CRISES IN ITS HISTORY. 29 



As this letter is a reply to yours of the 30th u]tim(\ which 1 ilid not answer, 

 as von then wished the correspondence to be closed ; but, as yours of the 

 cjth instant informs me you are going to publish the correspondence, I nnist 

 view an\- publication of these letters as garbled in which this is not included. 



I remain, yours faithfully, 



Lieut. -Col. \'. .\. King. J. R. Court. 



Oxton. Birkenhead, i6th December, 1868. 

 Dear Sir, — I have to thani< you for your lett(u' of the 14th instant, which 

 I received yesterday evening. 



I waited for an answer to my note of the 9th instant until the nth instant 

 before publishing the correspondence between us. As you say you will consider 

 this correspondence garbled if your letter above referred to does not appear in 

 it, the Beagle Hunt will have great pleasure in publishing it also. 



Almost the only portion of your letter which it appears needful for nic to 

 refer to is that part in which you speak of overtures being made for the purpose 

 of allowing gentlemen to ride to the beagles — about converting the beagles into 

 harriers. (S:c., &c. I confess I am inclined to think this must be a good deal in 

 vour own imagination, for I do not know anything about it. 



However, I certainly should have objected to convert the beagles into 

 harriers, because I would not accept the responsibilities of the Master of a pack 

 of harriers, as I am certain they must do very serious damage to the farmers. 



The Beagle Hunt complain, and I think with reason, that the Harrier Club, 

 in making their arrangements, and in their application to the landowners, not 

 onlv entirely ignored them, but misrepresented their opinions. 



It may be well here that I should very plainly state — That I consider the 

 first time I, as Master of the Beagles, knew anything officially about the Harrier 

 Club was when the deputation waited upon me the end of September, at which 

 time they made me the offer of the mastership of the pack. Now, as, according 

 to common report, all their arrangements had been made, and you chosen as 

 Master months before, I confess I did not see any compliment in this offer. 



The only other time when you spoke to me upon the subject was one 

 Sunday afternoon last May, at Mr. - "■• ••' =■' 's house, and, considering our slight 

 acquaintance, you will, perhaps, pardon me for saying I did not think the 

 remarks you made upon that occasion respecting the beagles in very good taste. 

 You, perhaps, will hardly expect me to admit that beagles are inferior in 

 any wav to harriers, or to allow the superiority of the members of the Harrier 

 Club over those of the Beagle Hunt implied in your letter. 



I have looked in vain in your long letter for any explanation of the 

 misrepresentations and unauthorised use of my name by the members of your 

 club. 



I must also confess with j^ain that my search has also been in vain, not only 

 in the closing sentence of your letter, but in every sentence of it for any 

 evidence of a conciliatory feeling. 



Believe me, yours faithfully, 

 John R. Court, Esq. V. A. King. 



Tlie intrusion of the Wirral Harriers into our country was a serious 

 menace lo the coniinuiiy of tlie Royal Rock Beagles, as, had there been any 

 marked defection of horse-owning members, it is quite probable that the 

 Hunt would have been broken up. The members, however, proved loyal, 

 and the crisis was safely passed. Botli Hunts have been carried on ever 



