A NOTE FROM NORTH BRITAIN 57 



good, as he ever saw a pack of hounds. The other packs, 

 with my own, this side of Tweed, Lala, you'l never get 

 perfection as long as you are obhged to breed from 

 iMperfection. I don't allude to work, for there Jack 

 Pudding Ipse would be to blame ; but I allude to imper- 

 fection, and want of symmetry, &c., in shape, and you 

 are well aware Nicolls were but, at best, all Beaufort 

 Drafts — so that you were perfectly right (altho a good 

 sum) to give old Johny ye 2,000 for ye perfect ones, 

 altho, confound him, he did you out of some you ought 

 to have had ; and what is still more. He ' larnt ' his 

 pupil, old Sam, ye trick. Attend to my request ; come 

 and see me when next you come to Scotland, and with 

 my very respectful Compts. to Mrs. H., 



** Believe me, very truly, yrs., 



" KiNTORE. 



" When you have succeeded in my request, if you'll 

 but send Him by the Waggon to the care of a ' cidevant ' 

 old Sampson Hanbury, Spital Fields, London, with a 

 note to him to forward him by the Steamer for me, 

 I'll soon have him in my kennel. Excuse this liberty, 

 and double postage. Had I been alive at The Union, 

 I'd have holloa'd out for Fair Play. There are only 16 

 of us, and I have always lived too much in ye kennel 

 to give myself any bother about it " 



It will be gathered from the above that Lord Kintore 

 possessed a thorough knowledge of hounds and hunting, 

 and the stamp of hound adapted for general use ; and 

 he was fully aware of the difficulties he had to meet in 

 breeding a clever pack, both in appearance and work. 

 Nicoll's hounds, which he purchased, were, as he truly 

 observes, Beaufort drafts only, for Mr. NicoU bred very 



Ff 



