TROPICAL FLORAS 83 



thoroughly explore two or three well-chosen areas of one square 

 luilo each. 



It is really deplorable that in so many of our tropical de- 

 pendencies no attempt has been made to preserve for posterity 

 any adequate portions of the native vegetation, especially of 

 the virgin forests. As an example, the island of Singapore 

 was wholly covered with grand virgin forest at the begin- 

 ning of last century. When I was there in 1851 the greater 

 part of it was still forest, but timber-cutting and clearing 

 for gambir and other plantations has gone on without restric- 

 tion till there is now hardly any true virgin forest left ; and 

 quite recently the finest portion left has been allowed to be 

 destroyed by a contractor in order to get gi-anite for harbour 

 w^orks, which might almost as easily have been obtained else- 

 where. The grand forest trees were actually burnt to make 

 way for the granite diggers ! 



Surely, before it is too late, our Minister for the Colonies 

 should be urged without delay to give stringent orders that 

 in all the protected Malay States, in British Guiana, Trinidad, 

 Jamaica, Ceylon, Burma, etc., a suitable provision shall be 

 made of forest or mountain '' reserves," not for the purpose 

 of forestry and timber-cutting only, but in order to preserve 

 adequate and even abundant examples of those most glorious 

 and entrancing features of our earth, its native forests, woods, 

 mountain slopes, and alpine pastures in every country under 

 our control. It is not only our duty to posterity that such 

 reserves should be made for the purpose of enjoyment and 

 study by future generations, but it is absolutely necessary in 

 order to prevent further deterioration of the climate and de- 

 struction of the fertility of the soil, which has already taken 

 place in Ceylon and some parts of India to a most deplorable 

 extent. For this end not only must timber-producing forests 

 of an ample size be secured, but on all mountain slopes con- 

 tinuous belts of at least 400 or 500 yards wade should be 

 reserved wherever forests still exist, or where they have been 

 already lost be reproduced as soon as possible, so as to form 



