DEVELOPMENT OF CONSERVANCY. 143 



Ultimately, when failures to meet the demands for public works 

 were brought to notice, it was recognised that a grievous mistake 

 had been made in allowing the forests to be recklessly destroyed. 



The question of forest conservancy in some parts of the country 

 had already attracted attention in the very beginning of the 

 nineteenth century, because difl&culty had been experienced in 

 providing the necessary timber for the Bombay dockyard and 

 other works. A Government timber agency was established, but 

 again abohshed in 1823, in consequence of serious complaints 

 having been made against it. In 1843 Mr. Conolly, Collector in 

 Malabar, arose as a great advocate for the protection of the teak 

 forests in that part of India, and he started a plantation which is 

 now well known as the Nilambur teak plantation. Dr. Gibson 

 was appointed Conservator of Forests in Bombay in 1847. 

 Dr. Cleghorn commenced forest conservancy in Mysore in 1847, 

 and he was appointed Conservator of Forests in Madras in 1856. 

 These are some of the earher pioneers of forest conservancy in 

 Southern and Western India. In the meantime, in 1852, Pegu 

 had been annexed, and the question of the Burma teak forests 

 occupied the Government of the time. It was at this juncture 

 that Lord Dalhousie, the great administrator, took up the matter 

 and for the first time laid down a comprehensive forest pohcy. 

 The steps which he took are indicated in paragraph 82 of his 

 " Minute," dated February 28th, 1856, reviewing his adminis- 

 tration in India from 1848 to 1856. One of his last measures in 

 connection with forest administration in 1856 was the appoint- 

 ment of Dr. Brandis (afterwards Sir Dietrich Brandis) to the post 

 of Superintendent of the Pegu forests. This officer, in his 

 endeavour to preserve the fine Burma teak forests, carried on a 

 determined struggle with the mercantile community of the 

 province, whose object was to see the forests thrown open to 

 private enterprise on the plea that the supply of teak was inex- 

 haustible, and with the object of getting the greatest possible 

 profit out of the forests in the shortest possible time. Lord 

 Dalhousie having then left India, victory hung long in the balance, 

 but with the help of Major Phayre (afterwards Sir Arthur Phayre), 

 Dr. Brandis was ultimately victorious, and the greater part of the 

 Burma teak forests was saved, forests which now yield an average 

 annual net revenue of 15 million rupees. 



