COL. ANSTRUTHER THOMSON 101 



and hope you will have a good finish to the season. 

 But I am sorry to hear from Major Patton you have 

 lost Topthorn. He also told me Miss Thomson had 

 not been very well. I hope she is better. Will 

 you kindly make my duty to Mrs. Thomson, Mr. 

 Charles, Mr. William, and all the others, not for- 

 getting Master Arthur ; and I wish you all a 

 Happy New Year. I am glad to say my wife and 

 family are all well now, but the children have been 

 ill. And thanking you for your kind inquiries about 

 myself. I am well ; I feel no pain in the chest, and 

 do not cough, but I have had a slight cold. The 

 weather has been wretched, nothing but rain, snow 

 and frosty mornings, and I am out so much. I have 

 eight horses here and eight at the kennels, and the 

 kennels are two miles from here, and I have the 

 hounds to feed as well as the horses to attend to, so 

 I have not much chance of taking care of myself. 

 But I hope we shall soon get better weather, then it 

 will not be so bad for me. I stop in as much as I 

 can, but going backwards and forwards to the kennels 

 is the worst, and I hunt three days a week. 



" I hope, honourable Sir, you are well yourself, 

 also Mrs. Thomson and family, and am 

 " Your obedient servant, 



" THOS. HASTINGS." 



At the end of the season he was discharged. 1 

 don't think he had a very good chance, for everybody 

 was against him. I then got him a place with Mr. 

 Cotton, Isle of Wight Hounds, for the season. 



