New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-04-15
F, NEW PUBLICATIONS.
rur IoPE or ROYAL WOODLANDS.

MENT OF THEM IN BYE-GONE il ~ so-ro 0UI1,
ts hove BotaSist at the Cape Of Good Hope,
Edinburgh: Oliver Boyd London: oiihPAin' MAT
shall & Co. 1888. PIP. XIV. 2o5'
"Forestsr saith Sir William Blackstone are
waste grounds belonging to the King replenished
with oil manner OF chase or venery, which are
Under tho Kings protection for the sake of his
recreation and delight" The idea Of woodland is
onIv incidentally connected with what technically
and legally n forest to-day and what was forest
in colloouia phrase for centuries of English history
Forests were possible in which the:e were 10 WOODS
md many were the broad stretches OF woodland
''wildernesses thick set with trees" as William OF
Malmsbury called them-which were yet no
forests. The title of the Crown officers who now
are charged with the administration OF the foresls
of England is "IIor Majesty's Commissioners OF
Woods and Forests" Clumps of copsewood OF
square miles of timber trees, whether belonging 10
soyereicn OF subject are woods The ROYAL hunting
grounds alone are forests. In Manwoods lrealise
of the Laws of the Forest and of the Purleu'" pun
lished in 159S it is thus laid down: "a 1oresI IS
certain territory of woody grounds and fruitioi
pastures. priyiledged for wild beastes and foues OF
forrest chase ard warren, to rest ana aoide Ill., III
the safe protection OF the King Tor
his princely delight and pleasure; while
territorie of ground so privileged is meered
and bounded with irremOveable meeres and boun-
DIARIES either known by matter of record or els by
prescription, And also replenished with wild
beastes of venerie or chase and with great
coyerts of vert for the succour of the saiG wide
beastes TO have their abode in for the preservacon
and continuance of which said place. together with
the vert and venisOn there are eertin particular
lawes, privileges and officers belonging to the
same meete for that purpose, that are only proper
unto forrest and not to any other place" Forest
economy in legal phraseology has no reference TO
the systematic production of fuel and timber but
to the conservation of deer and the destruction OF
the same in accordance with time-honored solemnI-
ties under the Game laws and upon the Royal Pre-
serves The vert " mentioned above is defined by
Manwood TO be the arborescent vegetation of the
forest and consisted of OUer-rert or trees,
md Neathe-UeYt or shrubs, and this
was valued as a part of the forest solely be-
cause of the food and shelter it furnished for the
game 1t the game for which the forests ex-
listed. a forest must always have beasts of venery
abiding in it," afirms one authority, land If there
be neither beast of forest beast of chase in the
same there men may fell their woods and
destroy their covers" which implies that legally
afforested hunting-ground for the king might COM
prise both woods and fields belOu ging to subject
1t appears that the sacred word game" was
pnly applied to beasts of the forest of venery;
II,
covert, and IN the night season betake themselves
to the pleasant feeding" These were the hart, the
hind, the hare the boar and the wolf. The term
"yensonp was restricted to "beasts of the field Of
the chase to w.t. such as lie all the day in the field
and upon the hills and mountains, where they can
SEQ and eat during the night" These were the buck.
the doe, the fox, the marten and the roe. ManvOod
devouty appeals to the Sacred Scriptures TO justify
these five distinctions among the beasts which
perish As proof of their accuracy he adduces the
language of the Psalmist :" Thou makest darkness
and it is night wherein all the beasts of the forest
do creep forth. The young lions roar after their
prey and seek their meat from God. The arisetb
they gather themselves together and lay them down
in their deDs" And again, " | will take no bullock
put of thy house. nor he-goats out of thy fields For
every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle
npon a thousand hills. know all the fowls of the
mountain and the wild beasts of the field mine.'
Hereby too" he adds eve may gather that there
were forests in the prophet Davids time" The
good man was greatly comforted by this irrefutable
proof of the antiquity of forests ne understood
their use, and he justified the Game laws by the
same convincing logic as the outgrOwt III of para
mount human necessity as evidenced by the prac-
tce of good men in all ages and in every land
Hunting grounds there were and are which yet
are not forests. for the sovereign alone can make
and hold a forest and by this is it distinguished
from chase park, a warren pasture. Being
"ths highest franchise of princely pleasure"
no meaner parsonage than monarch is
privileged to enjoy it. 1t is compe
tent for sovereign to make grant of forest
by prescribed procedure to subject. But by the
very act 1t is dsafforested, becomes chase and
passes from under the Forest Code. to be with all
its belongings subject to common law. A park
proper also contains beasts OF the chase but it diff
fers from chase in that it must be enclosed by
pale wall OF hedge. 1t must be a royal grant and
is only erected with license under the broad SEAL |
Vert venison and enclosure are all essentials of
park and the failure of of these particulars
the sweeping away of the wood, the destruction of
the deer. or preaching of the encosure-amounts
to the total disparkng of the grant. A warren is
franchise privileged by prescription or grant from
the king for the keeping of beasts and fowls of the
warren, which hares ana coneys, partridges |
pheasants, quails, woodcock and water fowl. These
animals after the Conquest were reputed |
royal game. and this franchise was |
invented TO preserve them by giving |
the grantee exclusive privilege to hunt them OH
condition of protecting them from others Some OF |
the royal warrens of great extent. for mon |
nrehs in the Middle Ages felt the need of spacious
fields for recreation and relief from the harassng |
cares of State. Sir Henry Spelman, antiquary of
Queen Elizabeth's day, gives list of seventy-fvc |
forests which had been erected for royal pleasure.
OF these Merrie Sherwood, the haunt of Robin
Hood contained by perambulatIon " made in
1909 more than $4,000 acres. Epping Forest
measured 60, 900 acres The Forest of Dean at one
time included all of the County of Gloucester lying
west of the Severn. Sixty parishes devastated
md their inhabitants driven out according to
Odericus Vitas, by order of William the Con-
querer that he might convert this territory into
the New Forest. About these vast de-
mesnes lowered swarm of officials
of various functions and degree. Masters of the
Wood, Lord Wardens and Keepers, Rangers,
yerderers, Regarders, Foresters. Agistors, Wood
wards, Bow-bearors, Viewers Riders, and many