HISTORY OF THE KILDARE HUNT 



to produce a man to race him over the Punches- 

 town course? I don't know the distance, but both 

 were to start mounted and lead over every fence. 

 But he barred Robert Watson. Robert Watson told 

 me this himself." 



After six seasons, during which he had showed 

 excellent sport, the Baron, to the regret of all Kil- 

 dare sportsmen, relinquished the hounds in the 

 spring of 1868 to Sir Edward Kennedy, the elder 

 son of the great Master, Sir John, whose long reign 

 from 1 8 14 to 1841 we have already considered at 

 length. I cannot do better, I think, than quote a 

 contemporary opinion of Baron de Robeck, which 

 I find in the Irish Times of a date near the end of 

 his term. 



" Just what a master of foxhounds should be, 

 kind and jovial with his field, liberal with his purse, 

 courteous and considerate to strangers, affable with 

 the farmers, and bent upon showing sport if sport 

 can be shown; and though last, not least, the best of 

 landlords, which increases his popularity very 

 much amongst the occupiers of land, who always 

 welcome him wherever he goes." 



It is pleasant to find from Baron de Robeck's 



diary that these qualities were acknowledged in a 



tangible form at the conclusion of his Mastership. 



Under the date March 17, 1869, 1 read: " I was pre- 



326 



