THE NEW FOREST.

Press, Volume XLIX, Issue 8187, 1 June 1892, Page 2

THE NEW FOREST.

THE SWEETEST PLAYGROUND OF A FREE

PEOPU2,

Lyndhurst, New Forest, Hants, Feb. 18.

It Is curious to find how few people, even in England, who do not happen to have some local interest, know anything about the New Forest. Everybody who ever had any schooling, of course, has a vague recollection of reading in Piunock's "Goldsmith Abridged," or some such veracious compendium of history, that William the Conqueror laid waste Hampshire, drove out the unfortunate inhabitants, and planted the New Forest in order to gratify his passion for* the chase. The fact that Rufus was killed by an arrow from the bow of Sir Walter Tyrrell, while hunting in the New Forest, is also a tradition of the popular childhood which is pretty generally adhered to. But beyond that ordinary folks know nothing, and even the average well-informed person is decidedly hazy. I have often been asked by educated men and women in London society whether the New Forest ie really a forest, whether there are any trees there still, or whether it is not only & name, like Forest Hill or St. John's Wood. Yet there are not many parts of England, not many places in the world, that are better worth knowing, and knowing well, than the New Forest. It has long been a favourite haunt of mine, and I have come down here just now ia consequence of an event which has'stirred up more feeling among the people perhaps than any since the Norman laid the Forest out. THE WAR OFFICE ON ITS KNEES. The War department having determined to take part of the New Foresfc under a statute of last year called the Ranges Act, for the purpose of exercising the military forces of Her Majesty in the use- of modern firearms, suddenly find themselves confronted by the whole population of the threatened locality, equipped in a formidable panoply of ancient enact 1 tnents, charters, immunities, and vested rights, which-were totally left out of account by' the Parliamentary draftsmen who prepared the Ranges Act and by the officials at' Whitehall who are entrusted with its administration. The British public.are requested ta take notice that Home Rule exists, and has existed for eight centuries, in this part of England, aud that any vagaries the mushroom Parliament at Westminster choose to indulge in must; and can only be subject to the solemn acts'and deeds of Norman and Plantagenet princes of blessed memory, long since in glory. An appeal to the courts i 3 talked of, .and the lawyers are linking their lips afc the prospect of the most gigantic piece of litigation of recent times. Bat the Forest holders declare they, are strong enough to carry a bill through both Houses re-affirming all their privileges and specially excepting their territory, from the Ranges Act and all other such detest* able devices of an encroaching age. MeanwhHe, the War Department, • usually thA naughtiest and moat unbending branch of the Government, are apologetic and conciliatory ; and nobody, seams quite to know what is to be done about it. Jn short, the quarrel is a very pretty quarrel as ifc stands. I have satisfied myself by per* sonal inquiry on-the spot that for the principle involved.* it does nqs really matter to anybody how it ends, "because the piece required by the War department; is insignificant in comparison to c the whole area, and is remote from habitations. I will, therefore, not waste any time on a jli'icassioa of itslegaj. merits. It wiilbe more pleasant and profitable to say something about the New Forest itself. \ "■ THE PAR-SEEING 'CONQUEROR. . : No man who fills so large a space in the page of historyhas puzzled the historians so much as William the Conqueror. ,• I mean as to his motives. Two of his most conspicuous and most lasting,deeds have never to this day been satisfactorily explained. He .made "Domesday Book and he laid out the New Forest, and nobody knows why he did either. There are three theories about the New F.orest. The popular one is_that William depopulated the fairest parts ,of Hampshire, destroyed great numbers of smiling villages; and even demolished more than a score of churches, out of wanton cruelty, for the selfish object of providing a magnificent hunting ground within easy distance of Mis palace at Winchester. This theory may safely, be dismissed as a mere survival of Saxon prejudice, which repre--sented everything William did in the light of a diabolical atrocity. Every reasonable record of his reign shows that he never did anything of importance without some strong ground of public policy; and that wanton cruelty and selfish indulgence at the expense of the people are not more, j usfcly ... chargeable to him than to Oliver Cromwell. For my own , part 1 do riot understand how the site of the New Forest can ever have supported, a numerous or a thriving population in Saxon times, when a great part of it must have' been a quaking bog; arid judging from the diminutive size of the remaining churches and churchyards—the only burial grounds in those days, and an excellent guide as to the number and condition of the inhabitants—l should say the few that were there were in squalid poverty, and were benefited rather than injured by being moved nearer the centres .of industry. Another theory is that William regarded the shore of the Solent as the most, probable place of attack from a foreign foe, and that he established the New Forest as an inhospitable frontier which could be easily defended but in which;no enemy could live. A third, and and not the least probable theory, is that, forseeing the future maritime greatness of England and the importance of Portsmouth as a naval station, he planted the New Forest 'on the. nearest available ground to famish timber for ship-build-ing.: If that was not his purpose it might very well have been, for it actually resulted that the navies of England were built of oak Irom. the New Forest right up to the introduction of iron ships, and her supremacy on the sea during seven centuries was largely owing to her poseession of that ample and handy supply. ; A BEAK ENGLISH FOREST. ' The notion that the New Forest Is a matter of mediaeval history and has no existence at the present time is quite mistaken. It is one of the finest forests in Europe, and is certainly finer now than ever before. The site is admirably chosen for the purpose. Ifc is, broadly speaking, that part of Hampshire which is protected by the Isle of Wight from the fierce southeasterly gales—protection from wind beinpr a necessary condition for timber trees of large growth. The total extent of the land within the forest boundaries is about 120,003 acres, but of this abont 60,000 acres consists of open heath, bag, stunted wood,. and cultivated holdings. The remaining 60,000 acres is entirely covered with trees, grown according to the most approved methods of forestry, and affording multitudes of the finest specimens of their kind to be found in the world. The antiquity of the New .Forest is easily discerned, not only by the size of the trees, bat by the fact that there are none but native i English trees, planted before exotics began to be acclimatised Iα this country. There are no ehestnats, or popl&rs, or planes, or willows, ; or: -conifers, or any of the kind which came from the East through the Crusades, or were introduced m later. times when communication with foreign lands had become comparatively common. Broadly speaking, the New Forest may be said to consist of cat, beech, and birch. The etm, though a truly EagHsh tree, is not at all common In thi3 part, and i 3 not to be found ia the forest, while fcne ash is almost equally conspicuous by its absence. Oak, beech, and birch are the three main trees, the oak largely predominating on '

