1885.] DEBATE ON SIR JOHN LUBBOCK'S MOTION. 103 



would consider that be had made out a strong case, at any rate, for 

 inquiry, and that the House would accede to his motion. lu con- 

 clusion, he begged to move for a Selec' Committee to consider 

 whether by the establishment of a Forest School or otherwise our 

 woodlands could be rendered more remunerative. (Hear, hear.) 



Dr. Lyons, in seconding the motion, reminded the House that he 

 had for some years past called attention to this subject in connection 

 with Ireland, It was undoubtedly the case that of late years a 

 very considerable diminution had taken place in the amount of wood 

 planted. Ireland had formerly been able to carry on a large amount 

 of iron-smelting by means of her wood, and the smelting had come 

 to an end when the supply of wood had ceased. He had to thank 

 the noble lord the Under-Secretary for Foreign Affairs and the 

 noble lord the Secretary for the Colonies for the ready assistance 

 which they had given him in investigating the important subject of 

 forestry. In reports, which included the greater portion of Europe, 

 it was clearly laid down that those countries could no longer afford 

 to export an unlimited amount of timber to this country. It was 

 the same with regard to the United States and to Canada, where the 

 timber had been recklessly cut down, and where constant forest fires 

 destroyed as much timber as would have supplied European demands 

 for some years. The hon. member for London University had 

 referred to our timber imports as amounting to £16,000,000. 

 That return, he thought, must refer to timber alone, without other 

 forest produce, such as tar, pitch, resin, and bark. The whole of the 

 forest produce imported into this country really amounted to about 

 £30,000,000. With regard to European countries, France was not 

 in a position to supply all her own industrial wants, but was import- 

 ing a large amount of timber every year. We must also look for a 

 cessation of the timber supply from the Baltic in a very short time ; 

 the countries in that neighbourhood had lately been supplying small 

 timber, which showed that they were cutting down miniature trees. 

 There could be no doubt that one of the main economic causes 

 which had hindered the progress of Ireland had been the destruction 

 of her forests. The forests had been destroyed, partly in order to 

 prevent the natives from sheltering there from their oppressors and 

 partly for smelting purposes. The amount of woodland in Ireland 

 was decreasing; there were now 45,000 acres less than in 1841. 

 The total amount of timber now standing in Ireland was only 

 350,000 acres. How much this was below the amount of wood- 

 land Ireland ought to possess, was seen from the fact that the best 

 authorities had held that to keep a country in good order and ensure 

 the proper growth of crops, from one-third to one-fourth ought to be 

 X^rotected by woodland. The amount of woodland possessed by 



