*62 
THE FIELD. 
[Saturday, 
lie remarked to himself, os the cook handed him a candle to 
examine the winks, that iho female leered a good deal out 
o’ the corners of her eyes. Although 1 6ay it, as perhaps 
shouldn’t, a better mecliunic than my father never handled a 
hammer, sledge or light, and consequently lie soon set the 
smoke-jack going; but the very next morning as ever was, 
n message ctirne to say it had stopped again. Father hardly 
believed his ears — and yet, 6ure enough, nothing could 
hs more true. Well, ma’am, to cut a long story short, 
the Major's smoke-jack was always stopping. Father oiM, 
rubbed, filed, scraped ; but all proved of no use, for scarcely, 
it appeared, was his back turned titan tbo machinery wouldn’t 
work. If puzzled him sorely, you may bo sure, till at last 
he thought and dreamt of little else. In course of time — for 
if father had a fault it whs a slight touch of the slows — uud after 
it wonderful number of visits to the Major’s smoke-jark — ” 
Tho succeeding word died luaudihly upon the speaker’s lips. 
Imagination must come to tho aid of the unfinished 
recital of n story of kindred hearts and plighted troth, for 
the abrapt entrance of Tom j’itts and Vanquisher, John 
Drown and others, snapped the thread of Sum Waller’s tale, 
and, unliko many an one, instead of being twice told, it was 
barely half related. 
“Well, my evergreen!” cried the oarthstopper, “my 
holly and Ivy, rosemary, and mlscltoe!” continued he, 
addressing the widow, “ how furo ye, eh ?” 
Mistress Box was glad to he able to inform Mr. Pitts and 
her customers generally, that she was never better, which 
re-pons'e produced u gratifying demonstration of the pleasure 
it afforded, in (he form of u loud clnor from every one 
present. 
It occupied hut a short timo for the usual seats to bo filled 
with their wonted occupants, and Vanquisher, in the easiest 
of postures before the fire, rendered tbo econo one of the 
most familiar which could be witnessed beneath the Jolly 
Gardener's root ol u winter’s evening. 
“ I’ve often thought," said Tom Pitts, when a perfect 
fdlonco among the collective body present seemed to invito 
him to speak, “ihut ubout tbo greutest blunder we make in 
speaking o’ bounds, is all that nonsense about their wanting 
blood for the finish. Many a good fox 1ms been dug out 
of an earth, and pulled from a drain, to bo butchered, after 
having .stood before bounds as long as bo could, merely 
because It was thought hounds were In need of blood. Now, 
that hounds break up u fox os if they loved to eat him, 
marrow, bones, und all, I don’t for a moment gainsay ; but 
it’s not on account of Ids being a particularly dainty morsel. 
Whatever is the nntnral food of any animal, lie will hunt but 
for one end, and that .is, to eat. It can’t bo supposed, 
however, that foxes are the natural food o’ foxhounds. Tlioy 
will hunt, if allowed, anything with a scent, and run into a 
molhodist parson with u toasted herring in his pocket, as 
soon as a nicer kind o’ game. Their object, like all high- 
bred devils, is sport, not victuals. Pointers and setters quest 
for birds, und love to have ’em shot over them ; but we all 
know their stomachs don’t benefit by their work. Gaze- 
hounds raco from tho slips, and strain the start for the kill ; 
hot they novCr know — or never ought to know — what 
tho tuste of a haro is. Now, if we wanted a certain 
proof that a fox is not run for his blood, or that 
Ida flesh is’nt a particular relish for a hound’s pnlate, 
we lmvo only to look of u tame fox, which may ho often 
found chained by the aido of a kennel door. If ho was the 
natural food o’ houndB, they wouldn’t pass him by daily, 
getting snapped at sometimes, when ono tries to filch 
n dry bone just within reach. Wild or caged, a cat 
will kill mice or birds, because they are to her what mutton 
und beef may bo considered to us ; but hounds tnke no more 
notice ol a chained fox thun if lie was a turnspit tied up by 
the throat. And it’s my opinion, too,” continued tbo old 
oarthstopper, with a grnvo shako of the head, “ that unless 
they Were cheered, and worked into n kind o' frenzv at the 
finish, to break up their hunted fox and cat him, they would 
quiie us soon krnve the last part o’ the business ulone. He’s 
too near themselves to muko much difference betwoen * dog 
eating dog and lie's not only tough and unsavoury, but 
smelling about ns bweet ns a polecat I can’t suppose 
swallowing the daintiest port a morsel to bo greatly relished. 
