FORESTRY OF WEST AFRICA. 



and climate have admitted, so that for shortcomings 

 and a generous hearing and verdict the writer leaves 

 himself in the hands of his readers. 



" So vast is this vegetable kingdom, that the animal 

 world sickens and dies out before it — this immense 

 forest holds scarcely a living creature. For months I 

 have trodden its labyrinths, and seen only a diminutive 

 deer, a grey monkey, and a few serpents. How little 

 we knew in England of the true nature of this forest. 

 ' It will,' wrote one wise man to a daily paper, 

 ' take plenty of petroleum oil. Pour it over the forest, 

 and then set fire to it' " 



" ' I know tropical forests well,' wrote another. ' The 

 underbush will burn when the dry weather comes, as 

 it does in Burmah and Tenasserim ; then you will be 

 able to march through it with ease.' 



" But, alas ! the African forest is always green, 

 always wet, always fireproof." 



Such is the poetic description, in his 'Akimfoo,' 

 by the " Great Lone Land " Butler, of a West African 

 forest; and, although he must be given credit for 

 taking advantage of an author's picture-writing and 

 licence, yet in the main his verbal illustration can be 

 accepted. 



With such a prologue or preface, it would not be 

 too much for any one to expect botanicallj'- great 

 scientific and commercial results from such a field. 

 The field has existed, and still exists ; but while the 

 results scientifically are comparatively meagre, yet 