any oak at all. ONE OF THE WVUEST PARTS OF ENGLAND. It must not be supposed however, that there isany monotony iuche New There is everywhere a br Wf™*f SJJgJd of holm, the native wild holly olAngiana, and. wherever the clwanwtances are favourable, these lovely trees Bfow to a considerable size, and give a c appearance with their gloasy evergreen foliage and light-grey trunks. The holm diffefs from the holly that is so familiar in Sussex hedgerows, or out in the imaaio 01 ; the fields in Somersetshire. It has no I berries, but to compensate for that ie 13 i much lighter and more graceful than i the holly, and it constantly forms clumps, I thickets, or bowers, which, though perfectly natural, seem to display the hifih" est art of the laudsc&po gardener. Iwtsn in the depth of winter the New Forest is always green with holms, ivy, and brambles, which furnish the most effective .settingfor the.grays, browns anil purples of the larger Uecs. Then the ground is very broken and varied, and abundantly watered by glittering streams, purling over; beds of red gravel; ami all along the banks of these sweet rivulets are slender alders and maay other trees of the smaller kind which love to paddle their feet in water. Among the lesser gloi ios of the New Forest, however, the whitethorns stand pre-cmineat. Even air- this time of the year these quaint old trees, with their gnarled and twisted trunks, often so hollow it is a wonder they can carry the aap to they branches, are strikingly picturesque. But three months hence is the time to see them; when, before their bright green leaves are expanded, they are already a mass of pink and white blossom, loading the air with perfume. An early May morning in the New Forest is an experience to be reniembered all one's life. WHAT FORESTRY IS. The art of forestry was carried to great perfection iv the Middle Ages, when men were far more dependent upon forest products than they are now; and long before William's time the Saxon kings had established many very tine forests. This was called the ''New" forest, simply bocause when it was laid out. about the year 1070, it was the latest addition to the recognised forests belonging to the Crown, as distinguished from the wild woods which then covered a great part; of the country. It was well understood in those days that a mere jungle of trees is not a forest; and the reason why the New Forest is what it is to-day is because Kiug William and his foresters knew exactly what they were about when they laid ie out. A great deal of attention has beon given of late years to the forest planting in India, Australia, and New Zealand, and the Governments of those countries would have-avoided much disappointment if they had been more Raided by a few ciear principles which were obviously followed by'the planters of forests in the olden days. It would have paid them well to send on intelligent man here for a year or so to see for himself how William the Conqueror did this kind of work, and how well it; stands after eight hundred years. To begin with, the land was carefully prepared. The Saxon chroniclers complain bitterly of the cleau sweep that was made of the inhabitants and their little homesteads. Buc it had to be a clean sweep or nothing. The whole of the laud that was suitable for growing large tlm ber trees was entirely cleared, and the soil was thoroughly drained and broken up. In other words, the area to bo dealt with was changed from a state of nature to a etate of culture, for the Saxon peasants never did much more in the way of husbandry than herd ssviiie in the wild woods. Then the trees were sown. There has been a great dispute as to whether the grand forests which have survived from the Middle ages were sown or planted, but it is now pretty well settled that every tree has grown from seed in the place where it stands. , There are of course plenty of planted forests or woodlands in England, but not ancient ones. The trees which William, the Third. planted at Hamptoncourt, at Bushey, and at Kensington are an example. They are now about 200 years old, end their days are already numbered. They all show signs of age, and one by one they are dying. Planted trees in fact do not live more than about 200 years, even whent taken the best care of, and many of them decay much earlier, Trees grown from seed in the place where they stand, on the other hand, are everlasting, and under fair conditions, never decay. The oaks, beeches and birches which where sown in the New. Forest in the eleventh century are as vigorous now as they were.at & year old, and there it no reason why they should not be as vigorous eight hundred years hence, There are trees in the forest, indeed, which are much older than the forest. A THOUSAND YEAKS OLD. * T I went a few days ago to see the Knightwood oak, in a secluded part of the forest about three miles from here. It is an enormous tree, one of the largest in England, with a vast trunk branching at a height of 20ft into eight main boughs, each as large as a large tree, and spreading so far that they need so be supported on props. This tree is mentioned irt "Domesday Book "as being famous for its size aud antiquity. Now, "Domesday Book "„. was wntted in 1085-6, so that, allowing only 200 years for tha Knightwood oak to have attained a growth thac made it famous then, it must now be more than 1000 years old,, Yet it Is full of lifeand vigour, and'to all appearance isj sound at heart. It makes each year a goad deal of dead wood, owing to the enormous stretch and interlacing of its branches, but. with a little skilful trimming, it may flourish for centuries to of course, barring storms and lightning. Close to the Knightwcod oak are several groups of gigantic beeches, undoubtedly belonging to the same period wich the oak before thd' forest was laid out. These magnificent trees seem to have formed a small plantation by themselves, and probably belonged to some religious house, or perhaps to the dwelling of some Saxon thane, the hisiory of which is forgottou. They are not the only Instances of the kind; for in several other parts of the force t arts groups of trees, or distinctive plantations, which evidently belong to au age before the Conquest and which were carefully preserved and planted in by William's men. Here and there in the depths of tbe Forest! are villages, very little changed since the Saxon days, surrounded by a huge growth of trees quite diit'erent from .those in the Forest proper, and containing in the churchyards yews of immemorial antiquity. From these and many other Indications, I should say that William, instead of wantonly destroying everything, was careful to save everything that was worth saving and that could be saved without spoiling his plan of a really I great and serviceable forest. ■ : THE TREES HAVE BOOM. Th'e trees having been siowu m ground properly prepared, due regard having been had to suitability of soil, situation, and aspect for the different kinds, they were by no mean! left to take care of themselves, ' which simply means destroying one another. From the , Ivery first they must have been thinned with a reeolute and expert hand. In fact, the New Forest was placed under strict regulation from the beginning, and has ever since remained so. It was placed under the authority of two classes of officers, the wardens and the verderers. The wardens had the supervision of the game end of all live things, including all dealings with the Crown tenants, while the vefddirfers were made responsible for the vert or greenery — that fs to say, the forest itself and ail that appertains to the growing and cutting of trees and plants. The&e verderere were highlytrained foresters, aod their businesswas to see that every tree had the best chance to grow inCo a thing of beauty and of cash value to their lord the Kinac. Hence every tree of any importance in the New Forest, I especially in the older parts, stands by I itself, untouched by any other tree, and ! spreads to its full natural size and shape. Many of the oldest and largest trees are so perfect in outline that they give the impression of having been artificially rounded; but in reality they have never been cut at all, unless some injury has necessitated the lopping of a bough. They have merely been allowed ample space, both above and below the ground, whilst enjoying the protection of other trees at a proper distance. Thl« is the essence at forestry, and it is by following thie simple rule that the utmost beauty as well as the utmost profit and pleasure is obtained from trees. THE STRICT FOREST UWB. The organisation which King William established for the control and care of the New Forest baa been maintained with bat slight modifications to the present day, and the laws of the. forest are still strietiy enforced. There have been times when there was much reckless cutting of timber, either for the navy or to satisfy the greed of Court favourites or corrupt officials; but fell such ravages have been amply repaired, and the area under treea is probably greater now than ever before. At.the present time no trees are felled in the New B'orest except from necessity ; that is co cay, none, are felled unless) they encroach ua one another or threaten