No,’ said the ex-whipper-in, folding his arms across his 
breast, uud directing tho attention of his companions to the 
slumbering form or Vanquisher, by jerking his heud towards 
him, “ if ho could speak,” continued lie, “ lio’d tell yo they 
go for the kill, bat not for the belly. As in everything else, 
tliero must be tin end to gain, and running into their fox Is 
theirs. At tho samo timo, there's no occasion to drag poor 
Charley from an earth to givo hounds what they never want. 
Sensible creel urs us they avo, they know well enough what 
bus saved the lux when they run hjm underground; and 
ns fur as anything more being, wanted to make hounds 
bristle for a kill, when nnotbpr stands beforo ’em, it’s the 
bubble o’ men's tongues withouta thought in their bruins.” 
As Tom Pitts now camo to a check in his lecture, John 
Brown— oh, that happy, rural vendor of the freshest of 
fresh butter and unadulterated milk !— submitted tlmt “a 
talo, or something of that sort, would,” lie undertook to say, 
“ be listened to with wonderful pleasure.” 
Tho truth is, tbo well-to-do young dnirymun was rather 
wearied with tho philosophy of t lie sclcnco as propounded by 
tho ex- whipper-in. 
Tom Pitts, ever ready to conform to tho wishes of Ids 
friends, tlfrew an inquiring look upwards, os if his notes 
were written on the. ceiling, speedily fixed upon tho weft of 
his subject, und again demanded the attention of his hearers. 
“It's somewhat remark tibia.” said ho, “how men will 
puzzle themselves about a sinking fox beating hounds, und 
their own judgment, when in nineteen cases out o’ twenty 
like tho conjuior’8 trick, it bus only to bo known for little 
cause of wonder to be in it. It u D8 the last day o’ the 
reason, ten year ago the tenth o’ last April, that we jogged 
along the road ; and punctuality being the order of our 
Squuc, Will often looked at the lace of his watch to measure 
our pace, so as to be at the fixture exactly at the time 
named. Turning on to the small common at the top of 
Hattiogdon village, the hum of the lust stroke of the church 
clock had scarcely ceased for the hour appointed for the 
meet, than the Squire trotted briskly up on Ids hack, necom- 
pa «u!i by severu * l * ie gentlemen wearing his button. 
“ Without the loss of a brace o’ minutes, wo trotted off 
to our first draw, u lino o’ spinnies with thick brushwood nt 
the bottom ; and at the furthest end of the last of them up 
wind, I saw—” the old earthstopper pointed to Vanquisher 
lying at his feet — “ I ga W him flourish his stern : but the 
drag was stale, and be made no noise about it. 
“ Wo then drew a large rambling cover of bramble, corse, 
aud nutwood about a mile off; and scarcely was he iW 
the pronouu bad reh ranee to Vanquisher-” than tbg throw 
of his to»gue told us he was at home. 
“ ‘ Have at him, Vanquisher ! ’ hallooed Will, ‘ Hark to 
Vanquisher! Hark, har-r-k ! ’ • 
“ Now they closed and went full swing. I can sec and 
hear them now,” said the old mun, with the blood mantling 
in his cheeks, 11 and within a few yards of where I stood, 
out banged a red, greyhound fox, as big a6 a wolf. 
“ ‘ It 's a dog fox, sir,’ said I, with my cap in the air, as 
tho squire rode up. 
“‘That’s right, Tom,’ replied he, with his own peculiar 
gli6lcn in his eyes when much pleased: ‘that’s right, 
Tom,’ repeated tho squire, ‘ wo can’t spnro a vixon now.’ 
