390 HUNTING TOURS. 



Railway which passes from Swindon to Chel- 

 tenham, is very severe for man and horse, and 

 both must be fit to go, in order to live with 

 homids when the scent serves, and the soil, 

 "which is not generally highly cultivated, being 

 chiefly old turf, is favourable to that most 

 important auxiliary to sport. This district 

 contains many good holding coverts, several of 

 which are on Lord Suffolk's property, and his 

 Lordship being one of the best supporters of 

 the hunt preserves most scrupulously. Lydiard 

 Park, Lord Bolingbroke's estate, is also within 

 the district, and his cordial influence contri- 

 butes to the good cause. It is impossible to 

 conceive anything of the kind more imposing 

 or more suggestive of the poetry of venatic 

 pastime than the stately woods in Oakley 

 Park. In the centre there is a spacious 

 plain, from which ten broad well-kept rides 

 radiate through majestic timber tress, produc- 

 ing}: an admirable effect. This is a chosen and 

 delia:htful situation for ladies who honour the 

 hunting-field with their presence; indeed, it 

 seems to have been designed on purpose, as it 

 affords most favourable opportunities for those 

 who prefer the indulgence of a carriage to 

 horse-exercise to witness all the excitements 



