COL. ANSTRUTHER THOMSON 13 



My first real hunt was in 1830, when I was at the 

 Academy in Edinburgh and at home for the Christ- 

 mas holidays. We started on the " Balcarres " 

 coach from 2 Princes Street, drove down to New- 

 haven (Granton pier was not then built), were put on 

 board the steamer, and crossed to Pettycur. If it 

 was low water we scrambled into a flory-boat, and 

 were rowed to the pier. All the boatmen had high 

 top-hats which they had rescued from the sea, having 

 been blown off the heads of former passengers ! We 

 got on the " Balcarres" coach, which ran as far as 

 Anstruther. They had three horses, and the coach- 

 man was John Beveridge. 



My companions on the coach were Mr. James 

 Melville of Hanwell, Mr. Willy Glass of Smiddy 

 Green, and James Clark, farmer at Wormiston, the 

 best and keenest of fox-hunting farmers at that date. 

 He walked forty-two couple of foxhound puppies for 

 the Fife Hunt, having kept a couple each season for 

 forty-two years in succession. 



The meet was at Balcaskie ; Whyte-Melville and 

 Captain W^emyss were joint masters. Walker was 

 huntsman. He had been with Lord Kintore in the 

 V.W. H., and also at Turriff in Aberdeenshire, and 

 succeeded Crane, who died the previous season. 



Tom Batters was first whip. Tom (Will) Smith 

 was second whip. He came from Brocklesby, and 

 was afterwards with Mr. Grant of Kilgraston, Lord 

 Kelburne, Lord Shannon, at Castle Martyr in 

 Ireland, and lastly at Brocklesby. He was also 

 with Lord Southampton. 



