in the Seventies and Eighties. 51 



visited the North of England a good deal whilst " Bob " was 

 acting as second horseman, and in the habit of carrying for 

 Mr. Lambton that very useful piece of body furniture !) 



Young Harvey had never been in that part of the country 

 before, and was entirely ignorant of the way home, but the 

 genial Master rode up to him, seeing his dilemma, and said, 

 "What is your name, boy; have you been with us all day?" 

 " Oh, yes ;" replied young Harvey, " I have come the whole 

 way with you from Benshaw." " Then you 're a thorough- 

 bred 'un," was the rejoinder; "but you still have a long 

 ride before you, come along and I will set you fairly on the 

 road." The experienced hunter and the novice rode side by 

 side for some distance conversing on the incidents of the 

 eventful day, and their meeting was the commencement of a 

 close friendship, which was terminated only by Mr. Lamb- 

 ton's death. Though frequently attending the meets of the 

 hounds in the northern part of the country, Mr. Harvey was 

 never introduced to the Sedgefield country, which he after- 

 wards loved so well, until the year 1828 or 1829. I had 

 always been under the impression that it was in 1828, but 

 the following extract from a letter of Mr. Harvey's, dated 

 April 11th, 1884, fixes it as 1829. "My only thought was 

 to go on as long as I could in a country I loved* from 1829, 

 when I first hunted in it with dear old Ralph Lambton. 

 Met at Blakiston, holloaed to a fox as we were going to 

 Sutton's whin, and killed close to Ayton in Yorkshire. A 

 careful calculation of distances shows that Mr. Harvey rode 



• " There is not in the wide world a country so sweet 



As the meads in whose heart the South Durham meet ; 



Oh ! the last rays of feeling and life must depart, 



Ere the runs of those foxhounds shall fade from my heart !" 



Mr. Harvey always wrote of the Sedgefield country—" It seemed to be the centre of a setting 

 of gems." 



