 
 seaward exports of Teak from Malabar and Canara are chiefly made to ports at a great 
 distance, such as Bombay, Kattywar, Kutch, and Arabia, it is obvious that dealers will 
 prefer exporting roof timber in the solid log (to be afterwards sawn up), to the more 
 bulky and unstowable rafter and ridge pieces. 
 
( 261 ) 
 
 " 5/*,— Further, for this smaller quantity of roofing tiraher, in case the dealers could 
 be induced to choose only those trees which grow in high and exposed situations, such 
 as are never likely to be of any value for large timber, no harm might ensue from per- 
 mitting the export, but it were obviously impracticable to restrict dealers to cutting 
 smaller timber in such places, and it is far more probable that they would in all cases 
 choose the best young trees found near rivers and streams, in fact the very sort which 
 it is most desirable to preserve. 
 
 " 6th, — For these reasons, I think that the restriction as regards Malabar and Canara 
 should be unqualified with respect to straight timber. 
 
 " 1th, — Professional men possessing local experience superior to mine can best offer 
 an opinion as to whether any qualification be necessary in regard to smaller curves for 
 the building of boats and pattimars. 
 
 " 8th, — "Were it intended to extend the provisions of the Act to the Bombay Presi- 
 dency, I am of opinion that here a qualifying clause may be found necessary. My 
 reasons are these. — In many of my former reports, it will be observed that I have 
 stated that the supply of Teak furnished by this Presidency, at least between the Daman 
 River and the Goa border is of small size, that much of it will never grow lar^e, and 
 that although we have an immense quantity now in progress and daily becoming appli- 
 cable to the wants of the people, and affording material for profitable export, the quan- 
 tity worthy of preservation for naval purposes will be comparatively small, and that for 
 our main supply of ship-building timber we must continue to look to the Northern 
 forests, to Canara and to Malabar. 
 
 " 9th, — Under these circumstances there should, I think, be no obstacle to the export 
 of the smaller wood from the ports of Bombay, when Government may see that the 
 time has arrived, (which is yet by no means the case,) for opening these young forests 
 to the public, but even then it will be found necessary to fix the ' seignorace' on 
 this smaller wood at a rate so high as may suffice to discourage the cutting of imma- 
 ture trees." 
 
 Government of India, 26th May 1849. — 175. On the 26th May 
 1849, the Goyernment of India informed the Government of Madras 
 in reply to their several letters, that having given the suggestions 
 ■which were made by them the consideration which their importance 
 demanded, — 
 
 " The President in Council has no doubt that if it were advisable to impose restraint 
 at all by legislative enactment in this matter, there could be no method of doin» it so 
 little objectionable as that proposed of levying a high export duty upon under-sized tim- 
 ber. But independently of the inconvenience that would arise from a partial repeal of 
 Act VI. of 1848, which this course would render necessary, His Honor iu Council is 
 unable to satisfy himself of the propriety of legislating even in this indirect manner for 
 the purpose of interfering with individuals in the management of their private property • 
 he considers that legislation of such a tendency should be resorted to only under very 
 pressing circumstances indeed, and on the present occasion His Houor in Council can- 
 not perceive that a sufficiently strong case is made out. 
 
( 262 ) 
 
 " It does not appear in the first place that the Government forests, in which of course 
 any conservancy arrangement that may appear desirable can be introduced without a 
 law, are not alone sufficient for public purposes. In the next place His Honor in 
 Council finds it difficult to believe that proprietors of forests will be found, as a body, 
 to pursue to an excessive degree the unwise and improvident course the existence of 
 which is assumed as sufficient proof of the necessity for the interference of the law to 
 restrain them in the management of their own property. A few such may possibly be 
 found, but with regard to the majority, His Honor in Council cannot suppose but that 
 thev are likely to discern for themselves and to follow that course which is most 
 conducive to their real interests, and that no such general and wholesale destruction of 
 the forests will be found to take place as appears to be apprehended." 
 
 Goojerat Forests. — 176. Regarding the forests of Goojerat, the 
 following information has been obtained. 
 
 177. In 1841 the Government timber agent at Surat, Mr. Boyce, 
 having experienced some difficulty in procuring good sized timber for the 
 Government of Bombay, resolved on visiting the forests, and by personal 
 examination ascertaining, — 
 
 " 1st, — The distance from the bunders to the principal forest, with the names of 
 the different places intervening. 
 
 " 2nd, — The state of the roads and the obstacles presenting themselves on it. 
 
 " 3rd, — The cpiality and size of the Teak trees, and whether plentiful or not. 
 
 " 4 th, — The possibility of any of the rivers in the vicinity of the forest being made 
 available for floating down timber." 
 
 178. The annexed rough map will clearly explain the position of the 
 forests, and the nature of the country, and the table attached to it will 
 give the distances of the different places between the timber depots and 
 the forests. Mr. Boyce however visited only the Karribell forest, as it 
 was the most important forest ; it was under the control of a Bheel 
 rajah named Ooda-Singh. " The state of the roads and the obstacles 
 presenting themselves on it" are thus described by Mr. Boyce : — 
 
 " Between Bulsar and Chicklee are two rivers, the Kurrera and Kaveree; these 
 present great obstacles to the carts, their beds being composed of large uneven rocks, 
 and great delay is experienced in surmounting them ; not unfrequently the carts break 
 down : owing to these rivers, a very small quantity of first sort timber is brought to 
 Bulsar. From Chicklee to Wewul, the road extends over a large plain, and presents 
 no obstacle worthy of notice. Leaving Wewal on the left, the Umbeeka or Eeb river 
 intersects the road, and offers a very material obstacle from the rocky nature of its bed. 
 The next impediment is the Oolaun river, a branch of the Umbeeka beyond Dadura, 
 from whence to Untapore no other exists. From Untapore there is a good road to 
 Omenia. Between Omenia and a village called Kakurdah the Poorna river presents 
 a very formidable obstacle, the road crossing it obliquely for at least 200 yards; its bed 
 is very rocky, and even at this advanced stage of the season (Gth May) it contains 
 

 
 INSERT FOLDOUT HERE 
 
( 2G3 ) 
 
 water. From Kakurdah to Kurrunge-ke-Peeta (iu the Karribell forest,) which hitter is 
 only a clear space in the jungle of about 100 yards square, where the coolies bivouac, 
 the road presents two or three minor difficulties in the shape of rocks, which might 
 easily be removed ; nearly the whole of the road from the forest to the bunders has a 
 gentle descent, which is very advantageous to the loaded carts returning. From 
 Mungaldass to Allipore the ground is undulating, and the road much in want of repair 
 From Allipore to Rankooa the country is level and the road good. From Rankooa 
 the same road is pursued as previously explained." 
 
 179. Of the quality aud size of the Teak and the quantity in the 
 forest, Mr. Boyce says, although the forests may be said to commence 
 immediately after quitting Untapore, from which place the road winds 
 through valleys, the hills on each side of which are covered with trees 
 from the base to their summit, he saw no Teak of any size until he 
 reached Kurrunge-ke-Peeta, (where he met a relative of the Bheel Rajah, 
 who accompanied him in to the jungles.) Here Mr. Boyce found 
 the Teak to be very plentiful, principally on the sides of hills, but 
 generally surrounded by other trees and growing only at intervals, 
 much scattered, and in clusters of from live to twenty, and requiring 
 great labor to procure it, as all the intervening trees towards the 
 nearest footpath must be cut down before the Teak tree can be 
 removed. The further Mr. Boyce penetrated into the interior of the 
 forests, the larger, finer and more numerous the Teak appeared. From 
 this fact, and from all he could learn, he was satisfied that Teak eqnal in 
 size to superior Malabar timber was very plentiful, though Mr. Boyce' s 
 personal inspection was unavoidably confined to the Karribell forest ; 
 but he had every reason to believe that, — 
 
 " Forests producing splendid Teak timber extend North and South from the 
 Southern bank of the Taptee river, in the Beara Pergunnah, to the territory of the 
 Bausda Rajah. Other forests continue to the Southward, but owing to some peculi- 
 arity of soil, the trees after attaining a moderate size became hollow ; this is particularly 
 observable in the timber obtained from the Dhurumpore forest." 
 
 A great deal of fine timber is obtained from Peepree and Rhamboj, 
 which are also in the Bheel districts, but he had not then been able to 
 visit them. 
 
 180. Mr. Boyce's attention was drawn to several large blocks of fine 
 Teak four or five feet in length, and two feet and upwards in diameter, 
 which were lying close to the stumps of recently felled trees, and on 
 inquiry he learnt that the coolies after felling a tree, which they did 
 without previously lopping off the branches and clearing the stem, cut 
 
 k 2 
 
( 264 ) 
 
 oft' a piece .it each end to reduce the trunk to the length most convenient 
 for being carried ; they then with axes chip down each end of the log to 
 reduce it to a convenient weight, and thus waste at least one-half of a 
 valuable tree. This confirmed the opinion which Mr. Boyce had always 
 entertained that nearly all the first sort of timber brought to the 
 bunders for sale had been originally nearly double the size. The 
 manner of cutting down the other trees, including dwarf Teak trees, 
 which surrounded the good Teak, was also performed without judgment, 
 and with a total recklessness as to the injury done to the forests. 
 
 181. The mode of getting timber down to the depots on carts 
 dragged by bullocks was objectionable on several grounds. Mr. Boyce 
 thought that as the country was intersected by several streams, these 
 could be made available for rafting timber down to the coast; this method 
 had been attempted by dealers, but ineffectually ; it was however con- 
 sidered probable that another attempt, if made by Government, would 
 be attended with better results. 
 
 182. In order to the procuring a plentiful supply of superior timber 
 and at moderate rates, Mr. Boyce thought it would be necessary to 
 check the improper practices which prevailed in felling, cutting and 
 removing timber; to improve the mode of carriage; and lastly, to 
 arrange direct with the coolies or ryots for supplies without the 
 intervention of the dealers ; or " to enlist one of the principal dealers 
 on the side of Government by the offer of a liberal salary or other 
 consideration, this would insure the services of all the coolies hitherto 
 employed by him," and that being secured, " timber equal to what 
 was sold in Bombay for 16 and 18 rupees per candy might be 
 purchased at the bunders at 12 and 13 rupees per candy, new 
 measurement, a saving which would enable Government to entertain 
 any extra establishment which this new system would require." 
 
 183. Mr. Boyce's paper was submitted to the Government of Bombay 
 in June 1841 by Sir Robert Oliver, with a recommendation that the 
 political authorities should be instructed to use their influence with the 
 native powers to protect their forests and improve and encourage the 
 growth of timber thereon. In regard to the supplies of timber, Sir 
 Robert Oliver stated that in his opinion open competition was the best 
 method for obtaining them, "unless the Bheel Rajah can be induced to 
 give the preference of his supplies to Government, on nearly similar 
 terms to those entered into by the Terroopaad and Collongode Rajahs. 
 
 >) 
 
( 2G5 ) 
 
 184. On the 10th July 1811, the Government of Bombay forwarded 
 the papers noticed in the preceding paragraphs to the Governor's agent, 
 Mr. Elliott, and to the principal collector of Surat, Mr. Sinison, with a 
 request for them to report what mode they would propose for securing 
 to Government a direct supply of timber from the Northern forests, 
 and whether in their opinion any measures were practicable for protect- 
 ing the forests from waste, and for securing an easier transit for the 
 timber to the coast. These gentlemen replied, in August following 
 (1811,) that the whole subject proposed for their consideration embraced 
 a variety of important particulars, to review which with any degree of 
 accuracy, so as to shape out a practicable general plan for attaining the 
 purpose desired, would require some time. — Information would have 
 to be obtained as to the mode in which timber was procured ; what 
 were the obstacles to its transit, whether in the nature of fees levied 
 en route, or local impediments ; whether the roads which existed were 
 the best and shortest, and whether water-carriage could not be 
 substituted with advantage over much of the distance between the 
 forests and the ports. The most productive tracts being leased to 
 farmers, it was of consequence further to devise some means whereby 
 they may be either restored to the proprietor, or taken under the direct 
 control of Government : and it would be necessary to consider the 
 expediency of purchasing the right to leAy fees on timber in transit, as 
 the actual price to the dealers was composed merely of these fees added 
 to the cost of cutting and conveying the timber to the principal markets, 
 which were Bulsar and Mungaldass. Messrs. Elliot and Simson had 
 therefore deferred their final report to Government till receipt of infor- 
 mation, for which they had applied to the Resident at Baroda and the 
 Collector of Kandesh, as to the fees levied on timber in transit bv the 
 Guicowar and other chieftains having forest-lands, and as to treaties 
 or deeds executed with their consent or knowledge, transferring forest- 
 tracts to farmers or other temporary tenants. 
 
 185. In the mean while Messrs. Elliott and Simson having 
 ascertained that the Karribell forest, already described, had been leased 
 out for a period of six years, from 1836, for the trifling sum of rupees 
 two thousand, recommended that the Government should extricate the 
 proprietor, the Bheel Rajah, from the hands of the farmers of the forest, 
 and from monev-lenders to whom his estate also had been mort£ra°-ed. 
 and then conclude some permanent arrangement by which the rajah's 
 interest might be consulted and the important object of the Government 
 
( 26G ) 
 
 at the same time promoted. But as the season was then far advanced, 
 Messrs. Elliot and Simson proposed that Mr. Boyce should try his plan 
 for obtaining timber direct from the forests, through the coolies or 
 ryots, without the intervention of the dealers, and that he should be 
 allowed a salary of two or three hundred rupees per month to enable 
 him to visit the forests and select the trees for felling, and provide for 
 the protection and nurture of those trees that might not be fit for 
 immediate use. This arrangement Mr. Boyce calculated would cause 
 a saving of about thirteen thousand rupees to Government during the 
 season, if the usual supply was taken, as during the two preceding years, 
 timber to the value of a lac of rupees had been purchased on account 
 of Government, and the dealers had realized from the sales a profit of 
 50 per cent, on their advances to the coolies. 
 
 186. Adverting to Sir Robert Oliver's opinion in favor of an open 
 competition in the market for obtaining supplies of timber for Govern- 
 ment, Messrs. Elliott and Simson remarked that the dealers were banded 
 together, and would league to defeat any attempt to reduce their profits. 
 The proof of this was the uniformity of the agreements tendered by the 
 several dealers, their reluctance to give information about the trade, and 
 their universal and determined opposition to a new and fairer 
 measurement of the timber which was proposed by Mr. Boyce. 
 
 187. On the 4th September 1841, the Government of Bombay 
 sanctioned the introduction for one year of the plan proposed by Mr. 
 Boyce for obtaining supplies of timber, and authorized Messrs. Elliott 
 and Simson to communicate with the native chiefs to whom the forests 
 belonged, with a view to effect the proposed arrangements. On the 
 same date an application was submitted to the Government of India 
 for their approval of these proceedings. The Government of India, on 
 the 29th September 1841, intimated in reply, that although they 
 felt disposed to prefer the plan suggested by Sir Robert Oliver, of 
 trusting to public competition for a supply of timber, they would not, 
 for the reasons set forth in Mr. Boyce' s memorandum, object to that 
 officer's employment, in the manner directed by the Government of 
 Bombay, as an experiment ; but they desired to be informed of the 
 result of his proceedings as soon as the collection and purchase of the 
 timber of the season had been completed. 
 
 188. In April and June 1842, the Government of Bombay addressed 
 the Government of India, and submitted a long correspondence on the 
 subject of Mr. Boyce's arrangements with the owners of the Karribell, 
 
( 267 ) 
 
 Peepree and Rhamboj forests for securing to Government the right to 
 all timber in them, and to the usual fees therein leviable, but no report 
 was made of the result of Mr. Boyce's efforts for obtaining timber direct 
 from the foresters instead of through the timber dealers. 
 
 189. The Karribell forest was leased to the Government for an 
 annual payment of rupees 2,300, the Peepree forest for an annual 
 payment of rupees 1,800, and the Rhamboj forest for an annual payment 
 of rupees 850, or all three forests for rupees 4,950 annually. These 
 terms were considered very favorable, as independently of the unlimited 
 supply of fine Teak timber which they contained, there was a variety 
 of other valuable productions from which a revenue was derivable. 
 These were described to be, — 
 
 Tunnus timber. 
 Huldaree timber. 
 
 Sandal- wood. 
 Black-wood. 
 
 Bamboos and their seeds. 
 
 Moordar Singh, ) -p. . , , . A . „ ,. 
 
 Tr _ . b I Drugs in great demand in the Native pharnia- 
 
 Jvaephul, > . , 
 
 r i copoeia, and very expensive. 
 
 Jerkuchurah, J 
 
 190. The Bamboo it was stated bore at certain seasons a description 
 of seed which was eagerly sought by the natives, and realized a consi- 
 derable sum : it resembled wheat, and when ground made a delicate 
 kind of bread. It was supposed that a careful examination of 
 these forests would disclose other productions of value in a commercial 
 as well as in a scientific point of view, and at the same time allow of a 
 large quantity of land within their limits being brought into cultivation. 
 With this view Mr. Boyce intended making a survey of the country 
 leased to the Government. In the mean while, arrangements were 
 made for facilitating the transport of the timber, for the conser- 
 vation of the forests, and for levying the fees and transit duties at the 
 different passes, but as the information on these points in the corres- 
 pondence submitted, is very meagre, the measures which were taken 
 cannot be explained fully. Mr. Boyce's salary was proposed to be 
 raised to rupees 700 per month as timber agent and conservator, and 
 an establishment, including an assistant conservator, was recommended 
 to enable him to manage the forests. These measures and the salary 
 and establishment for Mr. Boyce were sanctioned by the Government 
 of India in August 1842, after which date there appears no further 
 correspondence on the subject of these forests. 
 
( 268 ) 
 
 191. The foregoing correspondence is the last among the papers 
 relating to the forests of Madras and Bombay, which have been traced 
 in the records of the Secretariats of this Presidency. 
 
 W. R. BAILLIE. 
 
 Bengal Secretariat, 1851. 
 
INDEX 
 
 TO THE 
 
 SUMMARIES OE PAPERS, 
 
 RELATING TO THE 
 
 TEAK FORESTS, 
 
 IN THE 
 
 TENASSERIM PROVINCES, 
 
 AND IN THE 
 
 MADRAS AND BOMBAY PRESIDENCIES. 
 
 Note. — The asterisks denote that the heads and numbers marked with them, and all the 
 numbeis in those heads, or the numbers immediately following the marked numbers in any 
 head, refer to paragraphs in the Madras and Bombay Summary. 
 
 ADMIRALTY. 
 
 Their unfavorable opinion of Tenasserim Teak, 85. 
 
 *AGENCY for procuring supplies of Teak timber, — 
 
 preferred to contract system, 39 and 40, 53 and 5-1 ; on the employment of an 
 Agent in Malabar, 66, 88. 
 
 AMHERSTIA NOBILIS,— 
 
 Discovered by Dr. Wallich, 17. 
 
 ATTARAN RIVER. Branches, Zimme and Weinyo. 
 
