38 HUNTING AND SPORTING NOTES. 



and never had a better start over the road poiiitmg for 

 railway, but not one field consecutively could they carry 

 the miserable scent they were favoured with. 'Tis 

 true that Scott hunted him meritoriously over the rail- 

 way and road to Dunstor., to within a field of the Eiver 

 Penk, opposite Teddersley Park, whither, if our fox 

 wandered, he was in the South Staffordshire country. 

 Up to this time, half past two p.m., the rain had been 

 relentless, and, with very few dry spaces on our shivering 

 bodies, we trotted off, as gaily as we could, to Stretton, 

 where, much to Mr. Monckton's disappointment, a fox 

 was wanting, and, the day over, only such a one as 

 made me long for another, and a better chance of 

 seeing sport over this very nice side of the country. 

 "Whether any changes will take place in the hunting 

 of the Albrighton country it is perhaps premature to 

 conjecture. Sir Thomas Boughey is going to live at 

 Aqualate, an impossible distance from the Worcester- 

 shire side of the country. It is probable, therefore, 

 that if he is prevailed upon to continue the master- 

 ship after this season, it will be on the understanding 

 that the W^orcestershire side of the country should be 

 severed, at all events for the present. A three day a week 

 country might yet remain quite sufficient for all sporting 

 purposes. Sir Thomas has had a reign of twenty years, I 

 think, and has scored a splendid success. The country is 

 indebted to him for the energy, tact and discretion, with 

 which he has guided the ship. His has been by no means 

 a bed of roses — with very high game preserving in his 

 very midst — with Lilleshall and Woodcote wholly devoted 

 to pheasants, and with Weston partially so, he has found 

 in the farmers and occupiers of land the true backbone of 

 the hunt, and on them he has sought reliance, and not 

 sought it in vain. That they will rally to the cry of "the 

 Albrighton hunt," in spite of every drawback, I do not 

 hesitate to say. It is indeed time that the selfishness of 

 those in high places was tempered by the breeze that 

 is blowing in their faces. 



On Friday I did not think it would be practicable at 

 Wem Station for the Shropshire to hunt. They did, how- 

 ever — drew Broughton Gorse blank, and so on to Soulton 

 Wood, by which time the going was better, but still 

 treacherous. Here they found what proved to be a good 

 fox. He broke at once on the Wem side, across the 



