mend the perusal of the admirable work of Geo. P. Marsh 

 (Man and Nature; or Physical Geography as modified by 

 Human Action: London, 1864). That author studied the 

 scattered and largely foreign literature pertaining to this sub- 

 ject with singular care, observed very many original facts, 

 and argued on them with great ability. A smaller still more 

 recent publication (Disastrous Effects of the Destruction of 

 Forest Trees in Wisconsin, by Lapham, Knapp and Crocker, 

 published in 1867) is also deserving full attention, inasmuch 

 as it brings before us the difficulties and losses which the 

 destruction of the forests has already caused in one of the 

 younger of the American States; while, again, Indian expe- 

 riences in regard to forests may be traced in the valuable 

 volume issued by Dr. Cleghorn (Forests of the Punjab and 

 Western Himalaya; Koor Kee, 1864). Some observations of 

 my own, applying to countries like North Africa, have been 

 recorded two years ago in the Bulletin de la Societe o? Agri- 

 culture d'Alger, 



One of the main objects, however, of my address this even- 

 ing, is to show in what manner a well-organised and yet 

 inexpensive system of forest administration might check the 

 indiscriminate destruction of the woods, without, perhaps, 

 lessening the rate of the present yield; in what manner 

 numerous latent industrial resources of our ranges might be 

 speedily and successfully developed, and a higher revenue thus 

 be raised by the state; in what manner this increased income 

 could be best employed, to maintain or enrich the forests, or 

 to raise woods where naturally none existed; and by what 

 new means prosperous occupation might be afforded to many 

 a happy family in the still and salubrious sylvan recesses of 

 this country. 



And here I would at once remark, that for any administra- 

 tive organisation to watch over our forest interests we must 

 follow an independent path of our own in this young country, 

 because the systems of forest management adopted with so 

 much advantage in Germany, France and Scandinavia, are 

 here applicable only to a very limited extent. This must be at 

 once apparent to any one, who will reflect on the disparity 

 which exists between our clime, our native tree vegetation, 

 our present ratio of population and value of labour, as com- 

 pared with similar conditions of the older and far more 

 densely inhabited countries of middle and northern Europe, 

 not to speak of the very much wider scope, which for the 

 selection of trees for our future use the isothermal zone of 



