The Forests of British Guiana. 207 
forest of trees under 12 inches diameter, beyond a thin- 
ning that would leave a healthy young hard-wood tree to 
cover every 20 feet area of ground cut over. But the 
main difficulty seems to be the same which checks 
almost every attempt at developing the riches of the 
colony : the want of steady labourers at such rates of 
wages as would compete in the markets of the world 
against countries the people of which are compelled by 
nature to work hard and continuously. Wood for path- 
and bridge-making should be taken only from common 
trees which it would be an advantage to thin out. 
A territory should be marked off and assigned to the 
Indians on each of the great rivers, and they should be 
stopped from cutting small timber wholesale wherever 
they find a convenient spot at an easy distance from the 
rivers. Charcoal-burners, cord-wood cutters, and shingle- 
splitters should be compelled to leave a healthy hard- 
wood tree to cover every 20 square feet of ground. 
On reference to McDermott's diary for last year it 
will be found that the value of exports is given as : — 
Timber, 124,000 cubic feet, at 32c $ 39,680 
Charcoal, 40,211 barrels at 80c 32,168 
Shingles (1870) 6,121,225 at M per 1000 24,000 
$ 96,728 
Double for use in colony $ 193,456 
or under $200,000 for the gross value of the products of 
the forests ; nor does this industry give a cent of 
direct revenue to the exchequer beyond the very trifling 
sum paid for licences. So that any creation of officers 
and offices would be a direct and undesirable tax upon 
the general revenue. 
CC I 
