26 THE OLD BERKS HUNT 



The allusion of Lord Abingdon as to his 

 having assisted to " compleatly run down 

 the great Fox of the nation " refers to the 

 great debate in the House of Lords on the 

 5th of December, 1783, when the "Coalition 

 Ministry," of which Fox, though not nominally 

 the head, was regarded as the principal 

 member, was defeated. The occasion was the 

 introduction of a bill by Fox, to vest the 

 government of India in Commissioners. The 

 rejection of this bill by the Lords was followed 

 by the resignation of the ministry, when the 

 King sent for Mr. Pitt, who thus became 

 Prime Minister, though only 24 years old. 

 Mr. Fox was not again in office until after his 

 rival's death, twenty-two years later. 



Hounds had probably been kept for genera- 

 tions by the Earls of Abingdon. In the 

 seventeenth century James, second Earl, High 

 Steward of Oxford and Lord Lieutenant of the 

 county, was " Lord Chief Justice, and Justice 

 in Eyre of all his Majesty's Forests, Parks, 

 Chases, Warrens, &c., on the south side of 

 Trent." His nephew Willoughby, third Earl 

 was the owner of the celebrated horse 

 " Marske," sire of the still more celebrated 

 horse " Eclipse." 



The Hon. Captain Peregrine Bertie, R.N., 

 brother of the fourth Earl, also kept hounds at 



