1888] MR. HAMAR BASS, M.F.H., M.P. 155 



more, he won over Mr. Duignan, who was so pleased with the frank, honest 



rephes of Mr. Bass that he said he would vote for him, and did. I have spoken 



of the many sides of Mr. Bass's character, of his interesting personality, so little 



understood by outsiders and to but a few of his intimate friends. Often and often 



have I remarked what natural capacity he had — how shrewd and sagacious, 



what a sound judgment he invariably displayed, and how much more he could 



have achieved had he not lacked application. He had a marvellous memory for 



dates and events. His recollection of racing and coursing mattei's made him an 



authority. If a discussion was started as to who somebodj' was, to what family 



or branch of a family he belonged, and you could draw Mr. Bass, he became a 



" Burke's Peerage and Landed Gentry," and he was invariably right. It was 



never safe to bet with him as to the year any public man was born, or as to 



what horse won the Derby in a certain year, for he was sure to win. He had a 



memory, too, for old stories and early reminiscences of well-known people. He 



was, I should say, a first-class story-teller, and he had a choice store of tales ; he 



excelled in dialect stories — the North Staffordshire and Derbyshire dialects he 



knew well — he had a keen sense of humour, and loved a '' character" wherever 



he met one. He was very fond of children, he was amused with and could amuse 



them — ^young children especially ; and they came to him with that strange, 



childish instinct which recognizes a friend, just as animals recognize friends by 



some mental process or instinct which is undofinable. I don't think Mr. Bass 



was ever happier in his life than when his children were quite young. They 



might climb over his table and disturb his papers, but he was never irritable with 



them. He loved to have them about him — they entertained and amused him, 



and he would laugh till the tears rolled down his foce at the drollery of them, 



and their mischief too. But, dear Mr. Editor, I am treading now on delicate 



ground, and I grow fearful and tearful too ; for, in ray desire to show the varied 



sides of my subject, I must not intrude too much on the privacy of family life. 



Yet my tale would be imperfectly told, and my rough sketch imcomplete, if I did 



not say something of this love of children. „ ,-^ ^, „ 



OxE ^\^Io Knew Him. 



So the season started under a new regime — the Master, 

 Mr. H. Bass, M.P., Charles Leedham, James Tasker, Albert 

 Martin. Walter Scorey, who had been such an efficient 

 second whipper-in, had gone to Lord Zetland. 



On the whole, sport was good during this season. 

 There was nothing extraordinary, but still there were 

 several good runs. On October 20th there was a capital 

 one from Rough Park ; in fact, the honours of the year 

 rested with that covert, for there were no less than three 

 good runs from it. The above was the first. The second 

 was on December 4th, when they ran at a great pace, as if 

 for the Bath at Hoar Cross ; then they turned sharp to 

 the left, as if for Hamstall Ridware, then to the right, up 

 the long meadow towards Blithbury, over the hill, leaving 

 Wyatt's farm on the left, to ground close to Blithfield Gorse. 



