in the Seventies and Eighties. 47 



love and admiration, until his own retirement ; he was ever 

 solicitous for the future welfare of foxhunting in his beloved 

 " Sedgefield Country " ; and his numerous letters, for his pen 

 when once started was prolific, have tended to throw much 

 light upon what happened in the hunting field in days when the 

 Nimrods, and Nim Norths, and Daniel Oldbucks were few 

 and far between. As this seems to be a fitting period for 

 a life history of the game old Foxhunter, who lived in quiet 

 retirement amongst his friends whose name was always 

 legion, until August 6th 1893 (just fifteen after his retirement 

 as M.F.H., an office curiously enough he also held exactly 

 fifteen years), it shall be given at a length, proportionate to 

 its importance. 



Mr. John Harvey, who was born in Strawberry House, 

 Newcastle-on-Tyne (a last century building still standing 

 amongst the remnants of what were its grounds near the 

 top of Albion Street) on the 29th February, 1804, was in 

 many ways a remarkable man, and so excellent was the account 

 of the worthy old gentleman's life which appeared in the 

 Newcastle Daily Chronicle of August 8thj' 1893, two days 

 after his death, that I have no hesitation in reproducing a 

 portion of it, and at the same time tender my thanks to 

 the author of it : — 



"Often does it happen that the men who succeed in 

 securing an exceptional lease of life here below have never 

 been really robust, or as the Vets, would say ' absolutely 

 sound in wind and Hmb.' Force of character and keen 

 inteUigence have much to do with the attainment of length 

 of days ; this was particularly the case with the grand old 

 sportsman just deceased, and it was so, although for a 

 period of almost unprecedented duration he regularly every 

 year engaged in a pursuit making the strongest demands 



