44 THE ETON COLLEGE HUNT, 



its luncheons and its hills, two delights which it will at once be 

 seen are scarcely compatible with each other. 



Douglas was terribly handicapped by the weather, which was 

 execrable, at least so far as hunting was concerned. Dry winds 

 and a clear sky prevailed throughout the month of March, with 

 the result that very poor sport was shown during the latter part 

 of the season. However he killed eleven hares, a number by no 

 means to be despised when there is only the Easter Half to do it 

 in. He entered in the Beagle Book what must have been 

 some excellent advice to new masters. Some of the previous 

 masters were flooded with useless hounds as a result of advertising 

 for them in the E.C.C.f^ for in those days few of the hounds 

 actually belonged to the hunt, and even those few w^ere not 

 kennelled at Eton in the non-hunting months, but were w^alked 

 by different boys at the request of the Master. 



Douglas says : *' As regards hounds, it is best to insert a 

 notice in the Chronicle at the end of the Football Half to the 

 effect ' that the Master will be glad to have back any hounds 

 (not belonging to the E.C.H. itself) which were regularly hunted 

 to the end of last season,' and if he thinks he will want more, it 

 will be found better for him to ask fellows who, he thinks, knoAv 

 a good hound when they see one, to bring any they can, rather 

 than to issue a general invitation to the school. If he does the 

 latter he will probably find himself overwhelmed with every 

 description of cur under the sun." 



There was some discussion as to who should succeed Douglas 

 as master. The present Lord Hawke was approached, but 

 declined in favour of his friend A. H. Beach, who had a pack of 

 beagles at Basingstoke. This is what he says : 



'' Archie Beach and I were great pals, and on being offered 

 the mastership I said he must take it on as he had a pack of his 

 own at Basingstoke, and w^ould make a much better huntsman. 

 He was an artist at his job, and we had a very good season." 



This season, 1879, was remarkable because the officials of the 

 E.C.H. adopted a distinctive dress for the first time. R. D. 

 Anderson, in the letter inserted above, claims that he introduced 

 the brown velvet Norfolk jacket which became the hunt uniform 

 until 1904. A. H. Beach (now Maj. A. Hicks Beach) says that 

 he asked permission of the Head Master for the master and whips 

 of the beagles to wear a brown velvet Norfolk jacket ; the 

 remainder of the uniform was not introduced till later, and the 

 pictures of this time give a peculiar impression of an ordinary 



* Eton College Chronicle. 



