234 THE MEYNELL HOUNDS. [18C5 



they checked, and then hunted slowly over Mr. Brad- 

 shaw's large ploughed fields, which are now, happily, all 

 laid down to grass, by Church Broughton, and Hatton 

 Common, crossed the Derby road close to Foston, into the 

 meadows. Turning back, they recrossed the road, and 

 hunted over Hatton Common and on under Hoon Mount 

 up to Sutton, where Tom and Jack stopped them, as it 

 was quite dark, after they had been running for two hours. 

 Scent was good on the grass, but very poor on the plough. 



On the 19th there was frost and deep snow, which 

 stopped them for a week, and, when they did hunt again, 

 on February 25 th, the master was summoned abroad to 

 be with Admiral Meynell, who was ill in Paris, at the 

 Hotel du Louvre. 



Nothing much occurred worthy of note after this, 

 except a good ringing hunt from Bentley Car, when 

 Charles — the first mention of him — stopped the hounds at 

 dark. In these days they had to make their one horse 

 apiece last out the day ; when that was tired they had to 

 go home. Still, hounds often ran all day till the light 

 failed, and they nianaged to be with them. About the 

 fastest thing of the season was a ten-minutes' burst from 

 Mr. Newton's osiers, when they raced into the fox by the 

 little gorse at Sutton, and every one agreed that Mr. R. 

 Corbet had the best of it. 



The season came abruptly to an end on March 18th, 

 probably on account of the serious illness of the Admiral. 



Foxes killed, seven and a half brace ; run to ground, 

 five and a half brace ; number of hunting days, forty-one. 



On March 24th the gallant old Admiral Meynell died 

 at Paris, in the seventy-fourth year of his age. There is 

 hardly a run, of which there is any published account, in 

 which his name does not appear, yet, in his latter days, 

 he did not try to ride hard ; in fact, his weight was 

 against it. But he was a thorough sportsman, and, which 

 is better still, he w^as beloved by everybody, and the tall, 

 square-shouldered, burly figure, and the kind, handsome 

 face, was missed by rich and poor alike for many a long day. 



