I. Trees of 6 feet (4 cubits) and above in girth. II. Trees of 4 feet 6 inches to 6 feet (3-4 cubits). III. Trees of 3 feet to 4 feet 6 inches (2-3 cubits).

IV. Trees under 3 feet (2 cubits) girth and seedlings.

Subsequently these classes were re-arranged, and all trees down to I foot 6 inches were included in the third class, leaving only those below 18 inches in the fourth class.

During the first year's observations Brandis found that the numbers of trees in the first three classes were very nearly equal in all but recently worked forests, and having thus obtained some idea of the proportion of the different classes, he proposed to himself the principle that, in any forests to be worked out, as many first class trees as would be replaced during the year by the growing stock of second class trees, could and should be felled in that period.

Here we have the fundamental principle on which all working plans must prima facie be based.

To estimate the number of second class trees that would each year attain first class dimension, it was necessary to ascertain the rate of growth of teak. Brandis was too cautious to accept without further proof the theory of annual rings representing one year's growth, and augmented his data by the measurement of a few trees, the age of which was known. From the data at his disposal he constituted the following table:

On this table, which came about midway between data regarding the growth of teak obtained from Bombay and Java, he decided to base his working plan, until better ones should become available.

The Superintendent accordingly laid down that one twentyfourth of the first class trees in each forest might annually be cut, and assumed that as the number of fourth class trees had been found largely to exceed those in the other classes, the forests would gradually improve under the proposed system of working, and become richer in teak than they were in 1856. This assumption has since proved true; at least, whenever the forests have been worked by direct Government agency.

The plan of thus felling and extracting one twenty-fourth of

all first class trees annually in each forest was open to practical objections, both on the score of labour and supervision. On account of this Brandis arranged the Pegu teak forests in six divisions, each of which he worked in turn, girdling every sixth year one-fourth of the first class trees in one division.

He next prepared an estimate of the probable outturn of the Pegu Forests. The linear surveys, it was calculated, covered an area of thirty square miles, and on these 2,423 first class trees had been counted, or an average of about 80 trees per square mile. It was roughly estimated that the total area on which teak was scattered in Pegu amounted to 7000 square miles, and a grand total of 585,000 first class trees was accepted. Thus, in theory, the outturn could have been fixed at 24,000 trees per annum; but Brandis recognised that many of the trees were growing in inaccessible localities, or, for other reasons, were of insufficient value to prove saleable, or to pay for their removal, and he consequently reduced the estimate to an average outturn of about 24,000 logs per annum.

Many alterations were subsequently made in the estimate, most of them by Brandis himself, or under his immediate supervision, as the whole of the forest area became better known and data on which to base calculations more plentiful; but on the whole the close estimate he managed to make of the resources of the Pegu Forests within a year of his arrival in the country is remarkable.

As regards the method of working the forests, Brandis had the following three systems to choose from:

(1) The levying of a duty on every log brought from the forests, the felling of the trees being either free or restricted to the holders of a permit or grant.

(2) Selling the whole of the seasoned timber in a certain forest to the highest bidder.

(3) Bringing down the timber from the forests on account of Government, and disposing of it by periodical sales to the highest bidder.

The Superintendent recognised that the first system then actually in force in Burma must cease, as it would inevitably result in the ruin and destruction of the forests. Of the alternatives he recognised that, provided the marking and girdling of the trees to be felled remained in the hands of the Forest Department, the second system was theoretically more correct than the third, as it encouraged private enterprise, and

left the Forest Staff free to devote their time to general forest administration, and to the preservation, extension, and consolidation of the forests.

The prices, however, which were offered for the timber in the forests were so low, that it would not have been remunerative to sell. Also, whenever this mode of working had been introduced it had proved to be wasteful and unreliable. Moreover, it had already been abundantly exemplified that private parties who had only a temporary interest in the forests, were not likely to undertake on an extensive scale works which had, of necessity, to be undertaken to thoroughly open out the forests, such as clearing of obstructions, blasting and road making; nor in the past had they ever paid the slightest attention to reproductive measures.

From the description already given of the methods on which the licence-holders worked the Tenasserim Forests, with which Brandis had made himself thoroughly acquainted, it will be readily understood why he adopted, from the outset, as a fundamental principle admitting of no departure, that Government alone must be responsible for the opening out of the forests, and their future maintenance by the introduction of means to ensure natural regeneration.

Considering all these points, the Superintendent arrived at the conclusion that Government must show the way to working the forests on an improved and less wasteful system. He placed, however, on record at the time, that once a permanent improvement in the working had been effected, the system of departmental working might safely be changed for one of selling the timber in the forests, provided reasonable prices were offered for the seasoned timber.

Brandis, therefore, tried to work the forests on Government account by means of contractors, who were to fell the timber, drag it to the floating streams and raft it to the sale depôts. He was at the outset met by difficulties, for no local contractors were forthcoming. He surmounted this obstacle by importing contractors from Moulmein, selected energetic men in Pegu, or wherever he could find them, and succeeded in bringing some 13,000 logs to depôt during the very first season, though he was beset by all sorts of impediments, as both his subordinates and his contractors were constantly trying to overreach him. Government marks were erased, and some of the timber was sold, instead of being delivered at Rangoon ; some first class Government logs were exchanged against

an equal number of inferior logs belonging to private parties and so forth. Even near the Rangoon depôt the timber was not safe, whole rafts were detached during dark nights, and, borne away on the strong tides, were taken to hiding-places amongst the numerous creeks and backwaters. In one of the Sittang Forests, the contractors dragged a portion of the Government timber across the frontier, and afterwards reimported it as foreign timber.

The forest subordinates and contractors and the population living on the banks of the floating streams had all combined, but their tricks were found out one by one, and their robberies were discovered and punished, and measures were invented and adopted to check and prevent the systematic cheating and theft. It took years to break up the combinations that were formed to rob Government, but the system introduced by Brandis in 1856 has since been elaborated, and the Pegu Forests were subsequently worked by contractors on Government account with the most satisfactory results.

For some years the second of the above-mentioned systems, the exploitation by private enterprise, was introduced in consequence of a strong agitation on the part of the leading merchants and under pressure from the Local Government, but the trial resulted in a failure with regard to finance as well as forest conservancy.

Brandis having thus created a system for the working of the Pegu Forests, and proved, as far as proof was at that time possible, that its operation if faithfully carried out would not endanger their preservation, next proceeded to take steps for the preservation of the forests against other causes.

These measures he classified under the following heads : (1) Protection against injurious and irregular felling. (2) Protection against jungle fires.

(3) Protection against toungya or hill cultivation.

(4) Protection against natural causes, such as creepers, parasites, shade of the trees, etc.

With a view to enforcing a proper protection of the forests, a set of twenty-two Rules were published in October, 1856. These Rules, the first drafted by an experienced trained Forest Officer for working the Indian Forests, are of considerable interest and importance since they formed the basis on which forest administration was introduced throughout India. Cleghorn in Madras and others elsewhere worked on