96 THE QUORN HUNT 



ment does not appear to be a matter of certainty. Sir 

 John Eardley Wilmot, in his "Life of Mr. Smith," makes 

 the latter go to the Burton country in 1816; but Mrs. 

 Musters, in " Hunting Songs and Sport," gives the 

 period of Mr. Smith's mastership of the Ouorn as from 

 1806 to 1 8 17, and these are doubtless the correct dates. 

 Confirmation of this opinion is afforded by the Stamford 

 Mercury for the 25th July 18 17, wherein it is stated that 

 Mr. Walker was about to vacate the Burton country and 

 would be succeeded by Mr. Smith, "under the immediate 

 patronage of the Monson family," while in the issue of 

 the same paper for 1st August 18 17 is a paragraph to 

 the effect that it was "expected" that Mr. Osbaldeston 

 would hunt Leicestershire, as he was in treaty with Mr. 

 Smith for the purchase of Quorndon Hall. This, perhaps, 

 may be taken as settling the question of dates. Lei- 

 cestershire, as a whole, regretted Mr. Smith's departure, 

 for, though he was hasty in temper, and at times some- 

 what overbearing, he hunted the country with zeal, kept 

 up a capital pack of hounds, mounted his men well, showed 

 excellent sport, and gave his subscribers good value for 

 their money. 



Mr. Smith, as is well known, was a good cricketer, 

 an ardent yachtsman, and in his earlier days a good shot, 

 but after his younger life he scarcely ever handled a gun. 

 Mr. Smith died in 1858, at the age of eighty-two. • It had 

 always been his ambition to hunt his own hounds at the 

 age of eighty, but this was denied him. 



During Mr. Smith's mastership of the Ouorn the 

 Rev. Dr. Ford, for forty-five years vicar of Melton 

 Mowbray, and of whom mention is made elsewhere, 

 wrote a poem called "The Melton Hunt," which was 

 composed about the year 1S13. Mr. Ferneley the artist 

 found a copy of the verses among some old papers, and 

 gave them to Mr. Smith's biographer. The poem is as 

 follows ; — ■ 



