25 Ifcfnas of tbe 1Rofc, IRifle, anfc (Bun 



The row was indescribable. The consequence was, that 

 when we entered a field of turnips the partridges 

 generally went off in one great flight at the other end 

 of the field. Some were necessarily very long shots 

 fifty or sixty yards ; we hardly fired a near shot during 

 the match." 



The Lord de Ros here mentioned was afterwards the 

 plaintiff in the cause celebre of De Ros v. Gumming, when 

 he strove to clear his character by bringing an action for 

 libel against Mr. Gumming for accusing him of cheating 

 at cards. But the evidence in proof of his malpractices 

 was overwhelming ; the verdict was against him, and 

 the once popular nobleman and sportsman, thus branded 

 as a convicted cheat, hid himself and his shame in an 

 obscure Continental town, where he died in poverty and 

 disgrace. 



Another great shooting match of Captain Ross's had 

 its origin in the following circumstances, which the 

 Captain himself thus narrates : 



"In the year 1824 or 1825 Lord Kennedy and Mr. 

 William Coke (nephew of the then Mr. Coke, of 

 Holkham) shot a match at partridges for a considerable 

 bet. The terms were that Lord Kennedy was to shoot 

 for two days in Scotland against Mr. William Coke, 

 who was to shoot two days at Holkham. Mr. Coke, of 

 course, won the match. 



I paid a visit to Holkham a month or two after this, 

 and I found them all rather pleased at the result. I 

 could not refrain from saying that Mr. Coke must 

 attribute his success more to the great number of birds 

 at Holkham than to his being a better shot than Lord 



