HORSES AXD HOUNDS. 285 



OTir country, a scratcli pack of curs, with a cur manager as well, 

 wliicli were my abomination. They were perpetually at some 

 imderhand work, running into my fox coverts on purpose ; that 

 is, pretending to run a hare there, and then finding a fox; 

 buying up foxes to turn out on the sly, and disturbing the 

 country the day before the fox-liounds were appointed to meet 

 there. Such tricks as these give rise to and perpetuate the 

 dislike which is often found to prevail with masters of fox- 

 hounds against harriers. But where each man legitimately 

 follows his own calling, these prejudices should not exist. 

 There is plenty of room in this land of liberty for every man to 

 follow his own pursuits, without infringing upon the rights of 

 another. 



Fox-hunting is all very well in its way ; so is hare-hunting ; so 

 also is game-preserving ; neither is there any reason or just 

 cause why fox-hunters, hare-hunters, and game-preservers 

 should not co-exist in the same country, and be upon the best 

 terms, as neighbours ought to be. Our friends of the trigger 

 must not suppose that fox-hunters wish by any means to inter- 

 fere with their just prerogative in preserving game ; they are, I 

 hoxje, too liberal-minded to be either envious or jealous of others 

 amusing themselves as they may think proper after another 

 fashion. All they ask is, that as they have no wish to inter- 

 rupt their sport, so game-preservers will act in the same spirit 

 of forbearance towards them, and not interfere with their 

 amusement by allowing their keepers to kill their game. Surely 

 this is no very great favour after all, and if one fox can afford 

 so much amusement to more than a hundred of his neighbours, 

 the illiberality of any game-preserver who destroys foxes cannot 

 be very questionable. 



A double-barrel was fired in BelVs Life ^ short time since at 

 illiberal fox-hiuiters and lohining farmers by a random shot, who 

 fancies, perhaps, he has peppered us a little, and if we don't 

 like it, we are to be treated to a bite of the steel traps to settle 

 us — ^that is, if we are 7iastij ; but our friend of the trigger is, I 

 dare say, a very nice young man, who possibly may keep tame 

 rabbits, as well as tame pheasants, and amuse himself in various 

 other innocent recreations. I think, however, he has gone a 

 little -wide of the mark, in endeavouring to tax fox-hunters with 

 illiherality and nastiness. These gentle appellations properly 

 belong to fox-killing game-preservers, and to them only. We 

 plead not guilty to this soft impeachment. The very spirit of 

 fox-hunting is antagonistic to illiberality. We follow a pursuit 

 in which all alike may join witbout let or hindrance, and the 

 more amusement we can afiord to the many, or the million, if 



