146 Frank Beers' Diaries. [1875-76 



''March yth, 1876. — A private day. Met on Wake- 

 field Lawn for : — 



THE EMPRESS OF AUSTRIA, who arrived in 

 England on Sunday evening, lunched with Her Majesty 

 the Queen of England on Monday ; came to Easton 

 Neston on Monday evening, and hunted with the Duke of 

 Grafton's hounds this day. HER MAJESTY THE 

 EMPRESS OF AUSTRIA, THE EX-KING AND 

 QUEEN OF NAPLES, and large suite, met on the 

 lawn at 2 o'clock. Lord Charles FitzRoy was in waiting 

 at Buckingham Palace ; so Colonel FitzRoy, of Grafton 

 Regis, brought the Empress and introduced me to Her 

 Majesty. After a long talk with Her Majesty about 

 the hounds and country, &c., we moved off to Fire 

 Furze to draw. 



" The Empress here came and asked me to pilot her 

 over the country. 



'' Fire Furze blank. Found in Colonel FitzRoy's new 

 covert ; away at a rattling pace, pointing for Stoke, but 

 the fox was headed back to Grafton Village ; lost him. 

 Found again in Stoke Park. Went away past Stoke 

 Plain, Plane Woods to the left to Roade Station, did 

 not go over the line, ran by the side of it to Ashton 

 Village, and killed him at the Ash-Bed. A very pretty 

 run. 



*' The Empress rode beautifully, and expressed her 

 great delight to me, and thanked me very much indeed 

 for the good sport. I had the honour of presenting Her 

 Majesty with the brush. The Queen of Naples went 

 well also. The Austrian Counts and Princes also rode 

 capitally ; one got a good cropper ! 



'' March loth. — At Bradden. A very large Field out, 

 including the Empress of Austria and Queen of Naples, 

 several foreigners, and many ladies, both on horseback 



