32 IRISH SPORT AND SPORTSMEN. 



Howth Sported his own colours, black and white, as 

 he wore a widow's cap ; and Sir Edward Kennedy had 

 a fox's brush sewn on to the front of his bonnet. The 

 conditions of the other race were that each rider 

 should light a cigar at the post, and if it was out when 

 he came to weigh in he was disqualified. 



When Sir Edward Kennedy took the hounds the 

 pack consisted of fifty-two couple, mostly bred from 

 the Belvoir and Brocklesly kennels. Sir Edward, 

 finding them mute, and also, as he said, that ''they 

 would race a fox, but not hunt him," he, with great 

 success, introduced new blood, chiefly from the Hol- 

 derness and York and Ainsty kennels ; and the present 

 pack, although quite as fast as ever, hunt to perfec- 

 tion. 



Richard Lyons came from Gowran-Grange (Baron 

 de Robeck's) with the hounds to Johnstown-Ken- 

 nedy, and was Sir Edward's first huntsman ; William 

 Brice was first-whip, and Charley Brindley, who came 

 from the Quorn, and who died a few years ago, was 

 second. When Brice left, Brindley was promoted to 

 his place, and Will Freeman, who came from the 

 Pytchley, was second. Brindley having left with Lyons 

 the huntsman, Freeman got first-whip place, and Tom 

 M'Alister second. Sir Edward's first move was 

 to expend a large sum of money on the coverts ; 

 no doubt he had a wide field for his labours, and Kil- 

 dare sportsmen owe him a debt for his arduous and 

 most successful exertions to improve the fox haunts. 

 He was obliged to resow Arthurstown, Hortlands, 

 and Cappagh, and three-fourths of Castle-Bagot, 

 Downshire, Eadestown, Stonebrook, and Rathcoffey ; 

 and the following coverts were quite gone — Moorhill, 



