COLONEL CODSHEAD 317 



especial wise, "I beg to return you my best (gasp) 

 thanks for the (gasp) honour you have done me in 

 drinking my (gasp) health in connection with fox- 

 hunting (gasp). Gentlemen, it is a (gasp) sport, 

 gentlemen (gasp), peculiar to (gasp) Britons, and 

 dignified (gasp) with the (gasp) of the greatest (gasp) 

 men of the (gasp) day [applause]. I hope (gasp) I 

 shall never live (gasp) to see the (gasp) day when it 

 will be (gasp) other than (gasp) popular. It brings 

 the (gasp) peer in connection with the (gasp) peasant, 

 and bind all its (gasp) followers up in social (gasp) 

 harmony." 



But let us dismiss the great puffy porpoise, and 

 talk about something else. He will soon dismiss 

 himself if they find a fox. This day, however, is 

 to qualify him to talk of hunting for the summer. 

 Alack-a-day ! talking of it will be the most any of us 

 can do for some time. However, never mind, we 

 have had a glorious season — wonderful and curious 

 in weather, and certainly more than an average one in 

 point of sport. We hope our readers have laid in a 

 good stock of consolation for its close, by having 

 made the most of it while it lasted. Cub hunting 

 was late, owing to the harvest ; indeed, in some 

 countries they would scarcely have any; but when 

 hunting did begin we had a rare and continuous run 

 of it. Hounds could never be said to be fairly 

 stopped, till just as many were thinking of stopping 

 themselves towards the latter end of March, for, 

 though there were occasional checks in particular 

 districts, yet, as a whole, they were never brought to 

 a stand-still, as they are in decided frosts or regular 

 snow-storms. The weather was various — in most parts 

 fine, in many unseasonably so. 



At Chiswick the meteorological register kept at the 

 gardens of the Horticultural Society gave a state of 

 weather unprecedented for many years in December 

 and January, in which latter month Covent-garden 



