173 MMROUS NORTHERN TOUR. 



After a most agreeable evening, heightened by the exquisite 

 performance of Lady Anstruther on the harp, and a good night's 

 rest, I arose the next morning in the anxious expectation of a 

 day's sport with " merry John" and his pack, as also of another 

 day's experience of the captain in the field, which I assure you, 

 reader, is no small treat. But, alas, politics accursed politics, 

 absolutely becoming the bane of society, and now even showing 

 its ugly face in the hunting-field would not allow of his being 

 out on this day, nor did I ever again see him with hounds. 



It should, however, be made known, that it was just on the 

 approach of his contest for the county, in which he beat his ad- 

 versary, Colonel Lindsay, by I believe the largest majority that 

 the annals of Scottish elections can exhibit, and this in a year of 

 unparalleled excitement, in that country. In fact Church and 

 King had not a chance against the captain's broadside and his 

 twenty-four (alias ten) pounders ! 



I regret my inability to give a flattering account of this day's 

 proceedings in the field. In the first place, the fog was so thick 

 in the morning, that Walker got lost in coming to cover with the 

 hounds ; and in the next, by some unaccountable accident, not 

 one of Sir Ralph's foxes was at home I say unaccountable 

 accident, because, as may be supposed, Sir Ralph, although his 

 covers abound with pheasants, is a strict preserver of these 

 animals. We did find late in the day ; but what with interrup- 

 tion from the fog, a drizzling rain and bad scent, we could do but 

 little, nothing in fact worth recording, although we were in what 

 I call a very fair country for fox-hunting. But something always 

 turns up in the hunting-field to make amends for casual disap- 

 pointments. There were staying at Balcaskie three young 

 ladies,* first cousins to Sir Ralph, and well bred ones for this 

 sport, being daughters of the late Mr. Anstruther Thompson, of 

 Charlton, the original proprietor, as I have already stated, of the 

 Fife hounds. One of these young ladies accompanied Lady 

 Anstruther in her phaeton, and of course only now and then 

 caught a sight of the hounds ; but her sisters accompanied us 

 throughout the day, and I must give them a niche in our Temple 

 of Fame. But what if I could have placed them in your gallery 

 of portraits ! I can assure you they would have afforded excel- 

 lent subjects for the skill of your artist, as well as excellent 

 samples of the bonnie lasses of old Scotland. Nevertheless, it 

 is as regards their performance in the saddle alone that I venture 

 to introduce the names of any young ladies to the notice of the 

 sporting world ; and perhaps had not the Miss Thompsons been 



* One of these young ladies is since married. 



