a00F3eton Smitb ss 



latter, Mr Warde's hounds were once drawing South 

 Grove, when some remark of Mr Hunt's provoked a 

 sneer from Tom Smith. Fierce words ensued on both 

 sides, and they were in the act of dismounting to settle 

 it then and there, when fortunately a fox was hallooed 

 away, an attraction which neither could resist. ' I alwa}''s 

 regretted this interruption,' said an eyewitness of the 

 scene, ' for depend upon it this fight would have been 

 well worth seeing ; although Hunt had the advantage in 

 weight and height, for all that, I would have backed the 

 squire.' 



When hunting in Lincolnshire in 1818, Mr Smith was 

 solicited to stand for the borough of Nottingham — an 

 undertaking as hazardous at that time as for a Tory to 

 stand for Westminster against such an idol as Sir F 

 Burdett then was. The very peril, however, was an 

 inducement for Tom Smith to come forward, and a 

 reception such as was to be expected awaited him. The 

 town w^as placarded with ' No fox-hunting M.P.,' and 

 the electors carried their virulence so far as to dress up a 

 guy with a red coat and a fox's brush appended to it, 

 which they burnt before the hustings. Mr Smith's ap- 

 pearance there was the signal for a most tremendous 

 row ; and not a word of his speech, when he came 

 forward to address them, would they hear. There, how- 

 ever, he remained, in defiance of their yells and hooting, 

 till at last with a stentorian voice, heard above the 

 uproar, he cried out, ' Gentlemen, as you refuse to hear 

 the exposition of my political opinions, at least be so 

 good as to listen to these few words. I will fight any 

 man, little or big, directly I leave the hustings, and will 

 have a round with him now for love.' The effect of this 

 argumentmn ad hotnines was electric. It had touched a 



