AND STIRLINGSHIRE HUNT 



as a memento of his father's remarkable exploit 

 on the gallant old Potiphar. 



It was at a meeting of the Hunt, held on the 

 14th of February 1866/ about six weeks after Mr 

 Ramsay's death, that Colonel Gillon pledged him- 

 self to take the control. Immediately prior to 

 his doing- so, the Hunt had stood in a somewhat 

 anomalous position — it had been a Hunt without a 

 master and without a pack of hounds, — and the 

 sixth Earl of Hopetoun and Sir Alexander Maitland 

 having both declined to accept the management, it 

 seemed questionable whether the country, through 

 which the music of hounds had resounded from 

 time immemorial, could be hunted any longer. 

 But when once the sportsmen of that day were 

 brought together, all doubt on the subject was 

 dispelled, for in spite of the difficulties which 

 existed, they speedily decided in favour of a con- 

 tinuance of the establishment and, acting upon 

 the suggestion of Major Ferrier Hamilton of Cath- 

 law, invited Colonel Gillon to hunt the country 

 for them with a subscription of £1000. This 

 Colonel Gillon agreed to do for the following 

 season, and at the same time engaged to bear 

 personally all expenses which the subscription 

 mio^ht be insufficient to meet. 



With the ffight of time the face of the country 

 had undergone some alteration, since during the 

 preceding five-and-twenty years mineral workings 

 had increased, railways had been formed, and 



^ 'Edinburgh Evening Courant' of 16th February 1866. 



189 



