ree miners, which, with
similar testimony from Messrs. Tovey, James, &c., showed such to have
been the uniform practice for sixty years; that the foreigners have
always carried on their works with the full knowledge and authority of
the Crown; that the free miners do not possess the necessary capital for
carrying on the works, in which the foreigners have invested 700,000
pounds; and, lastly, that the Crown has gained several thousand pounds
per annum in consequence. Twenty-one persons signed this Memorial, as
also the representatives of the Forest of Dean and the Cinderford Iron
Companies.

Another Memorial was likewise presented by a dozen of the inhabitants of
the Forest, showing that, instead of their cottages and gardens tending
to throw a burden on the adjoining parishes, the very contrary was the
case, as many were therefore enabled to support themselves without
applying to those parishes. The petitioners also prayed that no further
part of the Forest might be enclosed for the supposed benefit of the
adjacent parishes, as thereby many persons would be deprived of
grazing-land for their cattle, and in consequence be necessitated to
apply to the next parishes for assistance.

Alluding to the state of the woods at this time (1833), Mr. Machen's
Notes, under the date of the 29th of May, state:--"This is now the fourth
year in which the blight has been so prevailing upon the oak and in the
Forest. I think this year it is worse than ever, and now the young
plantations suffer most, the large timber being comparatively free. Park
Hill, Oaken Hill, Nag's Head, Barn Hill, Stapledge, &c., and especially
all the higher parts of them, are leafless, except where a beech or a
chesnut shows its green foliage amidst the brown oaks. I saw a few rooks
in Russell's to-day, and last year I noticed great numbers. They seem to
be drawn to the Forest to feed on the grubs, for they are not generally
here, and I only hope they will increase. The woodmen complain that in
some situations the running of the bark has been checked; but considering
it has now been four years, it seems wonderful that more injury is not
done to the trees: they put out new leaves at the midsummer shoot, and
appear to recover. June 4th: found the grubs changed into a chrysalis,
enclosed in a leaf, with a kind of web round it. June 18th: the moths
appeared in vast numbers. The rooks are still about in Park Hill."

The usual Report to Government, being th