290 



APPENDIX, 



LETTER, 



ADDRESSED TO THE EDITOR OF THE " OLD SPORTING MAGAZINE," 



ON THE SUBJECT OF 



IMAGINARY DAMAGE DONE BY HIDING OVER WHEAT, 



And referred to at Page 6. 



" Sir, — I take the liberty of offering a few observations upon 

 trespass, a subject affecting the sportsman and the farmer — two 

 parties naturally so dependent upon each other, that, setting 

 aside the good-will which every man is, or ought to be, desi- 

 rous of maintaining amongst his neighbours, a variance between 

 the sportsmen and farmers of any country must prove equally 

 injurious to the interests of both. Wilful trespass is not, nor 

 ever will be, the attribute of a true sportsman ; and I must 

 confess, that it is with astonishment I perceive so many farmers 

 in profound ignorance as to this important point. Many there 

 are, it is true, in Leicestershire and in some of the provincials, 

 of the more enlightened : but will it be believed, that no later 

 than November last, while hunting in the Hambledon country, 

 I had what was termed ' a row ' with a purse-proud curmud- 

 geon^ — a disgrace to the name of agriculturist — who abused 

 me in no measured terms, merely upon the supposition of my 

 having ridden across his wheat ? It so happened that, to my 

 certain knowledge, as I could also prove, I had not been upon 

 his or any other man's wheat : hounds were not running; and 

 had I at such a time, by riding over his wheat, given him 

 cause, in his ignorance, to imagine an injury, which would have 

 haunted him till next harvest, in the vision of so manj'- ears less 

 to market, it would, in my mind, have amounted to trespass. 



" But, trusting that there are but few of his class in the 

 kingdom, permit me to quote, for the benefit of sporting farmers 

 at large (as also for that of my pugnacious old friend, if he can 

 read), two striking instances relative to the imaginary injury 

 of riding over wheat. My apology for trespassing upon j^our 



* Dr. Johnson was at mncli pains to find the derivation of this word, 

 " Curmudgeon" — it is from the French, " Coeur-mechant" 



