4^ WARRANT FOR PAYMENT OF FOREST OFFICERS. 



door grapes ha\e nowhere ripened, being on the average no 

 bigger than large peas, and are as sour as can be." As a rule, 

 however, growers of these outdoor grapes have, in Essex, much 

 less to fear from the deficiencies of our climate than from 

 the wasps, which attack the grapes with avidity as soon as they 

 begin to ripen. 



Nevertheless, as has already been said, there seems room for 

 doubt whether our Essex climate is now good enough to ripen, 

 in an average year, grapes sufficiently for the purposes of wine 

 making. It is one thing for a few grapes to ripen when pro- 

 duced by a \ine trained to a brick wall which catches and 

 reflects all possible rays of the sun's heat ; but it is quite 

 another thing for grapes to ripen when grown upon poles in vine- 

 yards in the only manner possible when the grapes are required 

 in large quantities for wine-making. 



The foregoing does not profess to be anything like a 

 complete review of the subject treated. Further research would 

 bring to light many other old records and interesting forgotten 

 facts tending to elucidate the subject ; but enough has been 

 said to establish the fact that, in early times, viniculture was 

 carried on more or less extensively in our county. -t" 



40 I have to tliank Mr. Bickley, of the British Museum, and Mr. William Cole, 

 F.L.S., for kind assistance and advice in reference to portions of the foregoinj^ paper. 



^VARRANT FOR PAYMENT OF FOREST 

 OFFICERS IN 1728. 



By I. CHALKLEY GOULD. 



[Read February 23th, 1899]. 



rr^HE presentation of this document to the Epping Forest 

 I Museum by Mr. Brown enables us to compare it witli 

 a similar Exchequer Order, dated the 14th January, 1 741, already 

 in our collection and exhibited at Chingford. 



The description given of that document in The Essex 

 Naturalist (vol. ix., p. 73) renders it unnecessary to do more 

 than indicate the points of difference presented by our new 

 acquisition. 



It will be seen that this warrant is of earlier date, viz., 

 30th October, 1^26, and opens with the order to pay out of " his 



