to end the agreement, or enter into a fresh one. The main provision of this lease was that the Punjab Government undertook to pay the Rajah of Chamba an annual sum of Rs.20,000 during the first 20 years of the operation of the lease. This sum was calculated on the supposition that at least 5000 trees per annum would be available for felling, which, at the rates for deodar in force at the time, would cover the amount of the payment. The Punjab Government, however, provided a safeguard to some extent by a clause which allowed one-fourth of this sum of Rs.20,000, or as much of it as might be required within that limit, to be made available for the improvement of the forests and for opening out communications through them.

The Secretary of State (No. 29, dated 8th June, 1865) approved of the action taken.

On the 6th September following the Government of India (F., No. 13) were able to inform the Secretary of State that a lease had been obtained of the Bushahr Forests. In this Despatch they wrote: "On a proposal from the Government of the Punjab, made early in 1863, based on an offer of the Rajah of Bushahr that Government should take over the management of the forests within his territory, and in consideration of the important bearing of the forests in the Sutlej Valley on the supply of timber to the Public Works Department, and especially to the railway in the Punjab, a lease of these Forests for a term of 50 years has been entered into with our sanction.

The system of management to be pursued is generally similar to that approved in your Despatch, No. 29, dated 8th June last, for the Chamba Forests, and we have instructed the Punjab Government to give the Rajah a pledge to that effect as a counter-agreement.'

The Bushahr Forests had been carefully examined by Brandis, Stewart and Captain Wood, and a Report and valuation of their timber contents had been made. In the Report some reference was made to the possibility, if considered to be in the interests of the British Government, of working these forests without reference to their future maintenance or reproduction! The demand for timber on the part of Government Departments was, we know, very great at the time; but it is difficult to believe that Brandis could have ever entertained the idea of cutting out the Bushahr Forests to supply this demand.

In any event, the Secretary of State in his Despatch (R., No. 51, dated 30th December, 1865), whilst sanctioning the lease of the forests for a period of 50 years, wrote, on the above subject: "I must observe that even were it expedient, in the interests of the British Government, to work these forests without reference to their maintenance and reproduction, such a course would not be fair towards the Rajah without his full consent and approbation. The proposed re-examination of the deodar localities between Bussahir and the plains, however, seems very desirable, and I shall be glad to learn that it may be found that there are yet left some forests in that region which can be profitably worked."

The question of the supplies of sleepers and fuel for the Punjab railways was receiving anxious attention at this period. The latter will be dealt with later on. As regards the sleeper supplies, both Major Warrand, R.E., Deputy Consulting Engineer, Punjab, and Cleghorn had submitted Reports. The latter's estimates as to the amount of deodar which would be available were at first too optimistic and were somewhat reduced. In a Memorandum dated 4th February, 1865, on these Reports, Brandis discussed the amounts of timber available.

Most of the timber, he considered, would probably be drawn from the forests of Chamba, Bushahr and Tehri Garhwal, from whom leases had been obtained. It was estimated that about 200 tons of timber would be required for the sleepers of each mile of railway; but, under the contract, one-half of the length was to be laid with iron pot sleepers. For the other half, about 30,000 tons of timber would be required during the following four years. There appeared to be no reason to apprehend that by adopting fir (i.e. pine) impregnated with chloride of zinc, there would be any difficulty in meeting the demand. It was calculated that within this period 2,300 tons could be obtained from the forests of the Chenab, Ravi, Beas and Sutlej, independently of the large supplies which might be obtained from those of the Jumna and Ganges. The sets of Burnetizing apparatus (for impregnating the pine sleepers) which had been got out by the Railway Company had been made over to contractors and were to be erected in suitable localities.

The Report on Forest Administration in the Punjab for 1864-5, drawn up by Stewart, gives evidence that considerable progress had already been made in the introduction of

conservancy into the Himalayan Forests, which were the first to receive attention, although the Conservator had travelled extensively in and inspected most of the forest areas in the plains during the year. The Himalayan Forests had been formed into five divisions, bearing the names of the five Punjab rivers.

The general results of the year's operations may be briefly summarised as follows:

"On two of the rivers, the Beas and Sutlej, operations commenced only in 1864; there was consequently no income from these divisions during the year. The expenditure incurred on them amounted to: Beas Division, Rs. 7,337; Sutlej Division, Rs.11,012; total, Rs.18,349.

Work was continued on the Chenab and Ravi Rivers, and the operations on the Jhelum River, which was not then a sanctioned division, are exhibited.

The results of the year's operations are :

(a) Expenditure incurred:

Rs.

Rs.

