Sir George King. 



xv 



knowledge, and was accepted by King, who was thereupon placed in charge 

 of the Dehra Dun forests, taking up his new duties on December 3, 1869. 



At Agra, Muttra, and Saharanpur King laid the foundation of that 

 knowledge of the plants of the Upper Gangetic Plain, shown in a contri- 

 bution by him to the ' IST.W. Provinces Gazetteer.' At Goona the flora of 

 Central India did not suffice to occupy all his leisure; the balance he 

 devoted to an ornithological survey of the district and to the preparation of 

 a series of skeletons for the anatomical museum of his university. This 

 work he continued in Rajputana, where he also made large botanical collec- 

 tions, investigated the plants used as food in times of scarcity, and studied 

 the vegetation from what is now termed the cecological standpoint. At 

 Saharanpur he found time, amid his administrative duties, for morphological 

 and economic botanical studies. 



The forest work at Dehra Dun gave King freer scope for the display of 

 his powers. Zeal, energy, and candour were in him combined with a charm 

 of manner which attached to him those with whom he had dealings. He 

 could direct without damping the enthusiasm of those who served under him, 

 while commanding the confidence of those under whom he served. Honest 

 difference of opinion he seemed to find attractive ; his anger never was 

 provoked save by attempts at intrigue or subterfuge. These qualities were 

 sorely needed in the Assistant Conservatorship with which he was entrusted. 

 The situation he had to face is disclosed "in a ' Memorandum on the Dehra 

 Dhoon Government Forests,' presented to Government in April, 1871. To 

 help him in his task he had been invested with the powers of a subordinate 

 magistrate of the first class within forest limits on March 18, 1870 ; in 

 performing it he virtually saved these forests from extinction. The nature 

 of his achievement during the fifteen preceding months may be gathered from 

 a judgment delivered on May 21, 1871, of which the following passage forms 

 part : — " I do not think it would be right of me to close this case without 

 putting on record some expression of opinion regarding the zeal displayed by 

 Dr. King, and the debt which the Forest Department owes him. For years 

 a most complete system of bribery and corruption had been going on in the 

 Forest office ; Government property to the value of thousands of rupees had 

 been yearly stolen with the connivance of the Forest officials. Dr. King 

 had hardly been in office a month when he saw how affairs stood, and before 

 the end of six months he had obtained convictions against the principal 

 offenders. The amount of labour Dr. King had to go through to obtain this 

 satisfactory result is beyond belief. Day and night he never rested ; 

 through the most impenetrable jungles in the most unhealthy season he 

 forced his way. No man, woman, or child who could throw any light on the 

 subject was left unseen and unquestioned ; once he got a clue he never let 

 it drop ; account-books and papers sent into the heart of foreign territory to 

 be beyond grasp he ferreted out and laid before the Court. The result 

 is that he has thrown light on all the most secret transactions. The 

 character of all the officials in the Forest Department has been clearly 



