SALT MARSHES 235 



bestowed upon him by two stout men. This was the 

 first week in December. 



The following is a still stronger case. In the month 

 of January 1825, I spent a week with Mr Smith, who 

 has the management of the Hambledon hounds ; 

 and as there were no convenient public stables at 

 hand, he was kind enough to give me two stalls among 

 his own stud. It so happened that we returned to- 

 gether one day after hunting ; and whilst lounging 

 about the kennel, about half an hour elapsed previous 

 to our going into the house. In this short period the 

 horse I had been riding was dry, and had his clothes 

 on ; whilst the heads and fore-quarters of those Mr 

 Smith and his men had been riding were not finished 

 dressing, neither were their saddles taken off. I had 

 the clothes taken off my horse to convince Mr Smith 

 that he was perfectly dry ; and I need not add that he 

 expressed his opinion satisfactorily as to which was the 

 better plan — summering the hunter in the house, or 

 summering him, as his had been, in the fields. 



On talking over this matter with Sir Bellingham 

 Graham — than whom no man of his years has had 

 more experience in good horse flesh — he told me that 

 in the summer of 1824 he unfortunately turned out 

 an old favourite of his, which had been ten years in 

 the stable, and he went broken-winded in six weeks ! 

 " Though getting an old horse," said Sir Bellingham, 

 " I would willingly give one hundred guineas to have 

 him as good now as he was the day he was turned out." ^ 



^ British veterinarians do not look upon the " grazing " theory as 

 a cause of broken-wind. — Editor. 



