364 THE HOUND. 



Swaffham in Norfolk, in the year 1776, the same 

 writer says, — " A few anecdotes of this noble pa- 

 tron of coursing may not be uninteresting. He was 

 passionately fond of the sport ; and as he was a 

 man who never would do things by halves, but was 

 zealous beyond measure in succeeding in whatever 

 he undertook, he may be said to have made as 

 much progress as possible in perfecting the breed 

 of the greyhound, and encouraging an emulative 

 spirit in coursing amongst his opulent neighbours, 

 from the time he took it up till his death. Indeed, 

 his extensive property, and his influence as lord- 

 lieutenant of Norfolk, gave him the greatest means 

 of accomplishing his favourite object. He could 

 command such an immensity of private quarters, 

 or walks, as they are generally called, for grey- 

 hounds, that he bred largely, and few possessed 

 the same advantages of selection. He is recorded 

 as having at one time fifty brace of greyhounds ; 

 and it was his fixed rule never to part with a single 

 whelp till he had had a fair trial of his speed ; con- 

 sequently he had chances beyond almost any other 

 individual, of having a collection of very superior 

 dogs. Intent on obtaining as much perfection in 

 the breed as possible, he introduced every experi- 

 mental cross, from the English lurcher to the Ita- 

 lian greyhound. He it was that first thought of 

 the cross with the English bull-dog, in which he 

 persevered in opposition to every opinion, until, 

 after breeding on for seven removes, he found him- 

 self in possession of the best greyhounds at the 

 time ever known ; and he considered that this cross 



