MR. THOMAS THORN HILL MORLAND 167 



of hunting the country, and having nobly supported 

 their rights, and perhaps more than their rights, 

 during the last winter, are in a position to take 

 a lead in the present settlement, and not to look 

 to any Noble Lords or gentlemen for advice or 

 directions ; and if you now at once define the bound- 

 aries of the country, as far as your opinion of what 

 they ought to be, and your determination of hunting 

 it goes, you will insure a continuance of the friend- 

 ship and goodwill which the management of the 

 B.H. has already gained you, and propitiate all 

 those who may have been in some degree infected 

 with a contrary feeling, whose good opinion is worth 

 having. I hear you are coming to London on 

 Monday. Do not answer this letter; keep me out 

 of sight unless or until I can do you good by 

 moving. We will talk about it in London. I shall 

 not talk about this. 



Yours very sincerely, 



B. Wroughton. 



These efforts of friends, who had themselves 

 taken no part in the dispute, met with success. 

 Mr. Morland placed his case in the hands of 

 his brother-in-law, Mr. Martin-Atkins, who 

 opened negotiations on the basis of the 

 Thames and Cole boundary. This was 

 accepted and a meeting was arranged at 

 Swindon, between Lord Barrington and Mr. 

 Martin-Atkins on the part of the Old Berks, 

 and Lord Bathurst and Sir Michael Hicks- 

 Beach on the part of the Vale, to make the 

 settlement ; which it was agreed should take 

 the form of a recommendation to the owners 



