340 
The Principles of Forestry, 
Space does not permit a further referenco to this interesting 
report, and I must pass on to the report of the Select Committee 
issued in 18i8. 
This report did not advert in detail to the evidence of the 
witnesses examined, and therefore throws but little new light 
upon the subject. But the minutes of evidence taken by them 
are extremely valuable ; and this, coupled with the reports of 
Messrs. Robert and John Glutton and Thomas Neve, not only 
point conclusively to the genuineness of the inquiry, but to the 
fact that it paved the way to extensive improvements, and to the 
planting of large areas of oaks in various parts of England, which 
stand now as striking proofs of what may be done by an exercise 
of knowledge and expenditure of capital. 
About this period, however, iron began to be used for ship- 
building, which gradually allayed public excitement on the 
subject ; and it is no doubt owing to this that the state of apathy 
to which I shall allude has arisen. 
I have endeavoured, by refeiTing briefly to these reports, 
to show that England, notwithstanding the present unsatisfac- 
tory state of her woodlands, has been in the forefront of forest 
improvement from a very early period. Nevertheless the subject 
was first treated scientifically by Germany, and this arose from 
the increasing scarcity ol wood, as in our own case. The out- 
come, however, in her case was totally different from our own. 
Except during the long-continued wars— that is, during the 
latter half of the eighteenth century to the peace of 1815 — 
public attention has by no means been attracted to forestry. 
When dealing with agriculture, however, the public mind has 
been easily and readily impressed because public interest is 
so closely connected with its welfare. This is proved by the 
sympathy which has been shown with reference to the wide- 
spread destitution brought about by the long-continued agricul- 
tural depression. Fall in prices of every kind of agricultural 
produce has resulted for the time being in something like a 
panic, but that this will pass away and give place to an era of 
prosperity is a foregone conclusion. Whether prices will rise, 
or whether the cost of production will fall to the level of the 
altered circumstances, is an open question. But the fact re- 
mains that in a country possessing such wealth and energy, 
agriculture cannot become a dead industry, though many. look 
upon it, even now, as moribund. 
Tlie principles of agriculture have, however, been so long 
instilled into the minds of all directly interested in the subject 
that the agricultural collapse cannot be attributed to the lack 
of such principles. True, there is room for improvement, room 
