PREFACE. 



advantage, he has only to lament that dis- 

 ability, which, in the conscious apprehen- 

 sion of marring the materials, has deterred 

 him from any attempt to give what he has 

 reason to think would have been of value 

 to the reader. In its present form, how- 

 ever, it is presumed, and that upon some- 

 what better authority than his own, that 

 there will be found in it quite enough to 

 claim the attention of every man who is at 

 all tinctured with the love of the sport; 

 and that by having kept a firm eye on prin- 

 ciple, as the ground-work of duty, more 

 especially upon the great point of " Down 

 charge," immediately connected as it is 

 with all the perfections required for " Hunt- 

 ing in company," although falling short of 

 being heard to the full extent of his pur- 

 posed explanations, the author has not 

 failed in rendering his system, as a scheme 

 of education, sufficiently complete : and 

 while the man of more standing than skill 

 in the pursuit, may from the perusal of 

 these sheets find himself awakened to a 

 higher sense of discipline, the younger 

 sportsman will still more strongly feel the 



