The Sun.
London, England, 1835-02-03 00:00:00

BEST GUIDE BOOK FOR EMIGRANTS

New Edition, with valuable Additions, Bvo., with Plates,
EXCURSIONS in NEW SOUTH WALES,
VAN DIEMEN'S LAND, and SWAN RIVER.
By Lieutenant BRETON, R.N.

In the years 1830-'3l-32-33 ; therefore comprising the most recent
Account of the Actual Condition of these Colonies.

" The Emigrant will find this a book of practical utility, and must
consequently feel grateful for the valuable information communi-
cated by the author."—Globe.
" Contains more valuable matter than any book of a similar kind
we can call to our recollection."—Atlas.

Richard Bentley, 8, New Burlington-street.

The Report of the Select Committee appointed to inquire into
the Management of the Woods, Forests, and Land Revenues
of the Crown, and to report how far the measures recom-
mended by the Commissioners appointed under the Act 20,
George 111. c. 27, have been carried into effect, and what
other Measures such Committee would recommend for fur-
ther improving and rendering more productive the Hereditary
Estates of the Crown, and who were empowered to report
the Minutes of the Evidence taken before them to the House,
have inquired into the matters to them referred, and have
agreed to the following Report :
Your Committee commenced their inquiries in 1833, and
were re-appointed in the present session.
The greater part of the land revenue arises in London and
Middlesex, where the gross amount of the Crown rents at the
present time is 103,6951. per annum. These rents are col-
lected by'two receivers, Messrs. Kirkland and White, whose
joint salary is 1,0001. per annum ; under this joint appoint-
ment the Office of Woods leaves it to the two receivers to di-
vide the labour between them as they please.
One of them Mr. Kirkland, also holds an appointment
under the Secretary at War, as general agent, for which he
receives a salary of 1,0501. per annum, out of which he defrays
the expenses of his office, in which seven clerks are employed.
Mr. Kirkland also does private business as an army agent.
It appears to your committee, that it would be more advi-
sable to employ for the collection of the Crown rents in London
and Middlesex, a single receiver, who is not otherwise con-
cerned in agency business. On this subject your committee
have called for a report made to the Treasury by the Office of
Woods, which will he found in the Appendix No. 1. ( Sess.
1834.)
Another receivership is for the counties of Norfolk and Suf-
folk : its amounts is 2,5001. or 2,6001. per annum, and the re-
ceiver, Mr. Day, is allowed 5 per cent. on the collection.
The Crown rents for 18 other counties, yielding about
16,0001. per annum, are collected by two receivers, Messrs.
Edward and George Driver, who have 4 per cent. allowed
them.

The collectorfor the county of Surrey, Mr. Kendall, receives
about 2,7001. per annum, with an allowance of 5 per cent. on
the collection.

The receipt for the counties of Cambridge, Northampton,
and Lincoln, amounts to upwards of 12,000/. per annum on
the average, and Mr. Custance, the collector, has 4 per cent.
on the collection. •

For Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire the receipt is about
14,0001. per annum, and the allOwance is also 4 per cent. to
Mr. Bower, the collector.
For Lancashire, Westmoreland, Cumberland, Durham, and
Northumberland, the receipts are about 2,600/. ; Mr. William
Fryer has 5 per cent. on the collection.
In Derbyshire, the Crown property has been recently sold,
with the exception of a very small portion, yielding about 26/
per annum ; Mr. Josiah Fairbauk, the collector, has an allow-
ance of 4 per cent.
For Somersetshire, Dorsetshire, Devonshire, and Cornwall,
the receipts amount to about 3,000/. per annum, and 5 per
cent. is allowed to Mr. Richard Hawkins for the collection.

Sales of Crown lands are made by public auction, and in a
few cases by public tender with sealed offers, which is nearly
equivalent to public auction. Your Committee investigated
the case of a considerable property in Bedfordshire, which
was sold by private contract in 1820,- the terms of which sale
appear to have been advantageous to the Crown ; but on the
subject of sales generally your Committee resolved, " That
it appears to them that in all cases in which the property of
the Crown may be disposed of, all sales of lands, &c., should
be made by public auction (except in cases where it would be
obviously inexpedient or unjust so to do) ; that oases may
occur in which such a course may be prejudicial to the inte-
rests of the Crown, or to the fair claims of other parties, in
which cases, therefore, the Commissioners of the Woods must
have recourse to private treaties ; and that in all cases, there-
fore, in which the property of the Crown may he so disposed
of, the grounds of such a deviation from the usual course of
their proceedings shall be stated by the Commissioners of
Woods to the Treasury, previously to the conclusion of any
treaty for a sale, and subsequently to Parliament, In the first
report which the Commissioners of Woods shall lay before the
Legislature after the completion of such sale. As these grounds,
it is presumed, would in many cases be the same, the committee
are also of opinion that in the reports to Parliament the object
might be better effected by a classification of the cases of sale
under each of the above heads ; that in all future reports of
the Commissioners, in lieu of the general schedule of sales
now annexed to those statements, there shall be separate sche-
dules of sales by auction and sales by private treaty ; and that,
in addition to the particulars already laid before Parliament in
those cases, the Commissioners of Woods shall state against
each sale the amount of the valuation upon which the sale was
effected."

