to the _forest lands_, in which the crown has (where they are not
granted or prescriptively held) the _dominion_ of the _soil_, and the
_vert_ and _venison_, that is to say, the timber and the game, and in
which the people have a variety of rights, in common of herbage, and
other commons, according to the usage of the several forests,--I propose
to have those rights of the crown valued as manorial rights are valued
on an inclosure, and a defined portion of land to be given for them,
which land is to be sold for the public benefit.

As to the timber, I propose a survey of the whole. What is useless for
the naval purposes of the kingdom I would condemn and dispose of for the
security of what may be useful, and to inclose such other parts as may
be most fit to furnish a perpetual supply,--wholly extinguishing, for a
very obvious reason, all right of _venison_ in those parts.

The forest _rights_ which extend over the lands and possessions of
others, being of no profit to the crown, and a grievance, as far as it
goes, to the subject,--these I propose to extinguish without charge to
the proprietors. The several commons are to be allotted and compensated
for, upon ideas which I shall hereafter explain. They are nearly the
same with the principles upon which you have acted in private
inclosures. I shall never quit precedents, where I find them applicable.
For those regulations and compensations, and for every other part of the
detail, you will be so indulgent as to give me credit for the present.

The revenue to be obtained from the sale of the forest lands and rights
will not be so considerable, I believe, as many people have imagined;
and I conceive it would be unwise to screw it up to the utmost, or even
to suffer bidders to enhance, according to their eagerness, the purchase
of objects wherein the expense of that purchase may weaken the capital
to be employed in their cultivation. This, I am well aware, might give
room for partiality in the disposal. In my opinion it would be the
lesser evil of the two. But I really conceive that a rule of fair
preference might be established, which would take away all sort of
unjust and corrupt partiality. The principal revenue which I propose to
draw from these uncultivated wastes is to spring from the improvement
and population of the kingdom,--which never can happen without producing
an improvement more advantageous to the revenues of the crown than the
rents of the best landed estat