260 THE POST AND THE PADDOCK. 



which have gone over lately, they are not likely to 

 degenerate. Among English dealers, the Messrs. 

 Colton of Eagle Hall and Newark, are very large 

 purchasers. They import on the average about five 

 hundred hunters, trained and untrained, every year, 

 at all prices, from .50 to 300, and keep two agents 

 (Wilmott and Nugent), one of whom lives at Mul- 

 lingar, always on the look-out for them. Mr. Potter, 

 of Ashby-de-la-Zouche, also buys very largely, and 

 at stiff prices ; and the same remark applies to Mr. 

 John Darby, of Rugby ; Mr. Murray of Manchester ; 

 and Mr. Hall of Sedgefield, Durham, who, however, 

 directs his attention more especially to harness and 

 young horses. The principal " colt-buyers," as they 

 are termed, are Mr. Parish, of Birmingham, (who 

 will buy as many as 150 in a year) ; Mr. J. Hall, of 

 Derby ; and Mr. P. Shields, of Dublin ; who bring 

 great numbers of juveniles across the channel, at all 

 figures from 5 to 50. 



Perhaps the most remarkable Irish hunter of the 

 present century was Mr. Assheton Smith's Eire King 

 a sixteen-hand, very large-limbed, light-fleshed, 

 and deep-girthed thorough-bred chesnut. He was 

 bought by Mr. William Denham, of Kegworth, from 

 Mr. Robert Lucas, of Liverpool, in the January of 

 1840, for 25 only, and was just as unmanageable 

 a savage as ever wore a bridle. However, Mr. Den- 

 ham contrived to beat all Derbyshire on him, both 

 with foxhounds and Lord Chesterfield's staghounds ; 

 Will Derry, the huntsman, who was riding one of 

 his Lordship's thorough-bred 300-guinea chesnuts, 

 frankly acknowledging on one occasion that he could 

 not live with him any part of the run. He also dis- 

 tinguished himself in Leicestershire in two runs ; one 

 from Cream, and the other from Sir Harry Goodricke's 

 Gorse. On the day after the latter, Mr. Assheton 

 Smith rode up to Mr. Denham, at Croxton Park 

 races, and made him an offer of 200 for him, which 



