COL. ANSTRUTHER THOMSON 375 



Brigstock on Tuesday, and if there is no rain I think 

 we shall do no more. 



" Ever yours, 



" J. Anstr. Thomson. 



" To Capt. Clerk." 



" Spratton, 

 "20th April, 1866. 



" My Dear Thomson, — 



" I have yours of yesterday. Melville, 

 I think, made a mistake when he sent you the 

 proceedings of the meeting of the 4th ; such pro- 

 ceedings, I apprehend, were caused by the failure 

 of the wild Watson scheme. I quite understood 

 from Lord Spencer, on Saturday last, that you were 

 to hunt the entire country nine days a fortnight, 

 as proposed some little time ago, and I am sure it 

 is Spencer's impression that it is so settled. I 

 believe S. is now in London, but I will go over to 

 Althorpe to-day on the chance of finding him, 



"It is in my opinion a great pity that so much 

 trouble should be created about the Brigstock 

 country. The open country, as it is called, cannot 

 be alone hunted four days a week ; blank days will 

 be the result of an attempt to do so, and it would 

 soon dwindle down to a two day a week country. 

 ' Keeping a country together ' is one of the first 

 maxims in hunting, I have been told. 



" With regard to the hounds, if you do hunt 

 nine days a fortnight, the hounds, I suppose, will 

 require being kept up to sixty couple ; but as I 

 hope to see you at Bough ton to-morrow I will have 



