342 The Hunting Countries of England. 



Great Eastern Railway, the Fssex Union the south ; 

 and the places we have named as hunting- quarters are 

 on the line between the two_, Brentwood being the 

 most central spot of all. At the latter place a man 

 may hire something fit to ride, if it happens to suit him 

 to do so rather than keep his own on the spot ; and, 

 both here and at Chelmsford, the week^s programme 

 can be varied between two (or even three) packs of 

 foxhounds, and Hon. H. Petrels staghounds. The 

 staghounds — the kennels for which are at Springfield, 

 close to Chelmsford — are out (in the best of the 

 Ruthin country) on Tuesdays and each alternate 

 Saturday ; the Essex on Mondays, Wednesdays, 

 Fridays, and Saturdays; and the Essex Union on 

 Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and alternate Mon- 

 days. Thus the man of business has a holiday 

 provided for him on any, or every, day he may choose 

 to take it. The chances are that he will not confine 

 his attentions solely to one pack ; and thus he should 

 be mounted so as to suit the requirements of each. 

 For, though divided only by a nominal boundary in 

 the shape of the London-and-Chelmsford High-road, 

 the countries of the Essex and the Essex Union diifer 

 considerably as riding-ground. The horse that is 

 good enough to go well with the Essex pack over 

 their Ruthins ought to be capable of conveying you 

 in tolerable comfort and safety with the Essex Union. 

 It does not, of course, necessarily follow that a horse 

 that goes fast, and jumps wide at a low hedge and 

 broad ditch, will drop his legs on to a bank ; but the 

 chances are very much in favour of its being possible 

 to teach him to do so. On the other hand, a sticky 



