154 THE MEYNP]LL HOUNDS. 



determination of character when necessity arose, and indomitable pluck which 

 enabled him to triumph over physical weakness. His position of Master of 

 Hounds and Member of Parliament was only maintained at considerable 

 sacrifice. I have known him hunt all day, catch the train for London in the 

 evening to attend at the House of Commons for some important division to which 

 he had been summoned, and return next morning by the 5.15 newspaper train to 

 hunt with the Meynell. It is difficult to adequately convey to the general public 

 the extent of business, chiefly correspondence, forced upon a man of wealth, and 

 with such varied pursuits and interests ; but apart from the legitimate corre- 

 spondence consequent upon his position, the name of " Bass " was sufficient to 

 bring down on him every professional begging-letter writer — and they are a 

 numerous army of late years — to say nothing of many a genuine needy applicant 

 besides from far and near, most of them with no claim of any kind, direct or 

 indirect. Mr. Bass was a generous giver, but showed always great sagacity and 

 discrimination in the wide distribution of his gifts. He always proceeded on a 

 system, and endeavoured to confine himself to defined areas, such as his con- 

 stituency, the Burton and Meynell Hunt country, the immediate district of his 

 London residence, Newmarket, and Scotland. He had fixed methods of 

 inquiring into individual cases, and into the circumstances of chapels, churches, 

 schools, etc. His standing question was, " How much are you raising your- 

 selves ? " and he gave accordingly. I never thought Mr. Bass fond of public 

 life ; he was naturally a retiring, diffident man, reflective and introspective, but 

 he accepted it, and went through with it as a duty incumbent on a gentleman of 

 leisure and wealth. He, however, revelled in sport, and derived keen pleasure 

 from it, especially when success attended him. A good day's stalking, or a 

 lucky day's salmon fishing, would send him home with the spirits of a schoolboy. 

 He liked success, yet kept a calm stoicism when luck was against him. Though 

 his public life was not so congenial,and he was often disposed to shirk it, what he 

 did he did well. No deputations ever waited upon him (even if they had to wait 

 a bit) but went away gi-atified and pleased. A well-known miners' representa- 

 tive, one of a large deputation which waited on Mr. Bass some years ago to 

 secure, if possible, his adhesion to the Eight Hours Miners' Bill, told me after- 

 wards how nice he was with them, and how much they were struck with the 

 information he possessed on the subject. As a speaker he had quite a manner 

 of his own. He was ready, self-confident, rarely hesitating for a word, and 

 always making liis points clear and effective. He was not an orator, he never 

 pretended to be ; but his speeches were marked by practical, common-sense 

 views of public affairs, and those who differed with his conclusions always 

 recognized his honesty and sincerity. Had he taken trouble to prepare, and got 

 together data for longer speeches, with application and practice he had the 

 natural capacity for making a really good speaker. He was both apt and 

 resourceful when it came to " heckling " and questions at an election. Let me 

 give you an instance of which I was a witness. 



His Election Campaigx. 

 It was early in the 1885 campaign (Mr. Bass had not long been selected as 

 the Liberal candidate), at an open-air meeting at Cannock, when Mr. Duignan, 

 of Walsall, came with a long list of written questions to ask the candidate, and 

 of which no notice had been given. Now, Mr. Duignan was an astute, experienced 

 politician ; he came in a spirit of opposition, but Mr. Bass stood the ordeal, was 

 quite equal to the occasion, evaded difficult points with skill, and won great 

 applause by his frank responses of " Yes " and " No." He won the day, and 



