230 
TRAVELS 
too negligent to extinguiffi it entirely. The fecond caufe we may 
trace to the political conftitution and laws of the country: gene¬ 
rally fpeaking, it is in the crown forefts that thofe conflagrations 
take place. In many diftrids the peafants obtain their wood 
from the king’s forefts, and pay for it a certain tax. There are 
precife limits within which they are permitted to cut, and they 
are liable to be puniftied with a fine, if they are found to proceed 
in their operations beyond the fixed boundaries : but if a fire 
happens to break out in any part of a foreft belonging to the 
crown, the peafantry of that diftrid have a right to cut down 
and carry home fuch trees as have been injured by the burning. 
Thus the peafants who are in want of wood, and have too fmall 
a fliare in the foreft for the fupply of their demands, are prompted 
from an interefted motive to fet fire to it in their own neighbour¬ 
hood, being entitled to appropriate whatever trees have been 
touched by the flames, which are generally in fuch abundance as 
to flock a houfekeeper wfith w r ood for four, or perhaps fix years, 
according to the magnitude of the ravages which the foreft has 
fufFered. It w r ould appear that the government, if it were aware 
of the circumftance, might effedually check thefe unlawful ads; 
not fo effedually by infliding heavy punifhments, as by ordering 
that the peafants fhould pay the fame fum for the ufe of the 
wood that might be gathered, injured by conflagration, as for 
that in a found ftate ; and that till the former was ufed they 
fhould not be allowed to cut any wood in the foreft. There may, 
however, be difficulties in executing fuch meafures, which a 
ftrangcr 
