THE KILKENNY HOUNDS. 257 



quently hunted the Kildare Hounds. Mr. Meredyth 

 retired, in 1870, on account of great dissension and 

 very unpleasant circumstances having occurred — 

 poisoning of foxes, burning of coverts, and every 

 annoyance was given to the hunting-men and general 

 well-wishers of fox-hunting. A very unpleasant 

 paper war was carried on for some time about Mr. 

 Meredyth's conduct by several members of the hunt, 

 and very severe strictures were passed on his 

 management. Some of the members signed a re- 

 quisition to have him to continue as master, and 

 promised him their support. But many were anxious 

 for his resignation, and the sport during the last two 

 or three seasons of his regime was very bad ; and when 

 he resigned the members advertised for a master, and 

 for some months there was no reply. The members 

 of the hunt and farmers were most anxious that 

 Henr}^ Briscoe would accept the hounds. After the 

 death of Henry, Marquis of Waterford, he kept 

 the Waterford Hounds, and hunted them for eleven 

 seasons ; the present Marquis came in for the title 

 just about the time that Mr. Meredyth gave up our 

 hounds, and the Marquis being anxious to re-establish 

 the Curraghmore, Briscoe gave up tp.e Waterford, and 

 soon afterwards took the Kilkennies." 



•' Tell me, did Mr. Briscoe hunt the Waterford 

 Hounds himself?" 



" He did for a few years only ; and no gentleman 

 or professional could do it better ; Duke, now hunts- 

 man of the Curraghmore, was his first whip. When 

 he became master of the Waterford Hounds, he 

 deemed them too high on the leg and flat-sided, and 



