, 1873-11-22
A CTS
OF OCTAVIUS NUTZHORN'S
"SKOV OF LAND" 1878,
TRANSLATED FROM
THE DANISH.
III. THE FOREST IN FRANCE DUR
ING THE REVOLUTION.
(Concluded.0

Although the French forests had been
taken under the protection Of the Govern
ment by the laws of 1876 and 1913, they
were so iIl-treated during the great civil
and religious wars, that Sully, the Minister
of Henry ~, prognosticated with grief the
time, when France would succumb from
want of woods. He did issue In 1897
two edicts, intended "to protect the for
ests from destruction, and to preserve
what Of them was left" but the succeed
ing Governments had not the vigOur to
uphold the laws, and in consequence the
owners got more and more into the habit
of regarding the forests as q possession,
which the right of property justified them
in not only using but also abusing. How
ever, it was not until the law of goth
of September 1891, which gave every one
unrestricted right of doing with his own
as he liked, that the free disposal OF the
forests became law and was rendered per-
feet, and their use abandoned to its natural
development.
A forest was at that time a precariOus
kind of property he who was compelled
to emigrate, had to leave his woods behind
him, and those who owned them to a large
extent thinned therefore their forests, and
the smaller proprietors seeing the price OF
wood going down on account of the album
dance offered for sale, fastened to cut
down everything, in order to save as much
as possible. The Government, being in
want of money, sold large tracts Of
the public and confiscated properties,
which were almost Immediately destroyed
by the new owners, mostly spectators,
who greedy of the quickest gain, cared
nothing for the sad effects caused to the
general well-being In many places the
expert forest officials were dismissed
horses and cattle were driven into the
woods, and destroyed the growing vegeta-
ton, the older trees were cut down and
sold. In the plains aud the mountains
extensive areas were laid waste, the soil
was dried up by the sun, blown away by
tho wind and washed off by the rains; the
green hill-sIopes were changed to naked
rocks, where no layer of mould, nor cover
ing Of vegetation retained The moisture and
opposed the streaming down to the water
courses after a tempest the brooks and
banks, and inundated the fields and
villages III the Vdlley' dlLeI WHICH
the water fell again with the same quick
ness, and left the bed of the river
dry the water-mills, which formerly had
been in regular activity, ceased moving in
many places the cold NOrtherly wind got
access and changed the climate of the
country f; thus that the olive groves went
to ruin or all vintage became impossi-
Bile.
At first no one comprehended the cause
of these strange phenomena OF nature, but
viewed the whole as the consequence of
several unfayourable years, and the des-
t~ruction continued therefore, until the
~ruinous effects became too conspicuous.
Rivers whose upland had been deprived
of the forests, rose to a height until then
unknown, and rushed along after a heavy
and continued rain with such i~mpetuosity,
that whole patches of the banks with trees
and houses were swept away an | carried
by the stream through the valley. into the
streets of the towns lower down. Chs.
Comte relates in his book on the right of
property, how the storm forced itself