COL. ANSTRUTHER THOMSON 253 



" CHARLETON, COLINSBURQH, 



" i^th November, 1862. 



" MY LORD, 



" I trust that you will pardon the liberty I 

 take in writing to you, but I venture to do so in my 

 public capacity as Master of the Fife Hounds. Some 

 time ago I received a letter from Mr. Moir, of Alloa, 

 stating that he had your lordship's instructions to 

 desire that the Fife Hounds should in future abstain 

 from going on your lordship's property. 



" If your lordship will have the goodness not to 

 insist on this prohibition, I can assure you that I will 

 take every care that no damage shall be done either to 

 the crops or fences, and I have always been careful in 

 attending to the wishes of the tenant of your shootings. 



" I am proud to say that the Fife Hounds have 

 the goodwill of every proprietor in the country over 

 which they hunt, and I hope very much that your 

 lordship will also grant us this privilege. 



"Again apologising for the liberty I have taken, 

 " I have the honour to be, 

 " Your Obedt. 



" J. ANSTRUTHER THOMSON." 



ijth evening of November, 1862. 



"The Earl of Mar presents his compliments; 

 but he does not wish any hunting on his estate of 

 Alloa ; nor of Forest : because hunting injures fences 

 and young forest trees, and also horses too. And he 

 thinks any of these reasons sufficient. Moreover, he 

 believes there are no foxes on his estate, although 

 people ride about, pretending they have found a fox." 