(c) At the same time the estimated value of the timber at the

depots has not fallen, the figures being :

Value of timber depots at the end of the year

1863-64.

Ditto, ditto, 1864-65

::

Showing an increase of the value of timber in

hand of

9,108

(d) Nor is there reason to think that the quantity of timber in the rivers, which has been launched but has not reached the depots, is less than it was at the end of the previous year, for:

The number of new logs launched is stated at

43,170

While the number taken out of the rivers is given at 36,953 only.

(e) The value of the logs now in the Rivers Chenab and Ravi which have not yet reached the depots is estimated at:

Chenab Division. With reference to the conditions and prospects of these forests the 1863-4 Report stated:

'The trees most conveniently situated with respect to the rivers having been cut first, the cutting is now becoming more distant, and the cost is increased accordingly. At the same time the work is beginning to be done in a more careful and systematic manner than in past years, and arrangements for the future as well as for the present have to be considered in conducting the forest operations. The number of deodar trees felled within the last two or three years has been much greater than these forests should properly be made to yield. So large an amount of timber having been cut and remaining in depot, the cutting can with advantage be slackened, and the attention of the Forest Officers on this river be devoted more to conservancy and planting.'

The Officers of the Forest Department had given due weight to these recommendations. The number of trees felled in 1864-5 was only 5,874 against 13,230 felled in 1863-4, and it was proposed to limit the fellings in 1865-6 to 4,000 trees. The Conservator expressed a hope that before the submission of his next Annual Report (1864-5) he would have the opportunity of visiting, inspecting and valuing most of the forests on this river and on the Ravi, and so be in a position to frame an approximate estimate of the quantity of timber they could furnish annually. This work he had now accomplished and his Report had been drawn up with the necessary

maps.

Ravi Division. In their review of Stewart's Report the Government of the Punjab wrote as follows on the subject of the Ravi Forests: 'It was remarked in the Report on the forests of this division for 1863-4, that "The chief difficulty experienced on the Ravi is that noticed in paragraph 16. Whilst different interests are at work, transporting timber by the same river, the deceits and misappropriations referred to are practised and are a cause of loss. It is a fact, that logs of special note, cut by the Forest Officers, carefully examined and measured before being launched, or in course of transit, have been identified on reaching the depot, where they arrived with a new mark of proprietorship substituted for the Government mark.”

The leasing of these forests to the British Government, which

was arranged during the last year, will keep rival interests from working on the same river, and consequently remove the difficulty referred to, as soon as private dealers have removed the timber which they still have in this river. A considerable portion of this timber will, however, be purchased under the authority conveyed in Public Works, No. 523 F., of the 20th October last.

The additional Budget provision required by Dr. Stewart to meet increased expenditure in this division on account of the arrangements made for supplying railway sleepers for the Delhi Line, has been sanctioned by Government of India in No. 523 F., above quoted.

It is feared that the forests on this river have been even more exhausted than those on the Chenab. The number of trees felled has been only 1,681, as compared with 4,657 felled in the previous year. It is intended to fell but little deodar during 1865-6, and that for long timber, and for Government use. The cutting will also be confined, if possible, within smaller areas, and the establishments will be mostly employed in launching the logs still in the forest, aiding them in their progress down the river, and in cutting up into railway sleepers those logs which are within reach. All these proposals appear to His Honour the Lieutenant-Governor to be judicious.'

Beas Division. The operations on this river were only commenced during the year. The demand for timber from the region was great, but the extent of deodar forests on the river and its tributaries was small, whilst the river itself was said to be the least favourable of all the large Punjab rivers for floating operations. It had not yet been decided, says the Report, whether it would be best to speedily fell all the available deodar to meet the present railway demand, or to fell but little at present, reserving the mass of its forests to meet future wants.' In the meantime care was to be taken that no excessive felling took place in 1865-6. A considerable quantity of timber had been put into the river, and it was expected that a fair amount would reach the depot in 1866.

Sutlej Division. Forest work in this division had only been commenced in June, 1864; 370 trees had been felled and converted into 1,748 logs, none of which had been launched. The lease which had been secured of the Bushahr Forests did not effectually exclude from this river all private traders in timber, and it was considered very desirable that this should if possible be done to avoid friction and robbery. Arrangements to this end were therefore being made to secure leases of the forests in the neighbouring State of Suket and of those of the jagheer of the hereditary Wagir of Poari. It was said that the demand for the Sutlej timber was great, and a considerable return was hoped for before May, 1866.

Jhelum Division. A considerable correspondence had taken place between the Punjab Government and the Government of India