BURNHAM BEECHES.
[TO THE EDITOR Or THE " SPECTATOR.1
SIR,—I have read with grave concern the protest in the Spectator of February 8th respecting Burnham Beeches. The unnecessary clearing of forest lands in the supposed interests of the public is no mere artists' question, though I would not ignore this among other considerations, but implies the destruction of the whole scientific value and interest of the locality for ever. As every naturalist knows, it involves the destruction or banishment of numbers of mammals, birds, insects, and plants in perhaps one of their last resorts in a wide district, or perhaps even in England. Far better leave the remains of our forests in private hands till public opinion is more enlightened than buy them up and deliberately destroy for all time whatever makes them of any real interest or value beyond a mere recreation-ground. I will not take up more of your space except to ask what would be thought of an administration which would buy up, say, an old church in the public. interest and at once make a clean sweep of the furniture and fittings because it was necessary to make room for rows of chairs or benches which would hold more people? But the mischief done would be less, and far less beyond repair, than the needless destruction of a single old tree in a
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