than perpetually relying on the smaller covers, merely because they are situated in the open. When the fixtures are made out for advertisement, care should be taken not to hunt any favourite covers on that side of the country when it is the market-day of the neighbourhood; it causes a great disappointment to decidedly one of the most respectable body of men in the British community, namely, the yeomen and farmers; and upon whose good will the preservation of the foxes, and a kindly feeling towards the numerous gentlemen who come out, more materially depends than is very often considered. I remember some years ago complaining to a farmer who was a good sportsman, and who resided near the celebrated Kenilworth chase, of the scarcity of foxes in his neighbourhood, a large woodland having been drawn blank on the previous day. His answer was, that his neighbours having been deprived of the pleasure of hunting, by the hounds being sent to that side on the Friday, when they all wished to go to Coventry Market, had determined to have a grand battue on every Thursday, it being more likely to have sport on that day, as the woods would have had six days' rest. If we were to give too ready a credence to every murmur and complaint which the ill-conditioned are always, and in many instances unjustly, prepared to make about damage done to crops and fences, we should be laying ourselves open to a very heavy tax upon fox-hunting; but where absolute mischief has been caused by inadvertently driving sheep into pits or rivers, whereby they have been drowned, or where a crop has been undoubtedly injured by being frequently cut up by the horsemen near to a favourite cover, a handsome remuneration ought undoubtedly to be made to the farmer thus suffering. If this kind of attention and courtesy from the field towards the country people were rather more practised than it is, the disappointment of a blank day would be scarcely ever experienced; and those self-created men of fashion who swarm in the various Spas in many of the hunting countries, to the annoyance of the gentlemen and farmers, would meet with a far more welcome reception in November than is frequently the case. Nor would I forget the wives and daughters of the farmers, who are occasionally, though not frequently, I hope, fellow-sufferers in the cause with their husbands, from the rapacity of reynard, invariably through the idleness and neglect of their servants in not properly securing the feathered inhabitants of the farm-yard before the night closes upon them. The money arising from the produce of the poultry-yard is almost invariably appropriated as pocket-money to the female branches of the family; and in more instances than one, I regret to state, that the disappointment of not having new bonnets and dresses, in which to attend the neighbouring races, has been caused by the total destruction of a flock of turkeys in one night. When Mr. Corbet hunted the Merriden country, he was always particularly attentive in remunerating those who might be losers; and on one occasion, when riding out to visit his puppies which were at their walks in that neighbourhood, he was informed by the daughters of a farmer, who was a well-wisher to fox-hunting, that they had lost all their turkeys and fowls by the foxes, which were strictly preserved, in those days, in the Packington Woods. This kind-hearted man truly sympathized with their disappointment, and observed that it would be highly proper for them to go into mourning upon the occasion, and that he would send them some ribbons to wear for the sake of their poor turkeys. But how great was their astonishment upon receiving on the next day some very handsome bonnets and dresses, but not of quite so sombre a colour as they had expected. Mr. Corbet's benevolence in word as well as deed was highly and justly conducive to his universal popularity as a master of hounds, independent of his well-appointed establishment. Even in anger his mildness and polished method of rebuke never exceeded the limits of good breeding; and amongst the numerous anecdotes related of the Squire of Sundorn, the following is highly characteristic:-Having run a fox to ground in the neighbourhood of Hampton coppice, at a place called Olton End, the residence of two old maiden ladies of the name of Spooner, who were inveterate card-players, Mr. Corbet requested to be permitted to dig him out. This was peremptorily refused by the old maids; and as such an objection was exceedingly ill-natured, the master of the pack of course felt much disappointed in consequence. "Give my compliments to the ladies," said Mr. Corbet," and tell them I hope they will never get spadille as long as they live." After the regular hunting season has commenced, a general physicking will be needless where the pack have been properly prepared, until after Christmas, when the first opportunity of administering a mild dose should never be lost sight of; but as the endurance of frost is always very uncertain, it should be of such a nature that the field may be taken immediately, upon the sudden return of open weather; but when hunting is fairly stopped by the extreme hardness of the ground, and the chance of again going to work is undoubtedly gone for many days, the attention of the huntsman must be awakened towards allaying the excess of stimuli which a long continuance of hard work and high feeding have produced. Those hounds which may be down in their eyes, or such as may have had fits, should have a little blood taken from them, and all of them may have a little dressing rubbed on their arms, briskets, flanks, elbows, and hocks: a moderate dose of salts may then be administered, with which some mix syrup of buckthorn: it is a very strong purgative; but I am convinced it is a thing which the stomach is a long time getting rid of, which is evident by the manner in which hounds lap water, when out, for many days after, therefore no favourite of mine. Strong exercise, after the effects of the physic have worked off, must be given for at least six or seven hours daily. Perhaps I may be singular in my opinion, and not so happy as to persuade others to imbibe the same taste; but I should prefer hunting the whole of the long frosts, providing there was snow sufficient to counteract the concussion from the hard ground. One anecdote I have recorded of killing a fox in the snow, which was ankle deep; and I can assure my readers, that I have repeatedly gone out in large woodlands when it lay much thicker on the ground, and enjoyed excellent sport. Of course I am not trying to prove that it is as practicable for a man to ride over a country in a deep snow as in open weather; but I am thoroughly convinced from experience that hounds had much better be employed in rummaging the extensive district of woods which some hunting countries are blessed with, during a long frost, providing the snow is sufficiently deep, than crawling about the lanes and roads in the immediate vicinity of their kennel for two short hours, and spending the rest of the day on their benches, while the men who have the care of them are getting rid of their extra leisure at the nearest public-house.