The following note is appended to the above table :— “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 40-60 years of their growth, and the increase of bulk after that period, or for the next 40 years, is extremely small; whereas with those of higher situations on the Houndrow the difference of rate during the succeeding periods was much less distinctly marked, the advance of the tree being throughout accomplished by very slow degrees. The average age of fullgrown trees on the Goonjee and Authan was 84 years, and of those on the Houndrow, 228 years. The average breadth of annual rings 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."

For the Indian Forest Officer it is of interest to realise that this information on the rate of growth of teak was written eighty years ago and to reflect how much quicker would have been the advance of scientific forest conservancy in the country had work of this kind been carried out and received the support of the Government; and how much greater the proportion of fine forest which would have escaped the destructive handling of the licence holder.

Tremenheere remarked that timber had been felled by natives in some of the forests on the Houndrow, but not extracted owing to the want of means, and advised its purchase by Government and removal by Commissariat elephants. He also recommended that Government should retain for its own use the unoccupied forests in the Weinyo, visited by O'Brien, as these contained valuable timber. Independently of their value, their retention by Government would have a beneficial effect on the grantees, who seeing the possession of them valued by Government would be more careful than they had been of their own areas and might even commence culture and propagation in them; for no seed had been sown by anyone possessing grants." He also particularly recommended that the Mittigate Forest (visited by Wallich) should be retained, as the timber could only be extracted by being dragged by elephants overland for 6 to 8 miles, owing to the river being unfavourable for transport. And only Government could do this, mainly by employing Commissariat

elephants. He concluded with some notes on the geological features of the country.

Mr. Seppings' observations. The information upon which Seppings based his opinions of the resources of the teak forests is not apparent, but he took a pessimistic view of their capabilities. He thought the supplies of teak 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 2000 tons of good straight timber. In the preceding nine years teak timber to the extent of 5000 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, was procurable, but not in large quantities. A two-decked ship might have been built in five years at Moulmein, but a frigate was recommended to be built first, 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 completely 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 dockyards, would cost £25 per ton. The shipwrights were Burmans and Taliens, the joiners were Chinamen, the blacksmiths and caulkers were from Madras and Calcutta ; all were good workmen if superintended by Europeans. Ships could be built more cheaply, he considered, than at Calcutta or Bombay. He recommended Mapoon, 3 miles below Moulmein, as the best site for a yard.

Seppings drew attention to the importance of securing supplies of teak timber for the Royal Navy, and with that end in view suggested that no more licences should be granted, but that Government should retain the right to fell in all the ungranted forests. By this measure he thought 2000 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

report by again recommending the establishment of a depot at Moulmein.

These journals and reports were unanimous in remarking upon the absence of teak seedlings, even where the teak was found growing in a wild state. No explanation was offered for this apparent absence, unless it could be attributed to the frequent burning of the jungle.

The reports were submitted to the Government of India on 2nd June, 1841, and 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 in the reports was the omission of all mention of other woods than teak. The Commissioner was authorised 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 in order that he might explore the forests in the northern country and cultivate the friendly co-operation of the Shan Chiefs. He was also desired to do all in his power "to promote the security and facility of communications by land and water." The proposed entertainment of a paid Agent at Rangoon was not approved, but the employment of one or more resident merchants for the purpose of collecting timber, their services being remunerated by a commission, was suggested. The Commissioner was also authorised to collect all the timber he could for Government purposes and to employ the elephants, which were maintained in order to enable the troops to move at short notice, but who ordinarily had no work to do, in its extraction. It was considered that this would be a profitable method of utilising them in peace time.

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. Lord Auckland was unfavourable to any propositions which might tend" to an extensive disturbance, even of very unsettled occupations"; he considered 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 to sites particularly required for public objects.

On the same date Wallich's opinion on the best means of perpetuating the supply of teak was asked for, and Lord

Auckland forwarded copies of all the papers to the Court of Directors. He invited an expression of opinion from the Court, both on the measures which had been taken and those which had been proposed for the management of the forests; he also particularly called for the Court's orders on the proposal to form a depot and yard at Moulmein, and pointed out the advantages possessed by Moulmein for building ships for the Royal Navy.

Wallich's suggestions of 1841.-Fourteen years had elapsed since Wallich had submitted his valuable journals on his visits up the Salween and Attaran Rivers. The failure to follow the advice therein tendered had resulted in great devastation to the forests. In accordance with the request of Government he submitted a report on the 21st June, 1841. Dealing with the question of the absence of young teak seedlings in the Tenasserim Forests, he considered it to be justly attributable to the destructive burning of the jungle (against which he had recommended precautionary measures in 1827), as this appeared to him to be the only rational explanation of the matter. He added: "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 trees unless checked by each other or by some dense jungle of other plants, or else destroyed by the firing of the forests." It was only necessary therefore, he remarked, for the preservation of them to cut down every other kind of timber and allow the teak to spring up naturally. "Some explorers," said Wallich, “may have unconsciously overstated the scarcity 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 recognise 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." He thought, therefore, that the officers who had visited the forests might in some measure have overlooked the seedlings. An opinion which the trained Forest Officer will readily endorse. He had no doubt, nevertheless, that the true cause for their general absence was ascribable to fires, "and by removing that cause a ready mode would be secured of filling up the vacant spaces of the forest."

Wallich's remarks and opinions on this subject expressed at so distant a date are of high interest in view of the fact, as will be shown, that this highly important point remained still a matter of expert controversy eighty years later.

His measures, not in many cases very practical measures, for securing natural regeneration and its protection were as follows: Prohibition of the firing of the coppice or undergrowth; free the lands from jungle and loosen the soil a little under the trees about the time the seed was expected to ripen; protection of the young plants against injury from the annual burning of the tall grass, "which overruns all waste lands in those parts"; by fencing or other means to keep away wild elephants and other harmful animals; the establishment of local nurseries in the neighbourhood of each of the principal forest tracts and of a general nursery at Moulmein.

These suggestions were communicated to Tremenheere, who was now in charge of forest conservancy. It was considered that the soil at Moulmein was unsuited to the growth of teak, and he was requested to report on this point after visiting the forests.

On 8th September, 1841, the Rules, dated 12th April, 1841, were approved by Government, but Blundell was informed that the Government did not wish to disturb the occupancy of the grantees unless on very strong grounds; he was, therefore, ordered to report on the practical operation of the rules before proceeding to enforce the penalty clause, especially with reference to the cutting up of the timber, which it was thought could be adequately prevented if the duty could be secured by any other arrangement. This object was eventually 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 Rs.30 per ton of 50 cubic feet. It was also decided to acquire the land at Mapoon on "mere sufference," the occupancy to be withdrawn at the pleasure of the public authorities.

Owing to the great rise in the price of teak timber at this time Blundell proposed levying the duty in kind in order to collect a great stock of timber instead of in money, as had been the usual method from the start, although it had always been open to the Commissioner to collect the duty either way. The Government disapproved of the suggestion, and prohibited Blundell from making any purchase of timber, owing