256 THE SHOOTER'S GUIDE. 



by the effect of a longer purse. Such a base idea would 

 certainly never be contemplated by an upright or ho- 

 nourable man ; but, were it necessary, 1 could men- 

 tion an instance or two of this kind which came im- 

 mediately within my own knowledge. 



By thus depriving the honourable sportsman of a 

 little recreation, which is attended with neither evil 

 to the lord of the manor, nor injury to the occupier 

 of the land, arises that encouragement to the poacher 

 so much to be deplored. Now the fact is, if gentle- 

 men of landed property would show the fair and ho- 

 nourable sportsman a little inr'ulgence,and sufferhim 

 to cc-me upon some part of their manors, poaching, I 

 am persuaded, would greatly decrease, if it were not 

 put a stop to altogether. For by this means the 

 poacher would be at a loss ror a market, the price of 

 his commodity would consequently fall, and the emo- 

 lument, thus rendered small and precarious, would 

 be found an insufficient remuneration for his time 

 and danger. The sportsman too, thus indulged, 

 would find it his interest, as well as a kind of grati- 

 tude to the lord on whose manor he was not molested, 

 to prevent, as much as in his power, a practice so 

 pregnant with moral evil, and which is but too fre- 

 quently the cause of murder. Game too, by this 

 means, would be much more plentiful ; as what would 

 be thus shot by sportsmen is nothing in comparison 

 to what is destroyed by poachers. 



The case however, at present, is far different : I 

 am acquainted with several very respectable gentle- 



