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CHAPTEK III. 



BRITISH POSSESSIONS IN AFRICA. 

 CAPE COLONY. 



Of all the colonies the Cape has most successfully grappled 

 with the forest question. It appears that as early as 1819 a 

 Superintendent of Lands and Woods existed at Cape Town. 

 In 1876 a separate Department, called " Forests and Planta- 

 tions," was constituted. A real start was, however, not made 

 until 1881, when a real Forest Department was organised 

 under Count de Vasselot, a French forest officer. About that 

 time Mr. J. C. Lister, and in 1883 Mr. D. E. Hutchins, joined 

 the Department from India. By 1884, the Department had 

 got to M'ork. Since then several other officers were added, 

 five of whom had been trained at the Coopers Hill Forest 

 School. 



For administrative purposes, Cape Colony is divided into 

 four circles, each in charge of a Conservator of Forests. 

 These are assisted by 22 Assistant Conservators, 84 European 

 Foresters and a few native guards in the Native Territories. 



As soon as the forests had been demarcated, a Forest Act 

 was found to be necessary, to give effect to the demarcations 

 and to regulate the working of the forests. This was passed 

 in 1888, much on the model of the Madras Forest Act of 1882. 

 The Act was amended in 1902, by adding a provision which 

 laid down that the national forests cannot be alienated, nor 

 any forest rights granted without the previous sanction of 

 both houses of the Legislature. 



In this way, the forests which still existed were converted 

 into reserved State forests, their area amounting to 478,807 



