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CHAPTER XX. 

 THE FOXHOUND, THE STAGHOUND, AND THE WELSH HOUND. 



BY G. S. LOWE. 



1 Yes, I ken John Peel, and Ruby too, 

 Ranter and Royal and Bellman as true ; 

 From the drag to the chase, from the chase to 



a view, 

 From a view to the death in the morning. 



^T^HE flight of society to the shires in 

 the autumn is substantial proof of 

 what fox-hunting is to the country. 



Some years have elapsed since it was 



estimated that nine million pounds are 



spent every year on hunting. This sum 



appears to be prodigious, and so, indeed, 



it is, if only applied to 



kennel establishments. 



There are 204 packs of 



hounds in the United 



Kingdom, of which 



some could show an 



annual expenditure of 



10,000, and many over 



4,000. This is, how- 

 ever, but the small side 



of total costs, as many 



thousands of studs of 



hunters are maintained, 



representing an enorm- 

 ous amount of money, 



with veritable armies of 



employees, mansions of 



palatial proportions in 



nearly every quarter of 



England, Ireland, and 



Scotland, and a trade 



thereby in provincial 



towns that must be of 



considerable magnitude. 



A morning view of Mel- 

 ton is quite suggestive 



of this computation of 



nine millions. 



Twas the soimd of his horn called me from my 



bed, 



And the cry of his hounds has oft-times led, 

 For Peel's view-hollo would awaken the dead 

 Or a fox from his lair in the morning." 



JOHN WOODCOCK GRAVES (circ. 1825). 



It may be regarded as somewhat extra- 

 ordinary that persons of high social position 

 should devote such a large proportion of 

 their lives and interests to hunting and to 

 the culture of hounds, but it must be said 

 that much of England's greatness is due 

 to the power of the Foxhound. The daring 



THE DEATH OF THE FOX. 

 FROM THE ENGRAVING BY P. C. CANOT, 



AFTER THE PAINTING BY J. WOOTTON (177O) 



