88 Oermcmy. 



An increase of the State's property came also during 

 the first decade of the century through the abolishment 

 of cloisters and secularization of church property gen- 

 erally, the lands of both Protestant and Catholic insti- 

 tutions being taken by the State. 



Curiously enough, at the same time that the idea of 

 state forest was being realized, the changes in economic 

 thought which brought the priaciple of individualism 

 into vogue gave rise to a movement to sell the state 

 properties. This movement was inspired by French 

 doctrines, whose influence was at the time very strong, 

 by the teachings of Adam Smith to the effect that 

 the state is not fit to conduct business, and by the hope 

 that in private ownership an improvement in forest con- 

 ditions would be more readily realized. These ideas 

 alone would, probably, not have led to the adoption of 

 a policy of sale if it had not been for the need for cash 

 which, owing to the French wars, was everywhere felt 

 during the first years of the decade. The sale of this 

 property seemed to provide a ready means for the State 

 to secure funds. 



In Prussia, after the collapse of 1806, this measure was 

 widely discussed, and from the years 1810 to 1813 led 

 to the instructions for the sale of state forest property, 

 excluding only large complexes of forest, those on the 

 sea coast, sand dunes and river fronts, where the pro- 

 tection of the forest cover was needed, as well as those 

 which it was desirable to maintain for the use of impor- 

 tant industrial establishments. Only the accession of 

 Hartig as chief of the forest administration under the 

 treasury department (1811) prevented the execution of 

 this dismemberment. It was due to him that the differ- 



