THE LATE MR. CORBET. 239 



fox-liunting. The writer is thoroughly persuaded of the 

 generally friendly tone and feeling of the farmers of 

 North Staffordshire towards the Hunt, and towards the 

 Master ; but if only farmers, as a general rule, were 

 huntino; men, that friendliness of tone and feelino- would 

 take a far more active and practical shape, and the Hunt 

 would accordingly be the gainers. 



A most distinguished Master of hounds and amateur 

 huntsman, Mr. H. R. Corbet, of Adderley, whose recent loss 

 has been so deeply and widely deplored, deserves more than 

 a passing notice. Mr. Corbet, although his hands were 

 fairly full with his own pack, the South Cheshire, was 

 a member of the North Stafford Hunt Committee, and 

 used regularly to come out with the North Stafford 

 Hounds at their Monday meets. It is needless to say a 

 word about his fine horsemanship, and his excepLional 

 knowledge of, and experience in, the noble science ; but 

 beyond all this, we of the North Staffordshire Hunt owe 

 him a debt of gTatitude for many kindly acts, and for 

 much friendliness and courtesy in connection with his 

 coverts on the Adderley estate. At one time there was 

 a certain amount of controversy on the subject, and had 

 there been a less cordial and friendlv feelino- between the 

 two Masters, serious friction might easily have arisen ; but 

 it is only due to Mr. Corbet's memory to say, that no one 

 could have behaved with more consideration and ofood 

 feeling towards a neighbouring Hunt than Mr. Corbet did 

 on the occasion in question, nor with more thorouo-h 

 loyalty to the unwritten laws of fox-hunting. His merits 

 as a Master of hounds and huntsmen are so universally 

 known, that it would be out of place to dwell upon them 

 in detail here, but we may perhaps be allowed to quote 

 from an appreciative notice which appeared in Bailey s 

 Magazine for June, 1902. The writer says — 



" It is needless to tell those who followed Mr. Corbet that he many years 

 ago proved himself to be one of the best of amateur huntsmen. He had a 

 marvellously quick eye with his hounds, and, after his long experience, knew the 

 run of every fox in the country. He hunted his hounds with unlimited patience 

 when there was need for it, and with the utmost dash when it was called for. 



