240 THE NEW FOREST. 



whilst in themselves of little importance to the ship- 

 builder and of no value to the Commoners. 



The only defence of the Commissioners of Woods 

 and Forests, who were responsible for the policy thus 

 described, was that they were bound by their duty, as 

 public servants, to look at the questions affecting the 

 Forest from the point of view of the public revenue only, 

 and to enforce their strict legal rights to the utmost. 

 They did not pretend that their object was any longer 

 to supply timber for the navy ; it was notorious that, 

 owing to the almost universal use of iron in shipbuilding, 

 the demand for oak had almost disappeared. The 

 timber of the New Forest had for many years been of 

 no practical value to the navy. 



The change of public opinion which occurred after 

 1865, on the subject of Commons, resulted in directing 

 attention to the condition of the New Forest ; and a 

 movement grew up having the double motive of 

 preserving to the Commoners the full enjoyment of 

 their rights, and of securing to the public that the 

 Forest, as far as possible, should be maintained in its state 

 of Nature, as a kind of national park or recreation ground, 

 and shouid not be regarded only from the utilitarian 

 point of view of the greatest possible revenue it could 

 produce, without respect to these other considerations. 



In 1871 this movement had its result in a motion in 

 the House of Commons, proposed by Mr. Fawcett, to 

 the effect that, pending further legislation on the subject, 

 no fresh inclosure or felling of timber should take 

 place in the New Forest. The Government, under the 



