25
tion for the public benefit the rights of Her Majesty
without payment.
So far it will have been seen, all legal questions as to
rights in the Forest were settled, by judicial decision
and the Commissioners' functions consisted principally
in registering that decision and in ascertaining with
accuracy of what the Forest consisted, and what
persons were interested in it. But there remained
one very serious question for them to exercise
an impartial judgment upon ; namely, what should
become of the 1,030 acres of land in Epping
Forest, forming part of its woods and wastes,
the enclosure of which the Decree of the Master
of the Rolls had declared to be illegal, but the
ownership of which the Lords of Manors had
parted with to other persons. Now as to 270 of
these acres no difficulty really arose. They either
have houses or other buildings upon them, or are
gardens and curtilages to houses, and although, in
the exercise of their strict rights, the successful
plaintiffs in the Chancery suit, might have asked that
every enclosure, even when made by a house, should
be abated, it is obvious that such a claim would
have been unreasonable and unnecessary, and there-
fore, with the consent of the Corporation, the houses
and buildings and gardens and curtilages, were omit-
ted from the decree of the Master of the Roils ; but
as to the remaining 760 acres, the Corporation con-