SIR BELLINGHAM GRAHAM 119 



the same clothes ; his boots were seldom cleaned ; but 

 when they were it was with a wisp of hay and some 

 water. In his horse-dealinsf transactions he was said to 

 be straight enough ; but he was undoubtedly eccentric. 



During the autumn of 182 1 the idea appears to have 

 occurred to the Leicestershire hunting men that it would 

 be a good thing to have a pack of staghounds, and the 

 proposal was made that they should be established under 

 the mastership of Lord Brudenell, but the project fell 

 through. 



Mr. Osbaldeston was, however, somewhat late in 

 making known his intention to resign the country, for 

 although the Quorn fixtures were published in the local 

 papers on the 2nd November 1821, Mr. Osbaldeston's 

 letter intimating his intention of resigning the country 

 did not appear in print until the 29th of the month, 

 though Sir Bellingham Graham offered his services on 

 the 22nd; but it had doubtless been arranged between 

 them that the one would give up and the other would 

 apply for the country. 



As was only to be expected, Sir Bellingham Graham 

 showed capital sport during the short time he hunted the 

 Quorn country. One Saturday in November 182 1, the 

 hounds met at Preston Wold, and found a fox in Mr. 

 Packe's gardens. 



The fox went away over the lawn towards Barton-on-the-Wold, 

 and hounds ran at a great pace thence to Walton Thorns, and, 

 skirting Mr. Story's plantation and Rugdale Hall, went on, leaving 

 Schoby Scholes a short distance on the right. The fox then crossed 

 Dalby Wold in the direction of the Windmill, which he left on the 

 right, and running thence to Broughton Grounds, went nearly to 

 Parson's Gorse, and turning short at Broughton, crossed the 

 Smite near Clawson, and bore to the left in the direction of Kin- 

 noulton. Thence the line lay in the direction of Hose, and the 

 fox crossed the Vale of Belvoir; but by that time he was done up, 

 and hounds rolled him over in a field near Piper Hole, where he 

 lay down, the run having lasted two hours and ten minutes. It is 



