WIT

7ITH regard to the fituation and boundaries of this extenfive foreft, it occupies the fouthwest extremity of Ham, fhire; and in its earlier form was a kind of peninfula, bound ed by the bay of Southampton on the ealt by the river Avon, on the weft and on the fouth, by the channd of the Isle of Wight, as far as the Needles; and to the welt of thofe rocks by the ocean. Thus the boundaries of New-forett were determined by the natural lines of the country.

This tract of wood-land was origipally made a foreft by William I. in the year 1979, about thirteen years after the battle of Haftings; and is indeed the only foreft in England, whofe origin can be traced. It took the denomination of New-forest from its being an addition to the many forests, which the crown already poffeiled; and which had form rly been appropriated in feudal times. The original Dame of this tract of country was Ytene.

The government of New foreft is, at this time, nearly what it originally was, excepting only that the abolition of foreft-law hath restrained the power of its officers.

The chief officer belonging to it is the Lord-warden, who is generally fome perfon of great diftinction. The prefect Lord warden is the Duke of Glocefter-Under him are two dillinct appointments of officers; the one to preferve the verifon of the foreft; and the other to preferve its vert. The former term, in the language of foreft-law, includes all fpecies of game: the latter refpects the woods, and lawns, which harbour and feed them.

Of thofe officers who fuperintend the game, are, first, the two rangers. But the office of ranger, as

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well as that of bow-bearer, and a few others, have been long in difufe: leaft they fem to be delegated to the keepers: of these there are fitteeen; who prefide over as many walks, into which the foreit is divided. In each walk is erected a lodge. A few of thefe lodges are clegant manfions; and are the habit tions of the keepers, who are generally men of fashion, or fortune. Prince William of Glocefter has one; the Duke of Bolton another; and Lord Delawar a third; but in general, the lodges are but moderate buildings; and are inhabited by the under keepers, or groom-keepers, as they are called; on whom the executive part of the keeper's office devolves.

The under-keeper feeds the deer in winter-browzes them in fummerknows where to find a fat buck-executes the king's warrants for vendon

prefents offences in the foreft-courts

and prevents the destruction of game. In this laft article his virtue is chiefly fhown; and to this purple the memory of every found keeper fhould be furnished with this cabaliitic verfe,

Stable-ftand; Dog-draw; Back-bear; and Bloody-hand.

It implies the feveral circumstances, in which offenders may be taken with the manner, as it is phrafed. If a man be found armed, and stationed in fome fufpicious part of the forell→→→→ or if he be found with a dog purfuing a ftricken deer-or if he be found carrying a dead deer on his backor, laftly, if he be found bloody in the foreit; he is, in all thefe cafes, feizable; though the fact of killing a deer cannot be proved upon him. The under-keeper

under-keeper alfo drives the foreft; that is he annually impounds all the cattle that pasture in his walk; and fees them examined, and properly marked.

With regard to the woods of the foreft, which were orginally confidered only as they refpected game, the firft fficer, under the lord-warden, is the woodward. It is his bufinefs, as his title denotes, to infpect the woods. He prevents wafte-he fees that young trees are properly fenced and he affigns timber for the payment of foreft-officers. This timber is fold by auction at the court at Lynd hurft; and annually amounts to about feven hundred pounds, which is the fum required.

Under the woodward are twelve regarders; and to these indeed chiefly is delegated the executive part of his office. The regarders feize the hedge. bills, and axes of trefpaffers; prefent offences in the forest courts; and affign fuch timber as is claimed by the inhabitants, and borderers of the fo. reft, for feuel, and repairs. Of this inferior wood, there are great quantities affigned, on every fide of the foreft. I can only fpeak of my own aflignment, as vicar of Boldre, which is annually twelve load.

Befides thefe officers, who are in effect the officers of the crown, as they are appointed by the lord-warden, there are four others, called verderors, who are commonly gentlemen of property and intereft in the neighbourhood, and are elected, like the knights of the fhire, by the freeholders of the county. Thefe officers, fince the jufticiary-in-eyre has been a fine cure, are the only judges of the foreftcourts. The Verderor is an ancient foreft officer. His name occurs in the earlieft account of foreft-law. But though his appointment has at prefent a democratical catt, it is probable that he was formerly a royal offieer, and that his election by the freeAders of the county was extort

ed from the crown in fome period favourable to liberty. As New-foreft was always confidered as the great. magazine of navy timber, the verderors were impowered by an Act of Parliament in Kirg William's time, to fine delinquents to the amount of five pounds in their attachment-courts: whereas in all the other forefts of England, the fine does not amount to more than a few pence, which was the original amerferent. The serderor is an officer without falary: but by ancient cuftom he was entitled to courfe, and take what deer he pleased, in his way to the foreft-court: bot this privilege is now compounded by an annual fee of a buck and a doe.