 Dr. "Wallich's report on the Teak forests on the, 21 to 31 ; aspect of the 
 country on the banks of the river, a hill perforated by a water-course hot 
 spring, 21 ; fires in the forests, curious Dischidia, 22; impediments in the 
 navigation of the river, 23 ; Elephants, Buffaloes and Deer numerous ; Tortoise 
 eggs, mode of discovering these, poultry, 24; effects of fires, 28; bamboos, 27, 
 28; wood-oil tree, 29; Captain O'Brien, H. M's 63rd Regiment, deputed to 
 survey and report on, 58; instructions given him by Mr. Blundell, 59; his first 
 report, 60 ; visits and reports on the Zimme and Weinyo forests, 65 ; Captain 
 Guthrie's report, 98; Captain Latter's report, 108 and 109. 
 
 AUCKLAND. Earl. Governor General of India. 
 
 His views on the subject of the agency to be employed for forest management, 
 45; Deputes Dr. J. W. Heifer, to inquire into the natural and commercial 
 
( ™ ) 
 
 capabilities of the Tenasserim Provinces, 48 ; opposed to any measures which 
 would disturb grantees, 70. His minute regarding the Malabar forests *107. 
 
 BAMBOOS. 
 
 Dr. Wallich's description of tbose in the Tenasserim Provinces, their great length 
 and diameter, the facility with which they could be procured, and the variety of 
 uses to which they could be profitably applied, particularly for the public service 
 in the Commissariat Department, 12, 27, 23. In the Goojerat forests, the seed 
 used as wheat, *190. 
 
 ♦BLACKWOOD,— 
 
 in the Canara forests, 28. 
 
 *BLAIR, Mr., Collector of Canara,— 
 
 reports on the Canara forests in 1838, 23 ; in 18-13, 142. 
 *BLANE, Mr., Collector of Canara,— 
 
 his report on the Canara forests, 1847, 104. 
 
 BLUNDELL, Mr., Commissioner in the Tenasserim Provinces. 
 
 Proposes to levy a duty on foreign timber, the appointment of a Conservator, 
 the resumption of the licences or " lehmats," to cut timber granted by Mr. 
 Mainoy, and an Establishment for looking after the forests, 41 to 47; His 
 " Memorandum" on the facilities afforded for Ship-building in Moulmein, recom- 
 mends Natmoo for the purpose, 56 ; Deputes Captain O'Brien of H. M.'s 63d 
 Regiment, to survey and report on the Attaran forests, his instructions to 
 Captain O'Brien, 58, 59; notices neglect of rules of 1829, by forest-holders, and 
 a^ain proposes resumption of the licences or " lehmats," 60 ; frames forest rules 
 in April 1841, in supercession of the rules of 1829, 61. 
 
 *BOARD, Indian Navy — 
 
 suggest measures for the preservation of Teak forests, 1. 
 
 BOARD, Military, (Calcutta.) 
 
 Opinion as to the terms of forest leases for the Tenasserim Provinces, 28. 
 
 *BOARD OF REVENUE. (Madras.) 
 
 Their views in reference to the preservation and conservancy of Teak forests in 
 Malabar and Canara, 33, 93; their proceedings in furtherance of those views, 76, 
 93, 146 ; their opinion as to the mode of levying duty on Teak, 132. 
 
 ♦BOMBAY. See also "Madras and Bombay." 
 
 Account of the forests of, by Colonel Jervis, Chief Engineer at Bombay, 158 ; Dr. 
 Gibson, Superintendent of Botanical Gardens appointed Conservator, and an 
 establishment authorized, 161 to 163. 
 
 BROADFOOT, Major, Commissioner in the Tenasserim Provinces, — 
 
 imposes a duty on Martaban timber at Moulmein, and proposes to do the same on 
 all foreign timber, 87 ; his measures for levying salvage on drift timber, S8. 
 
 BUFFALOES. 
 
 Very numerous in the Tenasserim forests, 18, 24. 
 BURNING Jungles or Brushwood in the forests. 
 See " Fires in the forests." 
 
( 271 ) 
 
 *CANARA. 
 
 Reports on the Teak forests of, by Mr. Collector Blair, in 1838,23; in 1843, 142; 
 the forests, with few exceptions, belong to Government, 24 ; private rights, 24, 
 167; varieties of Teak, 26 and 27, 142; conservancy, 28, 142, 165, 168, 172; 
 " Cnmere" or np-land cultivation, 28, 166; localities in which Teak is found, 
 extent of supplies of Teak timber, 35, 142 ; other kinds of timber, 35 ; mode of 
 working the Teak forests, 172; rules, 172. 
 
 *CLEMENTSON, Mr., Collector of Malabar,— 
 
 his views on forest administration, recommends a heavy duty on small timber, 9 to 
 21 ; considers the supplies of Teak to be very extensive 21; his report, 1834, 
 on the Malabar Teak forests, 9; second report, 1837-38, 16. 
 
 *COIMBATORE Forests — 
 
 establishment for working the, 155 ; report on measures for conservation and for 
 working, 156 and 157. 
 
 COLVIN, Mr. J. R., Commissioner in the Tenasserim Provinces, — 
 
 succeeds Captain H. M. Durand, 111 ; his report on the forests and forest manage- 
 ment, 112; proposes leases in perpetuity, 113; new rules for levying duty. 114; 
 and new mode of calculating it, 1 15 ; concurs in the opinion of Captain Guthrie 
 on the subject of the renovation of the Attaran forests, and suggests an experi- 
 mental management for the Thoung-yeen forests, 116 to 120; again recommends 
 perpetual leases, 121 ; suggests a new rate of duty to be calculated on the 
 log instead of per ton, 122. 
 
 *CONOLLY, Mr., Collector of Malabar. 
 
 Reports in June 1840 on the Malabar forests, 102; again in October follow- 
 ing, 113; frames instructions and rules for the guidance of the Sub- Conservator, 
 118; prepares a table of revised tariff valuation of Teak timber, 130; his experi- 
 ments for promoting the germination of the Teak seed, 134 ; 
 
 CONSERVANCY — 
 
 the first steps towards in Tenasserim, 40 ; the first steps towards in Malabar in 
 1800 to 1805, *2 and 3; its abolition in 1822, *5 ; measures and establishments 
 for. *43, 85, 118, 121, 155; rules for, *S7, US, 146; 
 
 CONSERVATOR. 
 
 Captain Tremenheere appointed (1840) to the charge of the Tenasserim Teak 
 forests, 52 ; Court of Directors define the duties of, S4 ; Capt. Watson appointed 
 in Palghaut in 1807 ; the office and establishment abolished in 1822, *2 and 3 ; 
 Mr. Parish advocates the revival of the office of, in a modified form, *60 to 65 ; 
 Mr. Underwood, the Collector of Malabar, proposes to make the revenue officers 
 ex-officio Conservators, rules for the, *S7, 1 18 ; establishment, *14, 121 ; for the 
 Coimbatore forests, *157; in the Goojerat forests, *176. 
 
 CONTRACTS, for obtaining supplies of timber,— 
 
 not so good as an agency 39 and 40, 53 and 54 ; 56 ; preferred by the Court of 
 Directors to all other modes, 125. 
 
 ♦CONTRACTORS. 
 
 Their employment for obtaining supplies of Teak from the forests condemned, and 
 their mode of working the forests very objectionable, 14. 
 
 L 2 
 
( 272 ) 
 
 CONVICTS. 
 
 Proposal to employ thein in forming nurseries in the Tenasserim Provinces, 42. 
 
 COTTON, 
 
 of the Tenasserim Provinces very superior, 7, 11 ; yellow cotton, 8. 
 
 COURT OF DIRECTORS' 
 
 Instructions of 1842, desire a survey of the forests ; advise long leases, the estab- 
 lishment of nurseries, that the Conservator should exercise limited control 
 over private forests also, and that Government should reserve some forests for 
 themselves to be independent of the market, 84 ; state that the Admiralty 
 have an unfavorable opinion of Tenasserim Teak. Notice Captain Tremenheere's 
 rules of 1842, and disapprove of some of their provisions, 89; object to sale of 
 forest holdings and recommend long leases instead, 107; their orders on the 
 subject of Mr. J. R. Colvin's proposals for granting leases in perpetuity, and their 
 views on forest management and rights, 123 and 124 ; early orders of, for 
 asserting the right of Government to the forests in Malabar *2, 4 ; their orders 
 of 26th February 1840, on forest administration and the rights of individuals, 
 *95 ; orders of 30th November 1842, on the measures adopted for the preservation 
 aud improvement of the forests of Malabar, * 123; former system of working 
 the forests, * 124; prefer contracts, 125; Government not to interfere in private 
 forests, *126. 
 
 *" CUMERE," or up-land cultivation. 
 
 Destruction of young Teak trees in Canara by the, 28, 1 67. 
 
 DEPOT, for timber — 
 
 Mapoon, near Moulmein, selected for a, 69 ; ordered to be abolished, 95. 
 
 DRY-ROT, in timber- 
 prevented by using earth-oil, to be had on the banks of the Irrawaddy, 38. 
 
 DURAND, Captain, H. M.'s, Commissioner in the Tenasserim Provinces. 
 
 His measures for protecting the Karens from oppression, 90 ; supports a proposal 
 for remitting duty on timber used in ship-building, 95 ; upholds Captain Guthrie's 
 resumption measures, 105. 
 
 DUTY. 
 
 Fifteen per cent levied (1829,) in money, or in kind, on produce of Tenasserim 
 forests, 36 ; Government refuse to levy at Calcutta on Rangoon Teak, or to remit 
 or reduce that levied in Moulmein on timber used for ship-building, 40; to be 
 levied in money ad valorem, 75 ; 15 per cent, ad valorem levied on Shan timber 
 on importation into Moulmein, 77 ; same duty levied on all timber imported into 
 Moulmein, whether the growth of the Tenasserim Provinces or of any foreign 
 territory, 87; proposal from Mr. Miller to remit it on timber used in Moulmein 
 for ship-building rejected, 95 ; Captain Guthrie's remarks, and his suggestions, 
 103; Mr. Colvin's new rates of, 114 and 122; proposed on small Teak timber, 
 *9 : objections to it *64, 120; amount realized in 1827 in Malabar,* 1948; a 
 revised table of tariff valuation of Teak timber,* 130 ; measures for consideration 
 in consequence of Act YI. of 1848,* 171; Dr. Gibson's views, *174; the 
 Government of India object to the introduction of any prohibitive duties, *175. 
 
( 273 ) 
 
 EARTII-OIL, (Petroleum,)— 
 
 on the banks of the Irrawaddy ; its value as a preventive to attacks of insects, 
 especially white-ants, resists dry-rot, 38. 
 
 ELEPHANTS. 
 
 Numerous in the Tenasserim forests, recommended to be caught and sent to 
 Bengal for the public service; their numbers must be reduced to allow of agricul- 
 ture being extended, 18, 24 ; Government Commissariat elephants at Moulmein, 
 to be employed in procuring timber from the forests, 69 and 86. 
 
 ESTABLISHMENTS,— 
 
 proposed by Mr. Blundell, 42; conservator and establishment sanctioned, 52; 
 for planting and rearing Teak seedlings in the Tenasserim forests, 40. For the 
 Malabar forests,* 114, 121, 140, 151, for the timber agent in Malabar, *153; 
 for the Coimbatqre forests, *155 ; for the Goojerat forests, * 1 76 to 190. 
 
 *FARISH, Mr., Governor of Bombay. 
 
 His minute of 4th April 1839, on the resources of the Malabar Teak forests, and 
 the means to be employed for developing them, 60 to 65 ; a second minute by 
 him, dated 25th June 1S39, 72 to 74 ; a third minute dated 30th July 1840, 
 *109. 
 
 *FELL, Mr., Bombay Civil Service,— 
 
 writes regarding the resources of the Malabar Provinces in Teak, and the best 
 means of developing them, prefers an agency to the contract system, 54. 
 
 FIRES, in the forests,— 
 
 how caused, their effects on Teak and other trees and plants, and on the soil. 
 Dr. Wallich's opinions, 6, 25, 28 ; the young Teak plants should be protected 
 from, 72; Captain Guthrie's account of, 97; Captain Latter's account, 109. 
 Destruction caused by in the Teak forests, *70. 
 
 FOREST ADMINISTRATION. 
 
 Dr. Wallich's views and opinions on, 32 ; Mr. BlundelPs views, 60 and 61 ; 
 Court of Directors' orders, 83 ; Captain Guthrie's views and suggestions, 100 to 
 102 ; Mr. J. R. Colvin's views and proposals, 111. Mr. Farish's views and sug- 
 gestions, *60 to 65 ; Mr. Underwood's views and suggestions, *77 to 92; Court of 
 Directors' orders, *95. 
 
 *FOREST RIGHTS,— 
 
 assumed by Government in Malabar, 2 ; partially abandoned, 5 ; measures taken 
 for re-asserting them, 6 ; proposed to be asserted in Malabar in a modified form, 
 60 to 65, 85; views of the Court of Directors, 95, 126. 
 
 GEOLOGICAL features of Teak tracts, 
 
 In the Tenasserim forests, 16, 48, 68, 108. 
 
 *GIBSON, Dr., Superintendent of Botanical Gardens, Bombay, — 
 
 appointed Conservator of forests at Bombay, 161 ; his sentiments on the subject 
 of the preservation and improvement of Teak forests, 174. 
 
 *GOOJERAT Forests. 
 
 Mr. Boyce, the conservator, called upon for information, 177; position and extent 
 of the forests, 178; quality of the Teak, 179 ; mode of working, ISO; contract 
 system advised by Sir Robert Oliver, 183; information required from local autho- 
 
( 274 ) 
 
 rities as to means of obtaining supplies, 184; arrangements thereto, 185; other 
 natural products of these forests, 189; bamboos, 190; salary of the Conservator, 
 *190. 
 
 GOVERNMENT OF INDIA. 
 
 Their orders on the question of duty on home and foreign timber, 40, 8/; call 
 for reports on Teak forests, 47. Their orders of 22nd April 1840, calling for 
 information regarding the Malabar and Canara forests, *98 ; whether additional 
 forests were required by Government for the wants of the public service, *99 ; and 
 the measures to be adopted for the preservation and extension of Government 
 forests, * 100; orders of 18th November 1S40, for securing by mortgage forest- 
 tracts sufficient to supply the wants of the public service, *116; objections to 
 imposing a restrictive duty on Teak, *64 120, 1 75 ; sanction a revised tariff valua- 
 tion of Teak timber, *133. 
 
 *GRAHAM, Mr., Sub-Conservator, Malabar. 
 
 His experiments for promoting the germination of the Teak seed, 13G; remarks 
 on the theories of M. Perotett and Dr. Wight, 139. 
 
 GRANTEES. 
 
 Mr. Agar, 65, 66; Anundchunder Mittre, 65, 74, 79; Mr. Austin, 105; 
 Captain Biden, 65 ; Captain Clerk, 79 ; Cockerell and Co., 56, 65, 105 ; 
 Mr. Creaton, 105; Darwood and Co., 65; Mr. Fox, 79; Mackey and Co., 105, 
 112, 126; Mr. Maurel, 105 ; Mr. Paterson, 105; Mr. Richardson, 65, 66, 79 ; Mr. 
 C. J. Sutherland, 79; Mr. Wales, 65 ; Captain Warwick, 56. Their disregard of 
 forest rules, and indifference to the perpetuation or improvement of the Teak 
 forests, 42 ; 63 ; Government unwilling to disturb the occupancy of, 70 and 74 ; 
 tenure of defined, 74 ; Captain Guthrie's resumption of their forest licences, 
 105. 
 
 GRANTS of forest-lands. 
 
 Sir T. H. Maddock's proposal to sell them outright, 106 ; the Court of Directors' 
 objections to such a course, their orders, 107; Mr. Colvin's proposals, 112 and 
 121 ; orders thereon, 123 and 124. 
 
 GUTHRIE, Captain, Superintendent of forests, Tenasserim Provinces. 
 His report on the forests 97 to 104 ; his resumption measures, 105. 
 
 HALSTED, Commander, E. P., Royal Navy. 
 
 His opinion of the facilities afforded by Moulmein, with its plentiful supply of 
 timber, for the construction of ships ; results of his experiments to test respective 
 strength of Tenasserim and Riga Pine, 51. 
 
 *HARRIS, Captain, Indian Navy,— 
 
 reports, 1838, on the resources of Malabar in Teak timber, the manner of obtain- 
 ing supplies, agency preferred to contracts, 37 to 40. 
 
 HELFER, Dr. J. W.,— 
 
 reports on the natural and commercial capabilities of the Tenasserim Provinces, 
 48, 49. 
 
 HOUNDROW RIVER — 
 
 Captain Tremenheere's notes and reports on the forests of the, 66 and 67 ; 
 Captain Guthrie's report, 98; Mr. O'Reilly's "Observations," 128. 
 
( 275 ) 
 
 *JERVIS, Colonel, Chief Engineer, Bombay. 
 His report on the forests of Bombay, 158. 
 
 JOHNSTON, J. H., Lieutenant R. N.,— 
 
 reports on the facilities afforded in Moulmein for ship-building, 53 to 56. 
 
 KARENS. 
 
 Captain Durand's measures for protecting them from oppression, their rights in 
 the forests, endeavours made to encourage them to take care of the Teak forests 
 and work them on their own account, 90; Captain Guthrie's suscrestions, 102; 
 Court of Directors' orders regarding their rights in the Thoung-yeen forests, 
 124 ; engagements made with them, 118. 
 
 *" KOOTY KANUM," or payment of one rupee for each tree felled, — 
 in Malabar, 17, 74, 103, 116; effects of the system, 17. 
 
 LABOR,— 
 
 in Moulmein (in 1841.) abundant but expensive, 56, 67 ; in Malabar, *51. 
 
 LATTER, Captain T., Superintendent of forests, Tenasserim Provinces. 
 
 His report on the Teak forests, 108 and 109; his views on some points erroneous, 110. 
 
 LEASES,— 
 
 provided by rules by Captain Tremenheere, to be given to licence or " lehmat- 
 holders" in the Tenasserim Provinces, 79; Military Board propose that they should 
 be limited to a specific period, not acted upon ; of unoccupied forests prohibited, 
 82; Court of Directors' orders regarding terms of, 83,84; they suggest Ion" 
 leases, 107; Mr. Colviu's proposals and his recommendations in favor of leases in 
 perpetuity, 113; disapproved by the Court of Directors, 103. 
 
 LHANG-BOOA RIVER. 
 
 Captain O'Brien's report on the forests of the, 65 ; Captain Tremenheere's report, 
 79 ; Captain Guthrie's report, 98. 
 
 LICENCES or " LEHMATS,"— 
 
 first granted by Mr. Maingy, Commissioner of the Tenasserim Provinces, 37 ; 
 Mr. Blundell proposes to resume them, 42, 60 ; None granted in the Thoung- 
 yeen forests, 97; Mr. Colvin proposes leases 121. 
 
 MACKEY and Co.,— 
 
 allowed to lease the Mittigate Codoogway forest, 112. 
 
 MADDOCK, Sir T. H., Deputy Governor of Bengal. 
 His proposal to sell forest-holdings, 106. 
 
 -MADRAS and BOMBAY resume. 
 
