351 



duties, and for the preservation of the forests," is hereby amended so 

 as to read as follows: 



§ 8. The lands now or hereafter constituting the forest preserve, 

 ■ shall be forever kept as wild forest lands, and shall not be sold n,or 

 shall they be leased or taken by any person or corporation, public or 

 private, except that whenever any of the lands now constituting the 

 forest preserve, or which may hereafter become a part thereof, owned 

 by the State within any county specified in section 7 of the act 

 herepy amended, shall consist of separate small parcels or tracts 

 wholly detached from the main portions of the forest preserve, and 

 bounded on every side by lands not owned by the State, then it shall 

 be lawful, and the Comptroller shall have power to sell and convey 

 such separate tracts or parcels, or the timber thereon, to such person 

 or persons, corporation or association, as shall have offered the highest 

 price therefor; but no such tracts or parcels of land, or the timber 

 thereon, shall be sold by the Comptroller, except upon the 

 recommendation of the forest commission or a majority thereof, 

 together with the advice of the Attorney-General in behalf of 

 the State. Such separate tracts or parcels of land may be 

 exchanged by the Comptroller for lands that lie adjoining the main 

 tracts of the forest preserve upon the recommendation of the forest 

 commission or a majority thereof, together with the advice of the 

 Attorney-General on behalf of the State; but the value of said lands 

 so exchanged, must be first appraised by three disinterested appraise 

 ers, sworn to faithfully and fairly appraise the values of said lands 

 and the difference, if any, between the values of such parcels so pro- 

 posed to be exchanged shall be paid by the party so exchanging with 

 the State into the State treasury, but the State shall not pay the 

 amount of any such difference. Two of said appraisers shall be 

 nominated and appointed by the county judge of each county, in 

 which said lands proposed to be exchanged are situate, or in case 

 such lands are situate in two counties, then the county judge of each 

 county shall nominate and appoint each one appraiser. The two 

 appraisers so appointed shall select a third appraiser, and they shall 

 report to the Comptroller the result of said appraisal before such 

 lands shall be exchanged as aforesaid. The said appraisers so 

 appointed shall receive the same compensation for their services as is 

 provided for appraisers of the decedent's estates, to be paid by the 

 party so proposing to exchange lands with the State. It shall be the 

 duty of the Comptroller annually to report to the Legislature all 

 sales or exchanges of lands made under the provisions of this act, 

 together with all bids and amounts received therefor, and in said 



