346 THE ESSEX FOXHOUNDS. 



to be exercised by the other for a period of sixty years and more, 

 when all evidence as to the time and manner in which it originally 

 commenced is lost, must be held to establish that right, or a door 

 would be opened for endless disputes as to boundaries. 



" 4. The fact of the forest having been drawn by the Essex is 

 admitted, and a reason assigned for its never having been formally 

 objected to — viz., that it was a great nursery and preserve of foxes, 

 and then so strong and impracticable a woodland that there was no 

 getting a fox away, and no chance of a run from it ; and that, as it 

 was necessary for the sport of both counties that it should be routed 

 as much as possible, ' the Herts were glad to see the Essex go 

 there and do the disagreeable work, and therefore no objection was 

 taken to their doing so.' This is a very important admission. It is 

 seldom that so clear a reason can be assigned in the origin of a 

 neutral draw, as the case of a woodland to which no one was very 

 anxious to go, but which it was the interest of both hunts to have 

 regularly disturbed. 



" 5. The neutral districts so established between the hunts ex- 

 tended beyond the forest and disputes arose. In 1812 an arrangement 

 was come to between the masters of the hunts, which the Herts rely 

 on as establishing their exclusive right to the forest, because it is 

 not mentioned among the neutral coverts. The answer of the Essex 

 is, that it is not mentioned because there never was a doubt as to its 

 neutrality, and that the dispute was only as to certain woods outside. 

 In support of this they prove that the forest was regularly drawn by 

 them afterwards. The Herts reply that this was done because Mr. 

 Houblon, the chief proprietor there, became joint master of the 

 Essex, and asked permission to draw it from Mr. Hanbury, the master 

 of the Herts, and a copy of a letter from Mr. Hanbury to Mr. 

 Houblon is produced, in which he says that he understands that the 

 latter wishes to draw ' some more coverts ' as neutral, and that 

 though he was not himself an advocate for a neutral country, he and 

 Mr. Calvert had every wish on Mr. Houblon's account to accommo- 

 date him, and would meet him and ascertain his wishes. What these 

 were is not known ; the words, ' some more coverts,' could hardly 



