3 ROYAL ROCK BEAGLE HUNT. 



If Mr. Rawson had occasion to rebuke any of the members for any act 

 contrary to sport, or for the common fault of " hallooing to fresh hares," he 

 always waited for an opportunity of talking to the offender in private and 

 convincing him of his guilt. By these means he soon got his field into good 

 order, and inculcated a set of unwritten rules for the conduct of members in 

 the field, the good influence of which has been handed down to our own 

 times. It is almost unheard of with the R. R. B. for the Master to have 

 occasion to rebuke a member for unsportsmanlike conduct in the field : of 

 course the minor offences of leaving gates open, breaking fences, or running 

 over springing wheat in wet seasons, are dealt with by the more experienced 

 members, who witness the transgression. 



Among oilier accomplishments, C. Rawson was a bit of a poet, and he 

 composed several hunting songs which lie either sang or recited at the Hunt 

 dinners. A place will be found for one or two of these effusions elsewhere. 



Mr. Rawson was in the habit of inviting one or other of iiis business 

 friends from Manchester to have a run with his beagles. He relates how on 

 one occasion a German gentleman was invited, wlio came with alacrity. 

 On his way from the train he called at Rawson's office, where, as it so 

 liappened, he saw one of the hounds which had been lost a day or two 

 before, and had been brought to his office that morning. The German at 

 once jumped to the conclusion that each sportsman took a hound out with 

 Jiim, and apologised for not having brought a dog. He also went on to say, 

 that having a bad cold he feared he would be of no use, as he had /osi his 

 scent! Another gentleman, a Frenchman, siid, after they had enjoyed a 

 good run and a kill, " when the hare was first found it passed quite near me, 

 " and if Fd had a gun I could have shot it and saved all that trouble ! " 



As head of the Hunt, C. Rawson gave great satisfaction to his fellow 

 members. At the second annual meeting of the club a vote of thanks, in 

 the following flattering terms, was proposed by T. A. Bushby, seconded by 

 AV. Robinson, and carried unanimously — " That the best thanks of all the 

 " members are due to C. Rawson, for his constant attention to all connected 

 " with the Hunt, without which we never should have reached the perfection 

 " we are now in."' 



It is worthy of note that, alihough the rule for the election of Master 

 provided for election by the committee, when Mr. Rawson was elected in 

 1848 it was by resolution of the club at the annual meeting, and he was then 

 styled "Master of the Hunt"; whereas T. Barton was always mentioned as 

 " Master of the Hounds." No chairman was appointed that year, but in 

 the following year \ . A. King was made Chairman, and C. Rawson Master 

 of the Hounds. 



At the beginning of the season 1851-52 C. Rawson expressed a wish to 

 resign, as lie was leaving Liverpool and could not be much with the hounds, 



I 



