122 NORTHERN CIRCARS. 



velop the resources of the country, and to civilise the Kunds. 

 The wage of these Merias was Es. 4, and hoys Es. 3 per mensem. I 

 put the following questions to the headman of a Meria village, 

 who was the first man rescued from death. 



1st Question. — Are there any persons who would prepare and 

 float rafts to Ganjam ? Constant employment would probahly be 

 given. Answer . — Tes, my people would readily prepare rafts of 

 sal on the river bank, but we do not wish to leave our fields (i.e., 

 floaters must be engaged). 



2d Question. — What would be the cost of cutting a log 5 ft. 

 in circumference and 15 ft. long? Answer. — Such a log would 

 be cut and squared for As. 4, and dragged to the river for As. 2 

 more. 



The general result of my tour of inspection may be summed 

 up thus : — 



The sal forests of Gumsur are the most valuable tract of wood 

 on the eastern coast, and the only one I have seen which would 

 repay European superintendence ; still, it scarcely ranks in value 

 with a second-class forest of the western coast. Perhaps there 

 are parts of Eajamandri and Masulipatam which may hereafter 

 contain teak of more value than the sal of Kimadi and Gumsur ; 

 but at present there is nothing left on Government land save 

 seedlings of comparatively small girth, the Godaveri river banks 

 having been cleared, and the best wood exhausted. In conse- 

 quence of the unhealthy climate of Gumsur, and the difficulties 

 which would be experienced by European or Eurasian overseers, 

 I think the work of felling and preparing rafts should be organ- 

 ized at Ganjam. The operations in the sal forests of Gumsur 

 would be divisible into three distinct stages — 



1. Felling and transport of logs to river bank. 



2. Floating the rafts to depot (Ganjam). 



3. Shipping timber to Madras. 



In addition to those operations, the forest assistant or overseer 

 should be charged with the necessary measures for conserving the 

 young trees. 



The first operation should be carried out by natives, — Kunds, 

 Merias, or TJrias, with a Conocopoly, and perhaps a Gumastah ; 

 the latter might probably be obtained at the rate of Es. 12 or 