to fall. Tho wood arising: tmm thl« necessity, however, amounts to? great deal. It all belongs to the Cre w « tenants within whose holding ie Itapn e » to be, this being one of the coneidemiont for the rent; and sometimes, when trees fall, or havo to be felled, tbh nft? nulsitc is worth a large sum of money Meanwhile the tenant* are required & plant continaoualy.all tho operations ' under the control of the vcrdererH, so that the forest extends considerably overyye,. and many young trees are added for e l|" old one that is taken away. I have visited several of these young plantations, ar ,<s could not but admlro the conscientiotti way in which they are carried out. fh« care that is taken of the New Forest, v* deed, seems almost over scrupulous. jrA.' instance, the dead fern or brake, which covers the ground everywhere, h much coveted by the poorer dwellero in ty neighbourhood, to whom It serve* InsttJ of straw; but they are now forbidden c 0 cut it iv tho forest, because it shelters fa. numerable self-sown trees, aorae few «* which may be worth sparing when the? grow up. Again I had a talk tho oth« day with some ch&rcoal-burners, t& humblest class of foreat dwellers, airf among their many grjievaucta not % least was that the verderers refused tlsea a little heather which thoy need to thatch their huts and cover their charcoal wit! They had to go a long distance lor \t though it abounded all round them iv the forest. THE GAME LAWS. The same strictness prevails with Ks&ri to game. There are four packs of hounds in tho New Forest—ataghounds, foxhounds, harriers, and basset hounda-and there is first-rate huntlug. Then t&ere are plenty of otters in the streamy a'jid otter-hunting is one of the favourite eport3. Every Crown tenant who Bays £20 a year, moreover, has a forest lieease to shoot came in season in any p&ttot the open forest. Yet, with all this, the conditions of sport are very clearly isfa*A and stringently enforced, the chief (ibie»t being to prevent encroachment oa■ *». closures where young trees are growing o? where game finds ennetaary, A Cr&wa teuant aud a capital sportsman put it very well to mc by saying— ,. We may rq where we like and do what we like as loug as we don't get over a fence."

