IN THE MADRAS PRESIDENCY. 19 



to forestry as a branch of rural economy ; and of all those (about 

 two hundred) who applied for employment, there was not one who 

 could be considered an intelligent forester, except Mr M'lvor, 

 superintendent of the Utakamand Garden ; Mr S. Miiller, assist- 

 ant conservator, North Canara, who had been early trained in the 

 Black Forest of Germany ; and Corporal Hall, who had been a 

 forester in the Midland Counties of England. Most of the others 

 have to be paid to learn the outlines of their duty ; and, generally 

 speaking, those who have been soldiers or artificers are the most 

 teachable, and give least trouble. They have been well disciplined, 

 and obedience comes naturally to them. 



37. Contract. — Instead of finding a class of persons possessing 

 knowledge of the timber trade, there is only a multitude of rogues 

 ever ready to tender for contracts, to receive advances, and to 

 appropriate them. On the western coast there are a few Moplahs 

 at Calicut, and Prabhus at Mangalore, who possess elephants, 

 the only efficient means of dragging timber. These last take 

 gangs of coolies to the Coorg and Malabar forests, and show con- 

 siderable energy in forming temporary dams, and floating down 

 poon spars, &c. 



38. Sub-Conservators in Canara. — The two subordinates I found 

 in North Canara, under Mr Miiller (Mr Gilbert and Mr B. Eod- 

 rigues), appeared to be much too sedentary in their habits, de- 

 puting peons into the jungles when they should have gone them- 

 selves, and the like. The former has been removed from the 

 department on account of incapacity ; the latter is suspended 

 under an inquiry for receiving bribes. 



39. European Contractors. — Two contracts have been entered 

 into with Mr Boss, resident railway engineer, Coimbatore, whereby 

 he has been permitted, first, to cut sleepers of certain specified 

 woods in the forest near the foot of Anamalai, paying seignorage 

 at the rate of 3 annas per sleeper; and, second, to fell 2000 

 trees in the Waliar jungle, at the rate of 1 rupee 8 annas per 

 tree. Messrs Brice and Co., an enterprising firm, tendered for, 

 and obtained permission to fell 2500 jungle trees within the 

 forests of Ekagolly and Codlugaddi, in the Supah talook, North 

 Canara, for supplying sleepers to the Bombay Railway Company, 

 and agreed to pay 2500 rupees (half in advance), being at the 