 Papers relating to the forests very volumiuous, 1 ; principal forest districts 
 Malabar, Canara, Travancore and Goojerat, early history of the forests, at first 
 believed to be private property, right to fell timber assumed by the East India 
 Company, Commissioners of Survey appointed to ascertain limits of public forests, 
 Conservator appointed (1806), proclamation asserting the Company's right over 
 the forests, 2 ; proceedings of the Conservator Captain Watson in the district of 
 Palghaut, compensation given to parties for resigning their forest rights to the 
 Company, 3; Instructions of the Court of Directors of 1800 on the above points 
 misunderstood, and Teak forests monopolized by the Conservator, consequent evils 
 and the discontent of the people, 4 ; office of Conservator and the whole prohibi- 
 
( 27G ) 
 
 live system abolished (1822,) its consequences, 5j the perfect freedom allowed in 
 working Teak forests produces other evils, their extermination apprehended, 
 6 ; Governments of Bombay and Madras consider the necessity of preserving and 
 improving the forests, the Indian Navy Board at Bombay and the Revenue Board 
 at Madras addressed, 7 and 8 ; report of the principal collector of Malabar, Mr. 
 Clementson, suggests that a heavy duty be imposed on small timber, 9; reports 
 on the forests of Malabar, Canara and Ilajahmundry from the collectors of those 
 districts, 10; Report on the Travancore forests from Mr. Monro the conservator, 
 11 to 15; Madras Board of Revenue's suggestions, 33; Lieutenant Miller 
 deputed to report on the Canara forests, 34; the Government of Bombay 
 consult Sir. C. Malcolm and Captain Harris, as to the best means of obtaining 
 timber for the public Service, 35 ; their views, 36 to 40 ; the Commissary 
 General of Bombay addresses the Government on the same subject, 41 and. 42 ; 
 Lieutenant Threshie's report on the forests of Malabar and the state of the local 
 timber marts, 43 to 53 ; Mr. Fell's opinions on the best means of obtaining sup- 
 plies, whether by an agency or by contract, 54 ; the foregoing reports communi- 
 cated to the Court of Directors, and to the Government of Madras ; proceedings 
 at Madras thereon, 55 ; Sir Robert Oliver directs the attention of the Bombay Go- 
 vernment to the small supplies of timber and the bad state of the market, 56 and 
 57 ; deputation of Lieutenant Williams to Malabar to select and purchase timber, 
 57 and 58 ; Government of Madras recommend his being employed also to 
 obtain information regarding the forests, 59 ; Minute by Mr. Farish, Governor 
 of Bombay, on the subjects connected with the foregoing measures, 60 to 
 65 ; Lieutenant Williams instructed as recommended by the Madras Government, 
 66 and 67 ; his report on the forests, 68 to 71 ; Mr. Farish records another Minute, 
 72 to 74 ; report and Minute sent to Government of Madras, ",b and JG ; report on 
 the forests of Malabar by Mr. Underwood, the principal collector, 77 to 92; 
 remarks of the Madras Board of Revenue on the report, and on the papers 
 received from Bombay, 93 and 94 ; the Court of Directors' orders to the 
 Government of India (1840) 95 to 97 ; information required from Madras and 
 Bombay, 98 to 100 ; report on the Malabar forests by Mr. Conolly, the Collector, 
 101 to 104; the Government of Madras express their views thereon, 105; 
 forward the report to the Government of Bombay, 106; Lord Auckland's 
 Minute on the subjects of the report on the Malabar forests, 107; Mr. Farish 's 
 Minute on the same subjects, 109 and 110; a second report from Mr. 
 Conolly on the forests of Malabar, 111 to 114 ; proceedings of the Govern- 
 ment of Madras in consequence, — authorize 260 square miles of wood-land 
 being taken at Malabar for Government purposes, 115; proceedings of the 
 Government of India thereupon, measures reported to the Court of Directors, 
 116; proceedings at Madras regarding the conservation of the Malabar forests, a 
 sub -conservator appointed 117; instructions and rules for the sub-conservator, 
 118; Government of India approve of the appointment and the subsidiary orders, 
 119 ; a duty or a penalty proposed (1841) on small timber by the Government of 
 Madras, objected to by the Government of India, 120 ; establishment allowed for the 
 preservation and improvement of a forest-tract obtained from the Tricaloor 
 
( 277 ) 
 
 Dcvassom, 121; purchase of four forests in Malabar for Government, 122; 
 Court of Directors' orders of 30th November 1842, 123; they remark on the 
 devastated condition of the forests, on the rights of Government, the 
 great extent of forest-land, 260 square miles, proposed to be secured for 
 Government, 124 ; on contracts, system of approved, 1:25; gratification expressed 
 that the proposal to re-assert the right to conserve all forests, public and private, 
 had not been carried out, 126 ; Canara forests not considered of any consequence 
 12/; the Government of India record a resolution, (22nd February 1843) on the 
 foregoing orders of the Court, instructions given to the Governments of Madras 
 and Bombay, the former required to prepare rules for imposing a duty on the 
 exportation of Teak timber, 128 ; Court of Directors' call for information, 19th 
 July 1843, as to the title of the vendor of the four forests purchased for Government 
 at Malabar, 129 ; revision of Tariff valuation of Teak wood by Mr. Conolly, a 
 table submitted, 130; Mr. Conolly points out an error in the mode proposed by 
 the Court of Directors of levying duty, quotes Captain Williams' report in support 
 of his views, 131; local authorities concur in Mr. Conolly's opinion, 132; sup- 
 ported by the Government of Madras, and directed by the Government of India, 
 (7th October 1843,) to be adopted in Malabar and Canara, reported to the 
 Court of Directors, 23rd March 1844, 133 ; experiments for promoting the ger- 
 mination of the Teak seed, 134 ; Mr. Conolly's proceedings, 135 ; his ex- 
 periments, Mr. Graham's (sub- conservator) experiments, 136; report of 
 Monsieur Perotett, a French botanist, on the subject, 13/ ; Dr. Wight's opinions, 
 138; Mr. Graham's remarks, 139; his resignation of the office of sub-conservator, 
 application to the Court of Directors to send out an arboriculturist from England, 
 140. reports on Malabar and Canara forests, 141 ; reports submitted to Government 
 of India in April 1844, and a second requisition made to the Court of Directors for 
 an aborieulturist, 147 ; report by Captain "Williams in August 1844, on the timber 
 trade of Malabar, Cochin, Travancore and Canara, with a notice of the Palfhaut 
 forests, 148 ; his proceedings for obtaining supplies of timber, 149; these papers sent 
 to the Court of Directors, 150 ; the Malabar establishment for conservancy increas- 
 ed in January 1845, 151 ; Mr. Conolly's report, (October 1844,) of his measures for 
 the conservancy of the forests, 152 ; an additional establishment allowed in May 
 1845 for the timber agent at Malabar, 153; Minute by the Marquis of Tweed- 
 dale, Governor of Madras on Mr. Conolly's operations in sowing and plant- 
 ing Teak, 154. COLUBATORE FORESTS, establishment, a monthly charge of 
 Rupees 246-8, sanctioned in July 1845, for working the Wallair forests, and an 
 advance made to the collector, 155; report on the Coimbatore forests, 156; 
 and the arrangements made for working them, 157. BOMBAY FORESTS, 
 Dr. Gibson, Superintendent of the Botanical Gardens, directed in March 1840, 
 to visit and report on, Minute by Colonel Jervis (Chief Engineer,) giving 
 an account of the Bombay forests, 158; varieties of timber contained in them, 
 159; measures of the Government of Bombay in reference to these forests, 
 the Military Board desire to have the control and management of them, 160; 
 Dr. Gibson proposed to be employed as " interim conservator" with an establish- 
 ment and assistant conservator, 161 and 162; proposal sanctioned on the 19th 
 
( 278 ) 
 
 December 1846; views of the Madras Government as to the extent of Dr. Gibson's 
 jurisdiction as conservator, a further addition made in October 18-18, to the forest 
 establishment in Canara 163; report from Mr. Blane, collector of Canara 1847, 
 164 ; conservancy, 165 ; the effect which the clearance of wood-land has upon the 
 general climate and fertility of the country, 166; Cumere, or up-land cultivation, 
 16/; preservation of timber, 168 ; measures towards that object, 169; approved 
 by the Government of India, 170 ; Duty, Act VI. of 1S48, proposal to specially 
 prohibit exportation of Teak below a certain size disallowed, reference made to 
 Government of India on the subject, 171 ; rules for forest management in force in 
 all the Presidencies called for by the Government of India, rules in Canara, 1 7-; Dr. 
 Gibson's opinion on the subject of restricting the felling of immature trees, 173 ; 
 the Government of India, in May 1849, decline to legislate for the purpose, 175. 
 GOOJERAT FORESTS, 176 ; measures of Mr. Boyce, timber agent,for procuring 
 good-sized timber from, 177 ; position of the forests and nature of the country, 178 ; 
 extent of the supply and quality of the timber, sites on which found, 179; 
 objectionable mode of cutting the timber, ISO; manner of conveying it to 
 the depots, 181 ; Mr. Boyce's measures for getting supplies, 182 ; Sir Robert 
 Oliver's opinion that competition was the best method of obtaining timber, 183; 
 measures of the Government of Bombay (1841) for protecting these forests from 
 waste, information required from the local officers for that purpose, 184; their 
 opinions and suggestions, 185 and 186 ; Mr. Boyce's plan proposed by the Govern- 
 ment of Bombay, but the Government of India prefer Sir. R. Oliver's recommen- 
 dation, 187; Mr. Boyce's measures and arrangments, 188 and 189; other valuable 
 timber and products of the Goojerat forests mentioned, 189; the Bamboo seed 
 used for food, Mr. Boyce's salary raised by the Government of India, and an estab- 
 lishment allowed in August 1842, 190; Summary closes, 192. 
 
 MAINGY, Mr., Commissioner in the Tenasserim Provinces, 
 
 proposes to throw open the Tenasserim forests to the public, in 1829, frames 
 rules for working them grants, licenses or " lehmats" for the cutting of Teak in 
 particular localities 36 ; his opinion of the quality of the Tenasserim Teak, 37 ; 
 reports on the working of the rules of 1829, and the extent of the Teak forests, 
 proposes the levy of an import duty at Calcutta on Rangoon Teak, and to remit 
 at Moulmein the duty on timber used for ship-building, 40. 
 
 * MALABAR Forests. 
 
 Reports on the Teak forests of, by Mr. Clementson the Collector in 1834, 9 ; 
 in 1837-38, 16 ; by Captain C. Taylor in 1837, 16 ; by Sir C. Malcolm and 
 Captain Harris on the supplies of Teak timber, and the best means of obtaining 
 them, 35 to 40 ; by Lieutenant Threshie in 1838, 43 ; Minutes by Mr. Farish 1839, 
 on the same subjects 60, to 65, 72 ; report by Mr. Underwood, the collector, in 
 1839, 77 to 92 ; by Mr. Conolly, the collector, in 1840, 102 to 104, and 113, 114. 
 Minute by Lord Auckland, 107 ; Minute by Mr. Farish in July 1840, 109, 110; 
 Mr. Conolly's experiments for promoting germination of the Teak seed, 134 to 136, 
 152 ; Mr. sub-conservator Graham's experiments, 136, 139 ; Monsieur Perotett's 
 theory, 137; Dr. Wight's opinions, 138. Early history of these forests, former 
 conservancy measures, their abandonment, 2 to 5, 77 ; forests belong to private 
 
( 279 ) 
 
 individuals, 17, 102 ; only four in Palghaut belong to Government, 22, 45, 48, 70, 
 
 102; conservancy, 2, 3, 9, 48, 71, 85, 103, 109, 117, 146, 151; " Kooty 
 
 Kanum," or fee of a rupee for which the tree is sold,17, 74, 103, 116 ; localities 
 
 in which Teak is found, IS; extent of supplies of Teak timber, 16, 37, 68, 92; 
 
 other kinds of timber 70 ; mode of working the Teak forests, 18, 46, 47, 69, 102 ; 
 
 young Teak, 44, 146, 152; manner of procuring the timber, 49; its market 
 
 price, 50, 68 ; labor, 51 ; duty, 19, 48, 130 ; proposed measures, 85, 102, 109, 118 ; 
 
 rules, 87, 118 ; forest rights, 77, 102. 
 ♦MALCOLM, Sir C, Admiral, Superintendent Indian Navy, — 
 
 consulted by the Government of Bombay as to the resources of the Malabar 
 
 Province in Teak timber, and the best means of obtaiuing supplies, 35 ; his 
 
 remarks 36. 
 DIALING, Mr., Assistant Superintendent of forests, Tenasserira Provinces, — 
 
 deputed to survey and report on the Thoung-yeen forests 91 ; his report 92. 
 MERCHANTS of Moulmein,— 
 
 appeal against Captain Guthrie's resumption measures, orders of Government 
 
 thereon, 95. 
 MILLER, Mr. J. H., ship-builder. 
 
 Proposes to remit duty on timber used in Moulmein for ship-building, 95. 
 ♦MILLER, Lieutenant, Deputy Commissary of Ordnance, Canara, — 
 
 deputed to enquire into the resources in Teak timber of the Province of Canara, 
 
 ♦34. 
 ♦MINUTES — 
 
 by Mr. Farish, Governor of Bombay, 60, 72, 109 ; by Lord Auckland, Governor 
 
 General, 107; by the Marquis of Tweeddale, Governor of Madras, 154. 
 MITTIGATE FORESTS — 
 
 visited by Captain O'Brien, considered by him to be very full of Teak, and recom- 
 mended to be worked by Government, 65 ; Captain Tremenheere's report of, 79 ; 
 
 the Codoogway forest leased to Messrs. Mackey and Co., 112. 
 ♦MONRO, Mr., Conservator, Travancore forests. 
 
 His report on the Travancore forests, '11 ; 
 MOULMEIN,— 
 
 affords great facilities for ship-building, 50, 53 to 56; labor (in 1841,) abundant 
 
 but expensive, 56. 
 ♦MUNRO, Sir Thomas. 
 
 His opinion regarding the throwing open of the timber trade of Malabar, 84; 
 •NATIVE Chiefs and States. 
 
 The Nelumboor Rajah represents the rapid extermination of Teak forests, 6; 
 
 the Rajahs of Travancore and Cochin assume the right to the forests in their 
 
 respective States, after the example of Tippoo Sahib, 86. 
 NATMOO. The building and timber-yard of Cockerell and Co., — 
 
 first selected by Captain Warwick, well suited for Government purposes, 56. 
 NURSERIES,— 
 
 proposal to employ convicts in forming 42 ; recommended by Dr. Wallich, /2 ; 
 
 Captain Tremenheere required to report ou their establishment, 73 ; suggestions 
 
 M 2 
 
( 280 ) 
 
 by him, 76 ; reports on those established by him, 79 ; Captain Guthrie's 
 account, his unfavorable opinion of them, 102. 
 
 O'BRIEN, Captain, H. M. 63rd Foot- 
 deputed by Mr. Blundell to survey and report on the Attaran forests, 58 ; instruc- 
 tions given him on the occasion, 59 ; his report, 60, 65. 
 
 ♦OLIVER, Sir Robert, Superintendent of the Indian Navy, — 
 
 points out the necessity of measures for securing supplies of Teak for the public 
 Service, 56 ; suggests the mode of obtaining them, 183. 
 
 O'REILLY, Mr. E. 
 
 His suggestions for the better regulation of the timber trade at Moulmein, 127; 
 his " Observations in connexion with the route across to the head of the Houndrow 
 River," 128. 
 
 *PALGHAUT Forests. 
 
 Capt. Watson appointed Conservator, his assumption of all forest rights on behalf 
 of Government, and his unauthorized proceedings, 3 to 5 ; the Government forests 
 rich in Teak timber, 22 ; young Teak trees destroyed by the fires, other timber 
 trees plentiful, 70; conservancy, 71. 
 
 PARLIAMENTARY Papers,— 
 
 containing reports on Teak forests, 96. 
 
 *PEROTETT, Monsieur, a French Botanist. 
 
 His theory regarding the germination of the Teak seed, 137, 
 
 PINE,— 
 
 experiments to test the respective strength of Riga and Tenasserim, 51. 
 
 PLANTING,— see Teak. 
 
 ♦PURCHASE of forests, 
 
 four in Malabar, on account of Government, 122; information required by the 
 Court of Directors regarding these four forests, 129; other forests taken for 
 Government, 144 ; the purchase of the four forests cancelled, 144. 
 
 RANGOON. 
 
 Mr. Blundell proposes a duty or timber brought from, refused by Government, 4 1 ; 
 Teak timber of subjected to a duty at Moulmein, 87. 
 
 RATTANS,— 
 
 of great length plentiful in the Attaran river forests, 26. 
 
 *RAJAHMUNDRY. 
 
 Report on the Teak forests, 1838 by Mr. G. A. Smith, collector, 29; Teak 
 districts, mode of obtaining the timber, 30 ; two kinds of timber, prices, transit 
 and other charges, quantity procurable, rafted down the stream to the coast at 
 Coringa, 31 ; supply of large timber limited, 32. 
 
 REPORTS. 
 
 Dr. N. Wallich's, of his tours on the Salween and Attaran rivers, 4 and 21 ; Mr. 
 Maingy's on the operation of the rules under which the Tenasserim forests were 
 thrown open to the public, 40 ; Mr. Blundell' s, on the same subject, 42, 43 ; Dr. 
 J. W. Heifer's, on the natural and commercial capabilities of the Tenasserim Pro- 
 vinces, 48, 49 ; Captain E. P. Halsted's, on the facilities afforded by Moulmein for 
 ship-building, 50 ; on the same subject, by Mr. Blundell, Mr. Seppings, and 
 
( 281 ) 
 
 Captain J. H. Johnston, 53 to 56. Captain O'Brien's, H. M.'s 63rd Regiment, on the 
 Attaran forests, 60, 65 ; Captain Tremenheere's, 66, 79 ; Mr. Sepping's " Obser- 
 vations," 67 ; Dr. Wallich's suggestions for perpetuating the supply of Teak in 
 the Tenasserim Provinces, 72 ; Mr. Sepping's " Memorandum" on the qualities 
 of the timber of the Tenasserim Provinces, 86 ; Mr. Maling's, on the Thoung-yeen 
 forests, 92 ; Captain Guthrie's, on Teak forests, 97 to 105 ; Captain Latter's,on the 
 Teak forests, 108 and 109; Mr. J. R Colvin's, 111. Suggestions for regulating the 
 timber trade by Mr. O'Reilly, 127- Reports on the Madras and Bombay Teak 
 forests, their extent and resources, their preservation and improvement, and the 
 best means of obtaining supplies from them ; Canara, by Mr. Blair, in 1838, 
 *23; in 1843, *142; by Mr. Blane, in 1847, *164; of Coimbatore, *155 
 to 157; of Goojerat, *176 to 190; Malabar, by Mr. Clementson, in 1834, *9; 
 in 1837-38, *16; by Captain Harris, in 1838, *37; by Lieutenant Threshie, in 
 1838, *43; by Mr. Fell, *54 ; by Lieutenant Williams, 1839, *68; by Mr. 
 Underwood, 1839, *77; by Mr. Conolly in 1840, *102 and 113; in *1843, 143; 
 in 1S-14, *151; Rajahmundry, by Mr. Smith in 1838, *29; Travancore, by Mr. 
 Monro, in 1837, *11. 
 
