164 SPORTING REMINISCENCES [1825 to 



April. Taking a peep at London on my road, 

 I mounted the box of the best coach in Ens;- 

 land (the Southampton Telegraph), and on the 

 morning of the same day, working it down the 

 road by the side of those accomplished coach- 

 men, Mr. Peere and Mr. Taylor, I arrived at 

 Beechwood, the seat of Sir Hussey Vivian, by 

 dinner, and took up my abode under his 

 hospitable roof during my visit to the Fo- 

 rest, 



" Although I had never been in ' The Forest,' 

 as it is called, all others being considered quite 

 infra dig. to this, yet, having lived a great deal 

 with a friend (Mr. Chudleigh Haynes) who 

 took much delight in talking of it, and who 

 but from ill health would never have forsaken 

 it, I fancied myself all but at home. I had 

 listened with so much pleasure to the many 

 entertaining stories of what had happened 

 there in Mr. Warde's, as well as in Mr. Xicoll's 

 time (and I believe in no country under the 

 sun has the l Coffee-house,' as it is called, been 

 equal to this), that the names of John Warde, 

 Sam Nicoll, Charles Mitchell, Billy Butler, 

 Jemmy Gilbert, Harbin, Nunez, not forgetting 

 Old Woods and half a score others, were quite 

 familiar to my ear. 



"My readers are aware that the present 



