212 SPORTING REMINISCENCES [1825 to 



first day of meeting, at Lyndhurst, at least 

 two thousand people were present, including 

 the Duke of Beaufort, Lords Cavan, Uxbridge, 

 and Adolphus Fitzclarence, Messrs. H. C. 

 Compton, James W. Scott, M.P., Sir Edward 

 Hulse, Bart, Sir J. B. Mill, Bart., Sir John 

 Cope, Bart., Messrs. Thomas Assheton Smith, 

 J. T. Yillebois, Hankey, J. King, W. Wynd- 

 ham, and the masters of several other packs. 



Mr. Assheton Smith was riding and talking 

 with Charles Davis, when the hounds got upon 

 the scent and began running. He went on 

 galloping and talking, when, there being a 

 large hole in the way, his horse swerved, and 

 he fell over his shoulder on to his back. A 

 gentleman who was riding behind was rather 

 officious, and hoped he was not hurt, when 

 Davis turned round and said : " He is much 

 too hard to be hurt."* This was just the sort 

 of speech to please Mr. Smith. 



"The Hambledon hounds met at 

 Hambiedon, Hogg's Lodge, December 14th, found 

 FiSn Beih near Highden Wood, and broke in- 

 L V e ' st antly over Butser D own, pointing for 



Ditch am, to Harting Down, and ran for several 



* Scrutator, in his " Recollections of a Fox-hunter," says : " His 

 fearless riding, and wonderful escapes, without broken bones, or any- 

 apparent injury, obtained for him, among the lower orders in his 

 Hampshire country, the well-earned and justly-applied title of " The 

 Hard Gentleman." 



