General Conditions. 381 



much more rapidly, due to the conditions in which we 

 resemble Europe more closely. 



The greater part of India, namely 62 per cent, of 

 the 1,773,000 square miles, is under British adminis- 

 tration, and is peopled by a subject race of nearly 

 240 million, without a voice in their government, 

 which is carried on by a small handful of the con- 

 querors (about 100,000 Englishmen are living in 

 India), while the balance, around 700,000 square 

 miles with 53 million people, is divided among a large 

 number of more or less independent native States, 

 very different in their civilization from ours. 



Industrially, the difference will appear from the 

 statement that about 70 per cent, of the population 

 is engaged in agricultural pursuits, hence there is no 

 active wood market as with us, except for domestic 

 purposes, and, as the woods, like those of most tropical 

 forest, are mainly cabinet woods, even the export 

 trade is insignificant, amounting to hardly 3 million 

 dollars, while minor forest products (lac, cutch and 

 gambier, myrobalan, caoutchouc, etc.) represent about 

 12 million dollars. 



Climatically, as is to be expected, on such a large 

 territory, great variation exists, which is increased by 

 differences in altitude from the sea level to the tops 

 of the Himalayas. The climate is, of course, largely 

 tropical, with a rainfall which varies from the heaviest 

 known, of 600 inches, to almost none at all. 



Nevertheless, in spite of these differences from our 

 conditions, much may be learned from Indian experi- 

 ence in the matter of organization, both to follow and 

 to avoid, and the fact that this can be done without 



