MR. MEYNELL 51 



horse at Melton spinney, cast his eyes around him from 

 that commanding spot, and fail to discern a single ploughed 

 field. The Meltonian of to-day, however, may be some- 

 what surprised at reading, on the strength of the same 

 authority — 



The War prices, however — wheat at a guinea a bushel, and 

 other grain in proportion — altered the face of Leicestershire. A 

 considerable part of the fine old green sward was turned up, and 

 even now (1835) much of it remains under plough. 



Who Mr. Meynell's first huntsman was we have 

 no means of knowing, but the first of whom we hear 

 anything is John Raven, who possibly went to Mr. 

 Meynell in 1775, as in the Leicester J otirnal for the 

 4th of November 1775 appears an advertisement to the 

 effect that a huntsman was required for the Leicester- 

 shire hounds : applicants were to apply to the printer 

 of the paper. John Raven is reputed to have been a 

 man whose power over hounds was something remark- 

 able ; but some of these old stories must be accepted 

 with caution. It is stated, for instance, that on one 

 occasion Mr. Meynell's hounds ran a fox into a rather 

 small gorse, in which there was a danger of his being 

 chopped. Thereupon the pack were stopped with a 

 wave of the hand, and drawn out of covert. A couple 

 of old hounds were then set to play the part of tufters, 

 and the fox was eventually forced to take to the open ; 

 but although the pack saw him go away, not a single 

 hound stirred until the signal was given, when they at 

 once hit off the line and eventually killed their fox. 

 Early in this chapter mention was made of Joseph 

 Jones (the author of the Diary), Mr. Meynell's whipper- 

 in. This worthy appears to have been something after 

 the stamp of Tom Moody, and it is related that in the 

 mornings following his festive nights there used to be 



