454 LEAVES FROM A HUNTING DIARY 



and even profuse subscription would go did everything well. 

 He gave ^2,000 for Scratton's hounds, built excellent kennels 

 and stables at Great Burstead and mounted his Huntsman and 

 two whips on first-class horses, with a second horse for the 

 Huntsman ; considering the season, they had quite their share 

 of sport. These hounds and that side of the country sustained 

 a great loss in the unexpected death of their liberal and inde- 

 fatigable secretary, Arthur Button Cox, on April 28th. He 

 had got up the subscription to ^2,200 per annum. 



Staghounds. Scarcely, perhaps, so good a season as usual, 

 but yet nothing to complain of in the way of sport, the chief 

 difficulty resting with the unfortunate secretary in his uphill and 

 invidious task of getting up the moderate guarantee of ^450, 

 while ^2,000 is subscribed for the Surrey Staghounds. 



Francis Barker, of Westlands, Mountnessing. Another 

 death to record since the close of the season (in addition to Cox 

 and Marriott), of a well-known Essex hunting man. On Whit 

 Monday, June 6th, Barker was riding a strange horse called 

 " Forester," which he had been asked to sell on commission by 

 his owner, round the ring, at the Horse Show, Islington, when 

 the brute reared and fell backwards upon poor Barker, inflicting 

 injuries from which he died at i a.m. on Thursday. 



He was buried in Mountnessing Churchyard on Monday, 

 June 13th, at 4 p.m., in the presence of a large gathering of his 

 hunting friends. His loss will be severely felt, not only in his 

 own parish and neighbourhood, where he gave employment to 

 many, but throughout the county, so far as hunting, racing and 

 steeplechasing are concerned, for he was a zealous and inde- 

 fatigable supporter of all three, generally taking some active 

 and public duty, as Huntsman, starter, clerk of the course ; 

 while at every horse show he was present, and generally took 

 prizes. He had established a fine business as a horse dealer 

 and in late years dealt only in first-class hunters, giving and 

 realising very high prices, and with his farming, racing, &c., he 

 was a prosperous man, when his existence was so suddenly 

 cut short. 



It is just about twenty-seven years ago since I let him his 

 first farm, "Gorrels," near Writtle, soon after his marriage. 

 The staghound kennels were erected by Lord Petre (his land- 

 lord) on his farm, " Westlands,'' and he kept and hunted the 

 hounds, and provided and mounted a whip, and kept the deer, 

 and found deer cart, horse and driver, in an arrangement with 

 the Hon. Henry H. Petre. so that his death will necessitate 

 new arrangements, even if it does not lead to our losing stags 



