THE NEW FOREST. 235 



4,000 acres. The restriction as to oaks, and the selection 

 of areas for planting, resulted in the general features of 

 the Forest being little altered by these operations. 

 There was no dull uniformity in the plantations, and 

 most of those which still exist exhibit all the wild 

 beauties of Nature. When thrown open, the cattle 

 soon trod down the banks. 



In 1851, in consequence of the abuses which were 

 then made public, it was determined to do away with 

 the deer in the Forest, and to disafforest it, in the sense 

 of getting rid of all the exceptional laws respecting 

 them. There were said to be 3,000 deer at that time. 

 The Sovereigns no longer came to the Forest for sport, 

 and there was no object in maintaining the deer. As 

 the removal of them, it was thought, would add to 

 the pasture for the Commoners' cattle, and would make 

 it no longer important to prevent the turning out of 

 cattle during the fence month, when the does were 

 dropping their fawns, or during the winter heyning, 

 when the Forest was reserved for deer, it was thought 

 that the Crown ought to take some compensation for its 

 forestal rights, in the shape of increased power to inclose 

 parts of the Forest land for the planting of timber. 



The Act of 1851, therefore, on this understanding, 

 provided that the Crown should be empowered to in- 

 close and plant an additional extent of 10,000 acres over 

 and above the (5,000 acres already allowed under the 

 Act of 1G98. Under the joint provisions of the two 

 Acts the Commissioners of Woods and Forests, in 

 whom the later Act vested the control and management 



