132 EPPING FOREST. 
Forest, and of restoring it to its pristine extent, for the 
benefit of the people of London. 
I introduced to the Lord Mayor a deputation of 
persons interested in the preservation of Epping Forest. 
We insisted on the importance of the subject, and 
represented that the Corporation would acquire great 
and lasting honour by fighting the cause of London 
generally. We pointed out the old connection of the 
City of London with the Forest in respect of the annual 
Easter hunt; we urged them to take up the cudgels 
against the Lords of Manors on behalf of their 
common rights at Ilford. The Lord Mayor gave a 
friendly ear to our representatives. Mr. Scott, the 
City Chamberlain, also took up the subject with great 
ardour, and it was mainly at his instance that the Cor- 
poration was induced to move in the matter. This body, 
with a keen eye to its advantage, perceived that great 
popularity might be achieved by fighting for the interest 
of the public in a case of such importance and magnitude, 
and was the more inclined to embark on it at a time 
when the separate exclusive rights of the Corporation 
were threatened by the demands of London generally for 
a single Municipal Government. 
The Corporation having decided to take up the case 
of Epping Forest, and to fight the cause of the 
Commoners {and the public, I felt that their pro- 
ceedings could only be conducted to a_ successful 
conclusion if piloted through the quicksands of the 
Law Courts by a lawyer familiar with such cases, and 
fully instructed in the intricate law of Commons. I 
