COL. ANSTRUTHER THOMSON 77 



right," I said, and we wrote at once and effected the 

 exchange. I exchanged with Captain Reid and paid 

 .1,500 for the exchange, making my troop cost 

 ^"6,500. 



From Dorchester my troop was sent to Maiden 

 Newton during an election, in July, 1841. I was in 

 London, and came down on Sunday morning by the 

 mail, arriving at 7 A.M. I got a hack and cantered 

 off. Meeting a boy on the road I said, "Is this the 

 way to Maiden Newton ? " "It wor, but 't wor 

 burned down this morning." 



I quickened my pace, and on arriving there found 

 twelve or fourteen houses burned down, and if my 

 men had not been there it would have been burned 

 down altogether. All the garden walls were built 

 of mud and thatched with straw, which they call 

 "cob" walls, and the fire ran like lightning from 

 house to house. My men were marching to church. 

 A chap was frying bacon, and some one shouted, 

 "Come and see the soldiers". He upset his pan, 

 the grease flared up, and set the chimney on 

 fire. 



Nicholson was with me, and we were kept there 

 about a month. Before we left the authorities gave 

 us a supper and a sum of money to pay for new 

 overalls for the men. 



24th September. First day of the season 1841. 

 Drax's hounds met at Stock House. John Last, 

 huntsman. Farquharson was Master of Hounds 

 in Dorsetshire. He was very like old Keate of 

 Eton. He had just lost a son in the 7th Hussars, 