Befides thefe ancient officers of the foreft, there is one of later inftitution, fince timber became valuable as a ma terial. He is called the purveyor, and is appointed by the commiffioner of the dock at Portsmouth. His bufifinefs is to affign timber for the ufe of the navy. The origin of the pur veyor is not earlier than the reign of Charles II. in whose time five hundred oaks, and fifty beeches were annually affigned for the king's yards; and this officer was appointed to affign them. But it being found, that the foreft could ill fupply fo large a quantity of oak, inftead of five hundred, the number was afterwards reduced to fixty; which, together with fifty beeches, are ftill annually affigned, The puryeyor has a fallary of fifty pounds a year; and fix and eightpence a day, when on duty.

I fhall conclude this account of the officers of the foreft with the fingular character of one of them, who lived in the times of James and Charles I. It is preferved in Hutchin's Hiftory of Dorfetfaire.

The name of this memorable sportf man, for in that character alone he was confpicuous, was Henry Haftings. He was fecond fon to the Earl o Huntingdon, and inherited a good eftate in Dorfetfhire from his mother

He

He was one of the keepers of Newforest, and refided in his lodge there during a part of every hunting-feafon. But his principal refidence was at Woodlands, in Dorfetfhire, where he had a capital manfion. One of his nearest neighbours was the Lord Chancellor Cooper, firft Earl of Shaftsbury. Two men could not be more oppofite in their difpofitions and purfuits. They had little communication therefore; and their occafional meetings were rendered more difagreeable to both, from their oppofite fentiments in politics. Lord Shaftsbury, who was the younger man, was the furvivor; and the following account of Mr Hastings, which I have fomewhat abridged, is faid to have been the production of his pen.

Mr Haftings was low of ftature, but very strong, and very active; of a ruddy complexion, with flaxen hair. His cloaths were always of green cloth, His houfe was of the old fashion; in the midft of a large park, well stocked with deer, rabbits, and fifh-ponds. He had a long narrow bowling-green in it; and ufed to play with round fand-bowls. Here too he had a banqueting-room built like a ftand, that ran buck, fox, hare, otter, and badger; and had hawks of all kinds, both long and fhort winged. His great hall was commonly ftrewed with marrow-bones; and full of hawk-perches, hounds, fpaniels, and terriers. The upper end of it was hung with fox-fkins of this and the laft year's killing. Here and there a pole-cat was intermixed; and bunter's poles in great abundance. The parlour was a large room, compleat ly furnished in the fame ftyle. On a broad hearth, paved with brick, lay fome of the choiceft terriers, hounds, and fpaniels. One or two of the great chairs had litters of cats in them, which were not to be disturb. ed. Of these three or four always at:ended him at dinner; and a little white wand lay by his trencher, to

defend it, if they were too trouble fome. In the windows, which were very large, lay his arrows, cross-bows, and The

other accoutrements. corners of the room were filled with his belt hunting and hawking poles. His oyfter-table ftood at the lower end of the room, which was in conftant ufe twice a day, all the year round; for he never failed to eat oysters both at dinner and supper, with which the neighbouring town of Pool fupplied him. At the upper end of the room ftood a small table with a double defk; one fide of which held a church-bible; the other, the book of martyrs. On different tables in the room lay hawk's hoods; bells; old hats, with their crowns thrust in,” full of pheafant eggs; tables; dice; cards; and ftore of tobacco pipes. At one end of this room was a door, which opened into a clofet; where ftood bottles of ftrong beer and wine; which never came out but in fingle glaffes, which was the rule of the houfe; for he never exceeded himfelf, nor permitted others to exceed. Anfwering to this closet was a door into an old chapel; which had been long difufed for devotion; but in the pulpit, as the fafeft place, was always to be found a cold chine of beef, a venifon-pafty, a gammon of bacon, or a great apple-pye, with thick cruft, well-baked. His table coft him not much, though it was good to cat at. His fports fupplied all, but beef and mutton; except on Fridays, when he had the beft of fish. He never wanted a London pudding; and be always fang it in with," My part lies therein-a." He drank a glais or two of wine at meals; put fyrup of gillyflowers into his fack; and had always a tunglafs of fmail-bear ftanding by him, which he often stirred about with rofemary. He lived to be an bundied; and never left his eye-fight, nor used spectacles. He got on horfe back without help; and rode to the death of the ftag, till he was past fourfcore.

of

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AFTER the foreft bad loft its

great legal fupport, and reafons of ftate obliged the monarch to feek his amufements nearer home, the extent of these royal demens began infenfibly to diminish. New-foreft, among others, was greatly curtailed. Large portions of it were given away in grants by the crown. Many gentlemen have houfes in its interior parts; and their tenants are in poffeffton of web cultivated farms. For though the foil of New-forett is, in general, poor; yet there are fome parts of it which very happily admit culzure. Thus the forest has fuffered in many places, what its ancient laws confidered as the greatest of all mifchiefs, underbs name of an affart; a word, which fignifies grubbing up its coverts, and copfes, and turning the harbours of deer into arable land. Aftop however is now put to all grants from the crown. The crown-lands became public property under the care of the treafury, when the civil lift was fettled. The king can only grant leafes for thirty years; and the parliament feidom interferes in a longer extenfion, except on particular occaGons.

