YORKSHIRE 261 



^ack for exercise, and shew me some of his best country, of which, 

 as far as my eye could carry me, and looking at it under such 

 inauspicious circumstances, I formed a very favourable opinion. 



These hounds have always gone by the name of the Lambton 

 hounds, in consequence, I conclude, of a small subscription, amount- 

 ing to somewhat about eight hundred pounds, which must go but 

 a little way towards the expenses of so grand an establishment as 

 I am justified in representing this to be. Mr. Lambton's kennel 

 consists of about sixty couples of hounds ; a very capital stud of 

 hunters for himself and his men, of wliom he has four out every day; 

 and his fixtures are always four, and very often five days a week. 



Of Mr. Lambton I shall say nothing at present ; but of his pack I 

 am called upon to declare, that although the Poet tells us, — 



" so slow 

 The growth of what is excellent, so hard 

 T' attain perfection in this nether world ; " 



they do approach as near perfection as we can expect anything here. 

 Their standard is not high — not more than twenty-four for dog 

 hounds, and twenty-two for bitches — but they are particularly 

 strong. In symmetry and shew of high breeding they cannot be 

 excelled ; and their condition is the ne ijlus ultra of the art. 



As nothing is more gratifying than to see objects that approach 

 nearest to perfection, it was a treat to me even to ride upon ice with 

 this pack before my eyes. To an admirer of the animal, no higher 

 gratification could be afforded than in looking at such hounds as 

 Merlin, Eosamond, Eosemary, Myrtle, Lovely, Venus, and Beauty. 

 In naming some of them, when whelps, Mr. Lambton may almost 

 be said to have had some prophetic feeling, for most of the names 

 are sympathetic of beauty. There is Venus the goddess herself, 

 there is Lovely, and there is Beauty ; and Eosamond, among the 

 poets, is an appellation expressive of female beauty. It may be 

 said I degrade the character of female beauty when I apply it to a 

 dog ; but I should deny the charge, and answer that a fox-hound 

 bitch displays it second only to a woman : for what is the basis of 

 what we call beauty ? Is it not shape and spirit, combined with an 

 elegant carriage ? Did not .35neas know Venus hy her ivalk ? 



