272 BURN HA. VI BEECHES. 



a private Act enabling them to deal with all Commons 

 within twenty-five miles of London. A deputation 

 consisting of members of the Society, and of the Kyrle 

 Society, was introduced by the writer to the Committee 

 of* the Corporation having charge of the subject of open 

 spaces. The only difficulty in the way of the Corpora- 

 tion was that their powers under their Act were limited 

 to Commons, and did not extend to the purchase of 

 adjoining freeholds. Sir Henry Peek, however, at the 

 instance of Mr. Robert Hunter, who was at that time 

 acting both for the Corporation in relation to open 

 spaces and for Sir Henry, came forward most promptly 

 to relieve the Corporation of this difficulty, and agreed 

 to acquire the whole property as put up for sale, to 

 retain himself the freehold, consisting of 175 acres, and 

 to resell the Common to the Corporation at an agreed 

 price. The Corporation, relieved of this difficult}', 

 readily adopted the suggestion of purchasing the 

 Common for the very moderate sum of 6,000, or less 

 than 20 an acre, not a tenth part of the value of the 

 land, on the assumption that it was free from common 

 rights. This most interesting place, therefore, with 

 its groves of noble beeches, presenting hundreds of 

 pictures of sylvan grandeur, came under the protection 

 of the Corporation of London, and has been secured for 

 ever for the enjoyment of the public. 



