FOBEST ADMINISTBATION. 27 



M. Joubain goes on to say, ' Colbert watched with great 

 attention to see that the Decree of Council, the Instruction, 

 and the Ordinance should not remain dead letters. He 

 kept himself constantly well acquainted with the doings 

 of the Commissioners, encouraging them in the discharge 

 of their arduous duties, and watching over the execution 

 of their decisions. On the 8th November 1662, he wrote 

 to Chamillard, charged with the reformation of the forests 

 of the Isle of France, and particularly with that of Com- 

 piegne : " From the manner of procedure which you adopt 

 you will have explicit and perfect knowledge of all that is 

 going on in the forests embraced by your Commission; 

 but, above all things, execute justice, spare no one, fear 

 nothing. . . . With regard to the grants of firewood with 

 which the Grand Masters have gratified their friends, not 

 only do I consider that there is ground on which to order 

 restitution, but even that you will find that those who 

 have so freely disposed of the king's property have in- 

 curred guilt. It is necessary to bring the greatest severity 

 to bear upon those who have committed depredations in the 

 forests, and who have reduced them to the condition in 

 which they are." 



' On the 1st of June 1663, he sent word to M. de Mauroy, 

 Commissioner for the Reformation of the Forests of Bur- 

 gundy : " Provided that the legal proceedings which you 

 institute against the ecclesiastics who have damaged the 

 timber forests without verified letters patent, be in proper 

 form and due order, do not, if you please, put yourself to 

 the trouble of doing everything which may be done to screen 

 them:' 



' From the Histoire de Colbert, by Pierrie Clement, we 

 learn that by reason of facts established by a Commission 

 of Forest Reformation, a sergeant of the forests of the 

 Province of Alencon had been condemned to the-galleys. 

 " His punishment/' wrote Colbert, " will assuredly serve 

 as an example ; and it "will be well that you give, if you 

 please, the necessary order for his being taken to La Toulon 

 with the first chain" 



