48 THE MEYNELL HOUNDS. 



very well that Lord Vernon had the welfare of the Hunt enth-ely at heart ; they 

 could not have a better proof of that than what they had seen that day. 

 (Applause.) For the part Lord Vernon had taken in the arrangements of the 

 day, and for the kindness with which he had placed his house at their disposal, 

 he, perhaps, might be permitted to return to him and to Lady Vernon their 

 grateful thanks, and he did so on the part of every one. (Applause.) 



Lord Vernon said he should indeed be a most degenerate successor of those 

 who from that house in former days conducted the hunting arrangements of that 

 country if it were not a pride and a pleasure to him to receive the members of 

 the Meynell Hunt and their friends on an occasion when he could fully share 

 with them the feelings of recognition to Lord Waterpark for the valuable service 

 he had rendered to the members of the Hunt, partly in conjunction with Mr. 

 Clowes, and partly by his own unaided efforts, in the past nine years. It was a 

 characteristic of Englishmen that they always appreciated the services of any 

 man who gave his energy to any good work in which he was engaged. Lord 

 Waterpark had brought not only energy, but a great deal of business tact to the 

 duties connected with the mastership of those hounds. (Hear, hear.) He might 

 say that during the whole of his life it had been his pleasure to be intimately con- 

 nected with Lord Waterpark's family, and he rejoiced with, as he thought he might 

 say, a dear friend of theu-s in his success, and in the honour conferred upon them 

 through him. (Applause.) He trusted that in the future it might be his privilege, 

 some time or another, again to receive the members of the Hunt, if it was a 

 convenience to them to meet in his house. He could assure them it was a great 

 pleasure to Lady Vernon and himself to receive any of their neighbours there ; 

 but circumstances had affected him, as they had affected numbers of individuals 

 in the country, and his door had been necessarily closed for that reason. He 

 was very glad indeed to be the means of enabling them to gather together to do 

 testimony to his friend. Lord Waterpark, and he could only hope that his 

 successor might at the end of his term of service — which he trusted would be 

 longer than his (Lord Vernon's) life — be able to meet the members of the Hunt 

 and to receive their thanks in that house for services equally valuable which he 

 would most assuredly render them. (Applause.) He thanked them for the 

 honour they had done him. 



