REPORT OF THE SELECT COMMITTEE ON FORESTRY. 343 
among the branches of a liberal education’?” “I agree with that 
fully.”—“ Do you agree also with this:—‘ Wherever the English 
rule extends, with the single exception of India, the same apathy 
or, at least, inaction prevails’?” ‘ Yes. Now, however, there is 
an interest taken in the subject in South Africa: there is also 
interest taken in it in South Australia, and a movement has been 
made in New Zealand since that was stated by Sir Joseph 
Hooker ; so that I cannot say that everywhere there is the same 
apathy now prevailing. There has been also a movement more 
or less important in Canada, and a very widespread movement in 
the United States of America, but at the time that statement was 
made by Sir Joseph Hooker it was the case.” ——“ Is it the fact that in 
Poland, Russia, Austria, Finland, Sweden, France, and everywhere 
in Germany, there have been established by the Government schools 
of forest science or classes in connection with existing universities ?” 
“That is generally the case, and many of them I have visited.”— 
“‘ Has not this arisen, to some extent, from the fact that from the 
situation of those countries the supply of timber for the purposes 
of fuel, and also for other purposes, has not been so accessible as 
it has been to usin Great Britain?” ‘Itis very largely so ; but it 
is also the case in the United States of America, in Canada, and 
in many of our colonies, that the country is being ruined by the 
destruction of forests, owing to the effect produced upon the 
humidity of the climate. It is an open question—I have my 
opinion upon it—whether or no-forests increase the quantity of 
rainfall: but whether they increase it or no, they certainly do 
affect the distribution of rainfall, both in time and space. The 
distribution of the forests may have arisen from the distribution 
of the rainfall ; but the forests once established, there is a very 
much more equable distribution of the rain in time, and of the 
rain in space. Besides this, great destruction has been wrought, 
and is still being wrought, by inundations ; and it has now been 
proved, beyond all question, by expensive experiments, and not 
only by experiments, but by extensive operations with results 
which have fully justified the undertaking, that there is no more 
efficient way of preventing inundations than planting the basin of 
reception with trees; and it is the most thorough way of doing so. 
—* In regard to the school, supposing that the students were able to 
spend three years at it, would you suggest that some such curriculum 
as is given in your book would be asuitable one for the purpose ?” 
“Tt would.” —* You do not attach the same importance that Colonel 
