30 THE FORESTS OF FRANCE. 



those of de Chamillard, of Flavier du Beulay, of Hotenau, 

 of de Fontenoy, of Colbert de Croissy, of Barentin, and of 

 Lallemand de Lestr^e. As for their works, the reports of 

 some have in part or in whole been preserved, and better, 

 perhaps, than even the document of which mention has 

 been made. One of the reports permits us to form an 

 exact idea of the condition of the forests, and of the 

 criminal proceedings into which the officers allowed them- 

 selves to be drawn, and, in fact, of the part played by these 

 reformers. That for which the forests of Poitou gave 

 occasion is exceedingly interesting from different points of 

 view, and it derives besides special importance from the 

 circumstance that the reformation was begun by one of the 

 brothers of the great minister, Charles Colbert de Croissy, 

 who had been previously charged to present to the king a 

 memoir on the general condition of the province ; it was, 

 moreover, a reformation completed by an important per- 

 sonage, " Charles-Honore Barentin, Chevalier, Seigneur 

 d'Hardivilliers, Maison-Celles, Les Belles-Ruries, Maderas, 

 and Monnoye ; Counsellor of the King in all his Councils ; 

 Ordinary Master of Requests of the Palace ; President in 

 the Grand Council,''' and the '' Sieur Thoreau du Tillou, 

 Councillor of the King in the Presidency of Poictiers," 

 who gave to the one and the other of these Commissioners 

 his co-operation as sub-delegate. 



' Entrusted with a commission for the " Reformation des 

 Eaux et Forets" of Poitou, by "Letters Patent of His 

 Majesty, given at Vincennes, the 3d day of October 1663," 

 Charles Colbert, on the 29th January 1665, enjoined in an 

 or(]inance " all proprietary lands, possessors and holders of 

 lands, houses, and heritages situated within the Forest of 

 Mouliers"*^ within the boundaries and within half a league 

 beyond the same, as also to all those who claim forest 

 rights of jtrreat or small usage, of felling trees, of fuel, of 

 charcoal burning, of brick making, of lime burning, of other 

 servitudes or other rights, whatever they may be, in the 



* A forest which still exists under the same name, about 12 kilometres from Poitiers. 



