PERSONAL RECOLLECTIONS 



tion, and only small matters of little importance were left to the 

 huntsman to settle, such as the hunting appointments, when 

 the Duke was absent from Belvoir, and small claims for hunt 

 damages. The Poultry Fund was managed by a committee 

 of gentlemen, who settled all such claims. The Duke of 

 Rutland was well known in the political world as a strong 

 protectionist, and some of his speeches and letters on the 

 subject were proved by events to have been prophetic. The 

 importation of foreign corn and foreign goods without even a 

 small duty upon them has utterly ruined the English land- 

 lords and the old-fashioned country gentlemen to the benefit 

 of" God knows who " — certainly not the farmers, who can ob- 

 tain no prices worth mentioning. 



On March the 4th, 1888, the Duke of Rutland died after a 

 long and painful illness, deeply lamented by all who knew 

 him well as a kind friend, a cheerful companion, and a good 

 landlord. Few, if any, will be found to equal him. Before 

 concluding my short history of the Belvoir Hunt, I may 

 mention that my hunting days began in Will Goodall's 

 time, and the first fox's brush that was given me was by him 

 after a fast run from the School Platts, killing our fox 

 near Barrowby Thorns. I was a boy of about fourteen or 

 fifteen at that time, and I rode a very good chestnut pony, 

 bought at Waltham Fair, which carried me wonderfully well, 

 as I followed Lord Forester, who was then the master, over 

 every fence until the finish. I have seen many good runs 

 with other packs of hounds in Leicestershire, especially with 

 the Cottesmore and Quorn hounds, and also one splendid run 

 with Mr. Tailby's hounds from Oweston Wood to Slawston 

 Thorns, near Market Harborough, a ten-mile point. 



The Belvoir hunting country has been very much spoilt 

 and altered since I have known it by railways and ironstone 

 tramways, and I think the same remark would apply to a 

 large portion of the Quorn country, and as far as I can 

 see I must own that I think the Cottesmore to be the best 

 hunting country that I know of in the shires ; they can also 

 boast of having an excellent pack of hounds, which pack 

 together and hunt well. The late Duke of Rutland was not 



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