162 The Dog Book 



farm, which, had the lease expired, would have cleared to the landlord 

 above two hundred and fifty pounds per annum." 



It is worth noticing that the parti-coloured setter is not in this case 

 described as red and white, but as chestnut. The colour of the Irish setter 

 of the present day is frequently likened to that of horse chestnut at the time 

 the burr opens and the nuts first show in their nest. But chestnut is 

 a rather variable description, for the chestnut horse is of quite a light 

 colour compared with a large part of the nut, which is more "bay" 

 in the main. 



Quite recently we had the good fortune to pick up a little paper-bound 

 book published by a resident of Montgomery, Ala., prior to the Civil War, 

 in which appear two of the late Frank Forester's sketches. They were 

 written some time before for a paper, which ceased publication before 

 they could be used, and they were given to Mr. Johnson J. Hooper to 

 make what use he liked of them and at last saw daylight. The period 

 set for the sketch entitled "The Yorkshire Moors" must have been 

 about 1825, for it begins thus: "It is now well nigh thirty years since my 

 first day on the Yorkshire moorlands." The date of entry of the book 

 in the clerk's office of the United States Court is 1856, and as the sketch 

 had been written some time prior, the "thirty years" take us very readily 

 to 1825. Forester's recollection is further reinforced by his saying that he 

 was then about eighteen years of age and was in the sixth form at Eton, 

 and as Forester was born in 1807 that checks the date. His real name 

 was William Henry Herbert and his father was the Dean of Manchester. 

 He was also a grandson of the Earl of Carnarvon. 



The old gamekeeper had started for the moors two days before, leading 

 a pony laden with panniers and four brace of dogs. The description of these 

 dogs begins with: "Cynthia and Phoebe, a pair of orange and white silky 

 Irish setters, with large soft eyes and coal black muzzles, feathered six 

 inches deep on the legs and stern." Orange and bright chestnut are not 

 so very dissimilar and, being shades of red, would be called red by many 

 people. This question of colour was a burning one sixty years later when 

 classes were given for both the self-coloured and the red and whites at Irish 

 shows, and this distinction was also made at the early American shows. 

 Literature regarding the early Irish setter is most difficult to procure, and 

 although we have read innumerable books that gave somes light promise 

 of even a passing mention, the result has been most unsatisfactory. The 



