the failure of these negotiations to the Government of India. From the Commissioner's Report on the matter it is evident that he had opened the question with extreme reluctance. He stated that the forests at no time belonged to the State and that they were the chief source of profit to their owners, who were minors; and that the owners had said it would not be profitable to give them up in exchange for other land. The Commissioner (Colonel J. C. Houghton) was, it is obvious, totally ignorant of the objects which the introduction of Forest Conservancy were desired to promote. He wrote: "I have before pointed out, when writing on this subject, that zemindars in Bengal have no such care for the interests of posterity as to induce them to make present sacrifices. They would, no doubt, be glad to lease out their forests at the highest rate of profit available during their own lifetime, but more cannot, I think, be expected of them. As yet the Forest Department has done nothing whatever towards the management of the forests in the Eastern Duars, and I cannot recommend that it should undertake the management of private forests and other extraneous duties before it has entered on its own peculiar ones.

With reference to the second paragraph of your letter, I have the honour to report that I consider no doubt whatever can exist as to the forest being included in the permanently settled estates. At first the right of cutting timber was farmed out separately, apart from dues on land cultivated; these, at the time of the perpetual settlement, were amalgamated, and for seventy years no question has been raised.

The case of the Sundarbans is not at all parallel. There was an immense tract of jungle not included in, but adjoining, zemindaries'; such at least I understand to be the case.

Besides the Government forests in the Bengal Duars, there are very valuable forests in the Goalpara District in the hands of private people. Of these, the most important are the forests in the Purbut Jooar. These are pure sâl forests on high, level ground and, from their proximity to the Brahmaputra, easily worked and most valuable: but they contain no trees at present fit for felling, although large quantities of 'goles' (posts), as described above, are still annually removed from them.

These forests extend over about 144 square miles, and the income derived from them does not equal that to be obtained from the same area of cultivated land, and must be reduced in

a few more years to a mere trifle if the removal of posts is continued as at present. Perhaps the owners might be induced to exchange these most valuable forests for an equal area of cultivated and waste lands in the Duars. This would be the best way of saving them from certain destruction, since it can never be hoped that 'zemindars' will adopt measures of conservancy themselves, the benefit of which could not be realised for thirty to fifty years, and who in fact are too poor to adopt such a measure without present ruin, although all of them are awake to and admit the fast-approaching scarcity of timber. The area of the 'sâl' forest, together with cultivated tracts, is believed to be upwards of 250 square miles, and pays a revenue to Government of Rs.500 a year."

In drawing attention to this letter, Leeds wrote: "How such a tract became alienated to the State it is difficult to conceive, if the British Government had, at any time, authority over its disposal." The Government of India expressed the opinion that Mann's suggestion that the "zemindars "might be induced to exchange their forests for an equal area of cultivated and waste lands in the Duars might be recommended to the attention of the Commissioner of the division. The Secretary of State also expressed some concern about these Goalpara Forests and their future management.

There is an echo of difficulties which were being expressed by Forest Officers in other provinces at this period in the following remarks in the Government of India's letter:

"It was said that it should be considered whether in addition to the 'sâl' and 'sissu '-bearing lands other forests should not be included within the demarcated tracts, and it was explained that in order to secure to the Forest Department complete control over the demarcated forests generally, certain tracts might, as an equivalent for the inhabitants, whose forest rights would be curtailed, be set apart for their exclusive use. These and other similar measures can in many cases be effected by arrangements of an administrative nature without requiring the authority of forest rules. Generally it will not be found difficult, under proper arrangements, to provide for the requirements of the villages in the vicinity of the demarcated forests; and His Excellency in Council is of opinion that if Forest and District Officers will cordially co-operate in this matter, fair and equitable arrangements may in most instances be made with the inhabitants, either by continuing to grant them their forest rights under certain rules and regulations, or

by making over to them a certain area of forest land in lieu of their forest rights.

Act VII of 1865, under which any forest rules would have to be sanctioned at present, contains no provisions concerning the regulation of forest rights, but only stipulates that the notification defining Government forests shall not abridge or affect any existing rights of individuals or communities. No rules, therefore, can be framed under this Act to facilitate the regulation of forest rights."

Progress in the introduction of conservancy in Bengal was lamentably slow and behind that of the other provinces, as is evidenced by Leeds' first Annual Report for 1867-8. The Bengal Government had yet much to learn on the subject. The Report itself was not drawn up in accordance with the prescribed rules, and was submitted nine months late, and only reached the Secretary of State at the end of January, 1870, when, as he remarked: "I ought to be in possession of the Report for 1868-9." The Report only dealt with the Sikkim and Bhutan Forests, the forests of the other divisions not having yet been made over to the Department. The yield of timber from the Sikkim Forests was 375,230 cubic feet. The felling and removal of timber from the Bhutan Duars was not controlled by the Department during the year.

Leeds had complained that the Darjiling municipality who had charge of the Ghoom Pahar Forests, were underselling the Forest Department by letting purchasers have timber at the rate of about R.1 per ton of 50 cubic feet. The Government of India in their review of the Report made the following remarks on this and other financial matters:

"If Mr. Leeds' views are correct, the exhaustion of the municipal forests appears inevitable. His Excellency in Council desires to be informed whether these forests were transferred to the municipality absolutely without any restrictions, or whether Government has retained certain rights of control and supervision, and whether this supervision should not be exercised by the Forest Department.

The financial operations of the year have resulted in a cash deficit of Rs.89,918, even after taking credit for the forest revenue realised by District Officers, the propriety of doing which, it is observed, the Government of Bengal does not admit, because the amount cannot properly be taken as a set-off against the cost of the management in Sikkim and the Bhutan Duars.

VIEW NEAR CHAKUNG, SIKKIM, 4000 FEET. WITH KINCHINJUNGA, 28,150 FEET, IN BACKGROUND. A PAHARI (HILL MAN) HUT WITH A FIELD OF MAIZE IN FOREGROUND. MALING BAMBOOS (4. RACEMOSA) ON THE RIGHT