rSO REPORT OF THE No. 3 



only aspect of the question in whichi the GovBmment took any concern was 

 the maintenance of an ample supply of timber for the Royal Navy. Some 

 later grants, in addition to oak, reserved timber for masts and spars, pre- 

 sumably pine. Apart from this object, the disposal made of those pine 

 f(»rests, which in modern estimation form so important a feature of national 

 wealth, by either Seijsrnior or habitant, seems to have been regarded with 

 indifference, and no idea was apparently entertained of holding them as a 

 source of revenue, or a valuable possession of the Government, irrespective 

 of the land. The old records show that the reservation of oak timber in the 

 grants of Seigniories was by no means a dead letter. In 1731 a" permission 

 was issued to cut oak timber for a war vessel in the following terms : 



Permit to cut Oah. 



"It is permitted to Sieur Abbe le Page to cut in the seigniories of 

 Berthier and Dautray two thousand cubic feet of oak wood, following the 

 plans and models which we have caused to be forwarded to serve for the con- 

 struction of war vessels of five hundred tons, which the King designs to 

 have constructed in Quebec, which timber he shall conduct in rafts {cageux) 

 in the River St. Charles before the palace of this city to be there received 

 and inspected in the customary manner. 



"The present permission is given in conformity to the reservation which 

 His Majesty has made of this wood for his service in the concession of lands 

 and seigniories in this colony. 



"We command the Seigniories, the captains and coast officials and all 

 other to whom it may appertain, to aid, and cause to be aided, if it is neces- 

 sary, the said Sieur le Page in the said exploitation, in return for reason- 

 able wages to those whom he shall employ in the aforesaid exploitation. 



"Done at Quebec, the 5th of October, 1731. 



"Note. — Similar permission has been extended to Sieur de Bleury, in 

 the Seigniory of liongueuil which abuts on, the said Seigniorv of Chambly, 

 and for three leagues extending along the River of Sorel on both sides past 

 the said Seigniory of Chambly and descending the «aid River nf Sore), 



(Signed) HOCQUART. 



In 1740 the Governor, having been informed that a considerable quan- 

 tity of oak suitable for the construction of the King's vessels had been found 

 at Isle Jesus in the Seigniories of the Lake of Two Mountains, and in Isle 

 Bizard, issued an- ordinance expressly forbidding the proprietors "of what- 

 ever quality or conditions they may be" cutting any oak until it had been 

 inspected and such of the" trees that were found adapted for naval construc- 

 tion marked and retained. The penalty of any contravention of this ordin- 

 ance was to be confiscation oP the timber and a fine of ten livres for each tree 

 destroyed. 



Early Settler a* Grievances. — The property of the Crown. 



The reservation of all oah trees, as in the case of the present reservation 

 of white pine in patents granted to settlers, sometimes created difficulties in 

 regard to the clearance of the land. Obviously if the reserved trees grew 

 in any considerable number on the habitant's grant he could not fulfil siniul- 

 taneously his undertaking to clear the land and the stipulations as to pre- 



