1885.] THE FORESTRY COMMITTEE. 311 



1867 to 1885 the competitors for superior forest service were 511, 

 all Englishmen, or Scotchmen, or Irish. Thirty years ago there was 

 hardly any attempt at conservation of forests. Faith was placed in 

 the natural reproduction of forests. The demands of the railways 

 and of the great cities had created an immense demand for wood. 

 Now, about 48,000 square miles had been brought under systematic 

 cultivation. Besides that, some of the smaller states, such as 

 Travancore, had tliemselves established forest departments. In the 

 Indian forest schools instruction was given in English and in the 

 vernacular. The course was for eighteen months, and included 

 forestry and forest law, chemistry, botany, geology, etc. There was 

 no fee. Students were educated at the expense of the Government. 

 The students were limited to those who desired to enter the Indian 

 Forest Department. ISTo doubt private persons could send students. 

 The second class was the vernacular class, who were not supposed 

 to know any English. They were taught the influence of soil and 

 climate, elementary surveying, etc. In the forest they were taught 

 felling, pruning, making of charcoal, insect-destroying, and in fact 

 the work of a forest. Last year there were forty-six men in the 

 school in both classes. A number of applications had been received 

 for proper forest officials, not necessarily Englishmen ; but they had 

 generally been able to recommend Englishmen for the upper depart- 

 ments. There might have been a Frenchman appointed in Cyprus 

 to supersede the Englishman, who had gone back to India. He 

 believed that Col. Pearson had said that when he was applied to, 

 he was obliged to send foreigners ; but that was in his private 

 capacity. The Indian Department sometimes recommended foreigners. 

 The staff of the Forest Department in India of the superior grade 

 now numbered about 150. 



By Dr. Lyons : The principal causes of destruction were trespass, 

 the claim for free wood, and forest fires. Speaking roundly, the 

 area cultivated in Bombay had extended from 12,000,000 to 

 20,000,000 acres. A great deal of that might have been reserved 

 for forests. The natives claimed rights as to grazing cattle, etc. 

 When the railways began, permission was given to go into the 

 Government forests and cut down timber. The cutting down and 

 taking away of one tree by unskilled hands frequently destroyed 

 about twenty trees. Roads had been cut and fire breaks had been 

 made to guard against the fearful forest fires. £935,000 was 

 received in gross from the forests. The charges were £567,000. 

 Asked how much of this went to the extension of forests, he said 

 about £75,000 was spent last year. Agreeing that a fourth or a fifth 

 of a country should be given up to forest, there was only a tenth of 

 India so given up. There ought to be 140,000 square miles, but 



