COL. ANSTRUTHER THOMSON 163 



me '. I drove the old black horse down to Black 

 Torrington (sixty miles) with Mary by my side 

 yesterday, and he is fit to jump out of his skin this 

 morning. 



" My love to all. Just off to So. Molton to see 

 my lawyer. 



" Yours ever affectionately, 



" J. Russell." 



"ToRDowN, Barnstaple, 

 " Wednesday Morning, i^th August, 1879. 



"My Dear Jack, — 



" Mary will square everything for your re- 

 ception here on Monday by the five something train, 

 and I will meet you with a trap at the station, and 

 shall be delighted to welcome you all here. On 

 Tuesday we can have a quiet day here. I was 

 yesterday particularly requested, by Mrs. Luttrell, 

 to go to Dunster, I suppose to give them a little 

 insight into the ways of Royalty before the Prince's 

 arrival. 



" Just going into the Barnstaple Flower Show with 

 an * up country man ' who is staying here. 



" We had no sport yesterday, did not find till four 



o'clock, ran to Dunkerry Hill Gate — two miles — and 



then and there, I was told by one of the field, 



the hounds were whipped off — scent very bad — 



thousands of people on the Ball and in the Field. 



We did not get home till near ten o'clock — rode all 



the way there and back. A jovial sportsman, named 



Arnold, was at Cloutsham, asked particularly when 



II * 



