GAME LAWS. 141 



secrets among poachers of every description. Not pre- 

 suming, however, that I am capable of dictating even 

 to the lowest member in the legislature ; but merely 

 with a view of pointing out a few of those evils, which 

 may have escaped notice among persons of far greater 

 abilities than my own. 



We are all highly indebted to Lord Wharncliffe for 

 his exertions towards improving the game laws. For, 

 as Sir Robert Peel justly observed (if I may quote from 

 newspapers), " the bill went to provide remedies for two 

 great evils, which sprung out of the present laws. First, 

 it empowered the sale of game; and, second, it made 

 a great and necessary change in the qualification" 

 But with regard to making game private property 

 much as the measure would be to my own private in- 

 terest, yet I cannot conscientiously say that I think it 

 would give public satisfaction. The most correct man 

 would for ever be liable to get into difficulty, by which 

 means there would be more, instead of fewer, disputes 

 between sportsmen and occupiers of land. To conclude 

 then ; I shall here repeat, with a few trifling additions, 

 what I before suggested through the medium of the 

 *' Star" evening paper ; and, at the same time, apologise 

 for presuming to give a public opinion, which, in many 

 respects, may differ from that of men with whom it 

 would be the height of folly for me to suppose that I 

 could cope in either talent or argument. 



Sill, A P ril 12, 1824. 



" I beg leave to suggest, through the medium 

 of your paper (and Lhave also taken the liberty to send 

 to members of both Houses of Parliament), the mere 

 outline of what, in my humble opinion, would be the 



