164 SPORTING STORIES 



lord's landau, attended by footmen in costly livery, arrives 

 at the door of its astounded owner." 



In his younger days, the Earl of Bridgwater had been 

 a keen sportsman, and in his old age his love of dogs led 

 him into extraordinary eccentricities. In the words of the 

 writer before quoted, " His carriage is frequently seen filled 

 with dogs. He bestows great care on their feet, and orders 

 them boots, for which he pays as dearly as for his own. 

 He puts on a pair of new boots every day ; carefully pre- 

 serving those he has once worn, and, ranging them in 

 order, takes great pleasure in observing each day how 

 much of the year has passed by the number of pairs. 

 His table, though he scarcely ever entertains any company, 

 is constantly set out with a dozen covers for his dogs, who 

 daily partake of my lord's dinner seated in arm-chairs, each 

 with a napkin round his neck and a servant to attend to 

 his wants." 



No wonder that Frenchmen thought all Englishmen mad 

 when there were settled in Paris such strange specimens 

 as this erratic earl. Colonel Thornton, Lord Henry Seymour, 

 and others of the like kidney ; however, the feeling was 

 returned in full by the humbler order of Briton. Lord 

 William Lennox's story being apropos : — 



" Whilst," said he, " I was an attach^ to the Duke of 

 Wellington, then Ambassador to Louis XVIII., his Grace 

 was invited to shoot at Fontaincbleau, and kindly permitted 

 me to accompany him. After breakfast at the palace we 

 proceeded to the rendezvous. The party consisted of the 

 Dues de Berry, d'Angouleme, and de Grammont, the 

 Duke of Wellington, and myself. The ' Iron Duke ' was 

 attended by an English gamekeeper, who seemed delighted 

 at his master's prowess, and who looked with disdain at 

 the royal sportsman. ' That 'ere Dam-goulan knows as 

 much about shooting as my old missus,' he said, addressing 

 a groom who was carrying Wellington's ammunition. 

 ' He's only killed four brace of pheasants, and he would 

 have doubled the quantity if he had attended to his 

 head keeper's orders and pulled whenever he was told 

 to puil.' 



'What d'ye mean by pull7' said the other, who had 



