MELTON: ITS MANNERS AND 

 CUSTOMS. 



Had I been a Prince of tlie Blood Koyal on a progress 

 througli tlie sMres^ I could not have liad a better 

 time than I experienced during my recent visit to 

 Melton Mowbray. Arriving opportunely, I saw it at 

 its very best. Never liad tlie town been so full — not 

 less tban five hundred hunters being stabled therein — 

 whilst every stall being occupied, it became a matter 

 of consideration whether it would not be advisable 

 to erect some temporary buildings, in order to accom- 

 modate the numerous applicants who desired " good 

 accommodation for man and horse ^' at the George 

 and Harboro\ Not only were the studs more numer- 

 ous than ever, but never had there been a finer 

 gathering of first-class horses, or a better lot of men 

 to ride them. The geniality of the people, the sur- 

 rounding fortuitous chain of circumstances, and the 

 cheerful aspect of the place, naturally made one feel 

 on good terms with one^s self; and when certain of 

 the inhabitants expressed a desire to entertain me at 

 dinner at The George, prior to my departure, I should 

 have been churlish indeed — nay, it would have been 

 foreign to my established principles — to have declined 

 the flattering invitation. It is only by mixing cor- 

 dially with society that one learns how to live wisely 

 and well ; thus I profited by the occasion. I am not 



