taocTGHTs UPON ituNtirre. 209 



LETTER XVIIL 



T3EFORE I proceed on my fubje6V, give mc 

 '■^-^ leave to fet you right in one particular, where 

 I perceive you have mifunclerflood me. You lay, 

 you little expeded to fee the abilities of a huntf- 

 man degraded beneath thofe of a vvhipper-in» 

 This is a ierious charge againfl me as a fportiman ; 

 and though I cannot allow that I have put the 

 cart before the horfe, in the manner you are 

 pleafed to mentio/i ; yet you have made it necef- 

 fary for me to explain myfeif further. 



I mufl therefore remind you, that I fpeat of 

 jny own country only, a country full of riot ; 

 where the covers are large, and where there is a 

 chace full of deer, and full of game. In fuch a 

 country as this, you that know fo well how necel^ 

 fary it is for a pack of fox-hounds to be fleady, 

 and to be kept together, ought not to wonder 

 that I fhould prefer an excellent whipper-in to 

 an excellent huntfman. No one knows better 

 than yourfelf, how eflential a good adjutant is to 

 a regiment : believe me, a good whipper-in is 

 not lefs neceflary to a pack of fox-hounds. Bui 

 I muft beg y^u to obferve, I mean only, thaP I 



P fould 



