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ing felled for trifling purposes. Very frequently tlie largest 

 portion of the tree is allowed to rot on the ground, -while 

 useful timber has to be imported to supply the wants of the 

 builder. Little respect is paid to either the mountain or 

 river reserves. 



"100. Copies of eorrespondence on this subject are annex- 

 ed for His Excellency's information. Owing to the change 

 of Administrators this subject may have been overlooked. 

 Another one is the surveying and marking out of the Forests 

 appear to have been plundered, and if rumour be true, a large 

 quantity of Goverment land has been illegally taken posses- 

 sion of. 



" 101. Another subject wliich I woiald desire to bring to His 

 Excellency's notice is the purchase of the Coca-de-mer Ravine 

 in Praslin, and its conservation and preservation by Goveru- 

 m^nt. Several plants of the Coco-de-mer are to be found in 

 various parts of Praslin and Curieuse, but I can conceive of 

 no more autediluvian looking place existing in the world than 

 that Ravine. The destruction of the trees in it would he an 

 outrage on science and a disgrace to civilization. 



" 102. Besides its conservation would not be altogether 

 valueless, for the nuts are worth each from two to four shil- 

 lings. So great is the demand for them that they are broken 

 from the trees and sold before they are ripe. Even as future 

 articles of commerce the trees should be planted on all Go- 

 vernment Reserves, in Mahe, Praslin end Felicite. If the 

 ravine could not be purchased I would suggest its being ex- 

 changed for some other portion of Crown land. 



" 103. In the interval between my visits, road making had 

 progressed rapidly, and miles o f new roads and paths, over 

 difficult ascents and descents, have been opened to traffic, on 



