THE NOBLE SCIENCE. 251 



shelter of the indemnifying fund provided by the Hunt. 

 It is, indeed, hard, that Widow Thrifty should sustain 

 the loss of a whole brood of turkies, or that the pains or 

 gains of industry should be, in the remotest degree, de- 

 teriorated, when they are not improved by 



" those pleasures, for the weak too strong, 



Too costly for the poor ;" 



but where there is good management, these things will 

 not be. The surplus funds of a Hunt Club, increased 

 by the casual donations of the sojourners of a season, 

 wherever such exist, cannot be better applied than in 

 redressing, in a quiet way, such actual grievances.* The 

 late Mr. Hanbury, whose name will ever be respected, 

 as a master of hounds for many years in the Puckeridge 

 country, handed down the custom of making occasional 

 presents to farmers, or their wives, which has since been 

 followed up with good effect. It is not that the value 

 of your gifts may bear proportion to the loss, real or 

 imaginary, set down to your account ; but they are duly 

 flattered by a token of your consideration. Mr. Han- 



* It is not very often that a Hunt Club has the means, if it have the 

 inclination, to attend to these points; but still, as it is " Nunkey pays for all," 

 pay he must. It will not do to turn a deaf ear to just grounds of complaint. I 

 think that my predecessor had once a sum, amounting to tliree figures, to pay 

 for injury done to ewes in the lambing time ; and I have constantly had fines 

 of from £10 to £20 at the same season. I was glad, last spring, to compound, 

 for £1 8, with one farmer, for the frolic of one couple of young hounds, just 

 leaving their walk. 



