112 EAST INDIA. 



been declared reserved State forests. The process of reserva- 

 tion is still going on, and it may be expected that ultimately 

 at least 15 per cent, of the total area of British India will be 

 declared permanent State forests. There are also extensive 

 areas of private and village forests, but their management is 

 so difficult to control that ultimately the bulk of the produce 

 must come from the State forests, necessitating their careful 

 and systematic management on sound economic lines. To 

 provide for this, Brandis took measures to obtain a competent 

 staff. There were already a number of military officers in 

 the Department who did excellent service; Brandis increased 

 their number to a considerable extent. To meet future 

 requirements, he obtained in 1866 the sanction of the 

 Secretary of State for India (the late Marquess of SalisburjO 

 for the training in forestry of young Englishmen in France 

 and Germany. In 1875 the students were concentrated at 

 Nancy, and in 1885 the forest school at Coopers Hill was 

 established. As that college is about to be closed the forest 

 school has migrated to Oxford, where it now forms the latest 

 branch of the university. In this way, the following forest 

 officers have been trained, up to date: — 



For the future, the probationers for the Indian forest service 

 will be undergraduates at Oxford, and it is expected that most 

 of them will take their degree in the Honour School of 

 Natural Science before proceeding to India. The theoretical 

 instruction extends over two academic years and the practical 

 Qver one such year. 



