194 THE WAEWICKSHIRE HUNT. [1890 



manlike riding to hounds. (Hear, hear.) Gentlemen, I have no donbt many 

 of you have seen an old book on sport called " The Warwicksliire Himt." It 

 is now out of print, and there are not many copies remaining in existence, but 

 it contains a splendid record of sport in days gone hj. I note that in 

 this book it is recorded that the first hunting dinner whicli took jjlace 

 in the annals of tliis Himt was in the year 1780, at Stratford-ou-Avon. 

 Not very long after that a Hunt Ball was given, also at Stratford, 

 the music consisting of one solitary fiddle. (Laughter.) Now there 

 is no doubt, gentlemen, that there have been many social gatherings 

 of the sort since that time, but I will venture to say that on no 

 occasion in the past has there lieen a gathering of hunting men so large, 

 so representative, and so cordial as the one held to-night in the Sliire Hall of 

 this ancient liorough. Gentlemen, we have heard something, althougli, I am 

 liappy to say, very little, about there being discontent witli regard to the 

 most popular and most unselfish amusement in England. (Hear, hear.) On 

 the part of the Warwickshire Hunt I beg to say that we do not believe there 

 has been any such thing as discontent in the past — (" No ") — or that there 

 ever will be in the future. The fact is, gentlemen, that what little discontent 

 we have heard of has been invented and mainifaetured by Mr. Gobi) to suit 

 his own purposes, which are entirely unconnected with hunting. (A Yoice : 

 " No politics," and applause.) If there has been any such thing as discontent, 

 whicli I don't allow for a moment — (" No ") — there is a perfect answer in the 

 assemlilage we see in this room to-night. (Hear, hear.) Mr. Cobb, by the 

 letters which he has written to the papers, and by the questions which he has 

 asked in the House of Commons, has shown lamentable ignorance — (" No,") 

 — of this noble science — (hear, hear) — a science far too noble for him to grasp, 

 and much too great. (A Voice : Cobli's no foxhuuter.) If Mr. Cobb wants 

 to understand something more about hunting, let him come out with the 

 Warwickshire hounds. (Hear, hear, and laughter.) If he would like to do 

 so, no one would be more delighted than myself to find a quiet and at the 

 same time a bold horse to carry him, ou any day he likes to come. But I am 

 reminded that it is very possible that he cannot ride. (Laughter.) That 

 certainly woidd be a serious disadvantage, but if he cannot do so, let him 

 come to a meeting like this, and then he will understand in very deed and in 

 trutli what is meant by hunting. (Applause.) Gentlemen, we in this comitry, 

 as hmiting men l^elonging to the Warwickshire Hunt, liave had exceptional 

 advantages. We liave a master who now for many seasons past has, from 

 mm-ning to night, on every lumting day, used his best efforts to show sport. 

 (Hear, hear.) We have a pack of hounds which, under his constant care and 

 attention, and by the devotion whicli he has sliown during many years past to 

 the interests of the Hunt, and more ijarticularly to the breeding of hounds, 

 has become famous among the great lumting centres of England. (Hear, 

 hear.) There is, besides, one other very great advantage which we possess, 

 and perhaps I may be thought selfish if I allude to it ; but, at the same time, 

 it is an advantage which I have heard talked about, and which is greatly 

 appreciated by hunting men. It is this, tliat owing to accidental circumstances 

 it happens that there are no very large towns in the centre of this comitry, 

 and that, therefore, we have very often had the opportunity to see a fine day's 

 sport with a field out by comparison not nearly so large as that which is seen 

 in other parts of the shires, and indeed in pi-ovincial coimtries which are not 

 nearly so good as tliis. (Applaufe.) To hark back for a moment to the old 



