190 France. 
communal property. But on the other hand “the right 
of the third” (triage), originating in the 14th century as 
an outgrowth of feudal relations, gave to the seigneur, 
whenever he wished to exercise it, one-third of the prop- 
erty free of all rights of user, and in this way the com- 
munal area was diminished until in 1667 the widespread 
abuse of this right led to an ordinance abolishing it. It 
was, however, re-established by the ordinance of 1669 in 
all cases where the forest had been gratuitously ceded by 
the seigneurs, or when the remaining two-thirds was 
deemed sufficient for the needs of the parish. Not until 
1790-1792 was the exorbitant right finally abolished. 
As an out-growth of the revolutionary doctrine, the 
most radical legislation in 1793 decreed presumptive 
ownership by the municipal corporations to all 
lands for which the claimant could not show a deed’ 
of purchase, excluding any title acquired as a result of 
feudal relations. The day of revenge of all old wrongs 
had come and, appeal to justice being useless, the muni- 
cipalities increased their holdings freely. Although 
later legislation attempted to arrest this public theft 
and to restitute some of the stolen property, the com- 
munal forest area represents to-day a considerable con- 
tingent, namely 5 million acres or 23 per cent. of the 
total; private property with 14.8 million acres repre- 
senting 65 per cent. of the total which is 22.7 million 
acres (17.8 per cent. of the total land area). 
Rights of User had grown up in the same manner as 
in Germany, but efforts to get rid of them and to pre- 
vent their extension were instituted much earlier, Philip 
of Valois expressly forbidding such extension in 1646. 
Nevertheless they continued to grow so that by the mid- 
