62 FOX-HUNTING RECOLLECTIONS 



fifty years ; he was always out with the hounds 

 on the north side of the Forest, and an excellent 

 man in every way. 



That famous M.F.H., Mr. Osbaldeston, after 

 a turn with the Quorn and the Burton, took over 

 the Pytchley Country in 1827, ^^^ during that 

 season he is said to have exclaimed, '' I have been 

 looking for Paradise all my life and I have found 

 it at last.*' I could not say quite so much as 

 that, but I certainly was delighted with my 

 first season in the Forest, as sport had been so 

 good, my hounds had turned out very well, and 

 the little pack had long since earned the name 

 of the '' Fast Ladies.'' They were composed 

 of what I got from Blankney and from the 

 Craven. Some of the latter were not quite so 

 reliable as the former, but they were all hard 

 runners and went a tremendous pace. Then 

 Mr. Laurence Cumberbatch, the Deputy Surveyor 

 who had control under the Crown of the whole 

 Forest territory, was a good supporter to me. 

 He was fond of all sport, but I knew he was a 

 keen fox-hunter at heart, and was a gentleman for 

 whom I had the greatest regard. 



The area of the Forest proper in those days was 

 about 66,000 acres, surrounded on all sides by 

 large estates belonging to various country gentle- 

 men. On the south side there was Beaulieu, an 



