THE REV. JOHN RUSSELL. 267 



after his accession to the title, speedily assumed 

 a very different aspect from that of former 

 days, insomuch that the pack has since been 

 pronounced, by no mean judge, to be " infinitely 

 superior to anything that has ever been seen in 

 the West of England : their hunting attributes 

 being on a par with their other merits." 



Living within twenty miles of Eggesford, 

 and hunting with that pack on every available 

 occasion, Russell must have known the historv 

 and character of every individual hound in it 

 almost as well as the huntsman himself ; more- 

 over, being on the most friendly terms with 

 Lord Portsmouth, even from his earliest youth, 

 who so competent, who so ready as Russell, if 

 consulted by him, to aid the young master with 

 all the judgment and experience of his riper 

 vears ? 



That his lordship did so consult him in the 

 first days of his hunting career is quite certain ; 

 although from his early association with a ken- 

 nel, his hereditary love of hounds, and the 

 power of close observation he has since shown 

 with respect to the breeding and selection of 

 puppies. Lord Portsmouth's judgment must 

 very soon have developed into maturity, and 

 needed little help from any man, even from 

 Russell himself. And as to his knowledge of 

 hunting, it is not very long since that, at a 

 large breakfast-party given by Mr. Trelawny, 



