46 THE NORTH STAFFORDSHIRE HOUNDS. 



attributed, no doubt, to otlier causes than any defect in 

 management. Colonel Nugent was a courteous and 

 popular Master, and a sufficiently good horseman, though 

 never a particularly hard man to hounds, and he probably 

 had not had much previous experience of hound-breeding 

 and kennel-management ; still he managed the Hunt 

 well, and was much esteemed by the field, who presented 

 him with a testimonial on his retirement. We observe, 

 from Dickins's diaries, that in his first season (1871-72) 

 he only killed twenty-seven foxes, and in his second 

 season forty, and his third thirty ; but in those days they 

 only hunted three days a week, and were stopped often 

 by frost. Afterwards, as we shall see, Dickins was able 

 to show greater results, the season of 1883-84, when he 

 accounted for a hundred and one foxes, being his record 

 year. The members of the Hunt, feeling that they owed 

 a great debt of gratitude to Lord Shrewsbury for the 

 generous and spirited support he had given to the North 

 Staftbrdshire Hunt, invited the noble Earl to a banquet 

 at Stone, in April, 1870, which is reported as follows in 

 the Staffordshire Advertiser :— 



COMPLIMENTARY DINNER TO LORD SHREWSBURY. 



On Wednesday afternoon the members and supporters of the North Slafford- 

 shire Hunt entertained the Earl of Shrewsbury at dinner, in recognition of the 

 generous support he has rendered to the Hunt since the death of the late Mr. 

 Davenport. It will be remembered that at the time of that lamented event the 

 valuable pack of hounds which Mr. Davenport had kept for so many years was 

 put up for sale, and would probably have been lost to the county had not Lord 

 Shrewsbury generously come forward with his assistance, which he has since con- 

 tinued on the most munificent scale. Recently an arrangement has been come 

 to by which £1000 has been guaranteed annuallj^, irrespective of the Duke of 

 Sutherland's and Lord Shrewsbury's subscriptions, but even now a verj^ large 

 proportion of the expense — upwards of £2000 — will be borne by the noble earl. 

 It was rightly thought that his lordship's generous exertions should not pass 

 altogether unrecognized, and he having accepted an invitation to dinner, it took 

 place on Wednesday afternoon, at the Town Hall, Stone. J. W. Philips, Esq., 

 of Heybridge, presided, supported by the Earl of Shrewsbur}% the Rev. C. H. 

 Mainwaring, Colonel R. Buller, Captain F. Buller, Mr. B. Fitzherbert, Captain 

 Nugent, Mr. R, Wood, Mr. E. Wood, Captain Congreve, Captain Buchanan, and 

 Captain Miller, etc. Mr. Nicklin, of the Crown Inn, provided an excellent 

 dinner. 



After the loyal toasts, the Chairman proposed " Tlie Army, Navy, and 

 Reserve Forces," coupling with the toast the name of Colonel Buller. 



