•214 THE HUNTIN(; FIELD 



it is in the hunting Held that station never demands it. Lord 

 Evergreen comes in quietl}- on his hack, unattended bj' servants 

 or state, and as long as the business of the daj- is confined to 

 plain straightforward sailing, every one gives way to his 

 Lordship ; but when the fox is found, and goes right awaj-, 

 then the order of things is reversed, and those who ride behind 

 are extremely welcome to ride in front. 



It is this sort of yielding and taking of precedence that has 

 raised the idea of foxhunting being a levelling amusement, but 

 no one acquainted with it can entertain such an idea — at least 

 if he does he's a fool. 



What can be a finer sight than to see the Duke of Wellington 

 enter the hunting field ! Not one of those gorgeous spectacles, 

 it is true, such as a coronation, a review, the Lord Mayor's 

 show, or a procession to the Houses of Parliament — not one of 

 those pompous continental exhibitions called a cliassc, where 

 armed menials keep back the crowd, and brass bands proclaim 

 alike the find and finish ; but what can be a finer sight— a 

 sight more genial to the mind of a Briton — than the mighty 

 Wellington entering the hunting field with a single attendant, 

 making no more fuss than a countr}- Squire ? Yet many have 

 seen the sight, and many, we trust, ma\- yet see it. The Duke 

 takes the country sport like a countr}- gentleman — no man less 

 the great man than this greatest of all great men — affable to 

 all, his presence adds joy and lustre to the scene. 



The Duke is a true sportsman, and has long been a sup- 

 porter of the Vine and Sir John Cope's hounds. He kept 

 hounds himself during the Peninsular War, and di\ers good 

 stories are related of them and their huntsman (Tom Crane), 

 whose enthusiasm used sometimes to carry him into the enemy's 

 country, a fact that he used to be reminded of by a few bullets 

 whizzing about his ears. 



What a number of noblemen we have seen keeping hounds 

 or acting as Masters of Hounds. The Dukes of Richmond, 



