1792 THE GRINDSTONE OAK 241 



printed February, 1790; though never published: but dis- 

 tributed among the members of the house of commons from 

 some of whom you may borrow it, as I have done. This 

 curious survey will inform you, from the best authority, 

 of all the circumstances respecting the advantages, usages, 

 abuses, &c. of our Forest of Alice Holt, and Wolmer. Here 

 you will see, that the Forest now consists of 8,694 acres, 

 107 of which are in ponds; that the present timber is 

 estimated at £60,000 ; that it is almost all of a size, and 

 about 100 years old; that it is shamefully abused by the 

 neighbouring poor, who lop it, and top it as they please ; 

 that there is no succession because all the bushes are 

 destroyed by the commoners around ; that your old favourite 

 Oak, the Grindstone Oak, is estimated at 27 loads of timber ; 

 that the peat cut in Wolmer is prodigious ; in the year 1788 

 in one walk 942 loads ; and in another walk the same year 

 423 loads, besides heath and fern; and in the same year 

 935,000 turves; &c. &c. &c. Lord Stawell is the Lieu- 

 tenant, or Grantee, whose lease expires in 1811, as I have 

 said in my book. That Nobleman did me the honour to 

 call on me a morning or two ago, and sat with me two 

 hours: he brought me a white wood cock, milk white all 

 over except a few spots. 



My friend at Bramshot place,* where I measured the 

 great pollard oaks, and Sycamore last summer, has got 

 a great range of chestnut-paling ; I shall tell him what 

 Mr. Kent says respecting timber of that sort. The rain 

 with us in 1791 was 44 in. 93 hund. : upwards of 8 inches 

 of which fell in November ! the rain of the present year has 

 been considerable. Our indications of spring this year are 

 thus: Jan. 19 winter-aconite blows: Jan. 21 Hepaticas blow. 

 Jan. 29. snowdrop blows : 31 Hasels : Feb. 4 Crocus b. 13. 

 hrimstone hutterfly ; 21. yellow wagtail appears. 26. Humlle 



* Near Liphook. The friend was a Mr. Kichardson, whom he sometimes 

 visited for a day or two. 

 VOL. II. — R 