 RESERVED FORESTS. 
 
 The Thengan-nyee Noung on the Weinyo, and the Upper Mitigate on the 
 Zimme, 112. 
 
 RESUMPTION,— 
 
 of forest licences, or " lehmats," proposed by Mr. Blundell, 42 ; measures of 
 Captain Guthrie in resuming forest grants, appeal of the merchants of Moulmein 
 against those measures, orders of Government, 105. 
 
 RULES,— 
 
 by Mr. Maingy in 1829, for cutting Teak timber in the Tenasserim forests, 36; 
 by Mr. Blundell in April 1841, in supercession of those of 1829, 61 ; by Captain 
 Tremeuheere, 11th July 1842, in modification of those of Mr. Blundell, 79; 
 suggested by Captain Guthrie, 100; by Mr. J. R. Colvin for levying duty 114, 
 122; for the management of the Thoung-yeen forests experimentally, 118; by 
 Mr. Underwood, collector of Malabar, for the guidance of the conservator, *87 ; 
 for the Malabar forests *118, in Canara,* 172. 
 
 SALVAGE,— 
 
 levied on timber which had drifted from its depot, 88. 
 
 SALWEEN RIVER Forests,— 
 
 Dr. Wallich's report on the, 4 to 20 ; physical aspect of the country, 5 ; March 
 fogs, fires, 6; cotton, 7, 11 ; yellow cotton, 8; bamboos, 12; objectionable mode 
 of cutting Teak, 14; Thengan-tree, 15; amherstia nobilis, 17; varnish tree, 17; 
 buffaloes, tigers and elephants infest the forests, 18; poultry, 19; estimated 
 quantity of timber in the, 79, 99. 
 
 SEEDS,— See Teak. ' 
 SEEDLINGS, Teak,— 
 
 not seen growing in the Tenasserim Provinces, either by Captain O'Brien or 
 Captain Tremenheere who visited several forest districts, 68. See also " Teak." 
 
( 282 ) 
 
 SEPPINGS, Mr. J. M., surveyor of shipping, Calcutta, 
 
 reports on the facilities afforded in Moulmein for ship-building, 53 to 56; 
 deputed to make minute inquiries on the same subject, 57 ; his " Observations" 
 thereon, 67 ; his " Memorandum" on the qualities of the timber of the Tenasse- 
 rim Provinces, 86. 
 
 SHAN Timber,— 
 
 subjected to ad valorem duty of 15 per cent, on importation into Moulmein, 77. 
 
 SHIP-BUILDING,— 
 
 for encouraging in Moulmein, proposal made to remit or reduce duty on timber 
 used for, but rejected (1835) by Government, 40; Moulmein considered by Capt. 
 Halsted, to be well adapted for, 50 ; Mr. Sepping's opinion in confirmation, he 
 estimates the cost of ship-building in Moulmein, 67 ; Mr. Miller, a ship-builder, 
 proposes the remission of duty on timber used for ship-building in Moulmein, 
 rejected, 95. 
 
 *SMITH, Mr., Sub-Conservator, Malabar- 
 appointed, 117; quits the appointment, 135. 
 
 *SMITH Mr. G. A., Collector of Rajahmundry. 
 
 his report on the Teak forests of Rajahmundry, 29. 
 
 SOWING,— See Teak. 
 
 SUPERINTENDENT of forests, Tenasserim Provinces. 
 
 Captain Tremenheere appointed, 52 ; Captain Guthrie succeeds, 96, 97 ; his views 
 regarding the powers to be given to, 104. Captain Latter succeeds Captain 
 Guthrie, 108. 
 
 SURVEY,— 
 
 of the Tenasserim Provinces by Captain Grant and Lieut. De Montmorency, 1 ; by 
 Captain O'Brien, 58 to 60, 65 ; by Captain Tremenheere, 66, 79 ; advised by the 
 Court of Directors, 83; of the Thoung-yeen forests by Mr. Maling, 92. 
 
 *TARIFF, Malabar and Canara,— 
 
 a revised tariff valuation of Teak timber, 130. 
 
 *TAYLOR, Captain Cortlandt. 
 
 His remarks on the Malabar forests, and the supplies of Teak timber, 16 to 20. 
 
 TEAK TREE. 
 
 Its general habitat, 48, 65, 97, 108, *24 ; where found in perfection, 15, 48, 79, 
 92, 108, *12; varieties, 65, 86, 97, *26 ; its growth, 66, 79, 108, * 12; preser- 
 vation, re-production, and propagation 48, 108, 116, *13, *28, *134, *152, *154; 
 seeds, seedlings, young plants, 66, 68 108, *134, *152, *154; killing and felling, 
 14, 48, 65, 66, 79, 97, 102, *13, *17 *47. 
 
 TENASSERIM PROVINCES resume. 
 
 Ceded in 1826 ; survey of commenced by Captain Grant and Lieut. DeMontmorency, 
 1 ; Dr. Wallich deputed to examine and report on the botanical features of, 2 ; 
 proceeds to Moulmein for that purpose, 3; visits the Salween river forests and 
 reports on them, 4 to 20 ; visits the Attaran river forests and reports on them, 21 
 to 31 ; his suggestions regarding the Teak forests, 32; mentions the bamboo, 33; 
 
( 283 ) 
 
 proceeds again to the Attaran river to obtain a supply of Teak, 34 ; Mr. Maingy's 
 proceedings in respect to the Teak forests, works them for Government, a loss 
 results, 35 ; he suggests the forests being thrown open to the public and frames 
 rules with that view, 36 ; Government adopt his proposals and rules, 37 ; Dr. Wallich 
 reports to the Navy Board in England, his opinion of the value of these Provinces 
 in respect to timber, 38 ; that report sent to the Commissioner in the Tenasserim 
 Provinces with a request for specimens and information of different kinds of 
 timber, 39 ; an establishment allowed to look after the forests, suggestions 
 for remitting duty on timber used for ship-building, orders of Government on 
 the subject, 40 ; Mr. BlundelPs proposal to levy a duty at Moulmein on Rangoon 
 Teak, refused, 41 ; his views and suggestions regarding Teak forests, 42 and 
 43 ; applies for additional establishment, and proposes to raise the dutv on Teak 
 44 ; views of Government on the subject. 45 ; reference made to Madras, 46, 
 The Court of Directors' direct attention to the measures employed in Malabar for 
 preserving Teak, 47 ; Lord Auckland deputes Dr. Heifer to inquire and report on 
 the natural and commercial capabilities of these Provinces; Dr. Heifer's reports, 
 48 and 49 ; Commander Halsted of the Royal Navy contributes a paper on the 
 facilities afforded by Moulmein with its plentiful supply of timber, for the con- 
 struction of ships, 50 ; his experiments to test the strength of the Tenasserim 
 Pine, 51. Appointment of Captain Tremenheere as superintendent of forests, 
 52 ; employment of Mr. Seppings and Captain Johnston to report on the means 
 of building Teak men-of-war for the Royal Navy at Moulmein, 53; Mr. 
 Blundell required to assist in the objects of inquiry, 55 ; results of the inquiry, 56 ; 
 employment of Captain O'Brien of H. M.'s 63rd Regiment to survey and report 
 on the forests, 58 ; instructions given him, 59 ; his report submitted by Mr. 
 Blundell with remarks, 60; new forest rules by Mr. Blundell, 61 ; his further 
 suggestions, 62 ; Captain O'Brien's and Captain Tremenheere's reports, and Mr. 
 Sepping's " Observations," 64 to 67 ; absence of Teak seedlings in the forests, 
 68 ; orders and views of Government, 69 and 70 ; Dr. Wallich consulted as to the 
 best means of perpetuating the supply of Teak, 71; his " Suggestions," 72 ; 
 communicated to Captain Tremenheere, 73 ; Mr. BlundelPs new rules approved, 
 orders of Government on the occasion, 74 ; purchase of timber on account of 
 Government prohibited, 75 ; Military Board submit papers from Captain Tremen- 
 heere regarding the establishment of nurseries, 16 ; duty levied on timber taken 
 from the Shan States to Moulmein, 77 ; Military Board submit a second report on 
 Teak forests from Captain Tremenheere, 7^ and 79 ; revised rules proposed by 
 Captain Tremenheere, 79 ; Mr. BlundelPs remarks on those rules, 80 ; the rules 
 approved by Government, and the Superintendent of forests invested with magis- 
 terial powers, 81 ; Military Board's opinion that forest leases should be limited, 
 82 ; The Court of Directors orders on the proceedings of Government in regard 
 to forest management, 83 and 84 ; they prohibit supplies of timber being collected 
 for the Royal Navy as the Admiralty had expressed an unfavorable opinion of 
 the Teak of these Provinces, S5 ; instructions accordingly issued, and at the same 
 time Mr. Seppings' opinion of the qualities of the timber of these Provinces re- 
 quired ; Mr. Seppings' " Memorandum" thereon, 86; correspondence regarding 
 
( 284 ) 
 
 the dutv on Shan timber, results in an order for a duty being levied at Moulmein 
 on all foreign timber, 87; Major Broadfoot reports his measures for allowing 
 salvage on timber, 88; the Court of Directors' opinion of Captain Tremen- 
 heere's revised rules, 89 ; Captain Durand's proceedings regarding the Karens 
 and the Thoung-yeen forests, 90 ; Mr. Maling deputed to survey and report 
 on the Thoung-yeen forests, 91 ; receipts and charges of the Teak forests for 
 1841-42 to 1843-44 inclusive, 92 ; Mr. Maling's report, 92 ; Captain Tremenheere's 
 remarks thereon, 93 ; orders on them postponed, 94 ; duty to be levied in money, 
 and not in kind, and not to be remitted on timber used in ship-building, 95 ; 
 Captain Guthrie succeeds Captain Tremenheere, Parliamentary papers on Teak 
 forests, 96 ; Captain Guthrie's report on the forests, 97 to 104 ; gives a statement 
 of the number of Teak trees in the forests, and suggests modified rules, 99 and 
 100; his resumption of several forest holdings, petition of merchants in conse- 
 quence, orders of Government thereon, 1 05 ; report to Court of Directors, proposal 
 to sell the whole of the Teak forests, 106 ; Court of Directors' reply, object to the 
 proposal, and suggest long leases instead, 107 ; Captain Latter succeeds Captain 
 Guthrie as superintendent of forests, and reports on them at great length, 108 and 
 109; his opinions as to the propagation of the Teak erroneous, 110; Mr. J. R. 
 Colvin assumes charge of the office of Commissioner, his report on Teak 
 forests, with his views and suggestions on forest administration, 111 and 
 112; proposes leases in perpetuity, 113; states to whom he would grant such 
 leases, susrgests alterations in the rates of duty on timber, 114 ; former duty how 
 calculated, 115; his views on the subject of the renovation of the forests, selects 
 the Thengan-nyee Noung for a reserved forest on which he will attempt experi- 
 ments, 116; his management of the Thoung-yeen forests, 117 to 119; Government 
 approve of all his measures and proceedings excepting the proposal to grant leases 
 in perpetuity, that being against the orders of the Court of Directors, 120; he 
 ao-ain presses the consideration of that proposal, 121 ; and submits new rates of 
 duty prepared by a Committee, 122 ; Government approve of the new rates of 
 duty, but refer his proposal to the Court of Directors, the Court again reject it, 
 123 ; and disapprove of the concession of any proprietary right in individuals to 
 either the growing timber or the land in the Thoung-yeen forests, 124 ; Mr. 
 Colvin's further proceedings, 125 ; the Mittigate Codoogway forest leased to 
 Messrs. Mackey and Co. 126. Summary closes with paper entitled " Suggestions 
 for the better regulation of the timber trade," by Mr. O'Reilly, 127; another 
 paper by Mr. O'Reilly, entitled " Observations in connexion with the route 
 across to the head of the Houndrow river" added to the Appendix, 128. 
 
 " THENGAN Tree." 
 
 Dr. Wallich's description of its extraordinary size, preferred by the Natives to Teak 
 for boat-building, nearly allied to the Saul of Hindostan, abounds in rosin or 
 dammer. It is found in the greatest perfection on elevated situations near the 
 Sea, 15, 38, 92. 
 
 THOUNG-YEEN River Forests. 
 
 Captain Durand removes partially the restrictions regarding the killing and felling 
 of timber in the, 90; Mr. Maling's survey and report on the, 92; Captain 
 
( 285 ) 
 
 Guthrie's report, his suggestions and views for their management. 9" ; no licences 
 or lehmats granted for the, 97; Captain Latter's report, 108 and 109; Mr. 
 Colvin's experimental management of, 118. 
 
 *THRESHIE, Lieutenant. Sub- Assistant Commissariat Dept., Malabar. 
 
 his report of 1838, on the Malabar Teak forests, the extent of their timber 
 resources, and the best means of procuring supplies of timber, 43 to 53. 
 
 TIMBER in general,— 
 
 in the Tenasserim Provinces, Dr. Heifer's report on, 49. 
 
 *TIMBER Trade. 
 
 its effects on the Teak forests, 55 ; its history in Malabar, 82 ; Sir Thomas 
 Munro's opinion regarding its being thrown open, and all restrictions removed, 
 84 ; of Malabar, Cochin, Travancore, Canara and Palghaut, reported upon by- 
 Lieutenant Williams, 148. 
 
 TOBACCO,— 
 
 cultivated in the Tenasserim Provinces, 11. 
 
 TRANSPLANTING,— See Teak. 
 
 *TRAVANCORE,— 
 
 report on the Teak forests of, by Mr. Monro, the Conservator, 8 and 11 ; growth 
 of Teak at first quick, afterwards slow, its size and age, grows best on the sides 
 and tops of hills, 12; his conservancy system, 13; opinion of the cause of the 
 destruction of the Malabar forests, 14 ; the number of trees fit for cutting, 1837, 
 estimated to be 1,00,000 ; the rajah assumes the right to the forests in, 86. 
 
 TREMENHEERE, Captain, Superintendent of forests, Tenasserim Provinces, 
 
 appointed to the charge of the Tenasserim forests, instructions given on the 
 occasion, 52 ; visits and submits reports on them, 66, 79 ; attempts nurseries, 79 ; 
 remarks on Mr. Maling's report on the Thoung-yeen river forests, 93. 
 
 *TWEEDDALE, MARQUIS of, Governor of Madras. 
 
 His Minute of the 8th December 1846, on the progress made in Malabar for pro- 
 moting the germination of the Teak seed, and propagating the tree, 154. 
 
 ♦UNDERWOOD, Mr., Collector of Malabar- 
 reports in 1839 on the Malabar forests, and proposes measures for their conser- 
 vation, 77. 
 
 VARNISH TREE, (Melanorrhcea Vernix),— 
 
 found throughout the Tenasserim Provinces, process of extracting the varnish, 
 17, it is used for lackering Bnrmah and Shan boxes, its peculiarity of drying in the 
 damp, would do for coating iron-work, and guns and gun-carriages, 79. 
 
 WALLICH, Dr. N.,— 
 
 deputed to examine and report upon the botanical features of the Teuasserim 
 Provinces, 2; reports of his tours, on the Salween River, 4 to 20 ; on the Attaran 
 River, 21 to 31 ; letter to Sir A. Campbell on the subject of the value and 
 importance of the timber resources of the Province, 32 to 34 ; proceeds to the 
 Attaran forests to procure a supply of timber for Government, 34 ; letter to the 
 Navy Board regarding the production of timber, 38 ; opinion on the best means 
 of perpetuating the supply of Teak, his " Suggestions" on that subject, 71, 72. 
 
( 28G ) 
 
 ♦WATSON, Captain, Conservator, Malabar. 
 
 appointed Conservator of forests, his unauthorized proceedings, 2 to 5. 
 
 WEINYO River, a branch of the Attaran, quod vide. 
 
 WHITE ANTS, 
 
 Dr. W allich's belief that their attacks are prevented by earth-oil, 38. 
 
 ♦WIGHT, Dr.— 
 
 his opinions, and theory regarding the germination of the Teak seed, 138. 
 
 *WILLIAMS, Captain, Timber Agent, Malabar- 
 deputed to the Malabar Coast for ascertaining the resources of the. Province in 
 Teak timber, and the best means of obtaining supplies, 59; his reports, 1839, 68. 
 his mode of valuing and levying the duty on Teak timber, 131 ; reports on the 
 timber trade of Malabar, Cochin, Travancore, Canara and Palghaut, 148; salary 
 and establishment allowed him, 153. 
 
 WOOD-OIL Tree — 
 
 Dr. Wallich's account of its great size, 29, and value 38. 
 
 ZIMME River, a branch of the Attaran, — quod vide. 
 
 P. CARBERY, BENGAL MILITARY ORPHAN PRESS. 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 INFORMATION ON THE FACILITIES AFFORDED 
 
 BY 
 
 THE PORT OF MOULMEIN, 
 
 FOR 
 
 SHIP BUILDING. 
 
 By Commander E. P. HALSTED, R. N. 
 
 AUTHORITIES. 
 
 E. A. Blundell, Esq., 
 
 Commissioner of the Tenasserim Provinces. 
 J. W. Helfer, M. D., 
 
 Employed by the Indian Government to examine the Tenasserim Provinces, with 
 
 the view to the development of their natural resources. 
 Captain Marshall, 
 
 Late of the Bengal Native Infantry, having an interest in the forests. 
 Mr. Charles Bremner, 
 
 Employed by the Bengal Government to superintend the construction of a lar°-e 
 
 steamer building at Moulmein for the Hon'ble Company. 
 Mr. C. J. Sutherland, 
 
 Agent for the house of Cockered and Co., superintending the Building Establish- 
 ment at Natmoo. 
 Captain Warwick, 
 
 Formerly employed by Government in the forests : the first European who worked 
 
 them, and the founder of the Natmoo Establishment. 
 Mr. R. Wales, 
 
 A resident of Moulmein, having an interest in the forests. 
 Moulmein Chronicle, 
 
 The extracts from which are selected by Mr. Blundell. 
 My own Observations. 
 
11 APPENDIX. 
 
 MATERIAL. 
 
 TEAK-WOOD. 
 
 Question 1. For how many years have you had means of observation on, and 
 experience in the use of the Teak of Moulmein, for the construction of ships ? 
 
 Mr. Bremner. — I have had an experience of nine years ; eight years at Calcutta as 
 builder and superintendent with the late Mr. James Kyd and the Calcutta Docking 
 Association, and one year as Superintendeut for the Hon'ble Company, over three packets, 
 one bark, and a steamer of 769 tons. 
 
 Mr. Wales. — My experience in the forests commenced in 1832, shortly after which 
 I commenced building, but on a small scale, employing myself more as a forester and 
 timber merchant. 
 
 Captain Warwick. — Eleven years. 
 
 Q. 2. What are the qualities, good and bad, which you have found it to possess 
 for such purposes ? 
 
 Mr. Bremner and Captain Warwick. — Its qualities I consider inferior to none, with 
 exception of some Java Teak I had to convert in 1832. It is valuable for its 
 lightness; its freedom from the attack of the white ant; the small quantity of 
 pyroligneous acid it contains, and consequent fitness for iron fastenings ; its length 
 and size, its flexibility and toughness ; and above all, its great durability ; — qualities 
 constituting it an invaluable timber for ship-building. 
 
