VI.— French Forest Ordinance of 1669 ; with Historical 

 Sketch of Previous Treatment of Forests in France. 

 Price 48. 



The early history of forests in France is given, with de- 

 tails of devastations of these going on in the iirst half of 

 the seventeenth century ; with a translation of the Ordi- 

 nance of 1669, which is the hasis of modern forest econo- 

 my ; and notices of forest exploitation in Jardinage, in La 

 Methode a Tire et Aire, and in La Methode des Comparti- 

 ments. 



ExTEACT FROM Pbbfaob. — ' " The Celebrated Forest Ordinance of 

 1669 :" Such is the character and designation generally given at the 

 present day to the Ordinance in question. It ia iinown, by reputation 

 at least, in every country on the Continent of Europe ; but, so far as is 

 known to me, it has never before been published in English dress. It 

 may possibly be considered antiquated ; but, on its first promulgation, it 

 was welcomed, far beyond the bounds of France, as bringing life to the 

 dead ; and I know of no modern system of Forest Exploitation, based on 

 modern Forest Science, in which I cannot trace its influence. In the 

 most advanced of these — that for which we are indebted to Hartig and 

 Cotta of Saxony — I see a development of it like to the development of 

 the butterfly from what may be seen in the structure of the chrysalis ; 

 and thus am I encouraged to hope that it may prove suggestive of bene- 

 ficial arrangements, even where it does not detail what it may be deemed 

 dfcsirable to adopt. 



' In my translation I have followed an edition issued with Eoyal ap- 

 proval in 1753, with one verbal alteration to bring it into accordance 

 with certain older approved editions, and with another verbal alteration 

 to bring it into accordance with editions issued in 1699, 1723, 1734, and 

 1747.' 



Translation of notice by M. De La Grye for July 1883 in the Sevue 

 des JSaitx et Fdrets : ' England, which with her immense possessions in 

 India, in Canada, and in the Cape of Good Hope, is beyond all question 

 a State rich in forests, has never up to the present time given to this 

 portion of her domains more than a very moderate share of her attention ; 

 but for some years past public opinion is becoming alarmed, in view of 

 the immense devastations which have been committed in them, and the 

 forest question coming forward spontaneously has become the subject of 

 numerous publications : amongst which, after the excellent monthly 

 collection, the Journal of Forestry mid Estate Management, comes the 

 Translation of the Ordinance of 1669, which has just been published by 

 Mr John Croiimbie Brown. This translation of a monument of juris- 

 prudence, well known in France, but which has never before been repro- 

 duced in English, has furnished to Mr Brown an opportunity of giving a 

 historical sketch of French Forest Legislation, and an exposition of the 



