71 
Book ; literally, “The Lime Wood,’—was at length reached, and 
the carriages drew up at the door of the Crown Hotel about half-past 
twelve o’clock. By one o’clock, the appointed hour, members were 
served with an excellent luncheon in the New Forest Hall, by Mrs 
Jones of the hotel, who proved herself an admirable hostess. 
Colonel Frep. BArILey, R.E., presided, having on his right the Hon. Gerald 
Lascelles, the Deputy-Surveyor of the New Forest, and Mr Phillips, who had 
met the party here. After luncheon, the Chairman said: They had hada 
most delightful drive that morning, and he thought he might promise them a 
most enjoyable excursion in the afternoon and to-morrow. For the pleasure 
and profit which they should derive from the inspection of the woods, resources, 
and beauties of the New Forest, they would be greatly indebted to Mr Lascelles, 
as well as for the valuable assistance he had already given them in arranging 
the Excursion. He asked them to join in giving to Mr Lascelles a very 
_ hearty vote of thanks. 
The Hon. GeRALD LASCELLEs, in reply, said: The time pressed, they had a 
long round before them that afternoon, and he should not therefore make a 
. speech. He would only detain them half-a-minute to thank them very 
heartily for so cordially drinking his health. The New Forest could speak 
for itself far more eloquently than he could do for it. All that he could 
do, therefore, would be for him to take them through some of the best parts 
of it, for the Forest was so large that they could easily organise an excursion 
every day for a month to some different scene within its borders. 
On quitting the luncheon hall, the party walked to the Queen’s 
House, at the top of the village, the official residence of the Deputy- 
Surveyor of the Forest, and were shown over the Verderers’ Hall, an 
Elizabethan building in which the Forest Court of Swainmote, now 
called the Verderers’ Court, is still held for the settlement of common 
rights and the granting of game-shooting and. other licences. 
The hall is a most interesting relic, hoary with age, but still in 
sound condition. It is a well-lighted oblong room, of considerable 
size, with an old-fashioned brick floor, and furnished with tables 
and seats of primitive shape, size, and substance. Here, it was first 
intended the party should have had luncheon, for which purpose it 
had been placed at the service of the Society by Mr Lascelles; but 
commodious as it is, the number of members could not be crammed 
into it, to their great regret, for no other place so appropriate could 
have been found for a Foresters’ gathering. In the hall, Mr Lascelles 
gave a short and very interesting statement regarding the building. 
It stood on the site, he said, of the Manor House of Lyndhurst, 
which was a Royal manor, and was probably as old if not older 
than the New Forest itself. Part of the present building certainly 
