HISTORY OF THE LINLITHGOW 



of the support which has always been approved to 

 these hounds." ^ 



In the spring of the year 1857 there arose the 

 important question whether the hounds belonged 

 to the country or were the property of the Barn- 

 ton family. The matter, Avhich had the consider- 

 ation of many of the landed proprietors in the two 

 counties, was brought to a point by the late Colonel 

 Gillon of Wallhouse who, while evidently holding 

 a strong conviction that the pack was not private 

 property, seems to have been influenced only by 

 a desire, in the interests of the Hunt, to have 

 the question amicably settled. The letters which 

 passed between Colonel Gillon, Captain Sandilands, 

 and Mrs Ramsay on the subject, are printed as an 

 Appendix ^ and speak for themselves, but reference 

 may be made to what has already been said in 

 regard to the possibility of Mr Ramsay having 

 purchased the hounds when he accepted the 

 mastership in 1830.^ If Colonel Gillon carried 

 out his intention of bringing the matter before 

 the proprietors and subscribers, in the manner 

 indicated in the correspondence, it would seem 

 that nothing came of his having done so, and 

 that the position taken up by Mrs Ramsay was 

 ultimately acquiesced in. 



About this time some changes took place in 

 regard to the kennels. In 1855 Captain Sandi- 

 lands had commenced the building of new kennels 



1 'Edinbui-gh Evening Courant,' 17th April 1856. 



^ Vide Appendix III. ' Vide p. 105 et seq. 



168 



