COMMISSIONERS ON WINDSOR FOREST. 17 



ftales that for 2 5 years pad he has been employed as a Deputy Surveyor of 

 the Woods in Windfor Foreft by the Surveyor General of His Majefty's Woods 

 for the time being-; that about the year 1790 all the Trees belonging to His 

 Majefty in Windfor Foreft were marked in the manner described in his examina- 

 tion, fet forth in the Appendix, No. that the Trees were numbered progref- Appendix, N* 

 fively in each Walk, and books made out, containing an account of every Tree as 

 to dimeniions and fpecies, and that the books fo made out were returned to the 

 Ofiice of Woods ; that fince the Trees were Ib marked, there has been no fall of 

 Timber, except for repairs of Bridges in the Foreft ; that none but Oak had been 

 cut for fuch repairs ; that about eight or ten were marked at a time by the Exa- 

 minant for that purpofe, which was always done by an order from the Surveyor 

 General under the authority of a Warrant from the Lords of the Treafury. 



As the quantity of Timber afcertained in the year 1790, in the manner before 

 mentioned, has been diminifhed in fo fmall a degree, and as the account then 

 taken is preferred in the Office of the Surveyor General of His Majefty's Woods, 

 the CommifTioners have not caufed an aftual furvey to be made of the Timber a .-; 

 it now ftands, which would have taken up much time, have occa.fioned a very 

 confitlerable expence, and would probably have produced a refuit, varying in a 

 very fmall degree only from the account of the Timber preferred in the Office of 

 Woods ;. upon the whole of which the Commiflioners have only this obfervation 

 to make, that the Surveyor General's project, in the year 1789, of branding, every 

 Tree with a mark fix inches fquare, on a wound chifelled to the bare fap ibr the 

 purpofe, and which continued bleeding for many years afterwards, has now made 

 the value of all the Timber of the Foreii doubtful, whatever may have been its 

 certainty before. 



It will be feen, on referring to James Rum's examination, ftated at large in the 

 Appendix, No. that in a Wood called Bearwood, which is the property of Append!^, N* 1 



the Crown (but within a Manor not vefted in the Crown) there is a difputed 

 Boundary of a Manor called Evendons, the Lord of which Manor claims part of 

 the Trees in Bearwood, as part of his Manor of Evendons ; which Trees are alfo 

 claimed by the Crown as part of Bearwood. The Commiflioners repaired to the 

 fpot, and examined feveral Witnefles, in the prefence of the Lord of the Manor of C1 . . . , , 

 Evendons, who has made a formal claim before the Commiffioners of the difputed O f tl)e Manor of 

 Trees, and has prayed their determination on the right. -Evendons. 



The Commiflioners having no power by the Act to determine any right, have 

 not been able to do more than get the beft information they could, as to the facls, 

 which information will be returned as directed by the A6t, with their proceed- 

 ings. But they prefume to offer their opinion, that the difpute mould, without 

 further delay, be fettled either by an amicable adjuftment, or, if that is not prac- 

 ticable, by a judicial proceeding ; more efpecially as the Lord of the Manor of 

 Evendons has, fince notice received of this inquiry, cut down Trees to the 

 amount in value of feveral hundred pounds off the ground as to which he has 

 fince prayed the decifion of the Commiffioners. 



The Commiffioners cannot clofe this ftatement of their inquiry without making 

 mention of fuch matters as have come within their knowledge in the courfe of it, 

 though not pointed out by the Act to be the particular object of it, namely, the 

 ftate of the Deer and fome of the Lodges. 



The number of Deer have of late years been much diminiflied. And it appears 

 by the Returns made in November 1731, that there were at that time more than 

 i, 300 Deer in the Foreft; and by a Return in November 1806, that there were 

 then only 3 1 8 Deer in the whole Foreft. It would be fuppofed, that thefe having 

 a range over 24,600 acres of land, would find fufficient food, with proper affift- 

 ance, in the winter ; the contrary, however, is the cafe ; and the Deer in almoft 

 ?very Walk of the Foreft, except one, are all nearly ftarved ; many actually die of 

 hunger, and the furviving Does have not ftrength to rear their fawns. This prin- 

 cipally arifes from the unlimited manner in which animals of all defcriptions are 

 turned out in the Foreft, byperfons who have no right or pretence whatever to do fo, 

 and by the furcharge of the Common by thofe who have a right to a certain extent. 

 The affiftance that ought to be given to the Deer, by providing them with hay and 

 other food in fevere weather, is not attended to. The provifion made for that pur- 

 pofe is in every Walk in the Foreft inadequate, and in one inftance, that came ac- 

 cidentally to the knowledge of the Commiffioners, perverted to private advan- 

 tage, which they think it their duty to ftate, that if any mifreprefentation has 



133. E been 



