CHAPTER XX. 



ASIATIC TIMBERS. 

 TIMBERS OF INDIA AND BURMAH. 



TEAK {Tectona graiidis). 



Of the vast timber supplies of Asia, none are so 

 important to us as those of the Indian Empire, and 

 among these the Teak stands pre-eminent. This tree 

 is found principally in Central and Southern India, and 

 in Burmah ; and from the southern limits of its range in 

 Java it is distributed over about 2,000 miles, until it 

 touches close upon the 23" of North latitude. Its range 

 in longitude is also very considerable, since it is found to 

 stretch across Hindustan, and through Burmah to near 

 the frontier of China. It was formerly very plentiful in 

 the Malabar district, but is now only sparingly met with 

 there. At Bombay, where a few years since it was 

 supplied in sufficient quantities from the adjacent 

 province to meet all the demands for ship-building and 

 other purposes, builders have now, owing to its almost 

 complete exhaustion, to draw upon other sources to 

 meet the local requirements. It is now extensively 

 planted, however, in Assam, Bengal, and elsewhere. 



The most extensive, and probably the best, forests 

 of Teak at present existing are in Burmah, where they 

 lie spread along the banks of the Salween, Thoungyeen, 

 Irrawaddy, and other rivers. They also stretch very 



