PERTH TO DUNKELD. 275 



Once only, in 1 823, did the Club go as far as 

 Aberdeen to join the Northern Meeting, when Lords 

 Panmure, Kennedy and Huntly, Sir David Mon- 

 crieff, and Sir Alexander Ramsay had studs ; but 

 there was a good deal of row, and the Secretary nar- 

 rowly escaped tossing in a blanket on account of the 

 badness of the wine. The Welter Stakes, 13st. each, 

 for "regular hunters of the preceding season," was the 

 Northern St. Leger ; and that year Lord Huntly's 

 Hospitality beat Lord Panmure' s renowned Harle- 

 quin. The Meeting seemed to die out in 1829 ; and 

 it was revived in 1843-44, when Zoroaster and The 

 Dog Billy (so called out of compliment to Captain 

 Barclay's gladiator) had a pretty good time of it ; 

 but there was no life in it after that. 



Cupar Fife was very celebrated for the balls in its 

 Oval County Room ; and among those who are dead 

 and gone, it ranked Lord Leven, Sir David Moncrieff, 

 Sir Ralph Anstruther, and Mr. John Dalziel of 

 Lingo, as its greatest supporters. The course 

 was four miles out of the town, and the horses 

 stood at a little country inn called "The Bow of 

 Fife." 



Both at Ayr and Perth the ladies come to the race 

 ordinaries ; and at Dumfries they were wont to join 

 the public breakfasts. The Perth Hunt, although ob- 

 solete in the field sense of the word, has always kept 

 Perth up to its turn ; and the late Duke of Athole 

 threw a great deal of life into the balls, with his piper 

 and national dances. Both here and at Dumfries the 



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