158 REMINISCENCES OF 



to give up V.W.H., I went down to Cirencester. 

 He was very anxious that I should succeed him, and 

 offered to lend me his house and subscribe ^100. 

 Raymond Barker was very kind, and did much to 

 smooth the way for me. Henley Greaves was also 

 there, who was nibbling for the country, but they 

 were not keen on him. It ended by Lord Gifford 

 again taking the country. 



I got all the information I could and considered 

 all the pros and cons. Before going to bed I wrote 

 two letters, one consenting, the other declining ; next 

 morning I sent the one declining, as I thought it was 

 wiser to remain at Atherstone, and went out hunting. 



" Twit " Lyon and Greatorex (" The Badger ") 

 were staying with Villebois. 



Lord Portsmouth bought Villebois' Hounds. Mor- 

 ris was hunting the hounds and old Joe Thomson 

 whipping-in. I think Kit Atkinson was Villebois' 

 huntsman, and that he died in his service. 



At a meeting of the Atherstone Hunt on i3th 

 February, 1855, Charles N. Newdegate, Chairman, I 

 stated my intention to give up the management of 

 the Atherstone Hounds at the end of the season. 

 The meeting expressed " their sincere regret that 

 Mr. Thomson is no longer to hunt the country, and 

 beg to convey to him their best thanks for the sports- 

 manlike and highly satisfactory manner in which he 

 has hunted the country for seven seasons ". 



At a meeting on 29th March, 1855, Lord Curzon, 

 Chairman, the following letter was received from Mr. 

 Selby Lowndes : 



