78 THE MANAGEMENT OF EPPING FOREST.
at Chingford, the Epping Forest Committee having presented a set
for exhibition there.
Subsequently, on May 14th, 1895, the following Report from the
Epping Forest Committee was presented to the Corporation, to
which was appended the final Report of the Experts. We can
only hope that this Report will put an end to an agitation which has
been most distasteful to many friends of the Forest. We will make
no comments. A perusal of the very interesting documents we place
now on permanent record, or, better still, a personal visit to the spots
named, will be sufficient, we think, to convince any impartial
observer that the Conservators have only done their duty in en-
deavouring to restore Epping Forest to a state of naturalness and
vigour for the benefit of future generations of visitors :—
To the Right Honourable the Lord Mayor, Aldermen, and Commons of the City of
London, in Common Council assembled.
WE whose names are hereunto subscribed, of the Epping Forest Committee,
to whom on the second day of May last it was referred to make a special
Report to your Honourable Court with respect to the charges of undue and
unnecessary cutting of timber in the Forest, have the honour to certify that, on
the 13th day of June last, we presented a Report to your Honourable Court,
in which we set out the proceedings which had taken place on our being attended
by various deputations on the subject.
We also reported that we had asked the five gentlemen who acted as Experts
and reported to us last year, to visit the Forest again, and report how far the
thinning which took place during last winter was carried out in accordance with
their recommendations, and that Mr. Solicitor had been in communication with
those gentlemen, but it had unfortunately been found impossible to arrange a
meeting earlier than the middle of July last.
On the 18th day of July last, four of the Experts, viz., Mr. Anderson, Mr.
Robinson, Dr. Schlich, and Mr. Webster, visited the Forest, and examined the
work previously reported upon. Mr. Freeman-Mitford, C.B., was unable to
attend, and the matter stood over until the 31st ultimo, when Mr. Freeman-
Mitford, accompanied by Mr. Anderson, Dr. Schlich, and Mr. Webster, again
visited the Forest. Mr. Robinson considered a further visit on his part
unnecessary.
On the 1st instant, all the Experts met and drew up their further Report,
a copy of which it is now our pleasure to annex for the information of your
Honourable Court, and which will be found to be a further vindication of your
Committee's action and policy.
All which we submit to the judgment of this Honourable Court. Dated the
eleventh day of November, 1895.
[Signed.] R. C. Halse, James Salmon, Oliver Henry Davis, F. McCarthy,
Frederick Cox, S. Elliott Atkins, J. Snowden, Richard Adam Ellis, P. Gellatly,
E. N. Buxton.