APPENDIX IV. 



the west of Fife, and part of Dumfriesshire. We always 

 travelled from Bonnytoun, except when in Fife, when we put 

 up at Torryburn, or in the west of Stirling, when we remained 

 in the town of Stirling, or in Dumfriesshire, when we put up at 

 Lochmaben from which we hunted Mr Hope Johnstone's Annan- 

 dale country. In the first two months I killed seven and a 

 half brace, in my first whole season twenty-eight brace and in 

 the succeeding one thirty brace of foxes. Mr Johnston and 

 Mr Gillon were masters for three years and three months, and 

 Lord Hopetoun in 1828, bought the hounds from Mr Johnston 

 for three hundred pounds or guineas. I think the hounds and 

 horses had been paid for by Mr Johnston — at least all the horses 

 that were unsold were left at Champfleurie when I went to 

 Dunse Castle. This, however, may have been by private arrange- 

 ment between Mr Johnston and Mr Gillon. I understand that 

 Lord Hopetoun offered the hounds as a gift to the gentlemen 

 of the counties of Linlithgow and Stirling, but I cannot say 

 anything about whether this was carried out or whether his lord- 

 ship's subscription was suspended till he was repaid. When Mr 

 Johnston and Mr Gillon gave up the hounds, Mr Hay of Dunse 

 Castle took the mastership of them, and in the summer of 1828 

 I took the hounds to Dunse Castle. I remained at Dunse Castle 

 until August 1830 when Mr Hay resigned the mastership, and 

 Mr Ramsay of Barnton was elected by the county gentlemen as 

 master in his room. Just before leaving the castle I gave up 

 thirty-three couple and a half of hounds to Scott as Mr Eamsay's 

 huntsman. I don't think that Mr Ramsay paid anything for 

 the hounds. I never heard that he did. I always understood 

 that he got them as the county property in the same way as 

 Mr Johnston, Mr Gillon, and Mr Hay had done before him. 

 Tom Rintoul was with Mr Ramsay all the time he was master, 

 but he tells me he never heard from Mr Ramsay or any one else 

 that they had been purchased from Mr Hay or from the county 

 gentlemen. Mr Ramsay of course renewed the pack from time 

 to time, and hunted the country in a very excellent way, but so 

 had the previous masters. I understand that Mr Ramsay always 

 got subscriptions more or less in the same way as the former 

 masters. He sometimes hunted four days a -week. And I 

 make this solemn declaration conscientiously believing the same 

 to be true, and by virtue of an Act made and passed in the 

 fifth and sixth years of the Reign of His Majesty William the 

 Fourth, intituled ' An Act to repeal an Act of the present Session 



364 



