288 Reviews and Notices of Books. 
merous products—valuable to science, and which might be profit- 
ably applied to the interests of social life—lay neglected within 
the depths of the forests. This report recorded evidence bearing 
on the state of the forests in Malabar, Canara, Mysore, Travan- 
core, the Tenasserim provinces, the Indian Archipelago, and the 
wooded tracts which skirt the base of the Himalaya; and it was 
distinctly ascertained, that in Malabar, Burmah, and Sind, where 
some supervision had been exercised, considerable improvement 
was manifest.” 
In India, the forests in the Tenasserim province were early 
brought under a system of conservancy. Dr Wallich, in 1827, 
made a report on the Salween forest, north of Moulmein, and 
since that time rules have been framed to regulate and control 
the prospective condition of the forests. In 1846, the Bombay 
forest department was organised under the superintendence of Dr 
Gibson, and since his retirement it has been placed under the 
charge of Mr N. A. Dalzell. 
In Madras, the forest department has been organised for up- 
wards of four years, under the superintendence of the author of 
the present work. ‘The present volume was prepared at the 
instance of Government, principally for the purpose of furnishing 
a continuous view of forest conservancy in the Madras Presidency 
during the four years that the department has been in operation. 
One of the objects contemplated was to supply a manual to enable 
the forest assistants to act intelligently, and with good results to 
the State, in positions of responsibility. The want of such a 
hand-book has been frequently felt, not only in this department, 
but more or less by all who are practically interested in the 
natural products of India, and in their employment by different 
departments of public works, 
‘To the railway engineer, it is hoped that, even in its present 
form, it will prove of service, enabling him to acquaint himself 
with the various indigenous timbers, and their adaptation to the 
requirements of engineering in Southern India. The authorities 
of the several railway companies have repeatedly adverted to the 
want of a work such as the present, which could be placed in the — 
hands of their employés arriving in the country ignorant of Indian 
woods, of their appearance, capabilities, and place of growth. 
Similar statements have been made by the authorities in England; 
and perhaps to some extent the present volume may supply the 
information required. The increasing opportunities and encour- 
agement afforded for the development of European capital in 
India are calculated also to give a practical value to any work 
which will describe to the merchant or settler his exact relations 
to the Government, in regard to the forest products of the 
country.” 
The greater part of the contents of the volume are on record in 
