THE YORK AND AINSTY. Ill 



knew his business better, or could cheer a hound with more 

 effect, or, I might add, had moi-e falls, for he had been pretty well 

 mended and plastered all over in his life. He never indulged 

 in a stronger liquor than raspberry vinegar, though I am sorry to 

 say that, at his death, he was libelled in one of those firework 

 articles which sometimes astonish the sporting world by their 

 ignorance, in the pages of the daily papers as having been in 

 early days in the habit of letting the " maut get aboon the 

 meal," as the Scotch say, and from this cause forswearing the 

 social glass — an assertion which was very wide of the truth. In 

 spite of what had been done for him in the York and Ainsty 

 country, his heart clung fondly to Holderness, and he liked best 

 to talk of Tom Hodgson and his doings. Mr. Ealph Creyke suc- 

 ceeded Mr. Lloyd as master in 1841, who had held the command 

 for about fourteen years ; and then Mr. Samuel Bateman took 

 the country, which he held up to 1853, when he resigned, 

 and old Will went to the Hurworth. Though Mr. Bateman 

 gave up the actual command, he was, and I think I may 

 say still is, looked up to as an able adviser when any 

 emergency occurs in the hunt. Mr. Bateman was followed 

 by Sir Charles Slingsby, certainly one of the very best 

 sportsmen I ever saw in this or any other country, and he 

 moved the kennels to Acomb (they had been first at Easing 

 AVold, and then opposite the Knavesmire gate at York). 

 But to do justice to him, I must quote from " Country 

 Quarters," Bailey, JN'ovember, 1871, where his character as a 

 sportsman is thus sketched : — 



'* Sir Charles handled the horn himself, and was quick, quiet, 

 and patient, letting the hounds, in a great measure, do their 

 own work. He was a fine but by no means jealous horseman, 

 and rode to see his hounds work, not to cut other people down, 

 and, be the country rough or smooth, was always there when 

 wanted. A few years ago he also occasionally took silk at the 

 local York race meetings, and was noted on the flat for his 



