THE DUKE OF BEAUFORT'S HOUNDS. 171 



In 1858 the duke declined to hunt the hounds longer 

 himself, and hired Tom Clark, who had heen with Mr. INIorrell, 

 hunting the old Berkshire. Moreover, when that pack came to 

 the hammer, he had a buying commission from the duke, and 

 secured some lots which materially added to the average of the 

 day's sale, perhaps the most noted of his purchases being the 

 celebrated Fleecer. William Walker, who was then first whip, 

 was obliged to resign the following year on account of ill-health, 

 and Dick Christian, a grandson of the Dick Christian, came 

 from the Hon. George Fitzwilliam, and Jack West was second 

 whip. Afterwards he became first, and left that place to hunt 

 the Cottesmore, as I have explained elsewhere, and since the 

 late Lord Lonsdale's death he has gone to the Vine. Clark 

 was a man in every way suited to the place ; he was a good 

 huntsman, understood condition, and turned out as a gentle- 

 man's servant ought to do ; though in his latter years he was 

 certainly not so hard as some men, yet, nevertheless, being very 

 well mounted, he managed to make a good fight, and was in his 

 place when wanted. 



In 1868 Clark left and took an inn at Chipping Sodbury — 

 a speculation which I am sorry to say turned out badly — and, 

 having lost his money, he took the horn again in 1869 in the 

 Xorth Staffordshire country, where he only stayed one season, 

 and then went to hunt the Eoman hounds in the Campagna. 

 Here, poor fellow, he died in bad circumstances, and the sub- 

 scription raised for his family, as well as that of another 

 huntsman, was certainly a moving cause of the Hunt Servants' 

 Benefit Society being taken up so earnestly as it was. 



The Marquis of Worcester now took the horn, which, with 

 Charles Hamblin, who had a rare training under the late Capt. 

 Percy Williams, and had been also with Lord Fitzhardinge as 

 kennel huntsman, while Heber Long, who had taken first whip's 

 place when Jack West left, went on with him. From that 

 time until now the marquis has hunted the hounds j and I 

 know it is the opinion of one of the very best judges in 



