84 THE BROCKLESBY HOUNDS. [1849 



ever saw. He considered him rather too severe with hounds, but a 

 clever good hand and a man of general knowledge, which he certainly 

 was. I have passed many pleasant hours in his company, and been 

 much pleased by his instructing observations. He was a man of good 

 education, having been, when a lad, apprenticed to a grocer and draper, 

 but his friends thought him of more value than to spend his time among 

 sugar and candles, which proved so, as he became and continued a most 

 excellent servant to hounds. I never recollected him a hard rider since 

 I began to whip-in, except some particular days ; but as a reason, he 

 always was, from my beginning with hounds to the day of his death, at 

 times a great martyr to the gout, and which killed hira in the year 

 1824. I was with him at the time of his death, and the suffering he 

 bore is quite indescribable. I hope it will be the fate of but few 

 sportsmen. But he had been subject to the most violent attacks of the 

 gout for many years, and he always thought it must some time carry 

 him off. He had not hunted for many years. Having named the death 

 of this sportsman, I think I ought to state the time of his two masters, 

 which I will do, but at present must conclude this day's oh ser vat ions, 

 having written the inscription from the cup and the following remarks 

 this day, which is a tolerable number of lines for an invalid. 



Wm. Smith. 



Brocklesby, January 22, 1830. 



Wm. Smith, the author of these pages, unfortunately fell from his 

 horse whilst hunting on April 11th, 1845, near Barnoldby-le-Beck, 

 injuring the spine of his back from the effect of wliich he never 

 recovered. He breathed his last, poor man, on April 15th, at the house 

 of Mr. Nainby, Barnoldby-le-Beck, where he had been taken to after 

 having met with the accident. He was conveyed to Brocklesby and 

 there interred on the 18th inst. much regretted by his noble master, the 

 Earl of Yarborough, who hastened from London with all possible speed, 

 on hearing of the sad accident. He was followed to his grave by a 

 large and highly respectable body, principally the tenants of the Earl of 

 Yarborough, much regretted and lamented by all. He was fifty-six 

 years of age, a robust man, with very powerful nerve, a fine horseman, 

 a good voice, an excellent judge of hounds, and in every sense an 

 excellent sportsman. He is succeeded by his son William, who is now 

 huntsman to the Brocklesby Hounds. 



Thomas Smith. 



Brocklesby, December 11th, 1849. 



I succeeded my brother William in May, 1836, who left to take 

 a farm at Kirmington, after hunting the hounds eleven years. I hunted 

 them six years, and left in consequence of being much troubled with the 

 rheumatism. Philip Tocock succeeded me, and only hunted the hounds 



