132 EPPING FOREST. 



Forest, and of restoring it to its pristine extent, for the 

 benefit of the people of London. 



I introduced to the Lord Mayor a deputation of 

 persons interested in the preservation of Epping Forest. 

 We insisted on the importance of the subject, and 

 represented that the Corporation would acquire great 

 and lasting honour by fighting the cause of London 

 generally. We pointed out the old connection of the 

 City of London with the Forest in respect of the annual 

 Easter hunt ; we urged them to take up the cudgels 

 against the Lords of Manors on behalf of their 

 common rights at Ilford. The Lord Mayor gave a 

 friendly ear to our representatives. Mr. Scott, the 

 City Chamberlain, also took up the subject with great 

 ardour, and it was mainly at his instance that the Cor- 

 poration was induced to move in the matter. This body, 

 with a keen eye to its advantage, perceived that great 

 popularity might be achieved by fighting for the interest 

 of the public in a case of such importance and magnitude, 

 and was the more inclined to embark on it at a time 

 when the separate exclusive rights of the Corporation 

 were threatened by the demands of London generally for 

 a single Municipal Government. 



The Corporation having decided to take up the case 

 of Epping Forest, and to fight the cause of the 

 Commoners and the public, I felt that their pro- 

 ceedings could only be conducted to a successful 

 conclusion if piloted through the quicksands of the 

 Law Courts by a lawyer familiar with such cases, and 

 fully instructed in the intricate law of Commons. I 



