LORD ANSON 143 



road, without ever stopping to look at it, although he saw several 

 hard riders turn away from it. It was a very great drop, from a 

 high fence into a green lane, full of very deep ruts — partly over- 

 grown with gorse, but he landed well, and went on. 



A great deal of amusement was afforded in these days by my old 

 friend Billy Breton. He resided at Oldbury, the seat of Mr. 

 Oakover, of coaching celebrity, where he had a few good hunters in 

 his stable, and what we call " a fair sort of a scratch team " on the 

 road. The most amusing part, however, of my old friend (in whose 

 house I spent many a happy day) was, the active part he took with 

 Mr. Adderley's hounds — carrying a horn to his saddle, and displaying 

 no small share of science in the field. I shall never forget his giving 

 Sam Lawley, Lord Vernon's huntsman, the different blasts on the 

 horn for his future instruction and improvement. 



Mr. Adderley always put me in mind of Mr. Allworthy. He was, 

 like him, one of the most amiable and mild-mannered Christians 

 that ever lived in the world, but no more fit to be a master of fox- 

 hounds than he was fit to be a bishop — not indeed that he would 

 not have made an excellent bishop, for he spoke ill of no man, and 

 did by his neighbour what he wished his neighbour should do by 

 him ; and therein, I believe, consists the whole moral law. The 

 following anecdote is quite in character with what I have said of 

 this excellent old gentleman : — 



Before that celebrated huntsman Mr. Shaw went to live with Sir 

 Thomas Mostyn, and not long after he had left the Earl of Moira, 

 he heard that a Mr. Adderley (not knowing anything about him) 

 was in want of a huntsman for his fox-hounds. Shaw was hired by 

 proxy for the purpose, and arrived at his house on a Sunday evening. 

 At nine o'clock the bell rang for prayers. Shaw went into chapel, 

 and behaved with great propriety ; but the next morning he was 

 nowhere to be found. Now whether it was that there was no allow- 

 ance for praying in his wages, or whether, as is the case with many, 

 Shaw might have been of opinion that " prayers are but words, and 

 words but wind," I will not take upon myself to determine ; but so it 

 was — he had packed up his saddle-bags, and returned to the place 

 from which he came. Mr. Adderley himself related this anecdote 

 to me — humorously adding, that although he supposed he had lost a 



