20 THE MEYNELL HOUNDS. [1878 



very successful, many of his home-bred and home-made 

 ones having realized high prices at Tattersall's. In 

 making, breaking, and rearing these young ones, he was 

 very ably assisted by Wilkes, his stud groom and factotum, 

 a very fine horseman, and quite a character. 



Mr. Hodgson, on the contrary, is a welter weight, but, 

 on Sampson or Bluebeard, no one could pound him. He 

 is a very keen cricketer, having matches at Smallwood — 

 which he purchased about fifteen years ago — every Satur- 

 day in the summer.* Colonel Levett lived there before 

 him. When Mr. Hodgson bought the property, he built, 

 on one of the most beautiful sites in the country, a very 

 stately, red-brick mansion of noble proportions. Still he 

 spends most of his time in Scotland, now that he has given 

 up hunting, being devoted to shooting and fishing. 



There were many complaints in other parts of England 

 of mange in foxes, and sundry reasons were given for it. 

 Sir C. de Crespigny attributed it to foxes eating rats. 

 But so far it had not appeared in the Meynell country. 



This was a most extraordinary season, for, after a 

 fortnight's frost, they just managed to put in a day at 

 Sudbury on January 1st, running fast for fifteen minutes, 

 and bursting up a fat fox in the open. Then the frost 

 set in with greater severity than ever. On the r2th the 

 Limited Mail, with no less than four engines attached 

 to it, was snowed up for two days at Inverness. On 

 February 5th there was an inclination to thaw, and every 

 one went to the Meynell Hunt Ball, at which the Prince 

 Imperial was present. He was staying with Lord Harring- 

 ton at Elvaston. There were two hundred and twenty 

 people there, and it was a great success. On Friday 

 hounds came to Elvaston, and the Prince was out, in 

 pink, which carried a little Derbyshire mud home on it. 

 Not that he seemed to mind the fall, which he got near 

 Aston, one bit, getting on again, and following his selected 

 pilot. Lord Petersham, as if nothing had happened. 



* Mr. Webb -was the previous owner; from him it passed to the Uttoseter 

 Bank, who sold it to Mr. Hodgson. 



