LORD WATERPARK'S SPEECH. 47 



of thanking them one and all for the assistance they invariably gave him. 

 (Applause.) Nothing, therefore, really remained for him to do but to find good 

 servants and to mount them well, and he thought that, altogether, he was 

 peculiarly fortunate in the servants he got. There was one who was more 

 particularly connected with their sport, who deserved a word of praise from him, 

 they would easily recognize their old huntsman, Charles Leedham, in the person 

 he alluded to. (Applause.) No man ever had a better or a more conscientious 

 servant ; and while on this subject he should Hke to say one word, not of advice, 

 though they might take it as such if they liked. No huntsman was infallible ; he 

 believed every one did his best ; but they were all too prone to find fault and 

 not to see the difficulties a huntsman had to contend with. He wondered how 

 often he had heard a remark of this sort in the field, " Oh, of course, the fox had 

 gone that way " (laughter), but he always noticed that remark was made when 

 the huntsman had made his cast on three sides of the field and there was only 

 one side left, on which it was possible for the fox to escape. (Hear, hear.) He 

 hoped he had mounted his men well, and, perhaps, as regards the horse question, 

 it was the only one on which a master could take the credit to himself. They 

 had had good seasons and, he would not say bad, but middling seasons ; they 

 had had hard winters and open winters, straight running foxes and bad running 

 foxes, good scent and bad scent — every pack of hounds was liable to this, but he 

 thought he might say, without fear of contradiction, that they had had as good 

 sport as their neighbours, (Hear, hear.) He wished them to remember, and 

 they were not in the least likely to forget, how that excellent sportsman, Mr. 

 Clowes, was associated with him during the first six years of his Mastership. 

 He brought an experience to the work which he (Lord Waterpark) did not 

 possess ; and at the end of six years when, to the regret of every one, he retired 

 from the Mastership, Mr. Clowes left him with the benefit of that experience, and 

 he hoped he had made the most of it. (Applause.) They all owed a gi-eat deal 

 to Mr. Clowes, and he thought it was only fair that honour should be paid to 

 whom honour was due. One word respecting another gentleman, who assuredly 

 deserved all their thanks as well as his own — Mr. George Allsopp. (Applause.) 

 He believed he was correct in saying Mr. Allsopp was mainly instrumental in 

 getting up that testimonial, and, anxious as he was sure they all were to give 

 him some recognition of his services, he did not think they could easily have 

 found any one else in the country to take up the matter so thoroughly, and to 

 carry it through so successfully. (Applause.) He thought it must be acknow- 

 ledged by all that the meeting of that day and the presentation was a success. 

 As in riding to the hounds, so in the subscription list, a good start was everything, 

 for nearly every one would follow a good lead. Well, Mr. George Allsopp got 

 a good start, and he kept pegging away, sparing himself no trouble, and the 

 result was that brilliant finish — for he (Lord Waterpark) looked upon it as such ; 

 he succeeded in getting a testimonial, which was worthy in every respect of the 

 liberal supporters of the Meynell Hunt. He again thanked them for such a solid 

 and valuable proof of their esteem and friendship. He should never forget that 

 day ; and he could assure them that the collection of plate should be preserved 

 in his family as an evidence of the good-fellowship which fox-hunting promoted 

 amongst all classes. It would be a lasting record of the many friends he had had 

 the good fortune to make during the years he had had the honour of being their 

 Master. He thanked them sincerely and with all his heart. (Applause.) 



Mr. George Allsopp, who was received with applause, said he was very much 

 obliged to them for the kind way in which they had received his name ; but 

 before they separated he wished to mention another matter. They all knew 



