ABSTRACT
The question of reclaiming the Sundarban jungles acquired in 1757 was taken up in 1770, by the Collector General Claude Russell and by Tilman Henckell, Magistrate of Jessore in 1783. Both Tilman and Russell, came in conflict with the claims of zamindars who were eager to add to their estates all such waste lands as they could to bring under cultivation. Henckell was the first magistrate and judge of Khulna, Faridpur, and Jessore with powers to supervise the work of cultivation in the Sundarbans. Henckell took active measures to ensure the success of the land reclamation scheme. A few incidents, gathered from the correspondence of Henckell, indicated the state of affairs in the district with regard to crime and police. In 1787, Henckell submitted proposals for the reform of the salt department and offered to undertake the duties of the salt agent. Tilman Henckell's land settlements and their concomitants therefore marked a reformative type of colonial development.