* There is very frequently a most excellent scent in the snow: I recollect some years since, when Mr. Warde hunted Berkshire, seeing a capital run from that well known cover, Stype, near Hungerford. We met late, and after drawing some time, found on the hanging side towards the Kennet, which we crossed twice, and after a severe run were unfortunately defeated by changing our fox in Marlborough forest. The snow, which was much drifted, was above three feet deep in many places; and I remember William Neverd,† who was at that time Mr. Warde's huntsman, making one or two excellent hits himself by the fox's pads. The winter of 1813-14, which must be still in the remembrance of most sportsmen as affording less open weather during the hunting months than may have been known for half a century, was perhaps one of the hardest recorded in the memory of man; the whole country had the appearance of Salisbury Plain, only for the trees gates, hedges, and even rivers, were in many places invisible, and the snow being frozen extremely hard, it was an easy matter to ride over fences and other hidden dangers, without the labour of jumping. During a great part of that dreadful season, the Pytchley hounds, then the property of Lord Althorp, hunted the Northamptonshire woodlands regularly, having excellent sport, and killing many foxes. * During a hard frost the courts and door-ways of the kennel should invariably be covered with straw, to prevent the hounds from slipping about and laming themselves the litter should be shook over, well cleaned, and partially renewed as often as required. Died, on Saturday January 21, 1843, William Neverd, aged about 70: forty years of which he took the field as huntsman. He commenced his career with Sir Rowley, Bart. He was afterwards with Col. Cooke, in Suffolk, living subsequently with John Warde, Esq., hunting that gentleman's hounds in the Craven Country (Berkshire) during eighteen seasons. He then went to Mr. Mule, in Essex, for six years; afterwards to Mr. Hall, in Somersetshire, for three years. Being out of a situation he hunted Mr. Viner's hounds for about two months, when that gentleman broke his leg in 1836. He subsequently went into Mr. Horlock's service, his late employer, until the time of his decease, which took place at Ashwick, near Bath, the seat of that gentleman. His death was accelerated by an accident he had a short time since, while hunting, and from the effects of which he never rallied. He was always considered a first-rate sportsman; his manners were unassuming, and he was remarkably quiet and good-tempered in the field, civil to every person, and with a nerve for going to his hounds, when necessary, that few men could boast of. Two years ago, the following anecdote was copied from the Forfar paper. "On Tuesday the 3rd instant, the Fife hounds met at Logie, and found a brace of foxes in the Muir, but could not press them, the morning being stormy and the ground stained by sheep. Afterwards they drew blank all the neighbouring covers, and late in the afternoon found a fox in the plantations of Bridge of Murthel. Sauer qui peût being the order of the day, reynard retreated into the woods of Inchwan, but was speedily dislodged; thence fled northwards across a heavy country, followed by the hounds at their best pace, keeping west of Deuchar, through Glenquiech, to the top of the hill of Ogil, nearly six miles from where he was originally found. Further pursuit being impracticable, from the depth of the snow, the field reluctantly came to a resolution of nolle prosequi.' It being a decided case of 'no go' among the prads, Merry John," fertile in expedients, instantly dismounted: that laudable example was followed by the whipper-in, Jack Jones. Leaving their horses on the hill, both padded the footsteps of the hounds through the snow, nearly four miles up Glenogil, when fortunately they fell in with the pack, after they had eaten their fox-a pad or two being the sole remnants of the banquet. These were carefully treasured up, and will doubtless find a niche beside Rival,'+ in Sandie Ross's hunt parlour. We believe Mr. Walker's pedestrian performance quite unparalleled in the annals of hunting." OXFORD PARODIES. BY THE AUTHOR OF "HINTS TO FRESHMEN," &c. No. 2. AIR-" She wore a wreath of roses." He wore grey worsted stockings that term when first we met, * Jack Walker, huntsman to the Fife Hounds. "Rival," a celebrated hound in Lord Panmure's pack. His painting, inter alias, graces the hunt parlour at Forfar, immediately behind the chairman's seat. A pink and snowy buckskins, when next we met, he wore, the wrong end foremost upon the freshman's brow. THE PAST RACING SEASON. BY CASTOR. (Concluded.) If some of the hundreds of thousands who lived to return thanks for their return from Ascot Heath in the year 'forty-five did'nt value the attractions-fine weather, fine company, and fine sport-as rather too good, we may reasonably expect to find many a disciple of that ancient bard who went on praising the juice of the grape till choked by the stone. Racing is the national sport of this kingdom most assuredly, of one and all from the king to the costermonger; only let it be known, henceforth, that the Ascot cup, and not the Derby, is to be the day that foreigners and freshmen must set apart for so wonderful a sight. Epsom it seems, the more's the pity, is getting vulgar; while rails and royalty give a metropolitan support to the Heath, that in fairness is yet due to the Downs. To be sure the former is by far the more comfortable of the two, when once you get there; and that is something to people who think as much of a good place as the performance they intend to sit out. The Ascot three-year-old running (to look to the heart of the whole), like that at almost every other meeting of the season, did little to assist those who strove to prove that at Epsom. Of Idas alone did it satisfy us that his mother's children never exceeded the mile with impunity; while of the Libel and his chance for the Derby, there were rather more contrary opinions after that before his going for it. The merits of Old England and Weatherbit, too, were argued on much the same terms, though certainly, as one did win, and the other didn't try, good judges pronounced the winner to have unquestionably shown himself the *This song was written before "The Fleet" was abolished. F |