176 THE HUNTING FIELD 



in " Hillingdon Hall," we are inclined to think if it 

 were not for the innate, national inclination for hunt- 

 ing implanted in Britons, Farmers would find the 

 preservation of foxes and the promotion of hunting a 

 very poor speculation for anything they can get by it 

 in the way of money. 



The importance of standing well with the Farmers 

 is a matter so perfectly understood by all Masters of 

 Foxhounds, as to require no enforcement at our hands. 

 If a Master has not the goodwill and support of the 

 Farmers, he need never attempt to hunt a country. 

 Farmers have always been considered worthy the 

 regard and attentions of all authorities on hunting. 

 The great Mr. Meynell, it is said, used to arrange 

 a day in each week to suit the convenience of the 

 graziers attending their market, and Mr. Corbet used 

 to show the Warwickshire ones similar attention. 



Colonel Cook, in his work on foxhunting, speaks of 

 the Farmers in the countries he had hunted in the highest 

 praise, and in enforcing the importance of hunting the 

 good and bad parts of a country alternately, he says, 

 that although Farmers are liberal, they think it hardly 

 fair play, if they rent a farm in the best part of the 

 hunt for sport, to have their land rode over constantly, 

 whilst in the other less favourable part the hounds 

 never meet. Their conversation, says he, "at the 

 market dinner, over a bottle, is often on this subject, 

 whereas if you do but hunt the whole country impar- 

 tially, there can be no cause of complaint." 



Mr. Smith eulogizes the conduct of the Farmers in 

 all the countries he has hunted, and urges that every 

 attention and consideration should be paid them. 

 There is a story told of Mr. Smith, we forget whether 

 in his book or not, that when he had the Craven 

 country, and was in the habit of cub-hunting in 

 Marlborough and Savernake Forests in the autumn, 

 that a fox broke and took through a field of wheat, 

 and on riding to stop the hounds, a young Farmer 



