88 Germany. 
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 principle 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- 
