TERRITORIAL DIFFERENCES 211 



it is proper that both the circumstances that led up 

 to the arbitration and the facts proved at the time 

 should be briefly mentioned. 



As far back as the time of the first mastership of 

 Mr. Ross, that gentleman had occasion to complain 

 of his foxes being hunted in the moor portion of the 

 country by a pack of harriers kept at Moretonhamp- 

 stead by Mr. George Bragg, and letters from both 

 masters appeared at the time in the sporting papers. 



Mr. Ross's successor, Mr. Fearnley Tanner, took 

 the matter up vrith some energy*, and the information 

 which he obtained at the time from previous masters of 

 the South Devon and others was very useful at the 

 arbitration that eventually followed. 



After the establishment of a separate pack to hunt 

 the Haldon side, the South Devon found itself able 

 to make more use of its moor country. Bragg, how- 

 ever, continued to hunt over a considerable part of it, 

 with the result that protest succeeded protest from 

 successive masters, Ross, ^^^lidborne and Gave in 

 turn asserting their claim to the country which was 

 the field of Bragg's operations. The situation at last 

 grew intolerable ; the South Devon, hunting on a 

 Tuesday, would find itself dra^Ning country which had 

 been disturbed on the previous day by Bragg, whose 

 hunting day was Monday. Newspaper correspond- 

 ence followed and feeling became acute between the 

 supporters of the rival claimants. 



This ill-feeling in Whidborne's time made itself 

 felt, as I remember, twice in the same day. The 

 South Devon hounds had come to slow hunting in 

 Lustleigh Cleave with a beaten fox just before them. 

 The fox crossed in front of ^liss Whidborne, Dr. 

 CoUyns (Mr. Bragg's honorary secretary who was out) 

 and myself, and Miss AVhidborne implored of me to 



