A GOSSIP ON HUNTING MEN 361 



year, and from want of a huntsman they straggle about and 

 run very ill. From a hard rock sometimes the horse gets up 

 to his belly in wet, gravelly sand ; thus we have many horses 

 lamed and some bad falls. The next set of hounds are 

 numerous. The Commissary-General, Sir R, Kennedy, is 

 a great man in this way, and several others. And thirdly, 

 Captain Morherre, the principal man of this place, has an 

 old poacher in his establishment, with a dozen terriers, 

 mongrels, and ferrets, and he goes out with the officers to 

 get rabbits. Lord Wellington has a good stud of hunters. 

 He rides hard, and only wants a good gallop, but I under- 

 stand knows nothing of the sport, though very fond of it 

 in his own way." 



The Duke, as many readers are aware, was a warm friend 

 and admirer of Thomas Assheton Smith, whom Napoleon 

 introduced to his officers as " le premier chasseur d'Angle- 

 terre." And it was always a subject of regret to the hero 

 of Waterloo that Assheton Smith had not joined the Army. 

 " For," said the Duke, " he would have made one of the best 

 cavalry officers in Europe " ; and he frequently remarked 

 that many of his cavalry officers in the Peninsular War 

 owed their horsemanship to the example of Assheton 

 Smith. 



I have said that the Duke took a keen interest in hunting, 

 and I may add that he gave practical proof of his love of 

 the sport; for when he was once asked to subscribe to a 

 pack which was in financial difficulties he said, " Get what 

 you can, and put my name down for the difference." The 

 " difference " was £600 a year, which the Duke cheerfully 

 paid for many years. 



