154 IRISH SPORT AND SPORTSMEN. 



theories had Inoculated the brain with fixity of tenure 

 as the panacea for all our country's ills. Their 

 *' fixity of tenure" was, in the saddle, the only "evic- 

 tion" thought of the fox. Some seventy years ago, 

 Mr. Tom Barton kept a pack of foxhounds at his resi- 

 dence, Grove, and hunted what is now the Tipperary 

 Hunt district. Mr. Barton was a devoted disciple of 

 Diana's, and enjoyed a deserved popularity. Although 

 his hounds were not as " level as a die," or as '' hand- 

 some as paint," he showed very good sport during a 

 regijne of about twenty years. His huntsman was 

 Johnny Ryan, the grandfather of the veteran of that 

 name, who rode the winners of many valuable steeple- 

 chases for Henry, Marquis of Waterford, and who for 

 many years hunted the Waterford Hounds. Mr. T. 

 Barton was succeeded in the mastership by his brother 

 William, who kept them for a few seasons — they were 

 called " The Grove Hounds." Mr. William Barton knew 

 the value of good breeding, and spared neither expense 

 nor trouble in his endeavours to improve the pack. 

 An uncle of his, who resided in England, procured 

 drafts from the best kennels in the shires for him. 

 One draft of a dog and bitch was a remarkable one — 

 the bitch, whose name was Mercury, had performed 

 some extraordinary feat in running a drag at Ascot 

 before she was imported to this country, and, of course, 

 was highly valued by Mr. Barton ; she was mated 

 with the dog sent to Ireland with her, and produced 

 twenty-one puppies, all of which turned out to be 

 first-class hounds. Mr. Barton became so delicate 

 that he was obliged to give up hunting, and he sold 

 his pack to Captain Jacob of Mobarnane, who showed 

 good sport for the few seasons he hunted the country, 



