ME. AYRTON AND EPPING FOREST.
rTo THE EDITOR OF THE " SPECTATOR:1
Sus,—In your paper of July 25th last appeared a letter from Mr. Ayrton, stating that the Bill for the enclosure of Epping Forest, which was unfortunately laid before Parliament by Mr. Gladstone's first Ministry in 1870, "was introduced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer without the concurrence or even knowledge, and against the known opinions, of the First Com- missioner of Works,"—that is, of Mr. Ayrton, who then held the last-mentioned office. What private differences of opinion there may have been amongst Ministers, it is impossible, of course, for an outsider to know ; but a reference to the Bill in 'question (which I have only recently been able to make) shows that it bears the names of "Mr. Gladstone, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, and Mr. Ayrton." Your reviewer, whom Mr. Ayrton corrected, was not, therefore, to blame in considering Mr. Ayrton directly responsible for the Bill.—I am, Sir, •kc., X.
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