86 SPORTING REMINISCENCES [1S00 to 



Leveson Gower, the Messrs. Pigott, Mr. Ba- 

 zalgette of Mortimer, and Mr. Dobson of Mor- 

 timer, who, I believe, always had a good 

 horse; and latterly Mr. George Montagu fre- 

 quently led the field. 



Sir John was a very fine specimen of an old 

 country gentleman. He took a great interest 

 in cricket, and many first-class matches were 

 played at Bramshill, at which he looked on 

 with great delight. 



He had one leg slightly bent (from an acci- 

 dent he had in Leicestershire), and he rode 

 with a padded stirrup-iron to protect his foot. 

 He was very short-sighted, and it is a wonder 

 that he did not break his neck. From this 

 cause he could not lead, but he would follow 

 anybody over anything. In temper he was 

 rather excitable, and in the field occasionally 

 used emphatic language. 



Sir John had all sorts of blood in his kennel, 

 having had drafts from Sir Thomas Mostyn, 

 Mr. Nicoll, Mr. Chute, Mr. Thomas Assheton 

 Smith, and from John Warde ; and, like the 

 last-named gentleman, he leant too much to 

 big hounds. Mr. Chute, who always went 

 for small ones, and had the motto of " Multum 

 in parvo" over his kennel-door, tried hard to 

 dissuade him from breeding his hounds so 



