YORKSHIRE 305 



and found again in Hatfield whin ; dusted him so severely in covert 

 that the puff w^as out of him ; and we turned him up also in the open, 

 after a ten minutes' race — the hounds never ten yards from his brush. 



It always gives me additional pleasure to speak of persons, male 

 or female, who preserve foxes — themselves not jMrtaking of the sport. 

 There is a good deal of merit due to such conduct ; for, to say 

 nothing of game preserves and the poultry-yard, it does not, I admit, 

 improve the neat appearance of a gentleman's grounds to have a 

 hundred horsemen gallop across them after a wet night, as was the 

 case at Else ; although no real injury may be ultimately sustained 

 by the land. I have here, however, an anecdote to relate of Mrs. 

 Bethell, the fair partner of the gentleman I have been speaking of, 

 which every true sportsman must admire her for. On one occasion, 

 the season before last, after a capital run of an hour and a half, Mr. 

 Hodgson marked his fox to ground in Eise Park ; bolted him, and 

 killed. Mrs. Bethell said, " Oh, Mr. Hodgson ! after such a run as 

 tills, the late Mr. Bethell '■- would not have killed his fox ! " 



Thursday, 8th. — The Holderness met at Scorboro, five miles from 

 Beverley. It blew a hurricane, and rained in torrents, but they 

 killed their fox from Elton whin, after thirty-five minutes' slow 

 hunting. I afterwards dined with Mr. Hall of Scorboro, whose son, 

 a very good performer over a country, I was acquainted with, by 

 having met him at Mr. Osbaldeston's at Quorn. His place — not 

 on a very large scale — is one of the neatest and prettiest I ever 

 met with, quite unique in its way. 



Friday, 9th. — Breakfasted at Burton Agnes, the beautiful and 

 justly-celebrated seat of Sir Francis Boynton. 



The Baronet and his lady accompanied us to Sir Tatton Sykes's 

 hounds, which met at a covert about five miles distant. It was a 

 fine whin, in a wild country, not far from the sea, but held no fox 

 this day. We afterwards found in Barnston whin, a very large and 

 strong covert, and too large for hounds to press a fox in, as they 

 should do to make him fly his country. A few rides cut through it 

 would be of signal advantage. Barnston whin was formerly within 

 the limits of the Holderness Hunt, but withdrawn in consequence 



* A gentleman of this name who once hunted the country. 



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