Z7- 



NA TURE 



[January 28, 1909 



The commissioners, it seems, have not taken this part 

 of the staff into account in drawing up their estimates 

 of worlving expenses. The forest schools at present 

 in existence in this country, with a little development, 

 would be quite capable of undertaking the scientific 

 training of this very essential part of the staff. For 

 many years past the pressing need for demonstration 

 areas and forest gardens has been urged upon the 

 Government. Had these institutions been in exist- 

 ence now, their value would have been inestimable in 

 indicating the soundest and most economic lines 

 upon which extended afforestation should be carried 

 out. 



Coming now to the question of the acquisition of 

 the necessary land, the commissioners recommend that 

 compulsory pow'ers be obtained by legislative enact- 

 ment whereby proprietors would be forced to sell 

 suitable land should private negotiations fall through. 

 However, certain alternative schemes are proposed. 

 For e.xample, a scheme suggested by Lord Lovat of 

 co-partnership between the private owner of land and 

 the State, the owner to provide the land free of cost, 

 the State to provide the capital necessary for its 

 afforestation, the profits to be shared fro rata of their 

 respective contributions, the owner to have the option 

 at any time of buying out the State's interest. .Again, 

 it is suggested that the commissioners might be given 

 pov.-er to afforest land acquired otherwise than by pur- 

 chase by special arrangement with the owner, on such 

 terms and conditions as may be approved by the 

 Treasury, provided due security be taken for the con- 

 tinuity of the scheme. Still another plan is suggested, 

 viz. that, if the owner of a surveyed area is prepared 

 to afforest his land in a reasonable time under the 

 supervision, and to the satisfaction, of the Forest 

 Commissioners, compulsory powers of purchase should 

 not be enforced against him. Finally, the commis- 

 sioners suggest that the existing facilities given to 

 landowners for obtaining loans for planting might 

 perhaps with advantage be increased by extending the 

 time for the repayment of the loan. 



There are weighty reasons in favour of these alter- 

 native suggestions. In the first place, it would ensure 

 the important cooperation and active assistance of 

 landowners, many of whom are at present engaged 

 in renewing and extending their forest areas, while 

 many others would be willing to do the same should 

 forestry become an established industry. The com- 

 pulsory acquisition of the necessary areas would be 

 bound to lead to a breaking-up of the existing arrange- 

 ment of the land, especially as regards the larger 

 sheep farms, and the consequent diminution of the 

 food supplies, especially mutton, would possibly be 

 greater than the 481 per cent, at present anticipated. 

 By encouraging private owners to extend their forest 

 areas, and by the gradual purchase of suitable land 

 where available, the State would more slowlv, but at 

 the same time with greater certainty, attain the object 

 which the commissioners have in view.' Legislative 

 enactment might be directed towards the adjustment 

 of the present railway rates, and the abolition of the 

 tax on afforested areas. 



In discussing the cost of plants and planting, the 

 statement made at the top of p. 26, namely, that " if 

 plants are purchased they will probably cost 4Z. to 5Z. 

 per acre," does not seem to tally with the evidence, or 

 what immediately follows in the next paragraph. 



1 It would also entail less initial expenditure. Under the present scheme 

 it is proposed to raise the necessir>' capital by loan, the interest to be defrayed 

 out of taxation. For the full scheme 2,003,000/. would hn required annually. 

 The net deficit in the first year would be 90,000/., which would increase to 

 3,131,250/. in the fortieth year, after which it i calculated the forest would 

 have became self-supporting. 



NO. 2048, VOL, 79] 



DK. FRANCIS ELGAR, LL.D., F.R.S. 



THE sudden death of Dr. Francis Elgar, F.R.S. , 

 at Monte Carlo, on January i6, has deprived the 

 profession of nav-al architecture of one of its most 

 eminent representatives, and the loss will be felt 

 throughout the world of science, in which he had made 

 many friends. He came of a family which had for 

 generations been connected with the great naval 

 arsenal at Portsmouth, and was himself apprenticed 

 there about fifty years ago. For nearly seventy years 

 the .\dmiralty has maintained an admirable system of 

 schools for its apprentices, and has provided facilities 

 by which those who prove capable of benefiting 

 therebv shall receive higher instruction in those 

 branches of mathematics which are used in connec- 

 tion with shipbuilding, as well as in the operations 

 and processes incidental to practical work in drawing 

 offices and mould lofts. Elgar was one of the young 

 men whose progress in the school secured advance- 

 ment to higher instruction. Fortunately for his career, 

 just at the period (in 1864) when he had completed the 

 preliminary stages of training at Portsmouth, it was 

 decided by the .\dmiralty and Science and ."Xrl Depart- 

 ment to join forces and to establish the Royal School of 

 Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering at South 

 Kensington. The Admiralty students at this school 

 were selected by competitive examination in which ap- 

 prentices in all the Royal dockyards took part. Elgar 

 was one of eight young men chosen in this way from a 

 very large number of candidates, and given an oppor- 

 tunity of passing through a three years' course of 

 advanced study in the theory and practice of ship- 

 building. This he did with distinction, and was 

 awarded a first-class diploma of Fellow of the Royal 

 School of Naval .Architecture in 1867. 



Sir Edward Reed — then chief constructor of the 

 navy, and himself a graduate of an earlier school of 

 naval architecture — took a warm interest in the welfare 

 of the graduates from the new school, and appointed 

 Elgar an assistant overseer of the ill-fated turret ship 

 Captain, which was then building by Messrs. Laird, 

 of Birkenhead. In the preparation of the design for 

 that vessel. Captain Cowper Coles, R.N., had colla- 

 borated with Messrs. Laird, and Admiralty inspection 

 was limited to supervising the work of construction. 

 In this manner Elgar at an early age supplemented 

 practical training obtained in Royal dockyards by 

 close association with the business of a great private 

 shipyard. About two years later he was recalled to 

 Portsmouth, and received an appointment as a ship- 

 building officer, being employed on important practical 

 work in that establishment when the loss of the 

 Captain took place. The master shipwright of the 

 dockyard was asked to give evidence before the court 

 martial in regard to the stability of the Captain. 

 These conditions w-ere altogether exceptional owing 

 to the extremely low freeboard and heavy sail equip- 

 ment of that vessel. In the preparation of this 

 evidence, Elgar gave considerable assistance to his 

 superior officer, and in this way began a series of 

 investigations into the stability of ships which extended 

 over many years, and covered mercantile vessels of 

 various types, as well as warships. 



In 1870 Sir Edward Reed resigned his position in 

 the .'\dmiralty, and established a private practice in 

 London. Elgar became his chief professional assis- 

 tant in 1S71, and took charge of the London office, 

 in which, during the ne.xt few years, novel and 

 important designs for foreign warships and for mer- 

 cantile vessels were prepared. In all these designs, as 

 well as in the supervision of the work of building the 

 ships, Elgar took an important part, and his services 

 were acknowledged by Sir Edward Reed. 