In 1827, a sum of 257,0001. was paid by the Commissioners
of French Claims out of the French fund, into the Office of
Woods, in aid of the " Woods' fund" generally.
Out of this money (which has been repaid by the Office
of Woods to the Commissioners of French Claims) t.vo sums
were paid by a written order from the Treasury for the ex-
penses of York-house; one of 25,0001., payable to Mr. Roths-
child, and the other 31,000/. payable to Messrs. Coutts.
The attention of your committee was drawn to this transac-
tiott as connected with the sale of York-house, the detailed
particulars of which are given in evidence, and upon which
your committee came to the following resolution :—" That
the advance of monies to the Commissioners of Woods in aid
of the funds of their department, out of monies in the hands
of the Commissioners of French Claims, was irregular ; and
that the subsequent application of a part of the same monies
in the purchase of York-house could only be accounted for
from the peculiar circumstances in which the property appears
at that time to live hen placed ; and that a general want. of
regularity appears to have pervaded these transactions., -,:nich
r••`'" more
to some loss, and as
the committee cannot hut refer to with! regret- •
more especially
the
theye llitigation
ga thaveion alreadyc subjectedon ; the
ot e~~►ic
respecting the mort-
gage to Messrs. Greenwood, Is still subsisting."
Several witn@ilses were examined as to the outlay of 9,158/.
in improvements upon the " Ort's Estate," near Reading.
The chief items are for a new road and two bridges ; one over
the Kennet and one over the New Cut, 4,087/. Bs. 9d. ; for a
new road, 2,5541. 18s. 10d.

The rent received by the Crown for this estate was 5301.,
and the lessee, by sublettings, receiving 6661. per annum.
Part of this property was sold in 1832 for 11,1241. ; a second
sale, in 1833,_produeed 12,060/. ; and for the estimated value
of the remainder unsold is 13,9701.
Mr. Driver gives his detailed reasons for thinking that if
the new road had not been made, and the two bridges built,
the property would not have produced one-half of what it has
been *old tbr,
Another witness (an old inhabitant of Reading) thinks that
the alterations were as good a disposition as could have been
made for the advantage of the estate of the Crown, and that
they also have been convenient and advantageous to the town
of Reading.

A surveyor and estate agent, who resides at Reading, thinks
the property has been disposed of in the most eligible way for
the benefit of the Crown, and lie approves of the construction
of the bridges.

Another witness is of opinion that the new road has much
benefitted the sale of the Crown property, but he does not
consider that any benefit has arisen from the two bridges.
Mr. Billing, a surveyor and builder, and surveyor to the
Corporation of Reading, states his reasons for thinking that
the road should have been united with a road to be made by
the Corporation through their own property, and that upon
the whole the Crown has incurred an unnecessary expenditure
of s,OOOL

Mr. Law, who for many years had a wharf at Reading, and
is acquainted with the Crown property there, objects to the
line of road which has been made, and states that the bridge
over the " New Cut" might have been built at less cost to the
Crown, by consenting to an arrangement proposed by the
Commissioners of Thames Navigation. Mr. Law also doubts
the utility of the " Kennet" bridge.
The evidence on this matter being of so contradictory a
nature, some of your committee went to Reading and viewed
the property ; and the result of the whole investigation was,
that your committee, without coming to any formal resolution
on the subject, are of opinion that (although 9,158/. was a
large sum to lay out in alterations and in improvements), as
the sale of the property has turned out, the expenditure has
not been injudicious.

The forests and woodlands stand upon a footing different
from that of the manors and the demised estates.
There has been of late years a very considerable expendi-
ture in enclosing forests for the planting and protection of
timber ; which outlay will gradually diminish in future years,
and an augmentation to the public revenue from the produce
of the forests may hereafter be expected.
The plantations were begun about 1809, and up to the pre-
sent time towards 40,000 acres have been enclosed and planted.
One of the members of the board visits the principal forests
every year ; and your committee are of opinion that this sys-
tem of periodical inspection should be vigilantly adhered to,
and the condition of the timber in each forest particularly re-
ported upon, with the view of ascertaining whether the persons
having the immediate charge of the forests are sufficiently at-
tentive in the discharge of their duties.