THE ABORIGINAL TRIBES 133 



selves passing into a dead letter. Presently tlie proper 

 remedy was applied, by reserving the most promising forests 

 to be directly managed by the special Forest Department, 

 while the greater portion was left to be looked after by the 

 ordinary civil ofl&cers. Improved experience has still further 

 improved the system; but the main features of it were 

 struck out as early as 1864. Restrictions on the method 

 of feUing timber were imposed, and a fixed timber-duty 

 levied. These measures, if in some cases not unopen to 

 exception, at least had the effect of inducing a more econo- 

 mical system of working the forests. The aborigines still 

 furnish the labour in the forests, and, being paid in coin at 

 the regular market value of their work, are enabled to profit 

 by whatever they can earn. For some time the breaking 

 up of the Kular system left a want of private agency in the 

 timber trade ; and the Forest Department itself had to step 

 in and arrange for the supply of the country. At the time 

 this was beneficial in many respects, enabhng us to utihse 

 most of the fuUy ripe standing trees, and the logs lying 

 in the forest, by enhancing the price until it became remu- 

 nerative to take these out. Now, however, this has ceased 

 to be necessary, and there are sxifficient legitimate dealers 

 in the trade to supply aU wants. 



It was some time before we ventured to interfere with 

 the devastation caused by the wild tribes in their system of 

 tillage by axe and fire which has been described. Having 

 acquired the reputation of "savage and intractable foresters," 

 it was with considerable hesitation that the first steps were 

 adopted. The most promising forests were encircled by 

 boundary lines, marked by terror-inspiring masonry pillars, 

 within which the formation of dhya clearings was prohibited. 

 The people obeyed with scarcely a murmur ; and presently 

 the rules were extended to the great mass of the wastes, 

 in so far that the cutting of valuable timber for clearings 

 was forbidden, except under such arrangements as afforded 

 a prospect of the reclamation of the land being permanent. 

 To the wildest of the tribes certain areas were assigned, 

 sufficient to afford room for a rotation of sites for their dhya- 

 fields. It cannot be said that these comprehensive restric- 

 tions have been everywhere enforced to the letter, nor was it 



