40 THE BEST SEASON ON EECOED. 



l^rise. It Las recently started a prosperous and well- 

 paled race and steeplechase course ; its bycicle meetings 

 attract many hundreds into a ^Yalled enclosure ; and even 

 its volunteers in camp are only visible to the vulgar eye 

 by payment. So far so good. But nothing seems more 

 natural than that out of the enormous popularity of 

 Friday's experiment a company should forthwith be 

 formed — to inclose the withy bed and its surrounding 

 fields and fences, and so bring foxhunting with all its 

 more exciting attributes within easy reach of the good 

 burgesses who have no time to waste on the drudgery of 

 distant and unreliable sport. For this purpose of course 

 the promoters of the scheme meditate a pack and esta- 

 blishment of their own on a lavish and fitting scale, and 

 with all the appurtenances of hunting in a wild country. 

 There should be no difficulty, b}^ the way, in procuring 

 the hounds ; for on the last occasion on which I did 

 myself the honour of visiting the pandemonium of Mr. 

 W — , the well-known London hound-dealer, I found an 

 extensive draft of hounds from one of our leading packs 

 in the Shires (and individually not altogether uidvuown 

 to me) just about to join a circus, in which they were to 

 take a leading part in demonstrating the bright delights 

 of foxhunting ! The management of the undertaking 

 now in prospect at Leicester urge on its behalf that there 

 shall be no plough, no blind fences and no blank days, 

 that topbars and topbinders shall drop to the touch, and 

 that competitors shall not be restricted as to the number 

 of hounds they may kill ; that each gentleman appearing 

 in scarlet shall receive a handtcme premium, and that no 



