The French have for centuries enjoyed the reputation of being the best foresters in the world, but mon the verge of losing every part of the country come protests regarding the cutting -down of timber. Whole forests have been razed, without any replanting being done. During the war of course the expenditure in timber was colossal; and all slong the front war itself destroyed woods and forests with a completeness which still makes those regions like places in a nightmare. There was much talk of reafforestation afterwards, but the opposite seems to have been done, and France is threatened with actual loss of much of her forestiand, It is teange to reflect that while in some districts there ix hardly tree left of extensive woodland, in the Landes she has the largest man-planted forest in the world. The pines planted there have returneil a sandy waste to usefulness, and nich modified the climate. But the axe is being relentlessly" pli elsewhere; not long ago there was fan outery because even in the grounds of the Palace at Versailles. itself, the woodman was ruthlessly. felling trees which a century could not replace. That was stopped, and there is a movement on foot' now to limit the damage in the eastern forests.
Visitors and igh Prices Paris housekeepers are not, look-forward to the summer. Prices high enough in all -eonscienee, but the Decorative Arts: Exhibition, which ix the great topic in the city, is certain to give them another boost. Every time targe numbers of visitors o to a place, residents find that life costs them" more.
This may account for the hostile glare with which, when one is oneself a tourist, one is regarded by natives to whom one is not conscious of having done any wrong. It is confidently hoped, by the Promoters of the Exhibition, that the visitors will be numbered by millions, of whom an enormous pro-will be provincials and foreigners. The prospect is more pleasing to the promoters and to restaurant and hotel keepers, than to anyone else.
'The Colonial Exhibition next year! is expected to repeat the dose in even greater. strength. We are anxiously looking. for advantages to painted, and can at' any rate
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.