20 THE SHOOTER'S GUIDE. 



proprietors, in both the counties before mentioned, 

 to the great loss and injury of the farmers of those 

 lands. The destruction committed by the immense 

 number of wild animals to which so large a wood af- 

 forded protection, became so serious a grievance, that 

 one farmer, Mr. Benjamin Stallwood, of Becking, 

 actually renounced his farm; and bis landlord, Mr. 

 Johnson, together with Mr. Copestake Townsend, 

 the landlord of another farm adjoining, called Finni- 

 niore, published an invitation in the newspapers to 

 all qualified persons to* sport upon their estates. 

 This, however, did not afford an adequate remedy for 

 the evil ; because the different keepers belonging to 

 this vast preserve, made it their constant practice 

 every morning, before sun-rise (Sundays only ex- 

 cepted), to drive all the game from the adjoining 

 grounds into the preserve, and then to fix their dog- 

 spikes in all the tracts by which the game entered 

 the wood ; so that if any sportsmen arrived after- 

 wards, little or no game was to be found on the 

 grounds contiguous to this vast wood, although the 

 produce of those grounds was constantly eaten up by 

 them ; and if, unfortunately, these sportsmen started 

 a solitary animal, it was sure to take to this well- 

 known asylum, and the dog by which it was pursued 

 was as certain of being destroyed by the sharp spikes 

 which guarded every inlet. 



The first person examined was the Rev. Mr. Tur- 

 ner, of Great Marlow, to prove the killing of the 

 dog. He deposed that he went with tbe plaintiff^ 