 Mr. Wales. — Its good qualities are its durability and buoyancy, withstanding better 
 than any other wood the effects of a tropical climate. When green, it is open to the 
 attacks of both land-slug and marine worm ; but not so in its seasoned state. 
 
 Q. 3. What are its qualities compared with those of the Teak of Malabar ? 
 
 Mr. Bremner. — I have not had so much experience in the Teak of Malabar, but from 
 what I do know of it, I have no hesitation in saying that the Moulmein Teak is in 
 everv respect equal, in some, superior to it. Its flexibility is greater as 900 is to 850, 
 its specific gravity less as 43 to 45, it is more kindly to work, and is freer from knots 
 and rindgalls than Malabar Teak. 
 
 Mr. Wales. — The Malabar Teak is of greater specific gravity and darker color, 
 resembling the wood of the lower grounds in these Provinces. In durability, I consider 
 them equal. 
 
 Captain Warwick — I supplied to the Commissary of Ordnance at Madras speci- 
 mens of Moulmein Teak for trial comparatively with that of Malabar. 
 
 Q. 4. State the result of any actual trial of its strength and other qualities to 
 which it has been subjected? 
 
 Mr. Bremner submits the following statement : — 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
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IV APPENDIX. 
 
 Q. 5. State what means of observation on its durability have been afforded you 
 by ships of its construction coming under your inspection or observation for repair ? 
 
 Mr. Bremner. — It has not been so long in use as to afford much opportunity for 
 examining its durability ; but for these nine years that I have been in the habit of 
 repairing ships of its construction, none have exhibited signs of decay. 
 
 Mr. Wales. — I have known of no Moulmein-bujlt ship coming for repair from 
 defect of material. 
 
 Captain Warwick. — I mention the following fact in proof of its great durability. 
 The trunk of a large tree was found by me in the forest, it having been blown down. 
 Its roots and branches had decayed away so as not to leave remaining a vestige of 
 them. The ground whence it had fallen had returned to its level ; about 6 inches of 
 each end of the trunk which was decayed was cut off, and the remnant found as 
 sound as any wood in the forest. This tree must have fallen at a time when only 
 the Teak is blown down, viz., during the S. W. monsoon, when the rains have moistened 
 the earth at the roots, and the branches are heavy with the large leaf; its sap must 
 therefore have been up, and I consider it to have lain at least 40 years. 
 
 Q. 6. Have you always found a ready supply of it for the construction of ships 
 you have had to build? 
 
 Mr. Bremner. — In my experience, the supply of timber keeps pace with the demand. 
 I have known no difficulty in procuring it. Having forests of my own, and a stock on 
 hand, I have never wanted supplies for the few ships 1 have built, even when loading. 
 
 Mr. Wales. — Ships at once for exportation, detention occurring only when a parti- 
 cular size, for a particular market, has been demanded. 
 
 Captain Warwick. — Always, — having extensive forests of my own at work. 
 
 Mr. Sutherland. — Since the establishment at Natmoo has been in the hands of 
 Messrs. Cockerell and Co., there has been there at all times an immense supply of 
 timber, over and above that required for construction, or demanded for exportation. 
 To exhibit the size and quantity, which could be supplied from hence, — in February 
 last, 700 tons of Teak, in squared logs of from 1J to 3 tons' weight each, were sent 
 to England for the British Government. * 
 
 Q. 7. What time has elapsed between the demand and supply of the largest 
 quantities (stating them) you have required, and have such supplies been of sound 
 and well seasoned wood ? 
 
 Mr. Bremner. — I have not been in the habit of purchasing or ordering timber to 
 time ; but what has been brought has usually been good and well seasoned wood, a 
 matter easily detected, as it then floats one-third out of water ; unseasoned it will not 
 float at all. 
 
 Mr. Wales. — Assuming the trees to be already killed, and notice given in October, 
 (end of the monsoon), by the following October a very large supply could without fail 
 be procured, crooks and planks, for large ships, sided and sawed in the forest. 
 
 Captain Warwick. — Supplies of large round timber are made yearly. Of plank 
 and thick stuff, in four mouths after order issued. 
 
 Mr. Sutherland. — Supplies to this establishment (Natmoo) are continually arriving 
 throughout the season. 400 trees have just been received, and notice has reached me 
 that two rafts, one of 360 trees, and one of 1,200 crooks are now on their way down. 
 
APTENDIX. V 
 
 Q. 8. Is the supply of crooks equal to, and of equal quality with that of straight 
 timber ? 
 
 Mr. Bremner. — The supply of crooks is not so plentiful as that of straight timber ; 
 but they may be had in sufficient quantities if proper measures be adopted. Their 
 quality is superior, being harder, tougher and closer in grain than the straight timber. 
 
 Mr. Wales. — The supply of crooks I believe to be equal to that of straight timber, 
 but it might be increased. In qualities I consider them equal, durability being if any- 
 thing in favor of the crook. 
 
 Captain Warwick. — The quantity of crooks preponderates. In quality, those of the 
 northern forests, on the Gyne, and formed of the trunks of trees, are superior to those 
 of the Attaran formed from large branches, which are more brittle. 
 
 Q. 9. Will you state the average size of the timber you have been supplied with, 
 and also the size and length of the largest you have known ? 
 
 Mr. Bremner. — The largest mast-pieces run as long as 85 feet, and 8 and 9 feet in 
 girth ; keel pieces, from 38 to 50 feet long, squaring from 15 to 24 inches; logs for 
 sawing from 26 to 30 feet long, and from 5 to 7 feet in girth ; and loozars from 16 to 18 
 feet long, and from 15 to 18 feet in girth. These latter are trunks of immense trees cut 
 into lengths (generally four) by natives who possess not the means of transporting them 
 whole. This timber is much valued, as it does not split in sawing nor cast in working. 
 Mr. Wales. — No tree under 1 8 inches diameter may be cut ; from this they ran»-e to 
 8 and even 9 feet in diameter, though such trees are rarely sound. From one such, 
 however, which I once converted in the forest, I procured 13 pairs of bend plank, 
 30 by 12 + 6. I have brought down pieces of 72 feet long, squaring 26 inches, and 
 have known some of 85 feet in length shipped from hence. Average short wood 1 6 
 to 18 feet long, 2 to 3-6 feet in diameter. Average long wood 30 upwards, 18 to 24 
 inches square. (Mast and keel-pieces not included). 
 
 Captain Warwick. — Average size from 30 to 50 feet long ; mast-pieces, from 60 to /5 
 feet long, and from 5 to 9 in girth. I have seen many in the forests measuring 6 feet 
 in diameter. 
 
 Mr. Sutherland. — The largest I have ever known was a piece shipped from this yard 
 in 1833, measuring 103 feet in length, and squaring 26 inches at its small end. 
 
 Q. 10. Of what size have been the largest ships you have constructed or known 
 to be constructed of it ? 
 
 Mr. Bremner. — I have constructed of it, and superintended the construction of ships 
 from 160 to 770 tons, of 5,000 tons in all, and have known ships of 1,400 tons built of it. 
 Mr. Wales. — I have built myself nothing larger than 140 tons. The " Northum- 
 berland," of 800 tons, is the largest built here.) 
 
 Captain Warwick. — 700 tons is the largest I have built at Natmoo. 
 Q. 11. Are you of opinion, founded on knowledge and experience, that a ready 
 supply of timber fit in every respect for the construction of the largest ships of war 
 could be procured on demand at Mouhnein? 
 
 Mr. Bremner. — I have no doubt, but that if proper time were allowed, and despatch 
 used, timber might be collected here in quantity and quality adapted for the 
 construction of the largest men of war. 
 
VI APPENDIX. 
 
 Mr. "Wales. — Certainly not on demand. At least twelve months must elapse, great 
 care and attention be used in the collection, and advances made. 
 
 Captain Warwick. — Certainly ; the only difficulty being that of providing timber 
 for the floors and second futtocks ; it would be necessary to send into the forests 
 expressly for this timber, at a distance of about 60 miles from Moulmein, and care 
 would have to be used in the cutting of it, as from the slovenly way in which the 
 Burmese cut crooks, not ten would be found serviceable out of every hundred. 
 
 Mr. Sutherland. — From 15,000 to 16,000 tons of timber of all sizes are now lying 
 in the creeks and on the premises at Natmoo, a great deal of which is in every respect 
 adapted for such a purpose. 
 
 Captain Halsted. — My own observation on the spot fully confirms this last statement. 
 
 Q. 12. Within what time does your experience lead you to believe that a supply 
 of 3.000 tons of such timber could be procured at Moulmein ? 
 
 Mr. Bremner. — If advances were made, and liberal contracts entered into, I have 
 no hesitation in saying, that if 6 months' notice were given, before the setting in of 
 the rains, that 3,000 tons of such timber would arrive in 18 months, or two seasons. 
 
 Mr. Wales. — A demand and ready advauce would materially increase the supply. 
 In 1838 myself and a person connected with me exported an amount considerably 
 larger than that specified. 
 
 Captain Warwick. — Should it be desired to procure it from the forests, and inde- 
 pendent of the supply in Moulmein (depending on the number of ships constructing 
 there at the time), I should say one year. 
 
 Mr. Sutherland. — The statement just sent to me by the surveyor of the forests 
 attached to this establishment (Natmoo), informs me that 7,400 trees, nearly one-half 
 of which have been killed for 3 years, are now either felled or ready for felling, and 
 that an amount of many hundreds have been also killed this year. 
 
 Q. 13. What is the present price per ton in Moulmein of the best converted and 
 unconverted timber ? 
 
 Mr. Bremner. — The present price in Moulmein of picked converted timber is from 
 28 to 33 rupees per ton. 
 
 Mr. Wales. — Short unconverted 16 rupees, long unconverted 25 rupees per ton ; 
 short converted 20 to 25 rupees, long converted 30 to 3/-S per ton. (Scantling not less 
 than 3 X 12.) 
 
 Captain Warwick. — Bazaar timber, short and long, from 30 to 35 rupees per ton. 
 
 Q. 14. Do you apprehend that a demand such as that proposed in Q. 12 would 
 raise — and if so, to what probable amount — the price per ton in the Moulmein market ? 
 
 Mr. Bremner. — A demand such as that alluded to would raise the price from 35 to 
 40 per cent. 
 
 Mr. I] ales. — Let the advances of demand be made gradually, and with circumspec- 
 tion, and I should apprehend no great rise in price ; but at any rate in no case exceeding 
 the price it maintained from 1829 to 1834, viz., 50 rupees per ton. 
 
 Captain Warwick. — I apprehend it would, to 1 Rupee per cubic foot. From my 
 experience in working the establishment of Natmoo, I should say that timbers, plank, 
 &c, of the best quality for large ships, could not be supplied for less. 
 
APPENDIX. VU 
 
 Q. 15. Has the quantity of Moulmein timber in demand, both for construction on 
 
 the spot and for exportation, increased of late years, and if so, has it been attended with 
 a rise in the price ? 
 
 Mr. Wales. — I conceive the supply of late years to have been greater than the 
 demand, the large exports of 1837-38 having overstocked the markets of Calcutta and 
 Madras, and caused the present low prices. 
 
 Captain Warwick. — It has increased to a great degree for construction, and for such 
 purpose is still increasing, but not for exportation. There has been no rise of price, 
 but for very long and superior timber. 
 
 Q. 16. Can you state in tons or loads the quantity of timber consumed or export- 
 ed from Moulmein during the last two years, 1838-1839 ? 
 
 Mr. Blundell— Export from 1st May 1838 to 1st May 1839, . . 5,895 tons. 
 
 Ditto do. 1839 to do. 1840, .. .. 5,580 „ 
 
 Tonnage of Ships launched in 1838, .. ... .. 1,500 „ 
 
 Ditto do. 1839, 2,100 „ 
 
 Note. — There are now on the stocks about 2,500 tons, and there have been con- 
 structed since 1830 about 50 vessels of from 30 to 800 tons, amounting in all to 15,000 
 tons. 
 
 Q. 1/. What are the quantities, qualities, and price of the Teak from the Shan 
 country, compared with that of the Moulmein forests ? 
 
 Mr. Bremner. — I have not paid attention to their relative properties ; in my estima- 
 tion the Teak of the Attaran is the best which reaches us. 
 
 Captain Marshall— Compared with that of Moulmein, the Shan Teak is in quantity 
 in the market less, in quality better, and in price higher, being generally sound, fine- 
 grained, straight timber. 
 
 Mr. Wales. — It is straight, clear and free, and in quality on a par with our own best 
 hill timber, but on exposure under the process of conversion, I think it more apt to 
 split ; this may be from some fault in the killing it. 
 
 Captain Warwick. — In qualities it is very superior. 
 
 Q. 18. Is the quantity of Teak from the Shan country increasing or otherwise 
 in the Moulmein market ? 
 
 Captain Marshall.— It is now four years since the first Shan Teak was brought into 
 the Moulmein market ; its quantity has since increased yearly, though not much was 
 brought down last year. 
 
 Mr. Wales. — Undoubtedly increasing, and from report likely to do so to a still 
 further amount. 
 
 Captain Warivick. — Increasing to a great extent. 
 
 Q. 19. Do the obstructions on the Salween river seem to preclude an extensive 
 supply of Teak from the Shan country ? 
 
 Captain Marshall— The obstructions on the Salween are trifling ; there are difficul- 
 ties, however, in reaching the Salween by the smaller streams, except in the rains. 
 
 Mr. Wales. — By no means ; the persons employed in conducting the timber over 
 them are daily acquiring more knowledge, experience, and confidence. 
 
Vlll APPENDIX. 
 
 Captain Warwick. — Not in the least ; it can be sent down over them at the lowest 
 ebb of the river, and as the water rises in the river at that place 70 feet in the rains, 
 the rocks are then overed, and strong eddies alone are found at the falls. 
 
 Q. 20. On what terms are the British allowed to cut timber in the Shan coun- 
 try, and are they so guaranteed as to justify dependence on the forests for a supply? 
 
 Captain Marshall. — Permission from the chief Shan of the district is first necessary; 
 it is never refused on his receiving suitable presents. An impost of 1^ rupee is then 
 imposed for each tree taken away ; I hold a grant on these terms, and consider it 
 guaranteed to me. 
 
 Mr. Wales. — I am not aware of any guarantee beyond the good faith of vendor and 
 purchaser, particularly the latter. 
 
 Captain Warwick. — At present on payment of 1^ rupee for each tree cut; I hold 
 the forest of Melongy on these terms, but without any security, and at the will of a 
 despotic government. 
 
 Q. 21. What is the distance of the Moulmein forests from that place, and what 
 their extent ? 
 
 Mr. Wales. — The nearest Teak districts commence two good spring-tides above 
 Moulmein ; thence a light, well-manned canoe may pull for 8 days through them 
 without reaching their termination. Their real extent in fact, in the absence of any 
 survey, is not known. My own impressions from experience are, that more timber 
 exists in the interior than has as yet been discovered on the river banks. (Note. — This 
 refers to the Attaran alone.) 
 
 Captain Warwick. — The Attaran forests, from 30 to 100 miles; the Thoung-yeen 
 from 130 to 250, and between them the forests of the Gyne. I have travelled through- 
 out the whole extent of country, as well as up and down the creeks and rivers of the 
 province. 
 
 Dr. Heifer. — The Teak forests of Tenasserim are limited to the province of Amherst, 
 the tree not being found southward of 16° N. ; from that they extend to the northern 
 frontier in 1 7° 40' N., and shunning the immediate neighbourhood of the coast, 
 average a breadth of from 40 to 50 miles. They may be divided into three several 
 districts, situated on the rivers Salween, Thoung-yeen, and Attaran ; the latter is the 
 nearest to Moulmein, but for that very reason it has been wrought for the longest 
 period. The most convenient timber for transport cut, and at present the Attaran 
 forests in use, are nearly as distant from Moulmein as those of the Salween and 
 Thoung-yeen, a journey by water of several days. 
 
 Q. 22. Are there localities in their neighbourhood of that soil and situation which 
 would enable their extent to be increased by planting, and if so, to what probable extent ? 
 
 Dr. Heifer. — Yes, doubtless many. A plain towards the northern boundary of the 
 Provinces, of great fertility, covered with the finest forest trees, of a light, sandy soil, 
 mixed with clay, and everywhere intersected with rivulets, is admirably adapted for 
 the planting and growth of Teak. It extends 80 miles to the S. E., and is from 3 to 
 8 miles in width. It would admit of a plantation of many millions of trees. 
 
 Mr. Wales. — Yes, to the greatest extent imaginable ; but the young plantations must 
 be looked after, to prevent the depredations of the wild elephant. 
 
APPENDIX. IX 
 
 Captain Warwick. — There are, to a great extent; but the young plantations should 
 be secured from the yearly fires, by cutting through them roads or openings. I have 
 seen a young plantation of firs in a patch or island formed by the diverging and re- 
 uniting of two elephant roads, perfectly protected, while all around them was consumed. 
 
 Q. 23. Are you aware of the time required to bring the Teak-tree to maturity ? 
 
 Mr. Wales. — I am not ; but I know that its early growth is very rapid. 
 
 Captain Warwick. — From my continued observation of Teak-trees, I should say 70 
 years; many known to be upwards of 100 years old, reaching a height of 150 feet and a 
 diameter of 5 or 6 feet, are now standing, but they are over-grown and their timber brittle. 
 
 Q. 24. On what terms are individuals allowed to cut timber in the forests, and 
 are those terms alterable, or the permission resumable at will by the Government ? 
 
 Moulmein Chronicle. — Government give permission to cut on any hitherto unwanted 
 spots which may be pointed out, and will take their duty on what is brought down, 
 but they do not give the spot, and the permission is revocable. 
 
 Mr. Blundell. — The permission itself to cut timber, being revocable at will by the 
 Government, the terms of such permission are alterable also. But the right has never 
 yet been enforced. 
 
 Mr. Wales. — A duty of 15 per cent, in either cash or kind, at the option of the cutter, 
 is levied on the timber brought to Moulmein. I am not aware whether these terms 
 are alterable or not, but any alteration (save a reduction of duty), or resumption, would 
 involve, I should say, a breach of faith on the part of the Government, and an injury 
 to private interests. 
 
 Captain Warwick. — By paying 15 per cent, on a nominal market rate, I should say- 
 in the case of Burmese and others, who merely lay out the amount of 1,000 rupees 
 yearly, and do 10,000 rupees' worth of harm, having no establishments erected for either 
 conversion or ship-building — that it was. But where immense sums have been laid out 
 in establishments for those purposes, and whose value to their proprietors without the 
 forests attached to them would be destroyed, I should say that Government injustice 
 could not resume the right. 
 
 Q. 25. Are the rights of the Government sufficiently enforced in the forests to 
 secure them in their present valuable state, by preventing the disforesting of the land 
 from wanton and improper cutting of the timber, or other cause ? — If not, state what 
 evils you know to exist in this particular, and any remedy you may have to suggest 
 for them ? 
 
