FOREST OF WOLMER DEER. 21 



him that Queen Anne, as she was journeying on 

 the Portsmouth road, did not think the Forest of 

 Wolmer beneath her royal regard. For she came 

 out of the great road at Lippock, which is just by, 

 and, reposing herself on a bank smoothed for that 

 purpose, lying about half a mile to the east of 

 Wolmer Pond, and still called Queen's Bank, saw 

 with great complacency and satisfaction the whole 

 herd of red- deer brought by the keepers along 

 the vale before her, consisting then of about five 

 hundred head. A sight this, worthy the attention 

 of the greatest sovereign ! But he further adds, 

 that, by means of the Waltham blacks, or, to use 

 his own expression, as soon as they began black- 

 ing, they were reduced to about fifty head, and so 

 continued decreasing till the time of the late 

 Duke of Cumberland. It is now more than thirty 

 years ago that his highness sent down a hunts- 

 man, and six yeoman prickers, in scarlet jackets 

 laced with gold, attended by the stag-hounds ; 

 ordering them to take every deer in this forest 

 alive, and to convey them in carts to Windsor. 

 In the course of the summer they caught every 

 stag, some of which showed extraordinary diver- 

 sion ; but in the following winter, when the hinds 

 were also carried off, such fine chases were exhi- 

 bited as served the country people for matter of 

 talk and wonder for years afterwards. I saw my- 

 self one of the yeomen prickers single out a stag 

 from the herd, and must confess that it was the 

 most curious feat of activity I ever beheld, supe- 

 rior to any thing in Mr. Astley's riding- school. 

 The exertions made by the horse and deer much 

 exceeded all my expectations, though the former 

 greatly excelled the latter in speed. When the 

 devoted deer was separated from his companions, 

 they gave him, by their watches, law, as they 



