YORKSHIRE 275 



Like Lord Darlington, Mr. Lambton is a strong supporter of the 

 Sedgefield Club, as, during the meeting, he never accepts an invitation 

 to dinner from any of the neighbouring gentlemen. Sedgefield is a 

 small town, situate five miles to the right of the great Edinburgh road, 

 distant from Durham eleven, and from Stockton-on-Tees ten miles. 

 It is noted by the celebrated Dr. Askew for the salubrity of its air ; 

 the land about it is sound and productive ; and I saw a good 

 specimen of modern farming by the Eector of the parish, the Honour- 

 able and Reverend the Viscount Barrington. 



The Lion of the place is Hardwicke Hall, the seat of Mr. Russell, 

 of sporting celebrity, the park of which adjoins the town. Hard- 

 wicke Hall with its domain, however, is only, as I understand, a 

 cottage in a paddock when compared with Mr. Russell's other seat, 

 near Durham, called Brancepeth Castle. Mr. R. was not in the 

 country when I was at Sedgefield. 



I must not quit the Sedgefield Club without notice of a song 

 (among several others) which was sung in most excellent style by 

 our chairman, Mr. Sutton, of Elton near Stockton-on-Tees, on the 

 memorable evening I have been describing. It is called Sir Charles 

 Turner's celebrated hunting song, of " Old Ccesar, or sixty years 

 since; " and is somewhat of a parody on the well-known Irish Kill- 

 ruddery Fox-chase, so well described in song, and set to the same 

 music — 



Attend jolly sportsmen, I'll sing you a song 



Which cannot fail pleasing the old and the young ; 



I'll sing of a famous old fox and his wiles, 



Which led us a chase of at least fifty miles. 



I'll tell yon a tale of such men and such hounds, 



With what courage they'd hie over all sorts of grounds ; 



See hounds vie with hounds, and how men with men strive, 



Old Draper* might rue that he were not alive ; 



At Hurworth famed village, as soon as 'twas 1 ght. 

 We feasted our eyes with a ravishing sight ! 

 Each sportsman had pleasure and joy in his face, 

 Their horses and hounds were all ripe for the chase. 

 But first the Commander-in-Chief let me name, 

 The Lord of Kirkleatham, of true honest fame, 

 A friend to good men, but profestly a foe 

 To villains with four legs as well as with two. 



* A celebrated old sportsman in the North Riding of York. 