TENANTS OF THE FOREST. The tenants of the Crown in the Not? Forest are those who hold lonscer or shoris? leases of laud ,within the area of ®Bi acres which I alluded to at tue begiaatnt of this letter. Many of thorn are weaUky noblemen or country gentlemen, living fo magnificent houses. Otle has jusc cam. pleted a mansion, -it a cost of £80,000, sa a holding of tweuty-six acres, of whlebba has a ninety year-s* lease. This weras sheer folly, but nofc when it; Ja explained that the situation of tho houseis as fine as that of Windsor Caetle—llucr in one respect, since it commands a grand view of the Solent, the Isle of Wight, aod the Channel beyond—and that;, aa regafd3 elbow-room and sport, the whole Forest is open to htm. There are also a great ninny small tenants, some of whom have Md from father to son from the Middle Affee, the tradition boino- that so long as the h«artustoue remains the tenant iig'hs remains with it, and is transmitted like any other property. These tenants eleeS the verderers. who form a court without appeal for tiie settlement of all disputes regarding Forest aif airs. ~,..-• AN II.IiU3TBA.TION OP ENGLAND'S BAci BONES.

This village of Lyndhuret, one, of the most beautiful Iα all England, ma? l>o called the Forest; capital. More, juss opposite the pretty, old-faehloned inn w'h'ero lam writing, stands tho Qucen's-hoase, a noble Tudor mansion, the residence w tho warden, and beside St is the 'Ifoireat* ball, an ancient building, where tho Court of Verderers hold their sittings and transact all their business. Thud thews nro jealousies and heartburnings ami differences of opinion in this little common* wealth, us in all others, goes without say« ing. But tho government of the New* Forest, with which the British Gaveip* raent has literally nothing, to do, nevertheless, affords v striking illuetratkm bc-tlj of the capacity of Englishmen for govtirlv ing themselves; and also cf that sturdy and consclentibus conservatism which is really the backbone ol! the natlausl character. Long may It ba before, tie blatant voice otf the Rrabbinß hand ol tbs so-cttLled radical reformer,ls allowed to disturb the serenity of this sweetest play« ground of a free and a Nature-lovlag people I—Correspondent of the Argu®. ?, ;*