THE VALUE OF FOXHOUNDS 225 



being actually disposed of. There appears to have 

 been some mystery connected with this sale, and it may 

 be noted here that in 1841 an action between Mr. 

 Osbaldeston and Mr. Harvey Coombe was heard in 

 the Court of Exchequer. It then appeared that some 

 years previously Mr. Coombe had advanced £^1000 on 

 the pack, a memorandum drawn up at the time setting 

 forth that the hounds had been purchased by the last- 

 named gentleman, but that if Mr. Osbaldeston should 

 by March ist, 1837, repay the loan, he was to have 

 them back. As a matter of fact he obtained a further 

 advance of ^500 on the understanding that Mr. 

 Coombe was to consider the hounds as his property, 

 while if they were sold for anything over ^^"1500 the 

 Squire was to have the surplus. The defence was that 

 a sale was arranged with the intention of getting rid of 

 the rubbish and buying in the best, to be kept until a 

 favourable opportunity presented itself for selling the 

 pick of the pack at a remunerative price, the Squire 

 treating the sale, on the other hand, as a bona fide 

 transaction and suing for the difference between the 

 ;^i5oo and 6300 gs. In the end, -however, the jury 

 found for the defendant a verdict which showed this was 

 not a bona fide sale, consequently the prices counted as 

 nothing. It should be added that at the sale the first 

 four lots fell to the bid of a Mr. Allen, who was not a 

 master of hounds, and that gentleman was all through 

 the sale remarkable for his assiduous biddings, subse- 

 quent events arousing the idea that he had bought in 

 the dog hounds. 



In the April of 1862 the Messrs. Tattersall were 



called upon to sell Mr. Drake's well-known pack, when 



fifty-six couples were dispersed at Stratton Audley, the 



average being 47 gs. per couple, while the majority of 



»5 



