144 EPPING FOREST. 



in the various suits affecting the Forest, pending the 

 Report of the Commission. Strong objection, however, 

 was taken to this, so far as the Corporation suit was 

 concerned, and finally an exception was made of this 

 suit, on the ground that it might materially assist the 

 Commission, if the legal issues in the case were heard 

 and determined by a competent legal tribunal . Thus it 

 happened that two great inquiries as to Epping Forest 

 were started and proceeded with at the same time 

 the one before the Courts of Law, in which the validity 

 of the past inclosures was at issue, and the rights of 

 the Commoners were to be decided ; the other before a 

 Royal Commission. 



Being at the time a member of the then Government 

 I was unable to take part in the above discussions 

 in Parliament. I had ceased also for a time to be 

 Chairman of the Commons Society, but I continued 

 to attend its meetings, and took a part in guiding 

 its general policy and action. In the discussions on 

 Epping Forest I was not in favour of the attempt 

 to urge the Government into proceedings for the 

 enforcement of the Crown's forestal rights. I believed 

 the legal difficulties opposed to such a course were 

 very great, especially in view of the fact that the 

 deer had been killed down, and that more than half 

 the Forest had been already freed from the Crown's 

 rights. I considered that by far the most promising 

 line of action, for the abatement of inclosures and 

 the preservation of the Forest, was through the medium 

 of the Commoners and by enforcing their rights in the 