 Dr. Heifer. — The unrestrained liberty accorded to any individual to appropriate to 
 himself any unoccupied forest, contributed without doubt in the first instance to the 
 rapid prosperity of Moulmein. But it cannot be denied, that a continuation in the same 
 system will lead, in a few years, to the extermination of all available Teak forests, de- 
 prive Moulmein of this valuable resource, and render Calcutta once more dependent 
 on a foreign importation of Teak timber. It cannot be expected that individuals 
 whose only care it is to render themselves independent in as short a time as possible, 
 should care about the preservation of the forests ; and experience has taught that by 
 far more trees are destroyed than used. A particular survey of the Teak forests • well- 
 drawn lines of demarcation ; an improved system of regulations ; the appointment of a 
 
 B 
 
X APPENDIX. 
 
 respectable European to enforce those regulations ; and new plantations laid out in 
 all those places where Teak formerly grew, and whence it is now extirpated, are means 
 necessary to be introduced in order to ensure an uninterrupted supply of Teak timber 
 for the future. 
 
 The system at present pursued, of granting tracts of forest land, on the simple 
 tenure of working them, is perhaps open to fewer objections than most others, but 
 without supervision it is open to abuse in more than one way ; first by destroying 
 young wood, and again by trespassing beyond allotted lands, both leading to such evil 
 results, that in the end our dock-yards will have to depend upon Rangoon for their 
 supply of timber. The few Karens who inhabit the plains in the neighbourhood of 
 the forests, are engaged in husbandry ; it therefore becomes necessary to transport 
 workmen in canoes from Moulmein, the forests being accessible only by water. That 
 these men commit great depredations there can be no doubt, not only in woods which 
 their employers are privileged to work, by destroying half-grown trees, but also by 
 entering and committing the same offence in the allotted lands of others. This great 
 evil demands restrictive measures of a severe nature imposed by Government in order 
 to put an instant check on it, and in regard to it, I am prompted to make the following 
 suggestions as a remedy, — first, a person of enterprising habits should be employed 
 in exploring and making a complete survey of the forests, his attention being directed 
 to every part of the subject, — the probable age, size, and situation of each forest, its 
 quality of timber, and nature of soil, with a view to classification : besides Teak, there 
 are other trees perhaps equally valuable for their timber ; their durability, strength, 
 and fitness for use, should be proved from experiment : Secondly, each grant-holder 
 should be required to place two or more men under the orders of the Superintendent, 
 (their names registered by the Police Magistrate,) to give information respecting 
 boundaries, and to receive orders respecting the marking, felling, and planting of tim- 
 ber. The grant-holders already hold their forests on too easy terms, yet they would 
 doubtless not fail to oppose any improvement which should go to curtail their enor- 
 mous profits. Many of them unfortunately possess neither skill, capital, nor respect- 
 ability ; with slender means and imperfect notions of business, they are bent only on 
 acquiring rapid fortunes, and anything which interferes with that purpose is not like- 
 ly to meet their approval. 
 
 Moulmein Chronicle. — The Teak forests are the property of the Government, but it has 
 thrown them all open without reserve, both to Natives and Europeans, being satisfied with 
 only the paltry consideration of a small duty on the timber when brought down the river 
 and arrived at this place. Hitherto the Government has maintained a native superin- 
 tendent, with peons, writers, &c, to see that the regulations are faithfully observed. 
 We do not mean to imply that this establishment is inadequate, or that the conditions 
 of the licences are unfulfilled. But when we consider the importance of preserving 
 timber of a certain growth, and of planting others where the ground has been made 
 vacant by the cutting of mature wood, we cannot but think that the question of im- 
 provement in the control which the Government exercises over the forests is one 
 which might well be entertained. What may be the demand for Teak timber when it 
 becomes generally known among commercial men throughout India, that good Teak- 
 
APPENDIX. XI 
 
 wood ships can be built at Moulmein at about one-half or two-thirds the cost at which 
 they can be built at any other port in India, it is impossible to conjecture. It would 
 be quite contrary to the natural course of mankind, in their commercial pursuits, were 
 they not to turn their attention to the dock-yards at Moulmein as the most advanta- 
 geous place for building ships, and there is nothing in fact that we are able to discover 
 to prevent Moulmein from surpassing any other place in India for building ships, 
 In this point of view, the Teak forests, though extensive, are not invulnerable, and in 
 this point of view also, the importance of keeping up the growth of timber becomes a 
 subject of too great importance to be longer disregarded. At present it is well known 
 that the large profits arising from the cutting and selling the timber of the Teak forests, 
 are confined to the purses of a few enterprising and industrious individuals. We of course 
 do not object to this. If the Government throws away a jewel, those who pick it up 
 may well be congratulated on their good fortune. 
 
 Mr. Wales. — A good survey, accompanied by the labours of scientific gentlemen in 
 other branches, is a great desideratum, and would no doubt amply repay its expenses, 
 not only as regards Teak, but other timber and natural resources. 
 
 Captain Warwick. — They are not sufficiently enforced in my opinion. The Burmese 
 who undertake the cutting of timber on their own account, not having sufficient capital 
 to employ elephants enough for porting, are in the habit of felling small trees not arrived 
 at full growth. For the same reason they are accustomed to cut up into pieces 
 (generally four) the largest trees of 70 feet and upwards in length ; the pieces are called 
 loozars, and fetch in the market at Moulmein about 8 rupees each. The whole piece 
 would have been worth 100 rupees at the very lowest market price. The Government 
 is by this means very much curtailed of its duty, as you will perceive, thus, — 
 
 R. A. P. 
 4 pieces at 8 Rupees each = 32, at 15 per cent, duty ... 4 11 2 
 1 piece = 100, at do. do. ..15 
 
 The most valuable timber for masts, &c, is rendered totally unfit for any ship build- 
 ing purpose ; the forests are cut to disadvantage, and the mischief is irremediable. I 
 should venture to suggest, that some proper person be appointed as Purveyor, in order 
 to point out and mark for killing and felling all trees of full growth or good age, in the 
 allotted lands of individuals to whom permission has been granted to cut timber. 
 
 Q. 26. Is there any, and if so, what extent of forest for the timber of which water 
 conveyance is available, but which has been as yet ungranted ? 
 
 Mr. Blundell. — There is no known part of the forests answering to this description, 
 to which permission to cut has not been extended. But the forest lands have never yet 
 been surveyed. 
 
 Captain Warwick. — Yes; the forests above Kyoon-Kyoung on the Attaran ; the 
 forests above Marrawaddie, in fact throughout the whole of the Thoun°--veen river 
 where the Burmese have just commenced spoiling, by killing timber not arrived at its 
 full growth. 
 
 Q. 27. Have you any personal interest in any of the Moulmein Teak forests ? 
 
 Mr. Wales. — I have had since the year 1832. 
 
 Captain Warivick. — I have in the forests of Pando, Limbro, and Cazine, on the 
 Gyne river, where the principal crooked timber of the Provinces is found. 
 
xii ' APPENDIX. 
 
 Mr. Sutherland. — Messrs. Cockerell and Co. possess twelve forests principally on the 
 Attaran, attached to their establishment at Natnioo, eight of which are at present in 
 work. 
 
 Q. 28. Have you any and what personal acquaintance with, and experience in the 
 present mode of working the forests ? 
 
 Mr. Wales. — Since the year 1832 I have yearly spent many months in the forests, 
 superintending their working myself. 
 
 Captain Warwick. — I have been constantly in the forests for these last eleven years. 
 
 Q. 29. State the method at present in practice of killing, felling, seasoning and 
 conveying the timber, with any evils it entails ? 
 
 Mr. Wales. — The method of working the forests at present are purely native, and in 
 my opinion both injudicious and involving considerable waste, with a deterioration of 
 the quality of the timber. The tree is girdled through the sap, about 3 feet above the 
 ground, just before the rains, when the sap is low, and allowed to stand in that state 
 for 2 or 3 years. It is then felled, and from its dry state, out of perhaps 5 or 6 limbs 
 which had been reckoned on for crooks, the whole of them will perhaps be found shi- 
 vered and the trunk itself shaken from end to end internally, and only visible under 
 the process of conversion. Were the system in practice in Europe introduced, I hesi- 
 tate not to say that the forests would produce double the quantity of timber they now 
 do. The most material objection to such an alteration is the greater liability of the 
 timber, when down, to destruction by the large annual fires, some times the result of 
 accident, more frequently of design, in order to cover some breach of contract, — the 
 felling and conveying of timber being always done by contract. 
 
 Captain Warwick. — The timber is killed and seasoned by cutting through the sap all 
 round the tree, and allowing it to stand for two years. The bark of the Attaran, but 
 not of the northern timber, then falls off. The tree is cut down and will float ; if of 
 laro-e size and the property of Burmese, it will generally be cut into pieces as described 
 in answer 25. But where an establishment of elephants is kept, these animals are 
 employed in drawing the timber to the water on the large carriages used during the dry 
 season for that purpose, and capable of conveying a tree of 5 or 6 tons measurement 
 weight over the wet ground, during the S. W. monsoon ; it is dragged by from 4 to 6 
 elephants. "Where large timber is so situated as to make it very difficult to drag, 
 sawyers are generally employed for its conversion on the spot. The terms of contract 
 with these people generally run to the purport that the converted timber shall be 30 
 feet in length, when the custom is (from want of possessing sufficient means to raise the 
 piece whole for cutting) to cut off and convert the 30 feet, the remaining part being 
 rendered worthless and left in the woods. The manner of felling on the Attaran is also 
 peculiar. A stage 6 feet or more high is raised, and the tree cut from thence at a height 
 of 8 or 10 feet from the ground. The excuse always assigned for this practice is, that 
 the trees are always more or less hollow near the ground, — an excuse admissible only as 
 regards very old and over-grown trees, which should have been cut 40 years since, 
 and no justification for a practice, most wasteful, as regards the sound tree equally 
 subjected to it. This is always a contract job, and the fact is, that the Teak being a 
 tree which spreads very much towards its roots, the smaller part of the tree is selected 
 for cutting. To the northward, the tree is always cut close down. 
 
AITENDIX. 
 
 Xlll 
 
 Q. 30. State any suggestions you may have to make for the remedy of these evils 
 specifying any which actual experiment may have proved to be effectual ? 
 
 Mr. Wales. — I know of no tree so easily seasoned from a green state as the Teak, 
 and I would act with it on this principle — " Fell jour timber, and the quicker you can 
 season it, the more of its natural qualities it will retain." I much doubt if any differ- 
 ence of quality could be shown to exist between timber seasoned in the log and that 
 seasoned after conversion ; I strongly advocate the latter method where practicable. 
 Fell a green Teak tree, and convert it at once into plank, beam, &c, immerse it in 
 water for 6 or 7 days, haul it up on the dry sand-bauks abounding on the river, and 
 in 6 or 7 days more your timber will float, without having lost a particle of its good 
 qualities. The water will displace the sap, and in its turn will be dried off by solar 
 evaporation. I do not say that timber so treated would become thus thoroughly season- 
 ed, but it may be conveyed away in this state, and piled in a place of safety for such 
 purpose, as is customary in England. I have known timber converted green, and so 
 treated, to float as soon as that converted from the seasoned log ; but it has occurred 
 but rarely, and then accidentally, — timber so converted being seizable by Govern- 
 ment. 
 
 Captain Warwick. — I would venture to suggest that an immediate stop be put to 
 cutting up of mast-pieces into loozars ; to the felling of young trees not of proper a"-e • 
 and to the wandering manner the Burmese at present have of proceeding to all parts of 
 the Thoung-yeen forests, cutting all the trees which one or two elephants can pull, and 
 cutting into peices all the said elephants cannot. And if it be intended to perpe- 
 tuate the forests by planting, roads must be cut and kept clear, through all the 
 young plantations, to check the spread of the large annual fires. 
 
 PINE. 
 
 Q. 31. Is the Pine of Tenasserim of size and quality to make it valuable for 
 masts, spars or plank ; and is water conveyance available for it ? 
 
 Captain Marshall. — Yes, large enough for masts ; and water conveyance is available 
 for it in the rains. 
 
 Captain Warwick. — Yes, large enough for spars and plank, but not for lar^e ships' 
 masts. The water carriage is about 120 miles down the Thoung-yeen, and thence the 
 same distance on the Salween, to Moulmein. 
 
 Q. 32. Of what extent are the Pine forests, and in what part of the Provinces 
 situated ? 
 
 Captain Marshall. — I have not been over the whole of the Pine forests, but the 
 natives say they are extensive, situated to the eastward on the banks of the Thouno'- 
 yeen river. 
 
 Captain Warwick. — The forest runs in a S. E. direction across the Thoung-yeen, a 
 day's march above the village of Marrawaddie. It is situated about 3 miles westward of 
 that village, which is on the Thoung-yeen, and from thence it extends to the southward. 
 
 Q. 33. Does the Pine contain that quantity of resinous matter as to make it 
 valuable as a source of supply of tar and turpentine where water conveyance may not 
 be available for its transport ? 
 
 Captain Marshall. — I thiuk it does. 
 
XIV APPENDIX. 
 
 Captain Warwick. — It does; a specimen of the turpentine distilled from it was sent 
 to Calcutta, and there pronounced superior in quality to that brought from England. 
 It can be ported on elephants' backs to the Houndrow river, in two days. 
 
 Q. 34. Are the Pine forests of the Shan country extensive, and is water convey- 
 ance for the timber to Moulmein available ? 
 
 Captain Marshall. — They are extensive ; there is water conveyance in the rains. 
 
 Captain Warwick. — There are very fine Pine forests in the Shan country, to the 
 north of the road to Zimme, three days after crossing the Thoung-yeen. The trees 
 are of great height and girth, but there is not water carriage. Pine also begins to show 
 itself on the northern aspects of mountains on the Salween, 30 miles above the mouth 
 of the Thoung-yeen. Ascending the river, north, it increases in length and size, and 
 courses to within 2 or 3 miles of the river. 
 
 Q. 35. State what you know of the species, size and qualities of the timber, any 
 actual measurements of them you may have made, and the probable distance by water 
 of the forests from Moulmein ? 
 
 Captain Marshall. — The species may probably be the Pineaster. The distance from 
 Moulmein by water about 250 miles. 
 
 Captain Warwick. — The Pine has the appearance of the Riga-wood. It is red in 
 colour, tough and full of turpentine. That situated on the Thoung-yeen and within 2 or 
 3 miles of the river, runs from 1 to 3 feet in diameter, and from 30 to 60 feet in length. 
 
 Captain Halsted. — During the stay of the " Childers" at Moulmein, the first spar 
 from the Thoung-yeen arrived there. It was the property of Captain Warwick, and had 
 been sent down by him as a specimen of the wood only, and not proposed as a spar, it 
 having been cut three years before by a native in clearing his grounds ; it ran 36 feet 
 in length and 15 inches in diameter, and fully bore out the character and qualities above 
 stated of it. I examined it in company with the master and carpenter of the " Childers," 
 and took away portions of it for the purposes of further inspection and trial of its pro- 
 perties. 
 
 Q. 36. Would the amount of resinous matter in the trees make them valuable 
 as a source of supply of tar, turpentine, &c, in case of inability to transport them ; 
 and would permission to cut them by the British be extended in all probability on 
 the same terms to the manufacture of those articles ? 
 
 Captain Marshall. — I think it would ; private individuals would have no difficulty in 
 making arrangements with the Shans, to cut the trees and manufacture tar and turpen- 
 tine to any amount. 
 
 Captain Warwick. — It is my opinion that it would, and that the same terms would 
 be granted for the purpose. 
 
 COPPER. 
 
 Q. 37. Whence are the Copper-fastenings and sheathings brought to Moulmein 
 for the construction of ships there, and to what price per ton does it amount when 
 used ? 
 
 Mr. Bremner. — It is brought from England via Calcutta. Copper bolts fluctuate in 
 price at Calcutta between 50 and 75 Rs. per maund, (82 lbs.,) and sheet Copper and 
 nails are unsteady here, at from 45 to 53 rupees per maund. 
 
APPENDIX. XV 
 
 Mr. Wales. — Prices here have fluctuated hetween 33 and 55 rupees the maund for 
 sheathing and nails, since 1832. 
 
 Captain Warwick.— From Calcutta, amounting to 1,200 rupees a ton. 
 
 Q. 38. Are you aware of any other means or route by which it could be procured 
 at a less rate, — if so, state it ? 
 
 Mr. Bremner. — -It is my opinion that Copper bolts, sheets, and nails, might be sup- 
 plied at Moulmein at a much cheaper rate direct from England. 
 
 Mr. Wales. — If imported direct from England, the price would be 25 per cent, less 
 than the minimum I have quoted above. 
 
 Captain Warwick. — From England direct, avoiding the double commission, duty and 
 freight; the latter is as heavy from Calcutta here as from England to Calcutta. 
 
 IRON. 
 
 Q. 39. Whence is the Iron-work used in the construction of ships at Moulmein 
 brought, and at what expense per ton when used ? 
 
 Messrs. Bremner and Wales. — Gruff" Iron work such as rag-bolts, throu°-h-bolts 
 rings, and light work, is done here. The heavier Iron work comes from Calcutta on 
 order. The price of rough Iron work in Calcutta is from 4 to 6h rupees the maund. 
 Heavier and finer Iron work from 16 to 25 rupees the maund. 
 
 Captain Warwick.— From. Calcutta ; unwrought Iron is delivered at Moulmein at 
 180 rupees per ton. Wrought Iron knees, breast-hooks, &c, at 500 rupees per 
 ton. 
 
 Q. 40. Are you aware of any other source or route whence it could be procured 
 at a less cost or in shorter time ? 
 
 Messrs. Bremner and Wales. — The remarks made respecting the supply of Copper 
 direct from England apply equally to Iron. 
 
 Captain Warwick. — From England direct, avoiding double freight, commission and 
 duty ; but from thence it could not be procured at so short a time. 
 
 Q. 41. Does Iron ore exist in quantity in the Tenasserim Provinces, and if so is 
 water conveyance for its transport available ? 
 
 Dr. Heifer. — Iron is undoubtedly the commonest mineral throughout the Provinces 
 being found in one form or another everywhere. The best of all however, in point of 
 quantity, quality and locality, is the Iron ore near Tavoy, an hour distant from the 
 town, on the road to Na-bao-leegua. The hill containing the Iron is 24 miles distant 
 from the river ; the space between occupied by rice fields a few feet above the level 
 of high water. The river itself is accessible to vessels of 200 tons burden at that 
 place. A canal from the river's edge could be constructed at little cost ; on the banks 
 the smelting furnances could be placed, and supplied with coal from Mer^ui, or with 
 fuel from the extensive forests on the river : considering all the Iron localities now 
 known in India, there is none which combines all the advantages which mi»bt be ex- 
 pected from such an undertaking, in so eminent a degree. 
 
 Captain Warwick.— Iron ore exists in all parts of Amherst Province, some within 
 20 yards of the Salween. 
 
 Q. 42. Has any of it been smelted, and if so, what is the per-centage of metal 
 to the ore, and what its quality ? 
 
XVI APPENDIX. 
 
 Dr. Heifer. — The existence of this ore has heen known to the Burmese before, but 
 as far as I know, it has never been wrought. It is known however, that this ore yields 
 the best bar Iron, and that the per-centage of metal is of the highest known, being 
 considered peroxyd. '69 and protoxyd. '31, yielding on an average from 85 to 87 per 
 cent, of smelted Iron. 
 
