COL. ANSTRUTHER THOMSON 161 



"ToRDOWN, BARNSTAPLE, 



u 28th July, 1879. 



" MY DEAR JACK, 



" When are you all coming to me ? 



" Private. 



" The Prince of Wales comes to Dunster Castle 

 on Thursday the 2ist of August to hunt with the 

 staghounds near Porlock on the 22nd, and will be 

 off again on the 23rd to Devonport, and Colonel 

 Kingscote writes to say, and so does Mrs. Lut- 

 trell, that I am to meet him there. That circum- 

 stance, however, need make no difference to you or 

 yours, for Mary will take care of you for the few 

 hours I shall be absent. The Prince says that he 

 ' will not come at all if his advent is advertised in 

 the papers,' hence I head this paragraph 'Private'. 



" Now, you are to make your own game, and I 

 will help to play it with you. I have three horses 

 for the girls, all of which will carry them well, I 

 believe two of them will, I know. You will bring 

 your own horses, and they shall each have a large 

 loose-box in which to disport themselves, and I 

 have a little carriage it has seen some service 

 certainly ! to drive Mrs. Thomson about, and show 

 her some of our pretty views. 



' The Staghound fixtures as they now stand 

 are : Tuesday, i2th August, Cloutsham ; Friday, I5th 

 August, Hawkcombe Head. I want to keep the latter 

 for Friday, 22nd, but the first four days are always 

 in the Porlock country, and therefore within easy, 

 very easy, distance of Minehead and Dunster, but 



VOL. II. II 



