OBSERVATIONS ON FOX-HUNTING 141 



what I have heard, I should think either Lord 

 FitzwiUiam's or Lord Yarborough's was ; the 

 former has been in possession of the noble owner 

 fifty-three years, and were purchased of Messrs. 

 Crew and Foley, who hunted Warwickshire or 

 Oxfordshire. I remember having heard, when 1 

 inspected the yeomanry of the North Inland 

 District, at one of the hospitable chateaus of a 

 Mr. Noel, who monopolized, if I may be allowed 

 to make use of the expression, as it was not 

 possible for one person to hunt the whole, — 

 Leicestershire, Northamptonshire, Rutlandshire, 

 and Nottinghamshire, — it was called old Noel's 

 hunt ; I therefore conclude, whosoever had his 

 hounds must have had the oldest in the kingdom. 



Since writing the above, I have received the 

 following information. Lord Yarborough's hounds 

 have been kept in a straight line since the year 

 1700 certain ; but they think considerably longer, 

 (more than 120 years.) The present Smith, Lord 

 Y.'s huntsman, his father, and his grandfather, 

 have hunted the hounds in succession ''''from 

 generation to generation." The father of the present 

 Smith hunted them fifty-five years without in- 

 terruption. 



The Hertfordshire (Mr. Hanbury's) lay claim 

 to considerable antiquity, with justice, — as an 

 earth-stopper has lately proved his grandfather's 



