The Beginnings of Lumbering in the Nezv World 21 



land), and the neighboring forests where they raged till they 

 were only checked by a flood of rain which fell on the 19th and 

 20th of August. Even the cattle in many places did not escape 

 the violence of devouring fire. A prodigious quantity of the 

 most valuable forest timber was destroyed, besides houses and 

 saw-mills." 



This fire covered a distance of about fifty miles from its start- 

 ing point in an easterly direction and must have burned itself 

 out at Casco Bay, north of Portland. As the country north of 

 this was unbroken forest to the ' ' River of Canada " , it must 

 have burned over an immense area in that direction. We cannot 

 well imagine the damage that would be done by such a fire burn- 

 ing for a month or more in an unbroken forest. 



Belnap tells us that as early as 1668 the government of Massa- 

 chusetts, under which the provinces of Maine and New Hamp- 

 shire then were, had reserved for the public use all white pine 

 trees of twenty-four inches in diameter at three feet from the 

 ground. These trees were reserved for masts for the king's navy. 

 The government had a monopoly of trade in masts and main- 

 tained it up to the time of the Revolution. 



Sullivan tells us that the charter of 1692 incorporated the Prov- 

 ince of Maine and lands between Nova Scotia and Sagadahoc 

 River with the old Colony of Massachusetts, with the provision 

 that the general court should not grant any lands in Acadie, or 

 east of the Kennebec River without the consent of the Crown. 

 In the charter there was a reservation of all the pine trees of 

 twenty-four inches in diameter for the use of his majesty, his 

 heirs and successors. Acts of Parliament prohibited the cutting 

 of pine trees on this reservation under very severe penalties re- 

 coverable in the admiralty courts. The Crown would not trust 

 a jury to try causes arising on the supposed breaches of these acts 

 of Parliament. Agents were appointed to take care of the pine 

 trees ; but as the country was cleared, fires were kindled, .which 

 ran into the forests and destroyed the pine timber wherever they 

 came. Moreover, as the forest trees were cut down, the tall 

 pines became unable when unshielded against the wind by the 

 lesser woods, to withstand the storms. The agents, generally 

 for their own emolument, gave license to cut such trees for other 

 uses as would not answer for navy masts, and sent deputies to 

 mark the trees which were to be preserved. This was usually 



