Conclusion. 1 3 1 



a cold winter's day. This last circumstance may 

 sufficiently account for their failure. They were fairly 

 tried by many who had been prepossessed in their 

 favour ; but they could not be generally established 

 as denizens of England. As philologists tell us, that a 

 language readily adopts certain new words which are 

 accordant to its genius, while it rejects others which 

 are at variance with it, so our climate sternly refused 

 to admit a breed of sheep, which are spreading them- 

 selves widely, much to the benefit of mankind, over 

 the plains of Australia and South America. 



Sainfoin came into Hampshire about one gener- 

 ation earlier. My father recollected its introduction. I 

 have been assured both by him and by others that 

 the ground, never having before borne it, was able to 

 maintain the plant much longer than it can now do. 

 It was not uncommon to let a field of sainfoin re- 

 main for twenty years, and I have heard of one well 

 authenticated instance when a very good crop was 

 mown at the end of twenty-one years. 



And now, my good friend, you have all that you 

 asked for, and rather more. I have given you my 

 recollections of the early days of the Vine hounds, 

 and a great many miscellaneous recollections besides. 

 Perhaps you will say that, when you made the request, 

 you had no idea that I should pour forth so much, or 

 that there would be so little in it. I am ready to plead 

 guilty to both charges. I confess that much of what I 

 have written is both lengthy and trivial, and better 

 suited to form the gossip of two old friends over their 

 wine, than to be invested with the dignity of print. 

 But what better could you expect } When you set a 

 stone rolling from the top of a hill, you cannot tell 



K 2 



