‘and daringly courageous. 
C HAR ACT ERS. 
cealed. But though, in consequence 
of this, his style be sometines stiff 
and constrained, and tifough it have 
now and then a redundant expres- 
sion, it certainly merits the general 
¢ommendation of perspicuity, ele- 
gance, and strength. 
- haraéter of George, Earl of Or- 
ford, from “ The Sportsmans 
Cabinet.” 
ie is the distinguishing trait of 
genius to be enthusiastically bold, 
Nothing 
- in art or science, nothing in mental, 
t 
ox eyen in manual labour, was ever 
achieved, of superior excellence, with- 
out that ardent zeal, that impetuous 
sense of eager avidity, which to the 
cold, inanimate, and unimpassioned, 
bears the appearance, and some- 
times the unqualified accusation of 
insanity. When amoenarch of this 
country once received the news of a 
most heroic action maintained against 
- one of his fleets, and seemed consi- 
derably chagrined at the result; the 
then lord of the admiralty endea- 
voured to qualify and soften down 
the matter, by assuring the king that 
‘© the commander of the enemy’s 
fleet was mad.”—‘* Mad! would 
he were mad enough to bite one of 
my admirals.” 
Lord Orford had absolutely a ' 
phrenetic furor of this kind, in any 
thing he found himself disposed to 
undertake; it was a predominant 
trait in his chara¢ter never to do 
any thing by halves, and coursing 
was his most prevalent passion be- 
yond every other pleasurable consi- 
deration. In consequence of his 
most extensive property, and his 
extra-influence as lord-lieutenant of 
the county*, ‘he not only interested 
777 
numbers of opulent neighbours in 
the diversion, but, from the extent 
of his connexiens, could command 
such an immensity of private quar- 
ters for his young greyhounds, and 
of making such occasional sele¢tions 
from which, that few, if any, beside 
himself could possess. 
There were times when he was 
known to have fifty brace of grey- 
hounds ; and, as it was a fixed rule 
never to part from a single whelp 
till he had a fair and substantial trial 
of his speed, he had evident chances 
(beyond almost any other indivi- 
dual) of having, among so great a 
number, a colle¢tion of very supe- 
rior dogs: but, so intent was he 
upon this peculiar object of attain- 
ment, that he went still farther in 
every possible direétion to obtain 
perfeétion, and introduced every ex- 
perimental cross from the English 
lurcher to the Italian greyhound. 
He had strongly indulged an idea of 
a successful cross with the bull-dog, 
which he could never be divested of, 
and after having persevered (in oppo- 
sition to every opinion) most patiently 
for seven removes, he found himself 
in possession of the best greyhounds 
ever yet known; giving the small 
ear, the rat tail, and the skin almost 
without hair, together with that in- 
nate courage which the high-bred 
greyhound should possess, , retain- 
ing which, instinétively, he would 
rather die than relinquish the chace, 
One defeét only this cross is ad- 
mitted to have, which the poacher 
would rather know to be a truth, 
than the fair sportsman would come 
willingly forward to demonstrate. 
To the former it is a faét pretty 
well known, that no dog has the 
sense of smelling in a more exquisite 
degree than the bull-dog ; and, as 
they run mute, they, under certain 
erosses, 
* Of Norfolk. , 
