100 THE HUNTING FIELD 



every accommodation to the tenants who had been friendly to 

 the hunts of " Lord Spencer, the Duke of Rutland, Mr. 

 Meynell, and Lord Stamford." " On the other hand," 

 writes the noble lord, " you will take care and make very 

 particular inquiries into the conduct of those tenants who 

 shall have shown a contrary disposition, by destroying foxes 

 or encouraging others so to do, or otherwise interrupting 

 gentlemen's diversion, and will transmit me their names and 

 places of abode, as it is my absolute determination that such 

 persons shall not be treated with in future by me upon any 

 terms or consideration whatever. I am convinced that land- 

 owners, as well as farmers and labourers of every description, 

 if they knew their own interest, would perceive that they owe 

 much of their prosperitj' to those popular hunts, by the great 

 influx of money that is annually brought into the country; I 

 shall therefore use my utmost endeavours to induce all persons 

 of my acquaintance to adopt similar measures ; and I am 

 already happy to find that three gentlemen of very extensive 

 landed property in Leicestershire, and on the borders of 

 Northamptonshire, have positively sent, within these few days, 

 similar directions to their stewards, which their tenants will 

 be apprised of before they re-take their farms at next Lady- 

 Day. My sole object is, having the good of the community at 

 heart, as j'ou and all my tenants know that my sporting days 

 have been over some time ago." 



That letter is as good now as it was the day it was written. 



Having mentioned Mr. Smith's artificial earths or drains, 

 we may here quote what he says on the subject of stopping, in 

 his " Diary of a Huntsman." 



" Hunting countries," says he, " which abound with fox- 

 earths are very liable to have blank days, according to the 

 usual method of arrangements ; for where there are earths, 

 foxes at times will be in them when they are wanted elsewhere, 

 even when the Earth-stoppers do their duty ; but the first 