 Captain Warwick. — None that I am aware of. 
 
 COAL. 
 
 Q. 43. Is the Coal of Mergui of that quality to make it available for the purposes 
 of either the furnace or the forge ? 
 
 Mr. Blundell. — " I consider the Coal above alluded to, one of the very best Coals 
 for getting up steam in Engine furnaces I have ever in England or elsewhere met 
 with ; and further, that though rather wasteful in the forge, it in many situations will 
 be found useful for smithery purposes." 
 
 (Signed) W. N. Forbes, Mint Master. 
 Mint, Calcutta, 2§th June, 1838. Member of Coal and Iron Committee. 
 
 " When used in the forge, the clear copious blaze is rather objectionable, it wastes 
 the heat, and more Coal is therefore expended, but a very good weld was effected with 
 it in the presence of Captain Forbes. In the same manner the great quantity of vola- 
 tile matter makes it unprofitable for coking, (yielding but one-half instead of three- 
 fourths its weight). But the coke itself is very close and good, being as free from 
 earthy impurity as much of the English Coal. 
 
 (Signed) J. Prinsep, Secretary. 
 
 22nd June, 1838. 
 
 Messrs. Bremner and Wales. — From the specimens I have seen of it, it is my 
 opinion that it is well suited to the furnace, but not at all to the forge. 
 
 Q. 44. Can you state its composition and qualities from experiment and proof? 
 
 Dr. Heifer. — Its quality is one of the best known. Following the division of Dr. 
 Jameson, it belongs to the species " Black Coal," sub-species " Cannel Coal," massive, 
 resinous lustre, fracture conchoidal, brittle, specific gravity from 1. 24 to 1. 28. It 
 burns freely with a reddish flame, evolves a great quantity of gas, and is completely 
 clear from Sulphur and Iron pyrites. It can be reckoned equal to the best English 
 Coal. 
 
 Q. 45. Does it exist in quantity sufficient to answer a large demand, and is water 
 carriage available for it to the Coast ? 
 
 Dr. Heifer. — Though its full extent is but very imperfectly known, it is yet esta- 
 blished that the upper stratum alone contains a supply inexhaustible by a century's 
 demand. The thickness of this upper stratum varies from 5 to 8h feet, and has been 
 almost uninterruptedly traced for 4 miles. A part of the river (Tenasserim) navigable 
 throughout the year for boats is distant from the Coal-fields 22 miles ; from thence to 
 the sea is 68 miles, 41 of which are navigable for vessels of 200 tons burden. 
 
 Mr. Blundell. — Since the above report was sent in to Government, other localities 
 in the same district and producing the same species of Coal have been found. One of 
 them on the Great Tenasserim is now being worked by the Government. Barges can 
 
APPENDIX. XV11 
 
 proceed to the mouth of the mine, hut till steam power arrives to tow them on their 
 return back against the current of the river, bamboo rafts are the temporary means 
 adopted for its transport. Five hundred tons are now collected at Mergui, and since 
 the mine came into operation, in April last, 600 tons have been brought down. 
 
 Captain Halsted. — A different species of Coal, though highly combustible, was 
 discovered, and a small specimen brought down by a native to Moulmein during the 
 stay of the " Childers" there. It came from some part of the Thoung-veen, and was 
 said to exist there in large quantities ; it burnt equally readily as the Mergui Coal, 
 but retained its heat longer, as far as could be judged by the small quantity tried. 
 
 Q. 46. At what price is it now procurable at Moulmein ? 
 
 Mr. Blundell. — Until the mines shall have been brought into more extensive 
 operation, no fixed market price can be placed on the produce, — the quantity at 
 present brought down being considered more in the light of an experiment as yet. 
 
 Q. 4/. What is the price per ton of English Coal at Moulmein ? 
 
 Mr. Bremner. — At Calcutta its price fluctuates very much between f and 1 rupee 
 per maund. The freight to this place from thence amounts to 1 rupee per cwt., and 
 its price varies from 45 to 50 rupees per ton. 
 
 LABOUR. 
 
 Q. 48. What is the number of ships of all sizes (naming the extremes of tonnage), 
 at present under construction on the Moulmein river, and the number of artificers 
 employed on them ? 
 
 Mr. Bremner. — The number of vessels now building on the Moulmein river is 
 comparatively small, amounting to 9, ranging from 150 to 77 tons. The number of 
 Burmese employed is 650, of Chinese 260, Bengallees 60, Madras caulkers 100. 
 
 Captain Warwick. — -While in progress, a ship of 500 tons usually employs from 
 100 to 150 artificers daily, besides Chinese joiners ; smaller vessels in proportion. 
 
 Q. 49. Could that number of workmen be increased on demand from the popu- 
 lation at present in and about Moulmein, and if so, to what probable amount? 
 
 Mr. Bremner. — No doubt it could to a considerable amount. The Burmese when 
 not demanded for the shipping are employed on other labour, as timber-cutting, house 
 carpentering, &c., and are always within call. The number of Chinese is considerably 
 larger than the demand. 
 
 Mr. Wales. — The present high price of provisions seems to point out that already 
 too many are taken away from agriculture. 
 
 Captain Warwick. — I should say that the number employed in building during 
 these last 1 1 years could be doubled at any time. 
 
 Q. 50. Could that number be increased from any other parts of the Tenasserim 
 Provinces, and if so, to what probable amount ? 
 
 Mr. Bremner. — The number could be no doubt increased, though to no very large 
 amount, from Tavoy and Mergui. 
 
 Mr. Wales. — I doubt it much. 
 
 Captain Warwick. — I cannot say. 
 
 Q. 51. Are you aware of any more remote source, whence on demand the work- 
 men at xMoulmein could probably be increased? 
 
 c 
 
XV111 APPENDIX. 
 
 Mr. Bremner. — More Chinese are procurable from Singapore, Penang, and Rangoon, 
 and any number wanted might be procured from Calcutta, Coringa, Chittagong, and 
 other ports of the Bay. 
 
 Mr. Wales.— Trom the building ports of the Malabar Coast, where for want of 
 employment they are starving and without the means of emigrating, and from Coringa 
 on the opposite coast, where they are said to be as badly off. 
 
 Captain Warwick. — From England, Calcutta, and Coringa, on the Coromandel Coast, 
 
 Q. 52. Has the number of ships under construction at Moulmein increased, or 
 otherwise, during these last three years? If it has, has an increase of artificers also 
 taken place ? 
 
 Mr. Bremner. — The number of vessels built in Moulmein has not materially increased 
 these last three years, but the number of artificers has, — the unsettled state of Rangoon 
 having driven the best Burmese shipwrights to this place. 
 
 Mr. Wales. — There are fewer vessels now constructing than have been these last three 
 years ; but of artificers I should say that their number had increased. 
 
 Captain Warwick. — The number has increased, as also the number of artificers. 
 
 Q. 53. What are the qualities of the best artificers at Moulmein compared with 
 those of any other natives of India you have known, and compared with an English 
 shipwright? 
 
 Mr. Bremner. — The qualities of the best Burmese shipwrights are good ; they are 
 hardy, have great personal strength, and are more regardless of weather than those of 
 Calcutta, and are. cheerful and obedient when at work. I should consider two Burmese 
 shipwrights as equal to one good English one. The Chinese are excellent for the 
 finer portions of work ; they work beautifully neat and true, but slow. One good 
 ship-joiner in England would do as much as three of them. 
 
 Mr. Wales. — In framing and planking, the Burmese are little inferior to an English 
 shipwright, though slower. As a body, they are superior to any other natives of India* 
 The Chinese are preferred for laying decks, joiners' work, masts and spars. 
 
 Captain Warwick. — There are amongst them some equal to English shipwrights ; 
 and generally those who profess to be shipwrights, and who are not of the first 
 description, are much superior to the other natives of India. 
 
 Q. 54. What are the qualities of the more ordinary artificers at Moulmein, com- 
 pared with those of other natives of India, and do they as a class exhibit an increasing 
 ability or otherwise? 
 
 Mr. Bremner. — They now exhibit the same superiority over other natives of India, 
 with whom I have dealt, as the superior class do. They are improving fast in ship- 
 building, and I consider the Burmese capable of becoming excellent shipwrights. 
 
 Mr. Wales. — No class of men that I know exhibit a greater desire to learn and 
 improve than the Burmese. Unlike the Chinese, they have no prejudices to overcome 
 in the use of tools or mode of work, but readily adopt whatever they are shown and 
 made to understand. 
 
 Captain Warwick. — The ordinary artificers are equal to that class in other parts of 
 India, and exhibit increasing abilities. 
 
 Q. 55. What are the working-hours per day of the artificers employed in the 
 different building-yards at Moulmein throughout the year ? 
 
APPENDIX. XIX 
 
 Messrs. Bremner and Wales, and Captain Warwick. — The working-hours of all 
 classes at Moulmeiu and Natinoo are from 6 in the morning to 6 at night throughout 
 the year. The Burmese take an hour to hreakfast at 9, the Chinese at 11 a. m. 
 
 Q. 56. Do religious prejudices or festivals offer any impediment to steady lahour; 
 if so, state to what probahle amount ? 
 
 Mr. Bremner. — Both Burmese and Chinese have many holidays, amounting, I 
 should say, at the least to two months out of the twelve. 
 
 Mr. Wales. — Very considerable. 
 
 Captain Warwick. — They do very materially, but to what amount I cannot say. 
 
 Q. 57. Are the tools in use among them efficient, and do they reject or exhibit 
 any great reluctance to the adoption of improvements, either in them or in their 
 ordinary mode of work, which may be pointed out to them? 
 
 Mr. Bremner. — Both Burmese and Chinese use good tools, and are willing to adopt 
 any improved method of working you may show them to be such. 
 
 Mr. Wales. — The tools of the Burmese are adopted from our own. 
 
 Captain Warwick. — No people can use the adze better : the plane and saw they 
 also use well, but not so generally, many preferring the chisel to the latter ; but in the 
 use of tools, or method of work, they are perfectly willing to adopt improvements 
 pointed out to them. 
 
 Q. 58. Do they require any great amount of oversight to keep them steadily at 
 work? 
 
 Mr. Bremner. — Both classes require being closely looked after, as they are very 
 fond of face work, close out but open inside. Under contract they work fast, but 
 hang on at day-work. 
 
 Mr. Wales. — Considerable oversight. 
 
 Captain Warwick. — A very great amount. 
 
 Q. 59. What are the present prices of labour among the different classes of 
 artificers at Moulmeiu, and would an increased demand for it be probably attended 
 with a rise of price ? 
 
 Messrs. Bremner and Wales. — The wages of a head Burmese carpenter is 1 rupee a 
 day, of a good man 12 annas (1*. 6d.,) a common man 10 annas (Is. 3d.,) and a 
 cooly 8 annas (Is.) a day. The wages of all Chinese 1| rupee (2s. 6d.) a day. I 
 do not think an increased demand would raise these rates if the master shipwright 
 were steady. 
 
 Captain Warwick. — The present prices may be thus stated ; coolies, 8 annas a day : 
 Burmese artificers, from 1 rupee to 12 annas a day; Chinese, 35 rupees a month. I 
 should say that no increase of wages would attend an increase of demand. 
 
 Q. 60. What have you found to be the qualities of the smiths employed in the 
 yard at Moulmein? 
 
 Mr. Bremner. — The blacksmiths at this place are good workmen, though rather slow. 
 
 Mr. Wales. — They vary much, but those Bengalees in this establishment (Tavoy 
 Zoo) are equal to any European in India, and their work would compete with English. 
 The Chinese are good, but a Burmese is a mere make-shift. 
 
 Captain Warwick. — Burmese are employed as far as making rag-bolts, Chinese for 
 ligbter work, aud Bengalees for all heavy work. These latter are excellent workmen. 
 
XX APPENDIX. 
 
 Q. 61. Would they in your estimation be found equal to supply the necessary 
 quantity and quality of labour for the formation of all the heavier Iron work for large 
 ships ? 
 
 Mr. Bremner. — In this case their number would have to be considerably increased, 
 which it might be to the necessary amount from Bengal. 
 
 Mr. Wales. — In quality I have no fear, but not in quantity without an increase of 
 smiths. 
 
 Captain Warwick. — I should say a sufficient supply could be done, but if not, Cal- 
 cutta could furnish it to any required amount. 
 
 Q. 62. What is the present rate of smiths' wages, and would an increased demand 
 for them be probably attended with an increase of that rate ? 
 
 Mr. Bremner. — Bengalees receive from 25 to 30 rupees a month, and Chinese 40 
 rupees a month. I do not think that an increased demand would raise the price of the 
 labour. 
 
 Mr. Wales. — Bengalees from 15 to 30 rupees a month, according to ability. 
 
 Captain Warwick. — Smiths' wages vary according to their capabilities, viz., — 
 
 f 1 man 12 rupees a month. 
 A set to each forge < 1 ditto 18 ditto ditto. 
 C 1 ditto 25 ditto ditto. 
 
 Q. 63. At what actual cost have ships, past and at present in construction under 
 your inspection at Moulmein, been put in frame and completed ? 
 
 Mr. jBrem?*er.— The price of merchant vessels, iron-fastened, with anchors, chains, 
 sails, cordage, and stores ready for sea, is about 160 rupees a ton; of hull, masts, 
 yards, only from 110 to 120 rupees a ton. 
 
 Captain Warwick. — 100 rupees a ton. 
 
 Captain Halsted. — The steamer under construction at Moulmein for the Hon'hle 
 Company would be completed with masts and yards only, at about 170 rupees per 
 ton, — considered a very liberal contract. In company with the master and carpenter of 
 the " Childers," I examined carefully her construction and material, both under the 
 common conviction that we had never seen any equal to them, — a feeling of regret 
 being commonly expressed at seeing the waste incurred by selecting such magnificent 
 timber to be used on a vessel so small. A vessel at Natmoo of the same superior 
 workmanship and material, and of 610 tons burden, was also examined by myself and 
 the master. In this latter, only two shifts of plank were employed throughout her 
 length, of 110 feet. In the steamer, 3 shifts of from 50 to 60 feet in length each, the 
 butts being 5 and 6 feet apart. I was informed at Natmoo, from calculations which 
 had been made on the subject, that with all its resources brought into play by any 
 permanent demand or contract which might justify a large outlay for the purpose, 
 that establishment would be enabled to construct the largest ships of the same 
 superiority of material and workmanship, at a cost of 90 rupees per ton, hull, masts and 
 yards. 
 
 A large portion of the expenses at present incurred in working any establishment at 
 Moulmein, arises from the high price of labour for mere coolies, and the want of horses 
 for draft. But where continued and large demand might be expected, such difficulty 
 
APPENDIX. Xxi 
 
 would be met by employment extensively of the perhaps superior labour afforded by 
 the strength, docility, and intelligence of the elephant. 
 
 FACILITIES FOR CONSTRUCTION. 
 
 During the stay of the " Childers" at Moulmein, the depths of water off the prin- 
 cipal building ships were sounded and found at low water as follows, — At 10 yards 
 distance from low water-mark, 2 fathoms ; 20 yards further out, 3 fathoms ; in the stream 
 3|, gradually increasing to 4 fathoms in the fair way. The " Childers" was moored off the 
 town about 2 cables length from the shore in 3| low water when swim? to the flood, 
 and 4 fathoms when swung to the ebb. The greatest rise during her stay was 16^ 
 feet. The river in width rather more than a mile ; the bank steep and solid, composed 
 of a strongly ferruginous and gravelly clay, affording ample stability for ways for very 
 large ships, which with sufficient steam-power to tow, might very safely be taken out 
 of the river at the springs, at a draft, I should say, of 20 feet and even upwards. 
 
 Natmoo or Devil's Point, situated on a point of the Island of Puloo-Gyoon, on the 
 opposite side of the river to Moulmein, and about 10 miles below it, is the largest 
 building establishment on the river. . It was first possessed and laid out by Capt. 
 Warwick, but has now fallen into the hands of Messrs. Cockerell and Co.. of Calcutta, 
 who at present seem merely anxious to work it to profit in its present state, without 
 incurring any outlay for the development of its large resources. Twelve large forests on 
 the Attaran are attached to it, and the property immediately around the establishment 
 itself is very extensive ; a large portion of a most fertile though uncultivated plain, sur- 
 rounded by a creek, one mouth of which is close to the yard, constitutes it a convenient, 
 safe, and extensive depot for its large stores of timber. A village for the workmen of the 
 establishment stands behind the yard, the premises having no other inhabitants. It pos- 
 sesses two dry docks, simply dug out of the river banks, — the compact and adhesive,though 
 easily wrought soil requiring no lining for the sides, and affording a material so imper- 
 vious to water, that the entrances of the docks when used are simply banked or bunded 
 up with it to prevent the re-entry of the river at high water. The beach of the point is 
 steep, and formed of the same material as that at Moulmein, but more compact : it has 
 a rise on it of 20 and 21 feet in the springs ; deep water from 7 to 18 fathoms runs close 
 past it to the width of nearly half a mile, with a strong current. A bark of 610 tons 
 launched during the "Childers"' stay at Moulmein, found 14 fathoms under her chains 
 immediately on dropping off the slips. A bay, of which it forms the immediate southern 
 extreme, lies directly north of it, having from 5 to 8 fathoms (L. W.) over a space large 
 enough for the moorings of 3 or 4 first-rates in still water, retired from the strong stream 
 and 3 or 4 cables' length from the northern face of the yard. Here in the smooth water, 
 enjoyed throughout the year, the vessels launched are equipped. From this bay the 
 channel of tha river in 5 and 6 fathoms (H. W.) crosses to an anchorage about 4 miles 
 on the opposite side, having 6 and 7 fathoms (L. W.) and about 4 miles above the 
 " flats" of the river. These "flats," with a narrow shallow about two miles above 
 them, and with an equal depth of water on them, constitute the last and lowest impedi- 
 ments of the river. They are 2 miles in extent, and in the channel over them is 9 feet 
 of water at the driest period of the river, with a rise of 21 feet in the springs. From 
 them the channel to the Buoy off Amherst, at the river entrance, has from 6 to 8 
 
XXII 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 fathoms (low water.) With sufficient steam-power to secure their exit from the river 
 the very largest ships may be built, launched from, and equipped at Natmoo at all 
 periods of the year. But in case of ever constructing large men-of-war there, the 
 end of the S. W. Monsoon would seem to offer the best season for the latter two 
 operations ; the river is then still swollen with the rains, the weather is fine, 
 and by the time her equipment was completed, the N. E. Monsoon would be 
 ready to take her across the Bay to Trincomalie, or at once to the Cape. Adding to the 
 consideration of the facilities thus already pointed out, as possessed by this establish- 
 ment, that of the important fact of its forests, and even far larger ones beyond them, 
 beino- intersected throughout their extent by large rivers, which uniting into one noble 
 stream close above, bring all its material directly and inexpensively from the spot 
 where it is cut, to that where it is used ; that it is situated in a most fertile, though 
 at present, but a partially cultivated country, yet affording provisions for the working 
 classes at the lowest rate ; in a climate one of the healthiest in India for Europeans ; 
 (the thermometer in July and August, by day, being frequently as low as 73° and 74°, 
 during the " Childers' " stay,) and with the prospect of its being perhaps speedily, equally 
 in a centre of supply of good Coal and good Iron, I have thought that perhaps few, 
 if any situations, either in India or elsewhere, could afford to compete in advantages 
 for ship-building to the greatest amount, in the points of eligible position, cheapness, 
 quantity or quality of material, with those enjoyed by this establishment at Natmoo. 
 
