MR. JAMES MORRELL 201 



formed by Mr. H. Villebois in Norfolk. Although 

 there are so many changes everywhere, and some 

 of them are not likely to be for the better, the Old 

 Berks Hunt is not to be suffered to die. Only two 

 evenings before the sale the subscribers met, and 

 ;^8oo a year was guaranteed to Mr. Duffield of Mar- 

 cham Park, and Will Maiden, who won his spurs 

 over this country some three or four seasons since, 

 was engaged at once as first whip. The huntsman is 

 not yet chosen, but the country, which has lost but 

 little by the slaughter of foxes at Nuneham, will be 

 hunted about five days a fortnight. The new master 

 went to work in earnest at the sale, and ere the last 

 tap of Mr. Tattersall's hammer was heard, he was 

 master of twenty-three couple and a half of hounds 

 at 484 guineas. 



Considering the way in which the hounds have 

 been looked over for the last ten weeks, the bidders 

 were much shyer and fewer than we expected, though 

 those who did bid had to give their price. The result 

 of all (including 65 guineas for a very handsome 

 green hound-van, which went to Berkeley Castle) 

 was 6,127 guineas, or 2,581 guineas for the eighty- 

 two and a half couple of hounds, thus giving an 

 average of some 33 guineas a couple (the young 

 hounds having about 7 guineas the best of it), 

 while the thirty-two horses made nearly 100 guin- 

 eas each. There had been a good deal of betting 

 as to whether the hounds would make over the 

 ;^ 2,000 which was off"ered for them over in Ireland 

 in a lump sum two months ago ; and also as to 

 whether the horse average would be over ;^ioo, 

 or both events coupled ; and it will be seen that 

 the takers gallantly won. 



The highest price given for any of the old hound 

 lots was 200 guineas, twice over given by the Duke 

 of Beaufort. One of these lots, No. 8, comprised 



