FOREST ADMINISTRATION. 31 



said forest, and in the environs of the same, to present 

 their titles and authoritative documents establishing their 

 rights." This ordinance, renewing a measure enj oined in 

 a general way by a Decree of Council of the 15th October 

 1661, authorised, moreover, the closing of the forest, that 

 is to say, " prohibits the sending of any cattle to pasture, 

 and the felling or removing of any wood," until a new 

 Order. 



' On the 12th May 1665, and following days, he made, 

 preceded by the Sieur Thoreau, a " visite externe " of the 

 forest, or, in other words, a reconnaissance of its boundaries. 

 On the 28th August and following days of the same year, 

 President Bavantin made in detail " la visite interne" The 

 surveyors were then appointed to make out a general plan, 

 as well as to " measure and survey places in dispute/' of 

 which the Sieur Francois Gamier, " Painter in Ordinary 

 to the King," was charged " to prepare in presence of the 

 party the diagram and description." 



' Finally, after a circumstantial inquest after a thorough 

 examination of the different questions raised on the 30th 

 April 1607, two decisions were delivered by M. Barentin, 

 " guided in the successive steps by the Ordinance." The 

 first related to the boundaries and the rights of usage. It 

 ordained the restoration to the "body of the forest" of a 

 great number of usurped forest lots, fraudulently sold or 

 more rarely illegally let. The extent of these forest lots 

 exceeded 1100 arpents, of which scarcely 25 arpents were 

 only let. Damages and penalties were, moreover, adjudged 

 against the holders of these lands, and also against private 

 individuals who had constructed lime-kilns or brick-kilns 

 near or within the forest, or who without legal right had 

 taken wood from within its boundaries. The total amount 

 of penalties which fell upon nearly a hundred individuals 

 exceeded 12,000 livres. The Sieur de Bessay, Seigneur de 

 Traversay, and De Crernault alone had to pay more than 

 4000 livres of penalties and damages. 



'The number of parties holding rights of usage, or who 

 said that they held such, was very considerable. The titles of 



