106 DEBATE ON SIR JOHN LUBBOCK'S MOTION. [June 



them from properly thixming and clearing their woods. I confess 

 that the principle is capable of very wide application, going far 

 beyond the limits of tbe present debate, but I may contend that 

 nothing does more to increase the ground of complaint with respect 

 to the condition of our woods and plantations than that superstition 

 which leads owners to think that it is a kind of sacrilege to cut 

 down trees, instead of regarding it as the only way of keeping them 

 properly. I agree that it is quite worth while to appoint this 

 Committee, but I must make certain reservations. I do not wish to 

 be bound that the Government will establish a Forestry School. I 

 will give the reason why there should not be any foregone conclusion 

 on that subject. My hon. friend who made this motion has spoken 

 of the Forestry Schools which have been instituted abroad. That was 

 quite true, but there are two observations to be made upon it. 

 First, they have to depend on direct aid ; and, secondly, the scale of 

 operations is infinitely larger, I cannot agree with the hon. gentle- 

 man who said of the comity of Inverness that there were 900,000 

 acres. I am convinced that there must be a complete error there. 

 There can be nothing approaching to that in the county of Inverness; 

 in fact, I think the whole amount in Scotland does not reach 

 900,000 acres. 



Sir H. Maxwell said he might have been wrong about the 

 figures, but Inverness was larger than any other county in the 

 United Kingdom, 



Mr. Gladstone — I do not much contest that, but there are one 

 or two other counties also very large. 



Sir H. Maxwell thought the amount for Inverness was 400,000. 



Mr. Gladstone — I am afraid I cannot afford that ; I think my 

 hon, friend who introduced the motion said the total for England 

 was 2,800,000 acres. 



Sir J, Lubbock — Including Scotland. 



Mr. Gladstone — I believe this, that there is plenty of room for 

 improvement in the management of woods in this country. (Hear, 

 hear.) Everything is done almost at haphazard. There is no fixed 

 tradition, there is no authoritative system ; and I may say, though 

 the land agents are a body of men quite as intelligent as any other 

 class in the community, and in many cases of very high intelligence 

 indeed, yet it is rare to find a land agent, as far as I know, who has 

 any practical or useful knowledge of forestry. (Hear, hear.) You 

 wiU find them men admirably qualified for every other department 

 of their duty, and yet unable to lend assistance in this respect. I 

 wish to be quite free on the question of the establishment of a 

 Forestry School, and I mentioned one reason why we should be free. 

 But another is this — allusion has been most properly made to the 



