COMMISSIONERS oH WINDSOR FOREST. 23 



The Gommiflioners think it neceflary to add, that fucli a participation of 

 profits in a great undertaking is neither new nor impracticable: It has been 

 reduced into praf-iee, and has been the fource of great public advantage to the 

 County of Chester, where, from fuch a participation of the .profits arifnig from 

 making the River Yi'ever navigable, funds have been derived from the Tolls of the 

 River fullident (after paying every annual cxpencc of that undertaking) to 

 'build an extrnlive County Gaol, Courts for holding the Great Seflions and" their 

 Appendages, Bridges, and many other County Works of great magnitude, on 

 which tlu- fum of /. 80,000 and' upwards have been expended, and which fum 

 miift otherwife have been raifed by Rates on the County. 



The nature of the propofed undertaking is certainly very different from that of 

 making a River navigable or cutting a Canal. The profits of Planting are however 

 certain, if care be taken in the firft inftance, and that is followed up with diligence 

 and attention. Nor is the profit fo diftant as may at firft view be fuppofcd; it 

 is not to 1)0 waited for till the age of an Oak's perfection, as fuited for Naval 

 .purpofes : if the firtt expeuce of inclofmg and planting is defrayed by the 

 Public, or from the refources of the Foreit, a Plantation made of a reafonable 

 thicknefs, with every encouragement given to the growth of Thorns throughout, in 

 a few years will begin to produce a profit from Thinnings, and will perpetually 

 keep up it felf by means of the nurfing protection afforded by the Thorns to the 

 Saplings which will continually fpring up from the fall of Acorns. 



In refpe<5t to the particular Rules and Regulations to be made for the future 

 management and improvementof the Foreft, it is not polfible, in the prefcnt ftate 

 of the Foreft, to point out minutely all that will be necefiary, until it mall be 

 determined to what extent the improvement ihall be made; looking, however, to 

 the Foreft in its prefent ftate, and to the protection of the Timber now in it, and 

 groM-th and cultivation of it in the places which can be now appropriated for that 

 purpofe, many regulations will be ncceffary. 



The Woods in their prefent ftate are open to every fnccies of depredation and 

 deftruction. The principal Officers of the Foreft are all honorary ; they cannot 

 be expefted to attend to it ; indeed fome of them have no connection with the 

 Foreft, or even with the County. The inferior Officers are fo ill paid, that they 

 cannot devote fo much time as is neceflary even to obferve the continual abufes 

 and depredations that are committed ; and if they could, the laws of the Foreft 

 are inadequate to correct the mifchiefs ; the only remedy is a prefentment at the 

 next Court of Attachments, held perhaps eight, or nine months after the act done, 

 and even then, no fummary or ultimately effective remedy is provided to correct 

 the abufes, which are fo various, and have been fo long pra6lifed, that in many 

 inftancos a fort of prefcriptive right to exercife them is fet up, and is extremely 

 difficult to imprefs on the minds of the inhabitants, that, becaufe fuch abufes have 

 been long practifed, that they are not fanctioned by law. 



Though the Crown property and rights in the Foreft can only be contemplated 

 ns a wreck of what it has once been, yet the mattered remains are of value to be 

 preferved, and for that purpofe an entire new jurifdiction is abfolutely neceflary : 

 even if no cxtenfion of the ufefulnefs of the Foreft lhall be refolved on, the various 

 otlences which are ufually committed in the Foreft mould be dcfcribed, and cer- 

 tain penalties and punifhments annexed to the commillion of them, and a fum* 

 mary proceeding inftituted to correct them. 



In refpect to the management of the Foreft, either in its prefent. or any im- 

 proved ftate, it will be neceflTary that the prefent Woods, and the rearing of 

 Timber in other parts of the Foreft, mould be put under the management of fome 

 judicious and active perfon rending in the Foreft, and who is practically conver- 

 fant with the care of Woods and Plantations. This perfon will neceffarily have 

 much confidence placed in him for fkill and diligence, and he mould be adequately- 

 paid. He il:ouid have under him a certain number of Woodmen, in fome degree 

 converfant with the care of Woods, who mould be ftationed at proper places in 

 the inclofed Woods, and at the fame time be the Gatekeepers at the feveral 

 avenues to fuch inclofures where it will be neceflary to have gates. The fame 

 perfons might alfo execute the duty of Gamekeepers, and look after the deer inth* 

 feveral diftrifts that may be allotted to them, according to the general conve- 

 nience of the inclofures that may be made, without any reference to the Walks 

 into which the Foreft is now divided. That this defcription of perfons mould be 

 -adequately paid, -doing away any pretence to other emolument, except what 



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