MR. FO\VNEs"'s PACK OF FOX-HOUNDS. 451 



western part of England was by Thomas Fownes, 

 Esq. of Stepleton, in Dorsetshire, about the year 

 1 730. " They were," says the author, who wrote 

 in 1818, " as handsome, and fully as complete in 

 every respect, as the most celebrated packs of the 

 present day. The owner, meeting with some 

 worldly disappointments, was obliged to dispose of 

 them ; and they were sold to Mr. Bowes, in York- 

 shire, the father of the late Lady Strathmore, at 

 an immense price for those days. They were taken 

 into Yorkshire by their own attendants, and, after 

 having been viewed and much admired in their 

 kennel, a day was fixed for making trial of them 

 in the field, to meet at a famous hare-cover 

 near. When the huntsman came with his hounds 

 in the morning, he discovered a great number of 

 sportsmen, who were riding in the cover, and whip- 

 ping the furzes as for a hare ; he therefore halted, 

 and informed Mr. Bowes that he was unwilling to 

 throw off his hounds until the gentlemen had re- 

 tired, and ceased the slapping of whips, to which 

 his hounds were not accustomed, and he would en- 

 gage to find a fox in a few minutes, if there was 

 one there. The gentlemen sportsmen having obeyed 

 the orders given by Mr. Bowes, the huntsman, 

 taking the wind of the cover, threw off his hounds, 

 which immediately began to feather, and soon got 

 upon a drag into the cover, and up to the fox's 

 kennel, which went ofi" close before them, and, after 

 a severe burst over a fine country, was killed, to 

 the great satisfaction of the whole party. They 

 then returned to the same cover, not one half of it 



