THE HISTORY OF THE BEL VOIR HUNT 



were reduced to a heap of ruins, but much of the modern 

 building is still standing." 



This blow was a great test of fortitude to the owners, and 

 we are told that the Duke and Duchess bore it well, no doubt 

 being above all things thankful for the escape of their chil- 

 dren — the little Lady Elizabeth, who became the wife of Mr. 

 Drummond of Cadland in after years, and Lord Granby,^ who 

 was barely a twelvemonth old at the time. The Duchess's 

 courage and resolution seem to have been equal to that of 

 her husband, and they at once determined to go on with 

 the interrupted work, so that with the least possible delay 

 the operations at the Castle were continued. The actual 

 destruction of the building, however, was the smallest of the 

 misfortune caused by the flames, for not only the family of 

 Manners but all lovers of art suffered an irreparable loss 

 when the fine pictures of Sir Joshua Reynolds and many 

 other art treasures were destroyed. Though this great, and 

 as we may without exaggeration call it, this national calamity 

 took place towards the end of October, it was not allowed 

 in any way to interfere with the arrangements for the hunting 

 season, which had begun early, as the first day of cub- 

 hunting took place on August 14th. It proved to be 

 such a bad season that had Goosey been huntsman to a 

 subscription pack he might never have had the chance of 

 making a name for himself, at any rate in that country. 

 But the Duke was not to be disturbed in his choice by the 

 accident of weather, and as Goosey himself would have said, 

 " I beg leave to say " that no more useful huntsman than 

 Thomas Goosey ever carried a horn. Like all the great 

 Belvoir huntsmen, he was a man of character, and his recti- 

 tude and his honesty were marked. He was a singularly 

 good-looking man, as his portrait shows, and this picture 

 is also of interest as giving Will Goodall in his earlier days. 

 The hounds, too, which appear in it are all portraits, and they 

 show the fine quality of the type to which the Belvoir had 

 attained. We can see how they were made for speed and 

 stoutness, qualities fully tested by the number of long and 



^ Afterwards sixth Duke. 

 100 



