DEPUTATION TO THE SECRETARY FOR SCOTLAND. 53 



views are adopted, we shall have a good scheme ; and we are 

 most anxious that in the discussion of any scheme the claims of 

 Scotland may be duly recognised, I have spoken very generally 

 because I feel that, in coming here, we have come not so much to 

 urge upon you any special line of policy as to invite your personal 

 interest in work which is of such great interest to us. It is the 

 first time we have had occasion to wait upon you since your 

 appointment as Secretary for Scotland, and it would be a great 

 encouragement to us if we had your support, and I am very 

 hopeful that we shall obtain it, because I am glad to see that 

 you have already sanctioned a substantial grant of money to 

 begin the work of afforestation on the estate of Borgie. I will 

 not detain you any more just now. I have said that I have 

 spoken in general terms, but there are two or three questions on 

 which it might be desirable to be more explicit, and, with your 

 permission, some of the gentlemen who have accompanied me 

 to-day will deal with these." 



The Secretary for Scotland. — " May I ask you one question ? 

 May I assume that the present view of your Society is in favour 

 of a separate and independent Forestry Department, sitting in 

 Whitehall, with a jurisdiction extending over England and 

 Scotland, rather than a re-arrangement of the Board of 

 Agriculture in accordance with the promise?" 



Sir Andrew Agnew. — "Yes, it is; we consider that, in the 

 circumstances, the Board of Agriculture is not able to deal 

 with the question. It is so large a question that it really 

 requires an independent Department to deal with it. That is 

 our view, and we hold it very strongly. I now call upon Sir 

 John Stirling-Maxwell." 



Sir John Stirling-Maxwell. — "The subject remitted to me is 

 the very large one of suggestions for the future. I shall try 

 not to confuse your mind by making too many. In regard to 

 administration, I can add nothing to what has been said by 

 Sir Andrew Agnew. Of course the question is one of the 

 first importance, and it is mainly to the faults of administrative 

 machinery that our want of progress up till now is due. But, 

 at the same time, one recognises that administrative machinery 

 may be devised in more than one form, and all we desire is 

 that a workable machine should be devised. 



"I should like to add one or two rather brighter touches to 

 Sir Andrew's narrative, which was necessarily sombre, having 



