1845.] OF HAMPSHIRE. 161 



I said, ' My good fellow ! you cannot expect 

 gentlemen to mend every fence they break 

 down when they are hunting. 'Oh!' replied 

 Mr. Boys, ' there is one way of mending them. 

 What do you think of a leg of mutton and a 

 good bowl of punch ? Did you see what was 

 put in the Hampshire paper' (here he alluded 

 to an extract from one of my letters describ- 

 ing Mr. Villebois' farmers' race and the dinner 

 given to them afterwards) ' about Squire Ville- 

 boy?' 'Yes,' replied I; 'I did.' 'Well,' 

 continued Mr. Bo} t s, ' nothing never made 

 half so much noise in our parish as that. The 

 paper was handed about from house to house 

 for three Sundays together, and, at last, the 

 part was cut out and read aloud in the church- 

 yard.' 



"Nimrod. 



" P.S. On looking over what I have written 

 of Mr. Villebois' hounds, I think it necessary 

 to observe that I never saw Mr. Frederick 

 Heysham ride anywhere but in Hampshire, 

 therefore cannot say how he performs in deep 

 and strong countries ; but I think, when on 

 his chesnut horse, he is rather quicker in 

 getting to his hounds than any one I have 

 seen in Hampshire, and has no objection to 



M 



