THE HISTORY OF THE BELVOIR HUNT 



place of Charles with that great master and statesman. 

 Goodall, however, belonged to a later period, and his boyish 

 enjoyment of the " jolly big fences " over which he was to 

 win a renown only second to that of his father, is recorded 

 by his lifelong friend and patron in the following letter. 



" AswARBY Park, 



"August gth, 1866. 

 " Cooper, — 



" I am much obliged to you for your letter just received. 

 I will thank you to reserve two of the terrier puppies for me. 

 I shall trust to you to select them. I cannot understand how 

 it is you have not met with any cubs in those large wood- 

 lands. We all know there were plenty of old foxes in 

 Dunsby and Aslackby woods at the end of last season. 



" I met the Duke of Rutland at Goodwood and was 

 charmed to see him looking so well. Cruising seems to 

 agree with him. He told me he had ridden both poor Mr. 

 Willson's horses and that he liked them very much. I trust 

 they will do him good service and not put him down. To- 

 day I am going to join Lady Whichcote at Harrogate, so 

 that I think I shall go over to York to-morrow and see the 

 caged dogs at the show. 



" I have only purchased one new horse this summer ; he is 

 tall enough to see over any fence in the country. 



" Will Goodall wrote to me a few days since, giving me a 

 description of his new place and also an outline of the 

 country. He says there are some ' jolly big fences ' in it. I 

 hope he will learn something under Captain Thompson ; prob- 

 ably it is just as well for him to have left Melton. 



" I expect to be at home again the beginning of September. 



" Thos. Whichcote." 



In the autumn of the same year, 1866, the Duke gives 

 some sound advice to Cooper about cub-hunting. 



" LoNGSHAWE Lodge, Sheffield, 



" September 2nd, 1866. 

 " Cooper, — 



" I am glad to hear that you have begun cub-hunting, 



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