Occasional Notes. 125 
Since " Timehri " is read in the West Indian Islands where this work 
of M. Reuss may not reach, I may add that of the exhibits from St. 
Vincent, M. Reuss remarks that, in spite of the smallness of the island 
and its non-importance from a forestry point of view, the Government 
had brought before the public a large number of articles such as speci- 
mens of wood, models of huts and boats &c, which, however, were not 
worthy of special notice. He considers that the produfts of this island 
are much about the same as those of British Guiana, and that Nectan- 
dra is well represented. I am afraid M. Reuss is scarcely correct in 
this view. He goes on to say that the conservancy of the woods, and 
the rights of the Crown over this portion of the island, are not 
clearly established. It may be remarked that the earlier proprietors of 
plantations in St. Vincent were allowed to occupy the ungranted 
lands next their allotments until these were required by the Crown. 
There appears now to be some scheme for creating a ■• peasant pro- 
prietary", and Crown lands are to be acquired on certain (or uncertain) 
terms in small lots. Whether squatting, to the advantage of neither 
Crown nor estate owner, does not result, remains to be seen. M. Reuss 
adds that the forests in St. Vincent are disappearing, and that possibly 
the drought which existed when he wrote may be the result. This evil 
may be aggravated by indiscriminate clearing of new allotments. So 
greatly was the influence of trees with regard to rainfall appreciated in 
this Island, that on its eastern coast, a thickly wooded hill was in former 
years carefully conserved under Legislative enaclments as a means of 
attraaing rain. Tobago appears to have been the only other West 
Indian Island represented. M. Reuss states that the kinds of wood 
found in St. Vincent and Guiana are also found in this tiny member of 
the Antilles, and that the annual encroachments on its forests are so 
trifling as not to require any measures for their preservation. The 
timber exports are very small and the people of Tobago will be sur- 
prised to hear tbat they consist chiefly of mahogany. 
The Tobago exhibits were but few and small, consisting of vertical 
and transverse seaions of wood, seeds, &c, none being of much impor- 
tance. 
It may be added that Mr. Wm, Russell on his return from this 
Exhibition spoke in glowing terms of the admirable way in which the 
Japanese specimens and exhibits were shown at the Edinburgh Exhibi- 
tion. Mr. Reuss also reports in the highest terms of the complete 
manner in which the Japanese produas, raw and manufaaured, were 
