LETTER XII. 129 



and breadth of the land. The law courts would be fully 

 occupied every term with actions of trespass, and nearly 

 every man at enmity with his neighbour. Englishmen 

 are, constitutionally, I may say, fond of the chase, and 

 the noble science has many more advocates and devotees 

 in the present time than it has ever yet possessed. The 

 current has set in, and seems so strong in that direction, 

 that it would be hopeless for individuals, however power- 

 ful, to endeavour to fight against it ; and that man must 

 possess a very narrow and selfish mind indeed, who 

 would needlessly interfere with the amusement of the 

 many, when it costs himself very little or nothing. It is 

 far better to have respectable establishments, with gen- 

 tlemen, generally, at their head, founded and conducted 

 upon honourable principles, under the long-established 

 law or custom of fox-hunting, than a lot of scratch packs, 

 quarrelling and squabbling in the country, which would 

 be the case, were the old laws of fox-hunting done away 

 with. 



Many game preservers are secretly, though not per- 

 haps openly, hostile to fox-hunting, because their keepers 

 inform them that the foxes devour half the pheasants. 

 Should there be a bad breeding season, or Mr. Keeper 

 appropriate rather more eggs or birds than usual to his 

 own share, all are put down to the account of the foxes. 

 The old story of two of a trade never agreeing is exem- 

 plified in this instance. The fox commits sad havoc 

 with what the keeper considers his especial perquisites, 

 rabbits, and consequently he never lets an opportunity 

 escape of traducing his enemy. Keepers will also per- 

 suade their masters, if they can, that vermin cannot be 

 kept down without steel traps — which they know are 



K 



