FORESTRY 165 



The portion of the old William III woods that 

 I had to deal with was not much more than a 

 remnant. The greater portion of them had been 

 felled soon -after the Act of 1851, partly to bring 

 in revenue and much needed timber for the dock- 

 yards, and partly to clear the better land, which 

 they occupied (our ancestors always chose good 

 land to plant, or else did not plant at all). 



At the time of what I may call the " anti- 

 forestry" agitation in 1875, much blame was 

 sought to be cast on the Commissioners of Woods 

 for cutting these plantations, which undoubtedly 

 consisted of very fine old trees of peculiar char- 

 acter. But it is difficult to see what other course 

 they could pursue. The formation of these woods 

 had been originally authorised solely on the plea 

 that when mature they should supply the needs 

 of the navy. They had arrived at the mature 

 stage, and contained a large amount of valuable 

 timber of which the navy stood in need. It was 

 impossible to resist the claim of the dockyards, al- 

 though to grant it involved the sacrifice of many 

 acres of beautiful woods which were a source 

 of pleasure to the inhabitants of the locality. 

 They loudly protested against their removal, and 

 from the economical point of view, the action of 

 the Commissioners of the day is amply justified 

 by the decay and deterioration of the remaining 



