232 THE HORSE. 



improved hounds tried at Newmarket, the first trial 

 of the new breed, I take it for granted, which had 

 taken place, were the property of him and Mr. Barry. 

 This trial of their speed resulted from the following 

 match between those two gentlemen, the particulars 

 of which I extract from my " British Field Sports," 

 where I omitted, however, to give the date, not finding 

 it in my countryman, Mr. Daniel's "Rural Sports." 

 Mr. Meynell matched two foxhounds, Richmond 

 and a bitch, against Mr. Barry's Bluecap and Wan- 

 ton, to run over the Beacon Course at Newmarket, 

 for five hundred guineas. Mr. Barry's hounds were 

 trained on Tiptree Heath, Essex, by the well known 

 Will Crane the huntsman, of Rivenhall Inn in that 

 neighbourhood. Their mode of training, was to run 

 a fox-drag three times a week upon turf, length of 

 the drag from eight to ten miles. They were kept to 

 their exercise from August 1st to September 28th, 

 and fed upon oatmeal and milk, and sheeps' trotters. 

 Mr. Meynell's hounds during their exercise were fed 

 entirely upon legs of mutton. On September the 

 30th the match was run by making the accustomed 

 drag from the rubbing house at Newmarket town end, 

 to the rubbing house at the starting post of the Bea- 

 con Course ; the four hounds being immediately laid 

 on the scent. Mr. Barry's Bluecap came in first, and 

 Wanton, very close to him, second ; the Beacon 

 Course, upwards of four miles, being run over by 

 these hounds, in a few seconds above eight minutes ; 

 the same time which an ordinary plate horse will 

 take to perform it in, with eight stone, or eight stone 

 seven pounds on his back ; and within which time, 

 Eclipse was said to have performed four miles at 



