PETER BECKFORD. 



Four members of the house of Beckford have, in 

 different ways, contributed to render that name famous. 

 The first of them was Peter Beckford, sometime Governor 

 and Commissioner-in-chief of Jamaica, a pubUc servant 

 of some note in his day, but now forgotten. The second 

 was his cousin, WilHam Beckford, twice Lord Mayor 

 of London, in 1763 and 1770, who boldly denied the 

 right of the king to censure the Corporation of London, 

 and defied obstinate old George the Third to his face, 

 in defence of the rights of the City Fathers. The third 

 was his eccentric son William, the author of that wonder- 

 ful Oriental romance VatJiek, ' England's wealthiest 

 son,' as Byron calls him, who inherited a fortune of 

 nearly a million sterling from his father, and squandered 

 it all on his gorgeous ' Paradise ' at Cintra, and his 

 palace of mystery and magnificence at Fonthill. The 

 fourth, with whom I am most concerned here, was Peter 

 Beckford, grandson of the aforesaid Governor of Jamaica, 

 whose Thoughts on Hare and Fox-hunting have to 

 this day a charm for all sportsmen of literary tastes, 

 and who stands out from among his contemporaries, the 

 squires of England, as that rara avis, a scholar sports- 

 man. 



This remarkable Master of Hounds was the ' son of 



