15 



out into the Tollygunge country. Butler, Brancker and I lived in a flat in 

 Mrs. Ewing's boarding house, next I think to Jardine, Skinner's house in Chow, 

 ringhee, and we spent the night previous in tearing up paper for scent. I was 

 not present at the Chase, for I had no horse, save a Buggy horse. That was 

 I believe the first Paperchase. 



II. 



June ist^ 1905. 



I was very glad to get your letter of 26th April and to know that my 

 recollections of the early Paperchases were of some use. As regards your 

 question as to the original home of the Paperchase, I am afraid I don't know 

 anything about it in Spain or France, but I do remember of itt existence in 

 China. I was to have gone to China in 1866, and I know that I used to hear 

 of Chases on Ponies, after a paper trail, as one of the forms of amusement to 

 which I might look forward, but I never went out, as the financial crash of 

 1866 brought my would-be employers to grief, so my evidence is only hearsay. 

 1 fancy it was at Shanghai. 



How it originated in Calcutta, is beyond me. Brancker of Ewing & Co., 

 and Beebee of the Educational Department were certainly the moving spirits. 

 Beebee lived in those days with Sutclifife and Croft (of the Educational 

 Department) and Roberts (E. T. Roberts). But I don't think they were any of 

 them Paperchasers. [Our friend is of course wrong as regards Mr. Roberts as he 

 was the winner of the first Paperchase Cup in 1874-75 o'^ ^^d Deer. — Ed.] I 

 think I remember a Chase once at Dum Dum, in which Tommy Watson and 

 Geo. Fox had a part. 



Mr. Thomas Watson was good enough to send to 

 the Editor the following reminiscences : — 



"With reference to your letter that appeared in to-day's ^^ Englishman^' 

 I enclose a cutting from the old Oriental Sporting Magazine that may be of 

 inierest to you. Before Paperchases were regularly started in Calcutta, 

 fox-hounds were brought out every season from home, but they were found so 

 unsatisfactory owing to the closeness of the country and the scent remaining 

 such a short time after the sun got up, and so many jackals getting afoot at 

 the same time that they were abandoned. Then towards the close of the 

 season, a sort of hunt Steeplechase would be got up at Ballygunge, Barrackpore 

 or elsewhere, and the enclosed cutting is an account of one of them. I may 

 add that the Paperchases were originally started at Rowland House, Ballygunge, 

 in the late sixties, where a sporting chummery lived consisting of — George Fox 

 of Geo. Henderson <s. Co., Richard Brancker of Ewing & Co., Colin Smith of 

 Graham & Co., Thomas Watson of Borradailc Schiller & Co. They first had 

 a bobbery pack and then got up a subscription pack of fox-hounds which were 



