HORSES AND HOUNDS. 77 



hopes of final victory. I commenced in this way myself; and 

 being fortunate in having a friend who was doing the same 

 thing, he agreed to take all I did not require at two guineas per 

 couple. Having such a chance, I did not mince the matter ; 

 but got together all the drafts I could lay my hands upon from 

 good kennels, both young and old, so that I had the picking of 

 nearly a hundred couples of hounds to begin with. 



The best blood at that time was to be found in the kennels of 

 the Dukes of Grafton, Beaufort, and Rutland, Lords Lonsdale 

 and Fitzwilliam, Sir Thomas Mostyn, and Messrs. Ward and 

 Osbaldeston, from several of Avhom I obtained hounds. Some 

 of the old kennels still remain, such as the Dukes of Rutland 

 and Beaufort's, Lords Fitzwilliam and Yarborough's, Mr. Drake, 

 I believe, succeeded to Sir Thomas Mostyn's, and Lord South- 

 ampton purchased the greater part of Mr. Osbaldeston's late 

 pack. 



For a draft of young hounds I think I should select the pack 

 of the Wonderful Squire of Tedworth, for several reasons. First, 

 he has some good old blood, having bought the Duke of Graf- 

 ton's hounds ; and before that he had been breeding largely 

 from Mr. Ward's kennel. His hounds have a rough, flinty and 

 •woodland country to contend with, where they must hunt as 

 well as run. In their performances they are like their master 

 — second to none. They are not hallooed and hustled about by 

 whippers-in, although the Squire is occasionally very cheery 

 when things go well ; and that happens so often, that I hardly 

 ever saw a day with him when he was not cheery. His hounds, 

 however, are left to do their work pretty much by themselves ; 

 and I may venture to say that no pack of hounds in England, 

 Scotland, Ireland, or Wales, can beat them in any respect. They 

 can show their speed at a racing pace over the Downs, and 

 bustle along through the large woodlands, and over those con- 

 founded flinty hills (which rattle like broken bottles), at a 

 rattling rate indeed ; the wonder is, that they don't cut their 

 legs off. The Squire hunts six days a week, and therefore has 

 a large body of hounds in kennel — sometimes nearly a hundred 

 couples ; he breeds largely also, and judiciously — the result of 

 great knowledge and long experience. He has also a very able 

 assistant in Carter, who came into his service with the Grafton 

 hounds. 



I have had many good hounds from Lord Fitzwilliam's ken- 

 nel, which has so long flourished under the able superintendence 

 of that first-rate huntsman, Sebright. Not having seen the 

 Belvoir pack for some years, I cannot say what their appearance 

 or performances may now be ; but when I saw them some few 



