2 The Hunting Countries of England. 



efficiently as ever. To be plain, tlie Badswortli 

 Country, once almost the pick of Yorkshire, is now 

 so cut to pieces and harassed by the encroachments 

 of railways competing* in the coal-and-iron interest, 

 that it has lost much of the free open character which 

 constituted its charm. This will be patent enough in 

 a glance at the map ; and, besides all the havoc that 

 is there denoted by the red lines marking railways of 

 varied denomination, still another steam-track is in 

 progress to connect Hull and Barnsley, and to spoil 

 the pleasant district of which Hemsworth is the 

 centre. 



While the map is in your hand you may note the 

 surroundings of the Badsworth. East and south its 

 boundaries are pretty nearly delineated by the course 

 of the Don. The Aire river separates it on the north 

 from the Bramham Moor ; and it may go as far as it 

 can to the westward, where Huddersfield and its busy 

 populace check it at one point and hilly moorland 

 meets it at another. From Doncaster to Wakefield, 

 gives the best general idea of the locale of the Hunt ; 

 and whoever has seen a Leger run, or even read the 

 yearly accounts of it, must be well aware that this is, 

 to say the least, a well-populated district. The 

 '' tyke " is admittedly a sporting animal ; but his 

 presence, in too great force, must necessarily be 

 rather against, than in favour of, the prospects of 

 sport. He comes out in prominent strength — himself 

 on foot, his superior officers on horseback, whenever 

 hounds are in his neisrhbourhood and sufficient excuse 

 is found available for breaking into the week's work. 

 This is specially the case on a Saturday, when if he 



