The Cheshire and South Cheshire. 375 



sound in all weathers. The fences are light and easy, 

 though improving agriculture has of late given con- 

 siderable attention to deepening and widening the 

 ditches. This charming district has its chief pillar in 

 Lord Combermere — who, living at Combermere Abbey 

 and owning a great property round, lends all his 

 energy towards the support of Mr. Corbet and his 

 Hunt. And he, together with Lords Cholmondeley 

 and Tollemache, has greatly improved and opened out 

 this beautiful part of Cheshire by throwing three or 

 four of the small enclosures into one, and substituting 

 wide sixty acre pastures for the limited meadows 

 that are the distinguishing feature of the county 

 generally. 



The Peckforton Hills, a great rough range running 

 into Wales, are neutral between Mr. Corbet, Capt. 

 Park Yates and Sir Watkin Wynn. Precipitous, 

 rugged, and full of holes, still they are ground not at 

 all unsuitable for hounds to learn their work; and 

 they send many a good fox down into the Yale, to be 

 chivvied back to his fastnesses. 



The Chester Yale is generally held to be the best of 

 The Cheshire (Capt. Park Yates') — at least everyone 

 makes an invariable point of being* out when hounds 

 are in the Yale. From Tarporley to Chester about 

 defines the Yale ; and comprises an area where nothing 

 but grass is grown. Deep it often is, as the season 

 goes on. In autumn the turf is at its best, but the 

 fences at their worst ; and so, perhaps, spring time 

 brings the pleasantest riding. The Chester Yale, 

 though, is seldom out of tune; and Margery's 

 Almanack, in which autumn, winter and spring each in 



