The first essay at forest conservancy in the Madras Presidency was the introduction of a State royalty over teak and other valuable timber in Malabar and Canara in 1807. The existing Forest Department for Madras Presidency was first organized by Dr. Cleghorn in 1856, and placed on a new footing in 1875. The tea plant was introduced on the Neilgherry Hills about 1838.
Madras, as a presidency, has a dissimilar military and a civil jurisdiction. The former extends from Cape Comorin northwards to the Nerbadda, and includes the foreign territories of the maha rajas of Travancore, Cochin, Mysore, Hyderabad, and part of the British Central Provinces and British Burma ; while its civil sway may be de scribed as of four parts,—the Telugu country of the north, extending northwards from, and' in cluding Nellore ; the Tamil country of the south, and the Canarese, Tulu, and Malealam districts of the western or Malabar parts of the Peninsula ; and these surround a central table-land, elevated about 1000 to 2000 feet above the sea, comprising the inland districts of Salem, Coimbatore, Bellary, Kurnool, and Cuddapah, in which Canarese is the prevailing language.
The several languages have somewhat sharp boundaries,—Telugu, Tamil, Canarese, Malealam, Tulu, Uriya, and hill languages, Hindustani or Urdu being used by the bulk of the Muhammad their Lahbai section of the Tamil country speaking Tamil, and the Moplah of Malabar speak Malealam.
The area thus indicated is partly British, and in part the territories of the following sovereigns in alliance with the British, —Travaneore, Cochin, Banaganapilly, Sundur, Hyderabad, Puducottah, with a population of about 14 millions. The British territory is 141,001 square miles, with a population in 1881 of 31,170,631,-221 to the square mile. In 1871 it was 31,597,872, being a decrease of 427,241. This was the consequence of a famine in 1876-1877, which prevailed in several of the plateau districts, and affected chiefly the males, of whom there was a decrease of 453,192 ; while of the females the increase was 25,951.
1881. Males, . 15,421,043I 1871. Males, . 15,874,235 „ Females, 15,749,588 „ Females, 15,723,637 Total, . . 31,170,631 1 Total, . . 31,597,872 The 'famine was the consequence of failure iu the 'rains of 1876. The water supply of the several districts is somewhat varied. The average
annual rainfall during • a period of years ranged from 17.57 inches in Bellary to 146.31 inches in S. Canara. The N.E. monsoon prevails with heavy weather from the middle of October till the be ginning of December, and violent gales sometimes occur in May. Cyclones also occur, and do im mense damage. Those of 1807, 1828, 1836, and 1847 were very violent.
The three principal rivers of Madras are the ;lirxlavery, Kistua or Krishna, and Cauvery, each with a large tributary system of its own.
llodabetta (8640 feet) is the loftiest peak in 'Southern India. There are, besides, many out lying spurs and tangled masses of hills, of which the Shevaroys in Salem, the Animallay in Coim batore, and the Palni (Pulney) Hills in Madura ire the most important. The Laccadive Islands form, for administrative purposes, a part of Madras Presidency, being attached to the districts of Malabar and South Canara.
The Madras Presidency is eminently agricul tural. Its males so engaged numbered 6,779,971, and its females 4,024,032 ; but there are several important towns.
Madras, . . . . 405,848 Tanjore, . . . 54,745 Bangalore, . . . 155,857 Negapatam, . . 53,855 Trichinopoly, . . 84,449 Bellary, . . . 53,460 Madura, . . . 73,807 Salem, 50 667 Calieut, . . . . 57,085 Coombaconum, . 50,098 The presidency for revenue purposes is arranged into 21 districts, ranging from 4000 to 19,000 square miles in extent. The districts of Ganjam, Vizagapatam, Godavery, and Kistna are on the N.E. coast, to the E. of the Central Provinces and Hyderabad; and other E. coast districts are Nellore, 31adras, Chingleput, South Arcot, Tanjore, Madura, and Tinnevelly, the last named being situated in the extreme south of the Peninsula. To the west of Madura and Tinnevelly, and on the W. coast of the Peninsula, are the Travancore and Cochin territories governed by feudatory rajas. North of these states, on the same coast, are the Madras districts of Malabar and South Canara. The central districts of the presidency are those of Coimbatore, Trichinopoly, and Salem, between Malabar and Madras, and those of Bellary, Kur nool, Cuddapah, and North Arcot, between Ilyderabad and the Mysore country, which inter venes between Canara and Bellary and Nellore.