SIR JOHN KENNEDY, 1814-1841 



hounds should come to him " clear of all debts.'' 

 The gentlemen who met to accept his generous 

 offer took the same opportunity of reviewing the 

 financial position of the Club, and expressed the 

 opinion that " as it appeared to them the club was 

 considerably in debt, to the amount of about 

 ^£2,400." With Mr Kennedy's offer in view, how- 

 ever, the meeting was further of opinion " that the 

 present subscriptions are fully adequate to the 

 liquidation of the same debt, provided each of the 

 present subscribers continues their subscription? 

 for three years." 



It is very much to the credit of some sixteen mem- 

 bers of the Hunt that they at once rose to the occa- 

 sion and guaranteed the extinction of the debt by 

 their own contributions, thus leaving the ordinary 

 subscription of five guineas to swell Mr Kennedy's 

 annual fund, and enabling him to take over the 

 pack with a clean sheet. I think the names of these 

 public-spirited gentlemen who thus helped to 

 inaugurate the longest and most distinguished 

 Mastership of the Kildare Hunt are worthy of 

 record in its annals. 



" We," say those gentlemen, " whose names are 

 hereunto subscribed do bind ourselves to pay 

 annually for three years the subscriptions as 

 annexed to our names on or before the ist day of 

 January in each year." 



103 