 E. P. HALSTED, R. N. 
 
 Commander. 
 
 H. M.'s Sloop " Childers," 
 Motilmein, 2nd August 1840 
 
 .1 
 
 Note. — The following information regarding other timber trees is included in 
 Commander llalsted's report : — 
 
 BLACK-WOOD. 
 
 No. 1. — This tree is of a moderate size, ranging from 5 to 10 feet in cir- 
 cumference. The specific gravity of the wood is perhaps greater than that of any 
 other useful timber found in these Provinces. It would be very valuable for the 
 foundations of either building or machinery where weight is of no consequence. It 
 may be considered almost imperishable. 
 
 BASTARD ROSE-WOOD. 
 
 No. 2. — This is a most magnificent tree, towering to the height of. 100 feet and 
 upwards, and from 10 to 18 feet in circumference. It bears annually a beautiful 
 fragrant flower of a delicate yellow colour. The wood unites the valuable properties 
 of strength, toughness, and durability, the grand desideratum. When of mature age, 
 and well seasoned, the sun, rain, or wind, or any kind of weather scarcely affects it. 
 It is peculiarly adapted for mechanical purposes, where strength is required and great 
 friction to be resisted. I have eslectcd knotty specimens of this timber, which when 
 
APPENDIX. XX111 
 
 sawed into plank, 3 feet 6 inches broad, was highly prized by the cabinet-makers in 
 India. Tbe close, confused, and mottled appearance of the wood, combined with a 
 slight aromatic flavor, renders it valuable for converting into furniture. 
 
 There exudes from the tree, when wounded, a colourless fluid which crystallizes by 
 tbe action of the air, the gum being partially transparent and of a pale pink colour. 
 It is a prevalent growth through certain sections of the country. 
 
 DOG-WOOD. 
 
 No. 3. — A species of the Dog-wood, resembling the Cornns Florida of Linnams. 
 This may be classed with the first of forest trees, bearing a red berry, esteemed a 
 delicious fruit by the Burmese. The growth is remarkably straight, and consequently 
 the wood is particularly preferred by the higher ranks in the Burmese territories for 
 the posts of the public and private buildings. The posts of the old palace of Peso, 
 built by one of the Talien race of kings, are of this timber. On examination in 1826, 
 I found them to be perfectly sound, — a certain proof of durability. The present 
 specimen was taken from a Poonghee house, erected in Moulmein 12 years ago. 
 
 THE BENTICK OR PEEMAH. 
 
 No. 4. — The tree is of large dimensions, bearing annually a beautiful blue blossom, 
 resembling the lilac in England. There are two kinds of this wood, viz. red and 
 white ; the former, although of not so handsome a growth as the latter, has decidedly 
 the preference, being of a closer grain, and not so liable to split on exposure to the 
 sun. The paddles and oars of the Ava war-canoes are made of this wood. The 
 characteristics are pliability, strength, and durability. 
 
 BASTARD ELM. 
 
 No. 5. — Tree of large and straight growth, and is found intermixed with Teak and 
 other forest trees throughout the Tenasserim Provinces. 
 
 This tree is characterized by its great tenacity, and is admirably adapted for poles 
 and shafts of carriages, levers, and every other purpose where it is necessary to have 
 strength, elasticity, and durability combined in the same material. When dry, the 
 wood floats lightly on the water. 
 
 * 
 
OBSERVATIONS 
 
 IN 
 
 CONNEXION WITH THE ROUTE ACROSS 
 
 TO THE 
 
 HEAD OF THE HOUNDROW RIVER. 
 
 BvE. O'REILLY, Esq. 
 
 With the exception of those portions tip the Weinyo and Zimme rivers and their 
 
 tributaries joining the original Teak localities in this 
 
 H?uudro^RU e e'r OUrney *" *" <l uarter > il vvould a PP ear from the route ma P s in the 
 
 possession of Government, that no information had 
 
 hitherto been supplied of the higher portions of these streams, their geographical 
 
 position, or the resources of that portion of the British territory forming the boundary 
 
 between these Provinces and Siam, in a North-Eastern direction from the Three 
 
 Pagodas. To supply this deficiency, as well as for the purpose of informing myself on 
 
 the subject of the Teak forests reserved by Government on the Thengan-Nyee- 
 
 Nyoung, the extent of the Teak forests through which my route lay along the course 
 
 of those streams, the progress of reproduction in the original forest, as well as by 
 
 means of planting in accordance with the forest regulations, and in fact for the 
 
 attainment of every particular bearing upon the subject, — such was the object of the 
 
 undertaking ; but in consequence of the loss of elephants, unforeseen difficulties in 
 
 the nature of the country traversed, and other obstacles attending an investigation 
 
 divested of all official character or authority, it will be seen from the following remarks, 
 
 that the object in view has been but partially accomplished. 
 
 The nature of this portion of the subject must necessarily be brief, and may be 
 
 described in few words. Of the original Teak localities, 
 b«Kf f Ae S w5ny5f We8tern which appear to have been extensive, and from the 
 
 stumps remaining of medium size, nothing remains 
 throughout their whole extent but a few defective trees of no value, and the aforesaid 
 stumps, (from many of which young shoots have sprung,) to indicate the former 
 existence of the tree in the forest. 
 
APPENDIX. XXV 
 
 This being a " reserved" forest, I anticipated the existence of a considerable number 
 
 of Teak of all ages ; but after a minute examination on 
 pan-Nyee-Nyouno- holh banks of the stream for several days, the evidence 
 
 of the same indiscriminate cuttings of the Teak was 
 sufficiently apparent in the numher of stumps of the smaller sized timber (which 
 from its size offered the greatest facilities for its removal), interspersed with the largest 
 sized short logs, some of them defective in the heart, and others sound, but from 
 want of power to remove them, left to be destroyed by the white ant and the annual 
 fires of the jungle. The quantity so destroyed may be stated at about fth of the original 
 number of trees on this stream. 
 
 The Teak of this locality is widely dispersed throughout the forest, bearing but a 
 
 very small proportion to the other forest trees ; the 
 Then<ran-Nyee-Nyoung\ , ... , , 
 
 number remaining and apparently sound may be comput- 
 ed at about 200, but as they consist of the largest size, say from 6 to 10 cubits in 
 girth, it is probable that they have the same defect as those of large dimensions cut 
 into short logs as already noticed, hence the value of this forest as a reserve for future 
 supplies is of the lowest scale of importance. 
 
 From the above I proceeded to the Upper Megwa stream, the site, I was informed 
 
 by the Karens, of a formerly existing forest of splendid 
 The Upper Meg-wa. ' ' 
 
 trees, with an abundance of young plants distributed 
 
 throughout. The following is an extract from my diary at this locality : 
 
 " The forest upon this locality, but more especially at halting place, and for the whole 
 
 . distance down the stream to its junction with the mother 
 
 Meg-wa No. 2nd. ..,,.„. 
 
 stream which falls into the Zimme, has been worked 
 
 by straggling parties in former years, and worked with a vengeance. Throughout the 
 
 space above noted, the whole of the smaller trees have been cut and carried away • 
 
 those remaining are, like the timber of the Thengan-Nyee-Nyoung, of the largest 
 
 size, some of them measuring 10 to 12 cubits in girth, and few under 6 cubits. For 
 
 several miles down the stream, on both sides, the ground is strewed with immense 
 
 trees, some of them cut into short lengths, others into long logs of 25 to 3(> cubits, 
 
 all however injured more or less by fire. The largest pieces are for the most part 
 
 defective in the heart, but by judicious conversion would yield valuable broad plank, 
 
 such as is used for furniture, and of the logs of smaller lengths (loozars), many in the 
 
 original tree would have made capital mast-pieces, but these in common with the rest, 
 
 lie in all directions destroyed by fire. A more deplorable and wanton destruction of 
 
 property than this forest exhibits cannot be found. The trees remaining are still 
 
 numerous, but from their large dimensions are in all probability defective in the heart • 
 
 they afford sufficient evidence, however, that this forest in its original state must have 
 
 been extensive, and possessing valuable timber." 
 
 A reference to the map* will show that small patches of Teak were originally found 
 
 on the banks of the streams near the head of the Zimme ■ 
 The route to the head of the o P , 
 
 Zi mni £_ the same process of destruction however has been 
 
 employed throughout, leaving only the stumps and large 
 
 logs in a state of decay to mark the site of their former existence. 
 
 The map is not forthcoming-. 
 
xxv i APPENDIX. 
 
 The geological character of this part of the country differs so widely from that 
 
 forming the habitat of the Teak, more especially in 
 Across to the Houndrow. ^ higher altitude, that not a single tree was met with 
 
 throughout the whole distance. 
 
 Commencing from the re-appearance of the upraised limestone, after passing the se- 
 condary formations as described in the map, a few patches 
 
 Teak localities on the Houn- of -pi f sma n extent and widely separated, are found 
 drow. " 
 
 on the hanks of the streams falling into the Houndrow ; 
 
 the whole, however, rifled of the best trees, and at one locality, situated above 
 the falls of the 9.9 Islands, where owing to the favorable nature of the soil 
 (composed of the detritus of granite and schistose rocks mixed with the allu- 
 vium), the trees were of magnificent growth and dimensions; the Teak had 
 been completely annihilated, and after conversion into short logs, had been aban- 
 doned, in consequence it was said of some obstruction which prevented their 
 conveyance through the channels of the Islands. Unlike the large Teak of the 
 forests on the Weinyo and Zimme, this patch appears to have been composed of the 
 most valuable timber for mast-pieces; the logs after an exposure on the bank of the 
 river for the last ten years, with the exception of being weather-worn outside, are 
 sound throughout, some of them measuring 10 cubits in girth, and from the original 
 spar converted into 4 lengths of 10 to 12 cubits each. 
 
 The forest No. 1 on the map, is situated on the upper and smaller branches of the 
 Upper Megwa, separated from the latter by a congeries of small hills, round whose 
 abrupt bases the streams wind tortuously and flow into the Megwa. The hills form 
 a complete amphitheatre (Toung Wyn) and, it may be owing principally to its isolated 
 situation as. well as in all probability to its possessing water only during the S. W. 
 monsoon, that it has hitherto escaped the depredations of the Teak destroyers. 
 The Teak on this locality is of various ages and sizes, measuring from 3 to 8 cubits in 
 girth, the greater proportion being of the medium dimensions, and on a careful average 
 of several davs' inspection, I have concluded the number of available trees at from 5,000 
 to 6,000 of all sizes. 
 
 The forest No. 2 is situated on a branch of the upper portion of the Mayee-tan, 
 
 the smaller streams descending from a range of sand- 
 Forest No. 2 not examined. s t one hills in which on its western side arise the sources 
 
 of the Lemyne river. Owing to the difficulty of access up the rocky bed of the 
 
 Mayee-tan, I was compelled to separate from my baggage, and from want of rice, 
 
 was obliged to return without examining this forest; from the statement of the Karens, 
 
 however! who accompanied me, I am inclined to believe it to be of considerable extent. 
 
 Should this prove correct, the practicability of conveying the timber down the rocky 
 
 course of the Mayee-tan is very doubtful ; hence the question arises as to its easier 
 
 extraction down the valleys and small streams which feed the Lemyne river, which can 
 
 be ascertained only by further investigation. 
 
 Throughout the whole, route, both in the above-stated localities as well as in those 
 
 exhausted ones noticed, I have not seen either young 
 
 The absence of young- trees Teak-trees or plants ; those of the latter, said by the 
 and seedlings. . . . 
 
 Karens to exist, proving on examination to be nothing 
 
APPENDIX. XXV11 
 
 more than the young shoots from the stumps of felled trees ; nor couhl I discover, on 
 
 inquiry, that any attempt at propagation of the tree had been made by any of the 
 
 parties who exhausted these forests. 
 
 In common with the generality of the timber trees of the forests, the Teak sheds 
 
 ,-. .. . its seed at a period unpropitious to its vegetation, viz., 
 
 Operating causes against r l ' ° ' 
 
 spontaneous reproduction, of after the rains of the monsoon have ceased, and when 
 
 the Teak 
 
 the surface soil from a rapid evaporation has become 
 
 hardened and deprived in a great measure of those stimulating properties so essential 
 
 to the vegetation of the fallen seed ; but even under the more favorable circumstances 
 
 of seasonable ripeness of the seed and subsequent vegetation, the destruction of the 
 
 young plants by the fires which annually sweep the forests would be certain, and the 
 
 effect the same, — hence the absence of young trees of almost all descriptions of those 
 
 found in the forest. 
 
 The question of reproduction, by planting the seed collected in the forest, has been 
 
 most satisfactorily decided by the experiments of Dr. 
 
 from a Se i falIen°Led? Pr0<1UCti0n Falconer ' who has raised P lants to a lar ? e am0llQ t from 
 
 seed transmitted to him from these forests, which it is 
 
 presumed was collected after several months' exposure during the N. E. monsoons. 
 
 The inference to be drawn from the foregoing is plainly that. — 
 
 A. — As the original Teak-producing localities in this quarter are at the point of 
 complete exhaustion, whether it be practicable to re-produce the tree on the same 
 localities ? — or 
 
 B. — By a systematic plan of cultivation extended to all forest-land nearer the coast 
 similar to that pursued by the Dutch Government in their Java forests, secure to these 
 Provinces, a future resource, upon which their commercial interests must necessarily 
 depend for many years to come ; — and 
 
 C. — The lands available for this purpose, their adaptation, extent, &c, &c. 
 
 A. — Up to the head of the Zimme river-Teak occurs for the most part in localities 
 possessing a soil composed of the debris of sandstone resting upon and mixed with 
 the cevernous limestone of the plains ; these patches are invariably met with on the 
 flanks of sandstone hills in the immediate vicinity of the water-courses, and in those 
 approaching the higher ranges of the same rock to the Westward, a soil occurs formed 
 from the decomposition " mica and felspar of the primary formations, mixed with a large 
 proportion of the sandstone detritus, and as these soils are by no means uniform 
 or extensive in any one locality, the Teak is found in patches, interspersed with the 
 other forest-trees, and rarely at any considerable distance from the water-courses, the 
 largest trees being immediately on the bank, or in close proximity to the streams. 
 
 It has been stated that the Teak seed will not vegetate on the same soil and situation 
 as that producing the parent tree, but such an opinion can have little weight when 
 opposed to the fact that in certain localities in the Zimme forests protected from the 
 ravages of the annual fires by some peculiar advantage of position and low vegetation, 
 that young plants are found mixed with the stumps of former forests, and I have the 
 corroborative testimony of the Karens on this subject, to the effect that of several 
 hundreds of seeds planted in the original sites the greater portion have sprung, to be 
 annihilated, however, by the next dry season's fires. 
 
xxviii APPENDIX. 
 
 The practicability, therefore, of propagating the tree on its original sites when the 
 composition of the soils as described is unobjectionable, must be sufficiently evident, 
 but unless a cultivation be carried out to the fullest extent of its import, and measures 
 be instituted to prevent the Karens from spreading their devastating fires through 
 the jungles annually, such an undertaking in the localities under notice is not to be 
 contemplated. 
 
 B. — But in preference to propagating the Teak at a distance from the seat of Govern- 
 ment, and in localities fraught with fever for six months of the year, offering almost 
 insuperable obstacles to an effectual supervision, I would suggest the employment of all 
 the unoccupied forest-lands on the banks of the various rivers and creeks, (which occur 
 at short intervals throughout the whole Coast line;) and the occupation of the Islands 
 for this purpose. Here secured against destruction by fire, with a soil of the best quality 
 and the smallest amount of care bestowed upon the plant in killing the surrounding 
 jungle, leaving only such trees as are of known good properties and of useful applica- 
 tion, a new system of Teak forests would be created, affording the prospect of future 
 supplies of a material superior in every respect to that obtained from the uncultivated 
 tree of the present exhausted localities. 
 
 (7. The extent of the forest-lands available for the above purpose may be roughly 
 
 estimated at from 6.000 to 8,000 square miles, or | of the whole area of the Provinces, 
 including the Islands within the British Territory. 
 
 The soils to which I allude are formed principally from the decomposition of granite 
 and gneiss rocks, they are highly felspathic and contain in combination with the alkali 
 of the felspar from 7 to 12 per cent, of oxide of iron; the great fertility of these 
 soils and their adaptation to all purposes of tropical cultivation are too well known to 
 require further comment, the noble forests which clothe their surface affording ample 
 evidence of their qualities as timber-producing lands. 
 
 As a concurrent means of securing attention to any new Teak plantations that may 
 
 be undertaken, I would suggest that with the Teak in 
 
 Sapan-wood to be planted localit j es wnere tne open nature of the jungle affords 
 ■with the Teak. 
 
 sufficient space, that Sapan-wood be planted, which 
 
 thrives in every description of lands above the level of the alluvial plains, and besides 
 
 supplying the requisite shade for the seedling Teak in the earlier stages of its growth, 
 
 attains maturity within 5 years from planting, at which period its coloring properties 
 
 arrive at the highest point of development, and by the sale of its produce, would 
 
 afford a quick and certain return to Government for the outlay incurred. 
 
 In conclusion, I would earnestly direct the attention of the Government to the 
 
 preservation of all kinds of timber of known good 
 
 Preservation of the other propmies wn j cn st iH remain in the forests. The principal 
 useful timber of the forests. • r r r 
 
 ones, or those in general use with the natives in the con- 
 struction of houses, boats, masts, &c, are the " Anan" 1, " Thengan" 2, " Peenmah" 
 3, " Toung-being" 4, " Kank-hmoo" 5, " Padouk," " Yein-dick," " Peengado," 
 " Bamhwai," and several others of less note. The Anan stands pre-eminently at the head 
 of all others (Teak included,) for durability under all circumstances, but from its great 
 density and hardness does not float after killing. Nos. 2 to 5, are capable of floating 
 after killing as with Teak, and from these, but especially from the Thengan and 
 
APPENDIX. XXIX 
 
 Peenmah, some of the finest mast-pieces in India may be had from the Teak exhausted 
 localities; and, after a close observation for the last 12 years of the properties 
 of these timbers, I feel confident that a fair trial would disclose their value for the 
 purpose stated, and which, surpassing Teak in every respect, is so generally known and 
 appreciated by the natives. 
 
 The largest size canoes and trading boats, are constructed from single trees of 
 the Thengan and Kank-hmoo, many of which are cut annually throughout the 
 Provinces without any restriction on the part of Government, and unless some 
 stringent measures be speedily adopted for their preservation, after the discovery 
 of their value, as with Teak, any measures of conservancy that may then be deemed 
 necessary will be found to have been too long delayed, and that the forests in which 
 they now exist have become exhausted. 
 
 (Signed) EDWARD O'REILLY. 
 Amherst Town, ") 
 15rA April, 1849. J 
 
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