of July. By these awards no less
than 104 collieries were defined and assigned, together with twenty
iron-mines, and certain rules and regulations were laid down for working
them.

The duties of the Mining Commissioners having now closed, it must have
been highly gratifying to those gentlemen to receive from the Government
the following expressions of commendation, communicated by Mr. A.
Milne:--"I am to convey to you our entire approbation of the zeal,
ability, and sound discretion which appear to have marked all your
proceedings in the performance of the very important, difficult, and
laborious duties which devolved upon you, and their belief that, while
the result will be very beneficial to the interests of the Crown, it will
be attended with equal advantage to the great body of mining adventurers
in securing their titles to the property on very reasonable and moderate
terms, and subject to the regulations and conditions which seem to be
well calculated to protect them from that constant and expensive
litigation which had so long existed."

The total cost of adjusting the working of the coal and iron mines was
10,459 pounds 1s. 3d. The valuable services of the Mining Commissioners
were again noticed in the annual Report of the Board of Woods, published
on the 9th August in the following year, when 408 acres 2 roods were
thrown open in Blakeney Hill (south) and the South Lea Bailey Copse, a
similar extent of open Forest being enclosed at St. Low and Great
Kenseley. It also adverts to an Act passed on 30th of July previous,
dividing the Forest into ecclesiastical districts, constituting them
"Perpetual Curacies," and attaching the churches of Christ Church, Holy
Trinity, and St. Paul's to them, the stipends of each being raised to 150
pounds. The patronage of the two former was vested in the Crown, and the
latter in the Bishop of the Diocese. The Act likewise authorizes the
formation of a fourth district at Cinderford, and the erection and
endowment of a church there: thus each district comprised the following
number of acres:--

St. John's 5934
St. Paul's 7741
Holy Trinity 5859
Christ Church 3149
------
Total 22,683

The same Report also notices the provisions now made for the relief of
the poor,