INTRODUCTION 5 



It is an unwritten rule of the Civil Service 

 that its permanent officials take no part what- 

 ever in politics. How others interpret this rule 

 I know not, but I do know that as far as I 

 was concerned I carefully abstained from all 

 political action even of the most trifling descrip- 

 tion, and took care that my subordinates acted 

 on the same lines. I never attended a meeting 

 of either party, or, in fact, gave any man a right 

 to say on which side I was likely to cast my 

 vote. 



I have had the advantage of being able to 

 refer to various papers and records in my office 

 of official or semi-official character, but I have, 

 I trust, done nothing to infringe the Public 

 Secrets Act. In fact many of these papers 

 have appeared in print in various books be- 

 fore now. 



Especially they were before the public in 

 those articles which I myself wrote on " New 

 Forest Sport and Forestry " in the Victoria County 

 History of Hampshire ; and I am much indebted 

 to Messrs. Constable & Co., the publishers of that 

 work, for their kind permission to make use of 

 some of the paragraphs which then appeared in 

 connection with the public papers which were 

 quoted therein. Especially on various memo- 

 randa connected with the King's House and 



