4 Hark Azvay. 



liounds of the pack cannot be spoken of in too high 

 terms of praise. The heads of five of these noble 

 animals are painted in a life-like style that I have 

 never seen surpassed. This picture was, however, 

 rejected by the Royal Academy — a fact that is to me 

 wholly inexplicable. I am ignorant of such matters, 

 and can therefore only suppose that those whose 

 province it is to decide upon the merits of the 

 various pictures submitted for their approval are 

 not acquainted with such minor details as horses 

 and hounds. Fortunately it is to be engraved and 

 published by Messrs. Graves & Co., when an oppor- 

 tunity will be afforded to the public of judging of 

 the merits of this work of art, and I shall be strangely 

 surprised if the opinion I have ventured to express 

 is not thoroughly in accordance with that of all 

 persons competent to speak upon such subjects. 

 The second picture to which attention was directed 

 was an admirable portrait of George Castleman, the 

 huntsman of the Atherstone, on Mr. Oakley's well- 

 known horse Carlist, — painted by Mr. Lucas Lucas, 

 of Rugby, a rising artist in his particular line — which 

 is a picture of very great merit, the likeness both of 

 Castleman and the favourite nag he is riding being 

 excellent ; and the approval which this picture re- 

 ceived at the hands of so many competent judges 

 cannot fail to be a great encouragement to the 

 artist, whose intention, I believe, is to make animals 

 his particular study. 



But time advances, so to business. This society, 

 of which his Royal Highness the Prince of Wales is 

 patron, was founded so recently as the year 1852. 

 Almost every master of hounds in the kingdom is an 



