32 THE FORESTS OE FRANCE. 



four only were recognised as valid ; and one of these, the 

 Sieur Cbastaigner, Count de Saint-Georges, was condemned 

 to make restitution of the produce of 53 arpents of coppice 

 wood from 1635, which he had appropriated in excess of 101 

 arpents to which he bad right. As for thirty-four others, 

 " private parties or communities, of whatsoever quality or 

 conditions they might be," the sentence " refused to them 

 absolutely all rights of usage, and of everything of the kind, 

 whatsoever it might be," they having " produced no titles 

 authorising these." 



' The second sentence pronounced in the matter of the 

 Forest of Moulifere had reference to frauds committed in 

 the exploitation and the management of it. After the 

 enumeration of the documents produced in the course of 

 the examination, and a resume of the allegations made, 

 both of the accused and of the witnesses— an enumeration 

 and resume which fills more than a hundred pages in folio, 

 — there are given details of the sentences; these varying, 

 in different cases, fell on " Jean-Baptisie Jouslard, iSieur 

 d'Airon, ci-devant Grand Master des Eaux et Forets of the 

 Audit Department of Poictou ; Charles de Lauzou, at 

 present Grand Master ; Isaye Chesneau, Lieutenant of the 

 said Grand Master ; Pierre Baron, Procuretir du Hoi in the 

 same ; Jean Estourneau, Comptroller ; Jacques Vezein, 

 Eecorder ; Jean Mettoys, Jacques Aymard, also Recorders ; 

 Olivier Demeocq, Sergeant Warder ; Frangois Gardemault, 

 Frangois Gervaise, Samuel Persevault, Charles Viault, 

 Guards ; Bonaventure Dreux, Procureur du Hoi, in the 

 Bureau of Finance at Poictiers ; M. Artus GoufHer, Duke 

 of Rouannais. Peer of France." Finally, nearly two hundred 

 private persons, "contractors in the king's domains, or 

 associates or officers of such merchants, salesmen, and 

 inhabitants of hamlets or villages bordering on the royal 

 domain," were then punished. 



' If the abuses had been grave, and so much were they 

 so that the fore.st was then entirely ruined — " for there did 

 not remain any tree, excepting on the triage " given up to 

 the Count de Saint-Georges,— the measures taken for their 



