342 REMINISCENCES OF 



" ^th January, 1866. 



" Dear Sir, — 



" I wrote to you on the 28th saying that I 

 would not draw the coverts at Staverton in deference 

 to your wishes. Since that time I have learned that 

 there are no cases of cattle plague in your neigh- 

 bourhood. I conceive that the only possible risk 

 can be from cattle straying from field to field, and 

 that may easily be obviated by attention in closing 

 the gates. That hounds individually can be the 

 means of conveying the cattle plague, I consider 

 to be extremely improbable ; no case of it has ever 

 yet been heard of, and I may call to your notice 

 the opinion of Mr. Mavor, V.S., which lately ap- 

 peared in the newspapers. I have, therefore, con- 

 sidered it right to let you know that unless anything 

 should happen to cause me to alter my opinion, I 

 shall draw the coverts at Staverton as usual the 

 next time that the hounds are in that district. I 

 need hardly add that I will do all in my power to 

 avoid putting you to any inconvenience, and that 

 I have given strict orders to the servants to be very 

 careful in closing the gates after them. 

 " Yours, etc., 



"J. Anstruther Thomson." 



All the gates were doubled all over the country, 

 and the slaughtered carcases were hung up in the 

 fields before removal. A meeting of farmers was 

 held in Northampton and a requisition sent to me 

 to stop hunting, with three pages of signatures. 

 Next day a requisition was sent to me with three 



