1881] THE QUESTION OF EXPENSE. 65 



be one hundred and thirty-seven pounds. It was also his 

 duty to inform them that the Hon. Mrs. Meynell Ingram 

 would discontinue her large subscription and make com- 

 paratively a small one. He was afraid they should lose 

 two hundred pounds a year on that subscription. That 

 would make the deficiency three hundred and thirty-seven 

 pounds. Therefore, if they gave the Master everything 

 they had, after meeting the necessary expenditure, it 

 would only be two thousand one hundred and twenty- 

 three pounds. Unless the subscriptions increased con- 

 siderably, they should only have that sum to spare. 

 Captain Buncombe had offered to take the hounds for 

 three years, to hunt the country for four days a week, 

 for the sum of two thousand five hundred pounds, two 

 thousand to be guaranteed by the committee out of the 

 subscriptions. It was also his (Mr. Coke's) duty, as chair- 

 man of the committee in the absence of Lord Bagot, to 

 read a note he had received from Mr. R. W. Chandos- 

 Pole. " In the event of Captain Duncombe not taking 

 the hounds, I shall be very glad to do so. As regards the 

 subscriptions, give me as much as you can. Wish that I 

 could afford to do without any subscription." (Cheers.) 

 With reference to these two gentlemen, the Chairman said 

 they were both friends of his own, and both were equally 

 eligible to undertake the Mastership. Mr. Pole was a 

 fine sportsman, and Radburne was a place thoroughly 

 identified with the Meynell Hunt, and its name ran 

 through their mouths whenever they mentioned the 

 Meynell Hounds. 



Lord Scarsdale asked if Mr. Pole's note was in answer 

 to any suggestion, and, if so, who made the offer. 



The Chairman said there had been no official offer 

 made to Mr. Pole. If such had been made, it would have 

 gone through him, he supposed. 



Captain Duncombe said it would disembarrass gentle- 

 men in their choice if he left the room. But, before he 

 went, he wished to say that he saw from the statements 

 made that the committee would not be in a position to 



VOL. II. F 



