116 THE FORESTS OF FRANCE. 



this effect the Officers shall inspect carefully the purchases 

 from end to end in all their parts, the pied cornieres, parois, 

 lizieres and balliveavx, or trees marking the angles, the sides, 

 and the margins of the allotment, and the trees reserved 

 for seed, so as to see that the lots have been well cut, 

 treated, cleared out, and freed of all encumbrance, of which 

 they shall prepare their official reports, containing details 

 of encroachments, malversations, defaults, and defects 

 which they may have seen, and of any deficiencies of trees 

 retained by the official reports of martellage and ballivage. 



'3. Our Attorney in the Maitrise shall appoint on his 

 part a Surveyor and Soucheteur, and the merchant also a 

 Surveyor and Soucheteur on his part. But if the merchant 

 raise difficulties, or refuse to attend the meeting, it shall be 

 proceeded with by the Surveyor and Soucheteur appointed 

 by our Attorney, and the report shall be considered and 

 held as if made in the presence of the adverse parties. 



' 4. The souchetage shall be extended to the environs of 

 the purchase within the sound of the axe. This shall be 

 done in presence of the merchants, if they be willing to 

 take part, and of our Attorney, the Garde-Marteau, and 

 the Sergeant of the Guard, who shall prepare their official 

 reports containing details of the stumps which they shall 

 have found, and of the depredations which may have been 

 committed during exploitation, tree by tree, with mention 

 of their quality, nature, kind, and size, all omissions being 

 forbidden under pain, against the Soucheteurs, of fourfold 

 the value of the depredations which they have not reported 

 in their official reports, which official reports they shall be 

 bound to lodge in the Registry within twenty-four hours 

 after they shall have been made. 



' 5. The official reports of the second souchetage shall be 

 examined and collated with those of the first, and any 

 difference which shall be found between them shall be 

 noted minutely and in detail ; to which effect there shall 

 be produced all the official reports of exoneration which 

 shall have been made for the merchants and their factors, 

 and there shall be observed any defaults and malversations 



