54 THE NEW FOREST 



his equanimity and patience when his cordial 

 advances met with little response, or were 

 countered by one or other section of the opposi- 

 tion, were certainly beyond all praise. As an 

 American Ambassador once said of a distin- 

 guished leader of the Tory party, "He had 

 often heard of the milk of human kindness, but 

 never before had he seen the cow." I often 

 used to think of that saying, when I fancied 

 that a little stimulant in the milk would make 

 it have better effect. 



Sir Stafford and I worked together for some 

 twenty years with much contentment and good 

 friendship, and (I hope) mutual self-esteem. Of all 

 that he did in the matter of promoting Forestry 

 and Forest Protection I will speak later on. It 

 deserves a chapter to itself. 



I found the condition of affairs as regards 

 the Forest keepers and the preservation of game 

 and of all wild fauna such as I conceived a 

 Royal Forest ought to be stocked with, was in 

 a very bad state. 



In the Deer Removal Act it was set forth 

 that, with the abolition of the deer, the necessity 

 for so great a number of keepers would cease 

 there were then thirteen head keepers, so this 

 was obviously the case and that the lodges 

 occupied by these thirteen men, or some of 



