76 Germany. 



A much more elaborate organization of service is, how- 

 ever, reported in the mining districts of the Harz moun- 

 tains in 1547, vidth the Director of Mines (Berghaupt- 

 man) at the head, and different grades of officials under 

 him who were called together periodically for reports and 

 discussions. 



Until the middle of the 18th century all those em- 

 ployed in the forest service had also duties in connection 

 with the chase, at least, those in the superior positions, I 

 the head official of the hunt being also the head of the 

 forest service, and hunting had usually superior claims 

 to forestry. The men were supposed to be masters of 

 the two branches, i. e. to be familiar vdth the technique 

 of the hunt and of forestry (Hirschgerecht and Holz- 

 gerecht). The higher positions were usually reserved 

 to the nobility until (during the 18th century) the Cam- 

 eralists came into control of the administration, and with 

 them under the mercantilistic teachings the apparatus 

 of officials also increased. 



These men usually possessed wide, but not deep 

 knowledge of matters bearing upon their charges. In 

 Prussia, in 1740, the forest service was at least in part 

 combined with the military service, Frederick the Great 

 instituting the service of riding couriers for the carrying 

 of dispatches and these couriers were selected from the 

 forest service, an institution which persists up to date in 

 the corps of Feldjaeger, while the sons of foresters were 

 enlisted in a troop known as Fuss jaeger (chasseurs) . A 

 new era dates from the middle of the 18th century when 

 the connection vrith the hunt, the military organization 

 and the nobility, was at least in part abrogated, and a 

 more technical organization was attempted. The cause 



