120 OBSERVATIONS ON FOX-HUNTING 



oftener do we hear of accidents happening on 

 the road, and what numbers also to jjersons shoot- 

 ing ! \Mien you take into consideration, that on 

 a moderate calculation, at least ten thousand 

 people hunt constantly throughout the season, 

 with fox-hounds only, and many of them young 

 men full of emulation, no judges of what sort 

 of cattle are proper for their weight, and all 

 anxious to be first, riding at every thing that 

 comes in their way ; you cannot but be surprised 

 that so few accidents happen. During my sojourn 

 in France (now a number of years), I of course 

 have had to lament the loss of many of my friends 

 and acquaintances ; I scarcely ever take up a 

 newspaper but it contains the death of some one 

 I have known, yet although the majority of my 

 friends are fox-hunters, it is not a little singular, 

 that I have only lost one of that description, 

 during the whole period of my absence. This 

 fact speaks forcibly for the healthiness of our 

 amusement, so stick to it, if you wish for 

 longevity. 



We read in history, that young ladies of the 

 highest quality and greatest beauty spent much 

 of their time in the chase ; so strong and uni- 

 versal was the passion for hunting among our 

 ancestors ; and I was gratified when you told 

 me that in your part of England the fair sex 