Befides thefe defalcations arifing from the bounty of the crown, the forest is continually preyed on by the incroachments of inferiour people. There are multitudes of trefpaffers, on every fide of it, who build their little huts, and enclose their little gardens, and patches of ground, without leave, or ceremony of any kind. The under-keepers, who have conflant orders to defroy all thefe inclofures, now and then affert the rights of the foreft, by throwing down a fence; but it requires a legal procefs to throw down a houfe, of which poffeffion has been

taken. The trefpaffer therefore here,

as on other waftes, is careful to rear his cottage, and get into it as quickly as poffible. I have known all the materials of one of thefe habitations brought together-the house buik— covered in the goods removed-2 fire kindled-and the family in poffethon, during the courfe of a moonlight night. Sometimes indeed, where the treipafs is inconfiderable, the poffeffor has been allowed to pay a fine for his land in the court of Lyndhurft., But thefe trefpaffes are generally in the outskirts of the foreft; or in the neighbourhood of fome little hamlet. They are never fuffered in the interior parts; where no lands are alienated from the crown, except in regular grants.

The many advantages which the Borderers on forefts enjoy, fuch as rearing cattle and hogs, obtaining fuc! at an eafy rate, and procuring little patches of land for the trouble of inclofing it, would add much, one fhould imagine, to the comfort of their lives. But in fact it is otherwife. Thefe advantages procure them not half the enjoyments of common daylabourers. In general, they are an indolent race; poor and wretched in the extreme. Inftead of having the regular returns of a week's labour to fubfift on, too many of them depend on the precarious fupply of foreft pilfer. Their oftenfible bufinefs is commonly to cut furze, and carry it to the neighbouring brick-kilas; for which purpofe they keep a team of two or three foreft-hories: while their collateral fupport is deer-ftealing, poaching or purloining timber. In this last occupation they are faid to have been fo expert, that, in a night's time, they would have cut down, cared off,

and

iment.

In wild rugged countries, the mountaincer forms a very different character from the forefter. He leads a life of labour; he procures nothing,with out it. He has neither time for idleness, and difhoneft arts; nor meets with any thing to allure him into them. But the forefter, who has the temptation of plunder on every fide, finds it easier to trefpafs, than to work. Hence, the one becomes often a rough, manly, ingenuous peafant; the other a fupple, crafty, pilfering knave. Even the very practice of following a night Occupation leads to mifchief. The nightly wanderer, unless his mind be engaged in fome neceffary bufinefs, will find many temptations to take the advantage of the incautious fecurity of those who are asleep. From thefe confiderations Mr St. John draws an argument for the fale of foreft-lands. "Poverty, fays he, will be changed into affluence the cottager will become a farmer-the wil dernefs will be converted into rich paftures, and fertile fields; furnishing provifions for the country, and employment for the poor. The borders and confines of forefts will ceafe to be norferies for county goals; the trefpaffer will no longer prey upon 3 A VOL. XIV. No. 83.

the vert; nor the vagabond, and out law on the venifon. Nay the very foil itfelf will not then be gradually loft, and ftolen, by purprestures and affarts. Thus forefts, which were formerly the haunts of robbers, and the fcenes of violence and rapine, may be converted into the receptacles of honest industry."

I had once fome occafional intercourfe with a forest-borderer, who had formerly been a noted deer-ftealer. He had often (like the deer-stealer in the play)

struck a doe, And borne her cleanly by the keeper's nofe.

Indeed he had been at the head of his profeffion; and during a reign of five years, affured me, he had killed, on an average, not fewer than an hundred bucks a year. At length he was obliged to abfcond; but compofing his affairs, he abjured his trade, and would speak of his former arts without referve. He has oftener than once confeffed the fins of his youth to me; from which an idea may be formed of the mystery of deer-ftealing, in it's highest mode of perfection. In his excurfions in the foreft he carried with him a gun, which screwed into three parts and which he could easily conceal in the lining of his coat. Thus armed he would drink with the underkeepers without fufpicion; and when he knew them engaged, would fecurely take his ftand in fomne diftant part, and niark his buck. When he had killed him, he would draw him afide into the bushes, and spend the remaining part of the day in a neighbouring tree, that he might be fure no ip es were in the way. At night he fecreted His plunder. He had boarded off a part of his cottage, (forming a rough door into it, like the reft of the partition, ftuck full of falfe nai-neads,) with fuch artifice, that the keepers on an information, have fearched his houfe again and again, and have gone off fatisfied of

his