Mr. Lonsdale — Cuhhunting, S 



the Wrekin regrets tlie cause of such a fine sportsman as 

 Lord Hill having to retire. He hands over, however, to 

 his successor a pack of hounds faultless in shape, and 

 wellnigh matchless in the field, a huntsman, in Alfred 

 Thatcher, who is thoroughly up to his work, a good 

 kennelman, knows what his hounds are doing, and is 

 known of them ; not altogether a bruiser, hut where 

 hounds really run he is there or thereabouts, and his first 

 whip, Harry Bevans, is sure to be handy, for he is a 

 veritable horseman, not to be denied. Cubs have died in 

 plenty — some fifteen l^races of them — but of runs in the 

 open there have been very few. Indeed the orders have 

 universally been " not to let 'em go." The state of the 

 ground has been an excuse for this, and yet I confess to 

 be the opponent of heading and badgering cubs or foxes 

 to death, as at present practised, especially when it leads 

 as it did the other day, to the staining of Rowton gorse, 

 the cream of the country, with blood, and thereby probably 

 rendering it blank up to Christmas. I should be 

 unfaithful to the truth if I did not lament, in common 

 with many others, the scarcity of foxes south of the river. 

 Pit(;liford held three or four one morning, and better 

 things are reported Rowton Wjty than last } ear. An old 

 fox only at Lythewood ; Cound and Cressage doubtful. 

 Stapleton indisturbed. Condover, including Bomere, 

 utterly blank ; and hunting men are to pay £600 a year 

 for the pleasure of seeing all this stretch of country drawn, 

 knowing that it contains less than half a dozen litters of 

 foxes by wa^v of a start ! 



"Next week hunting news will be in full swing. At 

 present everybody is praying for lain. Below are the 

 reports of some of our local packs, culled from Bailys 

 Magazine for this month. 



The Albeighton have no changes to report. Plenty 

 of foxes and lot s of blood ; in fact, too many foxes killed 

 some mornings to please old sportsmen, who are waiting 

 for the ground to be r;deable. 



Cheshiee. — No change, except Harry Jones to be second 

 whip. Very good prospects of sport ; plenty of foxes, but 

 very bad scent. 



Cheshire feouTH. — Mr. Corbet has William Neat as a 

 new second whip. Reports a very good show of foxes 

 everywhere, and scent fair until the ground became hard 

 and dry. Ground Game Act has decimated the rabbits. 



