88 TRANSACTIONS OF ROYAL SCOTTISH ARBORICULTURAL SOCIETY, 



Government of Madras on the Teak in the Anamahii hills, and 

 asked for the services of an officer to explore the forests. The 

 sanction of the Government of India having been obtained to this 

 proposal, Lieutenant James Michael (now Major-General and 

 Companion of the Star of India) was apjiointed in June 1848. 

 In August 1849, the Court of Director called for reports on the 

 results of Lieutenant Michael's work. The terms of the despatch 

 are well worth recording, as evidence of the just views entertained 

 at that time by the Court of Directors. They wrote : " We trust 

 that effectual measures will be taken for its conservation (of the 

 Anamalai Forest), so as to protect it from the serious injury 

 which other forests have sustained." 



Captain Cotton then submitted a report on the operations of 

 felling and converting, the making of a road across the hills, and 

 the settlement of the Colengode and Cochin boundaries. He also 

 reported the number of good Teak trees standing. 



In the Cochin disputed territory, . . 107,000 trees. 

 In the Colengode ,, . . 28,000 ,, 



In the Government territory, . . , 61,700 ,, 



Total, . . . 196,700 ,, 



Minutes were written on the subject by Mr D. Elliot, Member of 

 Council, and by the Governor, Sir H. Pottinger, and in February 

 1850 the Government sanctioned Lieutenant Michael being kept 

 on. In February 1851 he was sent to Moulmein to learn the 

 methods of dealing with heavy timber, in December 1853 to the 

 Kanara Forests, and in 1854 he was formally appointed Superin- 

 tendent of the Anamalai Forests. The published reports (selections 

 from the Records No. Y. of 1855) deal only with timber and roads, 

 and there is no reference to conservancy. Lieutenant Michael, 

 however, did more than this — he brought about the lease of valu- 

 able Teak forests from the Nambadi of Colengode, and he started a 

 system of clearing Teak seedlings, and young Teak trees, of dry 

 leaves and other inflammable matter in the forests, so as to pro- 

 tect them against injury by the annual fires of the dry season. 



In 1856, Lieutenant Michael went on leave, and Captain (now 

 General) Douglas Hamilton was appointed in his place. He was 

 in charge of the Anamalai Forests for several years, and at a later 

 date — after a regular Forest Department for the whole Presidency 

 had been organised — Captain Hamilton was succeeded by Lieu- 

 tenant (now Colonel) Beddome. 



