THE FORESTS OF BELGIUM 



27 



The origin of "Soignes" seems lost 

 in the misty distances of the past, but 

 the forest dates back to the prehistoric 

 era. At the beginning of history it 

 opposed an impassable barrier to the 

 invasion of the Franks, and established 

 the linguistic frontier of the countries 

 which, fifteen centuries later, were 

 to unite under the name of Belg- 

 ium. Up to the 15th Century 

 this ocean of verdure beat against 

 the very foot of the hill which now 

 forms the center of Brussels, but 

 by the end of the 18th Century, 

 under the Austrian domination, 

 it had been reduced to 12,000 

 hectares (29,652 acres). 



Under the French and until 

 1822 it remained of this extent; 

 but under the Dutch, and through 

 its exploitation by the Societe 

 Generale Neerlandaise pour fav- 

 oriser 1' Industrie Nationale, 

 which bought the forest from 

 William of Holland, it became 

 further reduced to nearly one- 

 third that size. Today it covers 

 only 4,860 hectares (12,000 

 acres), a striking example of 

 how the Dutch Stock Company 

 carried out its plan of favoring 

 national industries, and an ex- 

 cellent illustration of the fact 

 that great national resources 

 were privately coveted and ex- 

 ploited long before the present 

 era. 



From among the noblest of its 

 ranks were culled the planks of 

 the flat-boats destined to serve 

 Napoleon in his planned invasion — — 

 of England; likewise, twenty- 

 two thousand of its specimens o 

 were cut for building palisades 

 about towns which were thought 

 to be menaced by the allies. 



Up to 1866 the forest fell victim to 

 one interest after another, until finally 

 the Administration became subject to 

 such criticism that it appointed a com- 

 mission, which, however, served only 

 to partially arrest the destruction of the 

 forest. During the ensuing years, up 

 to the formation of the League of the 

 Friends of the Forest, in 1900, its 



preservation was the constant subject 

 of protest and agitation, and, as usual, 

 this work centered about the person- 

 ality of a man — Rene Stevens, painter, 

 nature-lover, and an ardent champion 

 of the inalienable right of the people to 

 their national heritage. 



V.Aia .<:■ 



Au Vallon de Blankendelle. 



THE EDGE OF THE WOOD OF THE VALLEY OF BLANK- 

 ENDELLE. 



Rene Stevens was to the Forest of 

 Soignes what Denecourt was to Fon- 

 tainebleau, and the amazing chronicle 

 of his efforts not only to preserve the 

 forest but to render it known, acces- 

 sible, and beloved is the crowning 

 achievement of his life. To his aid 

 came many others, and, with that 

 tenacity of purpose which has won the 

 Flemish race its proud position, the 



