HISTORY OF THE LINLITHGOW 



never, and the latter but seldom, in the field ; 

 Mr George Mitchell - Innes of Bangour, a light- 

 weight, possessed of excellent hands, and prob- 

 ably the best man to hounds and one of the 

 best sportsmen in the Hunt at this period ; his 

 cousin. Major, afterwards Colonel, Thomas Shairp 

 of Houstoun, a heavy-weight, almost equally meri- 

 torious, and the owner, some years later, of an 

 exceptionally good brown mare ; Captain Robert 

 Steuart of Carphin, now of Westwood, to whom 

 no form of sport ever came amiss ; Mr J. G. 

 Dawson, who, with the exception perhaps of Mr 

 T. W. Tod, Clerwood, Corstorphine, has probably 

 hunted with the pack for a greater number of 

 years than any other member of the field at the 

 present day ; and Dr Chirnside, Blackburn House, 

 a heavy - weight, a good sportsman, a first - rate 

 man to hounds, and one of the few who followed 

 them over the Easter Cairn hill into Peeblesshire 

 in the run from Dalmahoy afterwards alluded to. 

 Stirlingshire held its own with such men as Mr 

 Forbes of Callendar, who had first hunted with the 

 pack as early as the year 1840, who rode straight, 

 and than whom none knew better what hounds were 

 doing ; Sir W. Gumming- Bruce of Stenhouse, a good 

 sportsman, and " a bad 'un to beat" across country; 

 Mr Campbell of Millfield, a hard rider, and Mr G. 

 Chalmer- Stirling of Larbert, who gave his support 

 to the establishment as his forebears had done, 

 and whose brother-in-law. Major Ponsonby-Cox, 

 the author of some clever and amusing verses 



194 



