NATURAL HISTORY OF SUNNINGHILL. 199 



deev are of the large red kind, and are in best condition in the spring, 

 and then afford, as is well known, very long runs: but time and the 

 march of science must work their way; railways are not safe things to 

 cross, and hounds and horses have at times been run over by a train. 

 The consequence is that for this and perhaps other reasons, the Royal 

 Hunt is not what it was; after a few turns out near Sunninghill, they 

 soon desert us, and go into the Buckinghamshire and Middlesex country. 

 In former times, and indeed so lately as to be almost within the memory 

 of persons now living, numbers of this species of deer were to be found 

 on the wild, but from the open nature of the country, not easily to be 

 approached. I remember, however, very well, when I was a little boy, 

 hearing an old man ? (now dead) who had been a notorious poacher in 

 his youth, give an account of shooting two of these animals at one shot 

 from the summit of one of the hills, having crawled upon his face for a 

 very long distance: strange to say, the one lying nearest to him (for they 

 were both lying down) was only wounded, but the furthest was killed on 

 the spot. A second shot, however, despatched the already disabled beast, 

 and they were then covered with heath and grass to be fetched away at 

 night. In this way all the out-lying deer were disposed of, and when the 

 inclosure took place very few were to be found in a wild state. 



Under the white sand is usually found clay at a greater or less depth, 

 and there are some excellent veins, and brick-kilns are numerous; and of 

 late an attempt has been made to make ornamental pottery, for which 

 the strongest kind is well calculated. Where the marshes are of any 

 extent, they usually yield peat, and that in great plenty. This is peculi- 

 arly the case with Sunninghill Bog. This is strongly impregnated with 

 sulphur, and burns so well that there are many cottages where the fires 

 have not been out for many years. A very remarkable instance of this 

 occurred about the year 1810, when part of this morass during a very dry 

 summer, became, by accident or design, ignited; and from that time for 

 two years continued to burn; ultimately, I believe, it went out of its own 

 accord. Where this fire happened is a large black space to this day, 

 extending to a great depth, and thought to be particularly adapted to the 

 growth of American shrubs. It is indeed neither more nor less than 

 vegetable ashes, and so far, perhaps, capable of absorbing a large amount 

 of moisture; but I think the benefit it imparts, manifested by any manure 

 is very doubtful. Peat is a singular substance, and when it is said to grow, 

 we naturally inquire of what is it composed? The poor of Sunninghill 

 have a regular cutting and getting in of what they call their ' 'firing;" 

 and each man has his portion of bog allotted to him, a particular part, 

 of w hich he cuts, and another portion the next year, and so on, until 

 as he would express it, "the first year's cut has growed tip." The peat, 



