8 Transactions. — Miscellaneous, 



the least remunerative of all land cultivations (as private property), tlie 

 apparent interest of the purchaser would be to realize the value of the timber, 

 and to convert the forest land into agricultural or pastoral, thereby selfishly 

 disregarding the beneficial effects which the existence of the forest afforded 

 to the whole district. 



• In the hands of Governments, forests represent a national interest of the 

 highest importance, not only because of the financial resources which the 

 annual fellings afford, as the du-ect revenue derivable from the property, but 

 above all, on account of the salubrious and fertilizing effects which forests 

 bestow on the siuTounding country, thus favom-uig the progress of agricultiu'e, 

 and the general development of national wealth. 



It is only under such prosperous conditions, it may be remarked, that 

 freehold lands can well afford to contribute towards the public expenditm'e, 

 and thus will sprmg up, {i.e., by the conservation of forests,) other sources of 

 state revenue. Again, the great mass of the ever-growing forest, notwith- 

 standing the annual thinning out of it, is also acting as a capital devoted to 

 insure the welfare of agricultiu-e, maintaining thereby the secm-ity of the 

 public revenues as well as that of private property. 



The material importance of these mdirect advantages, as resulting fi'om 

 the proper management of forests, especially when situated in mountainous 

 regions, may be demonstrated by the observation of events of recent occur- 

 rence in France. In that country, as the result of injudicious alienations of 

 State forests, and the fiu'ther conversion of the forest land into pastm-ages, 

 originated periodical inundations, and the ultimate ruin of agriculture in no 

 less than four " Dejjartevients," the rm-al population of which are now 

 emigrating to America.* The loss of private property has thus been 

 enormous, and the deficiency in the land tax revenue from the same cause, 

 viz., the indiscriminate clearing of forests, may also be computed at millions 

 of money. t 



To the collateral advantages just alluded to may be ascribed the difference 

 in character and productive value of forests, as State or freehold property 

 respectively. 



For climatic purposes, the total area of the Cro-«ai forest lands in New 

 Zealand, taken at 6,000,000 acres, would not be more than sufficient as 

 compared with the area of the whole colony; for the probability is, that the 

 private forests at present adduig to the climatic advantages of the public 

 woodlands, will gradually disappear, miless the owners could be persuaded 

 to sacrifice their own pecuniary interest to the public welfare. In France 



* " Etudes sur rAm^nagement des Forets,'" p. 489, par. L. Tassy, Conservateur des 

 ForSts. Eothscliild, publisher, Paris. 



t The land tax revenue in France amounts to about £24,000,000, 



