1885.] riJE FORESTRY COMMITTEE. 315 



direction in Scotland, where a museum and librarj^ with this special 

 object were being established. There should be forest schools in 

 England, Scotland, and Ireland. These cchools had existed on the 

 Continent for a considerable time. Some of those in Germany had 

 existed 100 years. Most certainly there should be a forest school 

 in Edinburgh. An elaborate system of scientific education was 

 given in Germany as a groundwork for special forestal knowledge. 

 He had read the paper by Mr. Simmons at the Society of Arts, 

 giving statistics of the annual importation of timber to the amount of 

 £17,000,000, or with resin, etc., £31,000,000. With the exist- 

 ence of a forest school, a material proportion of timber might be 

 supplied at home. At all events, we could do a great deal more 

 than we did at present. Better scantlings of timber might be grown 

 by careful management. This country could not depend much in 

 future on the Indian supply, on account of the great distance. 

 Teak Avas of exceptional value. All the foreign possessions of 

 England were taking up the subject, more or less. Indian forest 

 officers were lent to the Colonies as a favour. Supplies of 

 timber from Canada were very considerably diminished. Prince 

 Edward's Island, which M'as once covered with timber, was altogether 

 denuded. Asked if England must expect a diminished supply, 

 witness said there was no doubt of that. A considerable part 

 of England, now lying unproductive, would grow timber better 

 than anything else that could be suggested, especially on the 

 banks of navigable rivers. ITe knew Scotland very well, and he 

 considered that a greater area than the three-quarters of a million 

 acres in that country devoted to timber might be usefully applied 

 in that way, especially on the seaboard. There were gTcat slopes of 

 land in the Xorth of England which were now comparativelj^ waste, 

 and which would grow timber on a large scale. As a matter of 

 shelter and rainfall, forestation was valuable. There was a general 

 consensus among the chief forest authorities in Germany, that from 

 a fifth to a fourth of a country ought to be under forest for the well- 

 being of the rest of the country. After a lifetime devoted to the 

 cultivation of forests, he concurred in that opinion as a general rule. 

 It was also generally understood that a process of denudation of 

 land was generally going on to a very serious extent where the 

 country was disafforested. In Spain, Italy, and some other countries, 

 the denudation was most serious. In this country ornamental woods, 

 though small, were of some service. The quantity of timber stand- 

 ing in England was comparatively limited, only 1,466,000 acres. 

 In France the amount was 22,000,000 acres, in Austria 23,000,000 

 acres, and Hungary 22,000,000 acres. Scotland had about 750,000 

 acres. Ireland had 350,000 acres, which was 40,000 less than 



