STATE ORGANISATION 91 



by Colbert in France. The Acts of Colbert in this 

 respect were abolished during the Revolution. But 

 before this (about 1788) Catherinell in Russia had 

 eased the restrictions on privately-owned forest 

 property instituted by Peter the Great. From that 

 date the economic forestry problem as it affected the 

 empire occupied the attention of Russian statesmen. 

 These efforts resulted at length in the law of April 4, 

 1888, in the reign of Alexander III, under which a 

 proper system of forest conservation was inaugurated. 

 Forests which were being overcut were placed under 

 restrictions and valuable woods, as yet untouched, 

 were opened out by the improvement of communica- 

 tions. The law also made express provision for the 

 planting up of areas of moving sand threatening to 

 engulf valuable agricultural land, for the protection 

 of hillsides from erosion and the catchment areas of 

 the great rivers, so important for the floating of timber 

 and for fishing purposes, etc. A Forest Department 

 was created with its central administration under a 

 Director-General of Forests with two Assistant 

 Directors placed under the Minister of Agriculture. 

 The headquarters of the Department, presided over by 

 the Director-General, is divided into ten sections. 

 Purely technical forestry questions are settled by a 

 forestry committee of professional experts to which is 

 attached a Forestry Bureau. The work of this bureau 

 is to examine the whole forestry problem of the 

 empire, both from an economic and general point of 

 view ; to decide upon the value of ne^y suggestions for 

 working particular forests, and to report on forest 

 inventions and special points or questions submitted 



