difficulty in the way of the development of these capabilities, arising from a reckless destruction of forests and forest products which was going on, and a progressive desiccation of the climate, accompanying or following the destruction of forests and the burning of herbage and bush in connection with agricultural operations and pastoral husbandry. And I knew not then, nor do I know now, of a single work published in England from which I could then procure information in regard to the treatment required by aboriginal forests, to secure their conservation and improvement, excepting 'The Forests and Gardens of South India,' by Dr Cleghorn, then Conservator of Forests in the Madras Presidency; 'The Forester,' by Dr James Brown; The Arboretum et Fruticetum Britannicum,' by Louden; and English Forests and Forest Trees,' an anonymous work published by Ingram, Cooke, and Co., London. But none of these supplied the information I required. "Contrast with this the richness of Continental languages in literature on such subjects. I have had sent to me lately' Ofversight of Svenska Skogsliteraturen, Bibliografiska Studieren of Axel Cnattingius,' a list of many books and papers on Forest Science published in Sweden; I have also had sent to me a work by Don José Jordana y Morera, Ingenero de Montes, under the title of Apuntes Bibliographic Forestale,' a catalogue raisonné of 1126 printed books, MSS., &c., in Spanish, on subjects connected with Forest Science. I am at present preparing for the press a report on measures adopted in France, Germany, Hungary, and elsewhere, to arrest and utilise drift-sand by planting them with grasses and trees; and in Der Europaeische Flug-sand und Seine Cultur, von Josef Wessely General-Domaenen-Inspecktor, und Forst-Academie-Direktor, published in Vienna in 1873, I find a list of upwards of 100 books and papers on that one department of the subject, of which 30, in Hungarian, Latin, and German, were published in Hungary alone. "According to the statement of one gentleman, to whom application was made by a representation of the Government at the Cape, for information in regard to what suitable works on Forest Economy could be procured from Germany, the works on Forst-Wissenschaft, Forest Science, and Forst-Wirthschaft, Forest Economy, in the German language may be reckoned by cartloads. From what I know of the abundance of works in German, on subjects connected with Forestry, I am not surprised that such a report should have been given. And with the works in German may be reckoned the works in French. "In Hermann Schmidt's Fach Katalogue, published in Prague last year (1876), there are given the titles, &c., of German works in Forst und Jagd-Literatur, published from 1870 to 1875 inclusive, to the 31st of October of the latter year, amounting in all to 650, exclusive of others given in an appendix, containing a selection of the works published prior to 1870. They are classified thus:-General Forest Economy, 93; Forest Botany, 60; Forest History and Statistics, 50; Forest Legislation and Game Laws, 56; Forest Mathematics, 25; Forest Tables and Measurements, &c., 148; Forest Technology, 6; Forest Zoology, 19; Peat and Bog Treatment, 14; Forest Calendars, 6; Forest and Game Periodicals, 27; Forest Union and Year Books, 13; Game, 91; Forest and Game in Bohemian, 44. In all, 652. Upwards of a hundred new works had been published annually. Amongst the works mentioned is a volume entitled Die Literatur der letzten sieben Jahre (1862-1872) aus dem Gesammtgebiete der Land und Forst-wirthschaft mit Einschlusz der landw. Geweber u. der Jagd, in deutscher, fran_ zösischer u englisher sprache Herausg. v. d. Buchandl. v. Gerold and Co., in Wien, 1873, a valuable catalogue filling 278 pages in large octavo." This volume is published as a small contribution to the literature of Britain, on subjects pertaining to Forest Science. It is after due consideration that the form given to the work—that of a compilation of what has been stated in works previously published-has been adopted. It will be followed by another-now in the press-a translation of the famous Forest Ordinance of France of 1669, with notices of the previous treatment of Forests in that country. HADDINGTON, 1st March, 1883. JOHN C. BROWN. Reference is made to arrangements proposed by the British Government in 1870 for the preparation and publication of a compilation of information in regard to the past history and management of English Forests (pp. 1-5); and to circumstances which have led meanwhile to Notices are given of the Forests of England in the time of the Romans (p, 8), and in times of the Saxons (p. 9); of the Forest Laws of England (p. 12); and of the technical Robin Hood, his Tomb, and the Parliamentary Oak are alluded to (p. 17); and then are cited accounts of the Forest by Camden (p. 18); by Hutton (p. 19); by Evershed (p. 20); by Jewitt (p. 23); by Stacye (p. 23); with letter of directions by Sir Christopher Wren, re There are given notices of the Forest in early times (p. 32); of buried remains of mammoths, lions, bears, and other Details are given of its history from the times of the Romans Details of the erection of this Forest by William the Con- queror are given (p. 57); and of mishaps which followed (p. 52); of the boundaries of the Forest (p. 56); of the characteristics of the native horses (p. 57); of the swine- herding of a former day (p. 59); of the woodlands of the Characteristics of Parks (p. 90); Notices of Windsor Park (p. 91); Account of Windsor Forest and Park (p. 95); 90 |