iving and
growing fast, particularly on Ruerdean Hill, where the Scotch and
larch take the lead. Firs, &c., have also been planted in the wet
and bad parts of most of the other enclosures, and succeed. The
nurseries we have in cultivation are the Bourts, 161 acres; Yew-tree
Brake, about 5 acres; Ell Wood, 11 acres; and about 26 in the
Vallets, or middle, and Sallow Vallets Nurseries, previously occupied
by Mr. Driver. In these there are now about four millions of young
oaks, three, two, and one year old, and about 600,000 firs and other
trees of different sorts. The plants in Whitemead Park are thriving
very well in all parts which are situated at a distance from the
brook, but near to it they are very thin, stunted, and unhealthy, and
are constantly killed down by spring frosts. Ash and fir trees have
been planted amongst them, but with little success at present. The
principal part of the large timber now in the Forest is about Park
End, on Church Hill, Ivy More Head, Russell's Enclosure, Park End
Lodge Hill, and at the Lea Bailey. That at the Bailey appears
younger, and some of it shook by frost, and rather drawn up by
standing too thick. The timber about Park End is very fine, and I
should suppose from 150 to 200 years old. There is a considerable
quantity of young oak, from 15 to 40 years old, about Tanner's Hill,
&c., near Gun's Mills, on the outside of Edge Hill Enclosure, and
some within it in the lower part. Chesnuts Enclosure is covered with
hazel, that was cut down when the oak was planted, and is now growing
up with the young oaks and chesnuts, both of which are more rapidly
growing in this enclosure than in any other; a double quantity of
chesnuts are planted in this enclosure. There are scarcely any
natural trees in the Forest but oak and beech; birch springs up
spontaneously in every enclosure, and overruns the whole Forest. The
few ash trees look scrubbed and unthrifty. Since the year 1809,
14,260 oak trees containing 14,546 loads of timber have been felled,
viz. 11,322 trees for the navy, and 2,938 sold by auction. About 50
trees, containing about 50 loads, have been blown down or stolen."

This year, 1818, Mr. Trotter obtained the permission of the Crown to
erect steam engines at Vallets Level and Howler's Slade, and in the
following year the first corn mill was co