80 THE FOREST LANDS OF FINLAND. 
‘Mysore ; and there are patches of ‘cultivation in Madura, 
and in North Canara. .I may..observe that in granting 
forest land it seems to. me that while the destruction of 
forests (teak, ebony, and poonspar exeepted) for Bonafide 
cultivation may be considered legitimate, yet the preser- 
vation of the fringe along the crest of mountain ridges is 
of special importance in a climatal pomt-of view ; and this 
should never be given over to the axe, As these moun- 
tain crests are not suitable for the growth of coffee ‘the 
restriction cannot be complained of” And he goes on to 
say :—‘ I here beg to annex extract.of letter to the Collec- 
tor of Coimbatore, dated 2d October 1857, which contains 
my views in reply to a reference on this important matter: 
“The higher sholas clothing the ‘Ghats on both sides are 
of the utmost importance, and the climate is believed to 
suffer the greatest detriment from their removal. I would 
therefore suggest that the high wooded mountain tops, — 
overhanging the low ¢ountry should be preserved with 
rigid care; the forest there should not be given over to 
the axe, lest the supplies of water may be injured. It is 
the opinion ef many persons, in which J concur, that the 
vast clearings which have taken place have had a share in 
producing the irregularity of the monsoon, which has of 
late years been.so much complained of in Coimbatore. In 
order that the course of the rivulets should be over- 
shadowed with trees, I conceive that the hills should be 
left clothed to the extent of about half their height from 
the top, leaving half the slope and all the valley below for 
cultivation, This available portion would far exceed in 
extent the higher ridges, which should be conserved, 
‘«Tt seems to me that the immense tracts of virgin 
forests, in the rich valleys of the Kundahs, are eminenily 
suited for coffee cultivation ; and the removal of the foreet 
there would not be attended with the same disadvantage 
as on the eastern Ghats, where the drier climate does not 
admit of the same efforts. at speedy reproduction. If it be 
thought desirable to lay down a general rule in regard to 
the limits of elevation within which clearing for coffee 
