EPPING FOREST. 13 



In consequence of this rebuff, Mr. Fawcett, on 

 February 14th, 1870, in a most able speech, brought 

 the whole subject of the inclosures of Epping Forest 

 before the House of Commons, and moved an address 

 to the Crown, praying that Her Majesty would be 

 graciously pleased to defend the rights of the Crown 

 over the Forest, so that it might be preserved as an 

 open space for the recreation of the people. 



Mr. Fawcett was replied to by the Solicitor-General 

 (now Lord Coleridge), who said he approached the 

 subject with every sympathy for the object in view, 

 namely, the preservation of Epping Forest, and without 

 the smallest desire to throw any impediment in the way. 



" If it were true/' he said, " that any rights of the Crown 

 had been interfered with, in which the subjects of the Crown 

 shared, and if it could be shown that by a simple and cheap 

 mode the Crown could maintain its own rights, and by maintain- 

 ing its rights, maintain practically and effectively the rights of 

 the subjects, he should decidedly approve the interference of the 

 Crown. Indeed, he would go further and say that if the rights of 

 the Crown were of such a character that they could be exchanged 

 for something of a substantial value as, for instance, if the 

 Crown by parting with its rights over 3,000 acres could obtain 

 300 acres elsewhere of open space it would be a sensible thing to 

 do so." 



He then proceeded to point out the grave difficulties 



in the way of enforcement of these rights. 



" They were asked," he said, ** not to maintain any rights of 

 the Crown in which the subject was entitled to share, or in 

 which he had the slightest interest, but they were asked to 

 maintain certain rights of the Crown, at very great expense 

 and with very doubtful issue, in which the subject had no share 



