35 
nised by its leaves, which are coriaceous, oblong or obovate oblong, 
and obtusely acuminate; in colour they are of a beautiful coppery 
gold colour on the under surface, and dark glossy green on the 
upper. In a mature tree the leaves are about two inches long, but 
much longer in the young plant. In the forests this tree appears 
to be very free from the attacks of disease, the only one I have seen 
being in plantations, and caused by the larva ©f a moth which I 
believe to be Rhodoneura , sp. This larva eats the young shoots 
and leaves, and has done appreciable damage in Malacca. 
II.— Measures of Protection. 
The qualities of Gutta Percha became known about 1845, ar) d the 
demand steadily increased from that time, till in the seventies there 
was a rush for it by the natives of these States, the price rising rapidly 
till 1902. Between 1895 and 1900 the exports from Singapore rose 
from 2,642 tons to 5,831 tons. It may safely be said that from 1890 
onwards the natives of these States were doing their best to obtain 
Gutta Percha. Their method of extraction consisted in felling every 
tree they came across and extraction of the latex in a wasteful rough 
and ready manner, so that by the time the authorities awoke to the 
fact that Palaquium was being wiped out (about 1898), it was too 
late to save trees large enough to produce Gutta Percha. It is 
difficult to see how this could have been prevented, however, as at 
the time there was no properly organised Forest Department, and 
whatever measures might have been adopted it would have been 
impossible to effectively carry out in these dense unpopulated, 
evergreen forests. 
In Perak the export of Gutta Percha was prohibited in 1881, but 
allowed again in 1887, the issue of passes to collect being prohibited 
in 1900. The first timber rules, published in 1898 by the British 
Residents of the various States, contained a protective measure which 
was to the effect that no rubber bearing tree should be felled if of 
less than 8 inches diameter. This rule could not, I imagine, be 
enforced in practice, owing to want of an organised staff. In 1899 
and 1900 the matter was taken up by the High Commissioner and the 
Resident-General, and in the latter year the British Resident, Pahang, 
issued orders to all his officers to do all that lay in their power to 
prevent the destruction of Gutta Percha producing trees. 
The question of planting was also discussed, but not in a very 
practical manner. 
The Forest Department was started in each State by the appoint- 
ment of a local mail, in Perak in 1895, in Selangor in ^898, in Negri 
Sembilan in 1899, and in Pahang not till 1902," when a member of 
the Indian Provincial forest Service was sent over on deputation at 
my request, I being deputed from India in October 1901, as Con- 
servator of Forests. 
Early in 1902 I suggested that an export; duty of 80 per cent ad 
valorem be imposed on all Gutta Percha leaving these States, as a 
means of putting a stop to the extraction and collection of this pro- 
duct, a considerable period of absolute rest being obvious! v indica- 
