'THE OTHER TOM SMITH.' 



It is probable that at this moment there is scarcely a 

 decent-sized village in England in which there are not 

 at least two Thomas Smiths. Nevertheless, it is a curious 

 and confusing coincidence that there should have been 

 two distinguished Masters of Hounds of that name, not 

 only contemporaries but residents in the same county, 

 and both, to add to this confusion, men of exception- 

 ally original and independent character. Of Thomas 

 Assheton Smith, the famous Master and founder of the 

 Tedworth, I have already discoursed, but I am not at 

 all sure that 'the other Tom Smith' with whom I am 

 now about to deal, is not equally deserving of fame. 

 On that point, however, I shall leave the reader to judge 

 for himself after perusing the following narrative of the 

 man's remarkable career. 



Thomas Smith, sometimes called by way of distinction 

 ' Hambledon,' sometimes ' Gentleman ' Smith, but best 

 known perhaps as ' the other Tom Smith,' was born at 

 Shalton Lodge, near Alton, Hants, on the 3rd of August 

 1790. His father was a gentleman farmer of modest 

 estate, and Tom was the eldest of nine sons, all of whom 

 were early made to understand that they had to push 

 their own way in the world. Thomas, being apparently 

 a lad of parts, was sent, on the recommendation of Dr 

 Reynolds, Dean of Winchester, a friend of the family, to 



