20 Recollections of the Vine Hunt. 



hounds came away from a cover on Sharpe's side, he 

 was competent to hunt them, and would always fall 

 back into his right place, when Harrison came up ; 

 while Harrison, quite free from jealousy, and satisfied 

 that all was right whilst Sharpe was forward, would 

 come on quietly waiting for a turn in his favor, instead 

 of distressing his horse by trying to catch hounds. 



The Duke of York (brother to George IV.) at one 

 time kept a pack of foxhounds at Weybridge, and 

 had obtained permission, I know not from whom, for 

 some days' hunting in what is now the Vine Country. 

 Lord Stawell went to meet them from Hackwood, 

 much displeased at their coming, because he appre- 

 hended that the same favor might next be asked from 

 him. Accordingly he was in no very gracious mood, 

 and when on his return to dinner at Hackwood he was 

 asked his opinion of the pack, he is reported to have 

 replied, ' Sir, they are worse than you can possibly 

 imagine ; they can neither draw, nor run, nor hunt : 

 they all stink, and want brimstone ; there is only one 

 dog amongst them that looks in the least like a fox- 

 hound ; and the only thing worth going out for was to 

 hear old Squire Harwood grumbling and cursing the 

 huntsman for a fool' 



Between the years 1788 and 1795, George IV., then 

 Prince of Wales, rented Kempshott, and hunted deer. 

 He wished to have Sharpe for his huntsman. Lord 

 Stawell informed the man of the promotion offered 

 him : but Sharpe declined it ; he urged that he had a 

 good place already ; that he was fond of foxhunting, 

 and knew that he could give satisfaction at it ; but 

 that he knew nothing of staghunting, and did not at 

 all fancy it. Lord Stawell is said to have replied to 



