THE AGREEMENT WITH SIR JOHN TROLLOPE. 43 



with the full approbation of the owners and occupiers, till 

 the end of the season 1877-78. Twenty-two years. 



In view of subsequent events which transpired I should 

 here make it quite plain that when, in 1856, Sir John 

 Trollope entered into an agreement with Mr. Tailby to 

 hunt the portion of the Cottesmore now surrendered, there 

 was a formal undertaking on the part of Mr. Tailby to give 

 it up at any time should any member of the Lowther family 

 desire to have it back, and when upon Lord Lonsdale 

 hearing that Mr. Tailby intended to give up his hounds — 

 and not till then — his lordship intimated that he desired to 

 reclaim the country, it was relinquished without the 

 slightest opposition. 



With this brief explanatory statement I will complete 

 the extracts from Mr. Tailby's Journal. 



Season 1872-73. 



Resum^ of Cub hunting. 



From the extreme quantity of rain the cub hunting has been 

 very good. We have found lots of foxes everywhere, excepting 

 the Stockerston Woods, The young hounds all enter, and w^e 

 start to-morrow with 34 couples of bitches, 7 couple of which 

 are this year's entry. We have killed 9 brace of foxes in 

 18 days' hunting, and run 3 brace to ground. We have had 

 several good gallops across the open, though the country has 

 been so blind w^e all came to grief more or less. 



Summary of Season 1873-73. 



I don't remember a better season, especially up to Christmas. 

 Scent was good, foxes good, and ground very holding ; hounds 

 could always beat horses ; never knew the country so deep all 

 through. Found lots of foxes . . . Monday's country has 

 done very well, and foxes have been much better than usual. 

 Peatling has done well, and the two new coverts at Little 

 Peatling and Ashby promise well for another year. Killed a 

 fair amount of foxes, never found so many, all above ground 

 owing to the drains being full of water. Horses done well ; 

 killed one, viz., " Widgeon"; "Tip-Top " gone wrong in his 



