THE HEYTHROP HOUNDS 33 



the Duke of Grafton, and who has a high reputation both 

 in the kennel and the field. 



The Heythrop hounds are also part of the Duke of 

 Beaufort's pack, left there when his Grace discontinued 

 hunting the Oxfordshire country ; and under the veteran 

 Jim Hills they still continue to afford capital sport. Lord 

 Southampton, who now hunts the late Duke of Grafton's 

 country, from Whittlebury Lodge, has also some very 

 old blood in his kennel, and, I believe, purchased a part, 

 if not the whole pack, belonging to the celebrated Mr. 

 Osbaldeston, having previously, when hunting Leicester- 

 shire, become the possessor of the old Oakley pack, 

 which he bought when the Marquis of Tavistock resigned 

 that country. 



In the kennel of Lord Middleton, at Birdsall, near 

 Malton, in Yorkshire, now hunting the country so long 

 occupied by Sir Tatton Sykes, are to be found the de- 

 scendants of Mr. Corbet's pack, who hunted Warwickshire 

 at the end of the last century. These hounds were pur- 

 chased of Mr. Corbet by a former Lord Middleton, by 

 whom, on his resigning Warwickshire, they were trans- 

 ferred to Sir Tatton Sykes, and by Sir Tatton they have 

 been again handed over to the present Lord Middleton. 



At Petworth, in Sussex, the blood of the late Lord 

 Egremont's pack still flourishes ; and I am told these 

 hounds are exceedingly powerful and clever, showing 

 excellent sport under their talented huntsman. Squires. 



Mr. Drake succeeded Sir Thomas Mostyn in his Oxford- 

 shire country, with whose pack, in bygone days, I have 

 had many a sharp skurry ; and I remember once riding 

 an untried four-year-old mare, through a very severe 

 run with these hounds, side by side with young Peyton, 

 as he was then familiarly called, when many horses were 



