NIMRO&S NORTHERN TOUR. 195 



sporting world ; and as his means allow of his drafting largely, 

 his pack has always been found to please the eye. It will be 

 remembered that, a few years back, he purchased Mr. NicolPs 

 hounds for one thousand guineas, at a time when they were in 

 very high repute, both as to their performance and their fonii ; 

 and of course the blood is now predominant is his kennel.* But 

 Lord Kintore is far from being satisfied with the look of hounds. 

 He is a close drafter in all respects, and appears to me to be a 

 rigid observer of faults particularly that of running somewhat 

 wide in chase. For a quick eye to, and knowledge of, hounds 

 at first sight, he is perhaps unequalled in the present age, being 

 a second Cyrus in a kennel, as I have already stated on the au- 

 thority of Walker and Scott.f His lordship is not fond of tall 

 hounds ; but insists upon the requisites of substance, with bone; 

 and I consider his standard to be about that of Mr. Lambton's 

 kennel, between which and his own there is a very strong resem- 

 blance, and that, I think, is saying enough. His pack is at pre- 

 sent reduced in size to suit his countries (for he has two kennels), 

 which only admit of three days a week, and generally require, 

 from the nature of them, the season to be shut up early in March. 

 Moreover, his TurrifT country is particularly favourable to the 

 working of hounds without danger of laming them, which is no 

 small advantage. 



Before I quit this part of my subject, I wish to notice a cir- 

 cumstance relating to Lord Kintore's hounds, as the fact in 

 question cannot be too widely spread for the benefit of all other 

 masters of packs. They were attacked in the middle of last 

 season with kennel lameness, and to such an extent as to oblige 

 their owner to give up working them ; for, to use his own words, 

 in a letter to myself, " they tailed over a country like a flock of 

 sheep through a gap." He attributed the cause of this misfor- 

 tune to an incautious use of badly harvested straw for their beds, 

 having never before had lameness in his kennels. It gives me 

 pleasure, however, to state that his kennel is now all right again; 

 and that with a little assistance from others he is about to take 

 the field with an efficient pack. 



* When speaking of the blood of Mr. Nicoll's kennel, we should 

 rather call it the Beaufort blood ; it being well known that Mr. Nicoll 

 had all the late duke's drafts, old and young. 



f Allusions to what I read in my youth will sometimes importune me, 

 and I find it difficult to suppress them. It appears this peculiar talent 

 always attracted notice. Cyrus is said to have known every soldier ia 

 his army. Themistocles is said to have been able to call every citizen 

 of Athens by his name. On the other hand, Scaliger, in his comments 

 on the Iliad, asks how it happens that Priam, after so many years' siege, 

 should yet be acquainted with the faces of the Grecian leaders ? 



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