282 RURAL COMMONS. 



thirty-eight cases, inasmuch as it was not proved to 

 their satisfaction that such a course was for the benefit 

 of the neighbourhood a striking commentary on the 

 previous proceedings, and on the new principle asserted 

 by Parliament. 



On the other hand, we failed altogether in Committee 

 on the Bill to make the clauses with respect to the 

 regulation of Commons more elastic and workable, either 

 by reducing the required proportion of assents of Com- 

 moners, or by removing the veto of the Lord of the 

 Manor. We failed also in numerous attempts to put 

 an end to arbitrary inclosures of Commons otherwise 

 than by the sanction of Parliament. The utmost we 

 succeeded in obtaining was a clause directing persons, 

 intending to inclose portions of Commons, to give three 

 months' notice in a local newspaper of their intention to 

 do so 5 and a further clause taken from the Bill of 1871, 

 enabling local authorities to purchase land with rights 

 of common attached to it, with the object of giving 

 them a voice in the management of Commons and the 

 right of objecting to inclosure. 



After the passing of the Act, a Standing Committee 

 of the House of Commons was appointed, to which all 

 schemes for the inclosure or regulation of Commons 

 under the Act were referred. On this Committee two 

 members of the Commons Society have always sat. 

 Mr. Fawcett and Sir William Harcourt were on the 

 first Committee, and, later, were replaced by Mr. 

 Bryce and myself. By their efforts, every scheme 

 has been subjected to the strictest examination, before 



