PACKS OF HOUNDS 273 



The Ledbury Col. Wyndham's 



Lord Lonsdale's The York and Ainsty 



WALES 



The Begelly Mr. Powell's 



The Carmarthenshire The Stone Hall 



The Cresselty The Teify Side 

 The Goggerddaii 



Three of these packs hunt six days in the week, three 

 five days, about two or three and twenty four days, six 

 or seven and twenty three days, and the remainder 

 two, some of them occasionally varying according to 

 circumstances ; but the average may be laid as nearly 

 as possible at three days in the week. Thus we have to 

 all intents and purposes four times as much hunting 

 as our ancestors enjoyed. 



Those noblemen and gentlemen whom I have en- 

 umerated as masters of hounds some fifty years since 

 maintained their establishments entirely at their own 

 expense, whereas more than three-fourths of those which 

 are now at work are kept by subscription, and there are 

 many very forcible arguments which may be urged in 

 favour of that custom. There are but few noblemen or 

 gentlemen so overwhelmed with money and otherwise 

 circumstanced as to render their incurring all the ex- 

 penses a matter of propriety, even if they were so dis- 

 posed. Sons and heirs-at-law may not think it fair that 

 the expenses of a sport which affords health and amuse- 

 ment to thousands should fall upon the shoulders of an 

 individual ancestor; nor would it be any consolation to 

 a son on coming into possession of an encumbered 

 estate to know that the difficulties which surround him 

 were incurred by the expenses of keeping hounds for the 

 amusement of the county. It is not unfrequently a 

 very difficult task to meet with a gentleman duly 

 qualified to take the management of a pack of hounds. 

 The undertaking involves a number of little events which 

 are never dreamt of by a novice, and thus so many give 



