THE FORESTS OF ENGLAND, 



AND 



THE MANAGEMENT OF THEM IN BYE-GONE TIMES. 



INTRODUCTION, 



SOME twelve years ago application was made by Mr H. 

 Leeds, then Conservator of Forests in Bengal, for per- 

 mission to visit the Crown Forests in Europe, and the 

 Naval Ordnance timber dep6ts. It was granted to him, 

 and letters of recommendation to the forest authorities in 

 France and Germany were given to him by the Home 

 Department of the Government of India. He presented 

 to the Government a report of the observations he had 

 made ; and he subsequently addressed to the Under 

 Secretary of State a communication, of which the 

 following is a copy : 



" 1. For several years past I have felt that a standard 

 work on Sylviculture, in our own language, was very much 

 needed, not only for the use of landed proprietors at home, 

 but especially as a guide for the use of forest officers in 

 India. 



" 2, Some books are to be found on the subject (those 

 of Grign and Brown, for instance), but they are not of the 

 class we require. 



B 



