20 ROYAL ROCK BEAGLE HUNT. 



This statement of accounts left the club in debt to C. Rawson, who 

 generously financed the matter, to the amount of over ^70, and the Com- 

 mittee explained the deficit, by having been obliged to meet many extra 

 heavy expenses during the first fourteen months, in purchasing hounds, and 

 preparing the kennels for their reception, which expenses were not likely 

 to recur. 



The Committee recommended a donation of one pound from each 

 member, and had no doubt that the subscription for the current year would 

 amply cover the outlay, and they further promised the strictest economy in 

 every department. 



The next annual statement shows that, with unpaid subscriptions, ;^4o, 

 Rawson w^as still ;^6o out of pocket, notwithstanding that the income account 

 shows that the call of ^i was freely responded to by the members. The 

 number of members then enrolled being 85, it was resolved, that in future 

 each new member should be charged an entrance fee of ^i. Among the 

 first batch of members to pay entrance fee were P. F. Carrie, the coroner, 

 W. Chambres, and W. T. Hall. 



Notwithstanding these efforts at " raising the wind," and the economy 

 practised by the Committee, the debit balance still continued over the next 

 two years, and in 1850 it was only reduced by ;^io. At the general meeting 

 of members it was resolved to abolish the entrance fee and raise the sub- 

 scription to three guineas. The result of this, during the following year, was 

 to reduce the debt tO;^4o, but the number of members had fallen to seventy. 

 In 1852 the debt was ;^45, and the number of members only fifty-five. 



In 1853, when C. Rawson resigned the mastership, the debt had again 

 increased to ^SS, of which ^6^ was due to H. Walford and ;£2^ to C. 

 Rawson. It was resolved that the new Tvlaster, V. A. King, and D. O. Bateson 

 should " interest themselves with all connected with the Hunt to obtain 

 " donations towards liquidating the balance due to the secretary." 



The efforts of these gentlemen, if seriously made, did not appear to 

 meet with much success, as the following year found the club in much the 

 same plight, ^^50 still due to the secretary, and the members were earnestly 

 requested each to make a donation of ^i. The next account showed a 

 debit of only ^^15, and this balance was wiped out in 1856, since when the 

 club has never again been badly in debt until 1892, when there appeared a 

 balance due to the treasurer of ^^55, which was immediately liquidated. 



In 1869 the subscription was raised to four guineas for each ordinary 

 member, and two guineas for young gentlemen "not in business on their own 

 "account." This latter provision was cancelled in 1889, at which time the 

 number of members was limited to sixty, with a subscription of four guineas, 

 and out of each subscriiTtion one guinea per annum was to be placed to the 



