AND STIELINGSHIIIE HUNT 



£400, and a memento for his wife in respect of her 

 kindness to the members of the Hunt on many 

 occasions. Colonel Gillon, who had the pleasure 

 of making the presentation, remarked in the course 

 of a most happy speech, that with Atkinson as 

 his huntsman he would not be afraid to take his 

 hounds into any country in Great Britain. In 

 replying, Atkinson, with some feeling, expressed 

 his sense of gratitude at the kindness shown to 

 him and indicated the regret which he experienced 

 in parting with his many hunting friends. But it 

 would almost seem that without the help of " Auld 

 Hunty," as Atkinson was termed by many of the 

 country folk, the establishment could not be carried 

 on, and, after a season had passed, he was again 

 settled in his old quarters at Golfhall. 



It will be remembered that at the end of Mr 

 James Hope's first season the hounds had become 

 the private property of a few members of the Hunt.^ 

 Now, however, they were purchased by Mr Bussel, 

 who came under obligation to keep them up and, 

 if required, to hand them over to the country at 

 the end of his mastership on terms to be then 

 arranged.^ Mr Bussel undertook to hunt the 

 country not less than five days a-fortnight,^ and 

 through the large number of hounds he had in 

 kennel usually brought the dog-hounds and the 

 bitches into the field separately, instead of hunting 

 a mixed pack, as has since almost invariably been 



^ Vide p. 230. - Minute-book, vol. i. p. 197. 



3 Ibid., p. 196. 



255 



