5881] HUNT MEETING. 61 



Mr. F. L. Sowter accordingly read the minutes of the 

 meeting at Derby, on January 4th, 1878, when Lord 

 Waterpark was appointed sole Master on the resignation 

 of his colleague, Mr. Clowes. 



These minutes having been confirmed, Mr. John 

 Smith, solicitor, read the special report which had been 

 draA\Ti up by the committee. It stated that, " on the com- 

 pletion of the kennels, stables, etc., at Sudbury, a debt 

 was left of £5324 5s. 3c?., which sum they still owed the 

 bank of Messrs. Crompton, Evans, and Co. This large 

 outlay on the buildings was a great advance upon what 

 was first contemplated, but this was unavoidable, and was 

 occasioned by the great rise in the price of building 

 material and labour just at that time. Lord Vernon, 

 upon whose property the kennels were built at Sudbury 

 Firs, had agreed upon a twenty-five years' lease, but, con- 

 sequent upon an increased expenditure, he allowed an 

 extension to forty years." 



All that was said at this meeting about the kennels 

 will be found in the chapter which dealt with them. So 

 there is no need to repeat it, and we can pass at once to 

 the end of the speech, where he said, " The term for which 

 Lord Waterpark undertook to hunt the country had ex- 

 pired, and his lordship had intimated his wish to retire 

 from the Mastership. The whole body of sportsmen 

 shared in the regret in this decision of Lord Waterpark. 

 (Cheers.) Captain Buncombe had offered to hunt the 

 country for four days a week on condition of receiving 

 two thousand five hundred pounds per annum, two 

 thousand of which must be guaranteed by the committee 

 out of the subscriptions. The term of office of the com- 

 mittee had also expired, and it was necessary that a fresh 

 committee should be appointed." 



The Chairman said they would deal with the past first, 

 and he might say the appeal made to the country for the 

 purpose of reducing the old debt had been responded to 

 liberally, and a list was on the table ready for any one to 

 sign their names. (Laughter.) 



