FAMOUS MASTERS 91 



day was too long ; indeed, the Beaufort Hounds have 

 been notorious for drawing later than any other hounds 

 in England. As a rider to hounds he was a few years 

 ago a very good man, preferring timber and walls to 

 hedges, from the fact that, if he had a blow, it was 

 sure to bring on an attack of the gout. In conclusion, 

 he could not be surpassed for gentlemanly bearing." 

 This epitaph, of which his descendants may be proud, 

 is only one out of several. In the Illustrated London 

 News of November 26, 1853, his hunting career was 

 described and his portrait was published. A short, 

 though incomplete biography appeared in regard to 

 him in The Gentleman's Magazine in 1854. Mr. 

 Apperley ("Nimrod") writes of him in chapter viii. 

 of his " Hunting Reminiscences" as a typical M.F.H. 

 He is portrayed in "The Royal Hunt" and in "The 

 Badminton Hunt" amongst the portraits of the 

 prominent fox-hunters of the period. Any further 

 epitaph from my pen would be superfluous, for 



"He who excels in what we prize 

 Appears a hero in our eyes." 



There is no doubt that in the field the Duke was a 

 bold horseman and the pattern of an M.F.H. Doubts 

 have been expressed about his knowledge of kennel 

 lore ; but I do not think that they have any foundation 

 in fact. He prided himself upon being a scientific 

 breeder of hounds, and was ably assisted in his ex- 

 periments by his huntsman, Philip Payne. In his 

 early days he considered that hounds should be big, 

 i.e., he bred for size and weight, as Mr. Hugo Meynell 



