NEW BRUNSWICK FORESTRY CONVENTION 177 



dumber-men. That Committee met this morning, with Hon. Mr. McClelan as 

 chairman, and has prepared a report, which is as follows : 



(See Mr. Hazen's Report, page 134.) 



FOREST FIRE LAW OF WESTMORLAND COUNTY 



Mr. Chas. E. Lund, D. L. S. of Westmorland County, read the follow- 

 ing paper : 



Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen, 



I can assure you that the very few words I have to say will not occupy 

 rnueh of the valuable time of this convention. I congratulate those having 

 the matter in charge upon the excellent program furnished so far, and feel 

 that they will be pardoned for the little error they have made in calling on 

 me. It was doubtless an error of the head and not of the heart. 



I was asked to say something in regard to the protection of our forest 

 lands from tire. It is a large subject to be placed in small hands, with such 

 short notice. 







Longfellow, who by the way was born just one hundred years ago this 

 very week, in beginning his notable story of Evangeline, wrote, "This is the 

 forest primeval. The murmuring pines and the hemlocks bearded with moss, 

 and in garments green, indistinct in the twilight, stand like Druids of old 

 with voices sad and propliziic." While the words "sad" and "prophetic" 

 were perhaps given no such meaning by the poet as I attribute to them ; yet, 

 I sometimes think that not only the "pines" and "hemlocks," but the spruce, 

 and the fire and the cedar, if given the power of speech, would raise their 

 voices in solemn protest against their wanton destruction by fire and other- 

 wise, that is constantly going on in a wail, loud and continuous, as well as 

 sad and prophetic. 



It is just now beginning to dawn on the minds of many persons how 

 great an inheritance was bequeathed to us in the forest lands of this country. 

 Only a few years ago, the pioneers of our back settlements, as was well said 

 by some one yesterday, looked upon the forest as their natural enemy, and 

 did what they could to destroy it, not only chopping down, cutting up, piling 

 up and burning off valuable timber in making their clearings, but frequently 



