1890] SIR C. MORDAUNT RESPONDS. 193 



he must employ men to look after them, and it might be said that it would 

 bo all the better if farming was good enough to let half-a-dozen other men in 

 the parish do the same thing. Not very long ago, a man who was not very 

 favourably disjjosed towards hunting said to a servant of his : "It is not such 

 a bad trade, or else your governor would not keep you to ride about after 

 him." •' Well," his man said, " it would be a good thing if two or three 

 more men did the same thing, but if he didn't I should have your place." If 

 Warwickshire were without its Hunt, what was to become of the numbers of 

 people whom the gentlemen present employed ? (Hear, hear.) What were 

 they good for ? He thought that, looked at from a business point of view, 

 it was one of the greatest Godsends they had in the country. It kept a great 

 many people out of the workhouses, and possibly out of our gaols. Let them 

 look at the number of men in the saddlery trade, the blacksmiths, and 

 numbers of others who were benefited by hunting. He thought it was one 

 of the finest institutions in England. (Hear, hear, and applause.) It had 

 been said that foxhunting had deteriorated. Much had been said and miich 

 had been written of late al)out foxhunting, but he thought that so long as 

 they showed a good genial feeling towards occupiers of land who did not himt 

 themselves — some did not hunt l^ecause they did not like it, and others because 

 they coidd not afford to do so — l)ut who notwithstanding preserved game for 

 their enjoyment, so long woidd foxliuntiug prosper. (Applause.) He had 

 much pleasure in asking them to drink prosperity to the Warwickshire Hunt. 

 He believed the Hunt had been in existence for about 110 years. He found, 

 from reading the old book called " The Warwickshire Himt," that the first 

 master of the Warwickshire hounds who was recorded was a Mr. Wrightson, 

 who hunted the country in 1780. From hiin the mastership descended to the 

 renoAvued John Corl)et, from whom it was passed on through the hands of 

 simdry masters, until they got to the present nol)le master, Lord Willoughby. 

 (Hear, hear, and applause.) Old Jack Corbet, he thought, would be uncom- 

 moidy surprised if he coidd turn out with the hounds now, and see how they 

 ran in the present day. (Laughter.) He had thoiights of asking his lordship 

 if he could not keep some old hounds for those, who belonged to the old and 

 slow contingent to ride to, so as to let them off a bit. (Laughter.) The young 

 lilood was apt to go rather too fast for them at their time of day, and he thought 

 it would be only fair on his lordship's part to keep some old hounds for the 

 old "coves " to ride to. (Laughter.) He hoped they might all live to see Lord 

 Willoughby at the head of affairs for a great many years, and that they might 

 have health and strength to ride well and see as much as they could of the 

 sport. He gave them, with much pleasure, the toast of " The Warwickshire 

 Hunt." (Cheers.) 



Sir Charles Moedaunt, who was called upon to respond, -said : Mr. 

 Chairman, my lords and gentlemen, — No words of mine can do justice to the 

 toast which has just been proposed, or adequately express to you my thanks 

 for the honour you have done me in coupling my name with it. I am sure it 

 has been none the less a soiirce of pleasure to all who sit round this table than 

 it has been to myself to hear the toast j^roposed in such kind and feeling 

 terms by Mr. Boddiugton. That gentleman must now be regarded as the 

 father of the Warwickshire hounds — (applause) — that is to say, he has 

 probably lumted for more consecutive seasons in this country than any other 

 man in the room, and his name is rightly associated here with the best 

 traditions of himting in the past, of good fellowship, and of good and eports- 

 VoL. II. 



