168 SPORTING REMINISCENCES [1825 to 



" Mr. Xicoll is but a young master of fox- 

 hounds, and consequently a young huntsman ; 

 but Mr. Xicoll is a man of quick parts, and 

 soon made himself perfect in the science. 



"He has, however, taken no small pains to 

 become so, devoting a great part of his time to the 

 kennel, and I scarcely know where he pleased 

 me most — there or in the kennel. He is an ex- 

 cellent feeder, and looks to essential points, in 

 shape and make. He is not like some masters of 

 hounds that I could name, all for legs and feet, 

 nearly regardless of other form, but has an eye 

 to points for speed and lasting. His style of 

 hound struck me as being particularly good, 

 and I mio'ht also add, that when we have seen 

 a few of his kennel, we have seen them all. 

 Mr. Xicoll looks like a true-born Englishman 

 who is not ashamed of his country — which is 

 more than we can say of all we meet. He is 

 not a dandy, we must admit, but he has culti- 

 vated his mind more than his dress; and, 

 amongst other accomplishments, Mr. Xicoll is 

 a poet of a very pretty turn. As a master of 

 fox-hounds, however, I saw nothing in the 

 least magisterial or imperious in Mr. Xicoll in 

 the field ; on the contrary, he was polite and 

 obliging to all. As a companion, Mr. Xicoll is 

 a man of great readiness of wit, and a happy 