“ Out they crashed like a thunderbolt, and in a close, solid 
body settled, and burst him along for ten miles, ns straight 
as tho crow flies, without a check. In a dry fallow, how- 
ever, they threw up, but making their own cast, with 
Vanquisher to pilot them, hit off the line again, picking it 
through slowly over somo large, open ploughed fields. 
“ Ay,” continued Tom Fitts, “ it was wonderful to 6ce the 
difference between the line hailters, und tho young and 
eager hounds in difficulties. With their noses on tho 
ground, the pilots o’ tho pack felt for the scent, here and 
there, and held it forward with patience and perseverance, 
while tho hot-headed and flashy ones dashed in all direc- 
tions, with no more notion of tho lino of the fox than 
that of the wood pigeon flying over their bends. Tho 
scent improved over some low grass land, and getting their 
lieuds up they began to raco again, when all in a moment 
every hound was at fault, close under a high wall thickly 
covered with ivy. Hounds did their best, and Will tried to 
assist ’em, but all was no use; and we were just beginning 
to think ourselves beaten, when I rode back to the exact 
spot whoro they threw up, and cracking my double thong 
among a thick knot of ivy on the top of tho wall, down 
jumped our beaten fox. I gave him a rattling ‘ tally-ho,’ 
but ‘ who-whoop ’ had to follow almost like an echo. 
“ ‘ The shift of a sinking one,’ said the squire, as they ran 
into him ; ‘ I should have thought for a month, had he 
beaten us, how he could have managed it.’ 
•‘Many a les* artful move,” said tho old earthstopper, 
“ has caused a good sportsman to think to no purpose.” 
(To he continued.) 
GOLD FIELDS. 
Nicaragua Route. — The steamship Northern Light 
arrived ut New York on the 23d ult., with 860,000 dol. in 
golddust on freight, and advices from San Francisco to the 
1st of February. The pussengers and treasure had been con- 
veyed through in less than 22 days, the quickest passage yet 
made by the Nicaragua route. Some disturbances hud oc- 
curred between the whites and Indians, and a number of the 
latter bad been killed. The wet season had set in, and the 
minora were anticipating a rich yield of the golden treasure. 
Tho mountains were covered with snow, and the streams 
nearly all swollen to a flood. The general nows is un- 
interesting. 
Australia. — The River Murray. — Mr. Peel has 
laid on tho table of the House of Commons copies of de- 
spatches received from the Governor of South Australia on 
tho subject of tbo navigation of the Murray, reporting the suc- 
cessful prosecution of the steam navigation of that river to a 
distance ol 1,500 miles from the sea, und giving an account of 
measures proposed for promoting the colonisation of the 
vast basin ol the river, and for the reservation of land on 
its banks, with a view of preventing the issue of squatting 
licenses. Sir II. Young hud the pleasure of reporting to the 
Legislative Council in October, 1853, the arrival of tho first 
cargo of river-borne wool, and the Council awarded to him, 
and also to Captain Cudell, a medal in commemoration of 
the opening up of the navigation. The expedition proceeded 
up the river 150 miles beyond Swan-bill, and found the 
depth of water at this point three fathoms, and the -breadth 
about 200 yurds, and this was the average during its course. 
The descent of the river was commenced nt this point, be- 
causo so much wool was waiting transport that Captain 
Cadoll had no commercial object in prolonging the voyage 
on this occasion, although it was believed that the naviga- 
tion could be extended with equal safety to Alhunj , within 
400 mile* of Sydney. Can u railroad connect these 
two places? The Governor, who himself accompanied 
the expedition, stutes that on the banks of the river and 
its tributaries (tho Loddon, tho Goulburn, &c.) tlicie 
cannot be less than 1,500,000 sheep, besides countless cattle 
and horses; and lie feels confident tlmt the produce of wool 
in Australia is about to be very considerably and rapidly 
augmented by reason of tho steam nngviation of which this 
voyage is the commencement. IIo considers that u great 
passenger traffic may be expected to the gold diggings, since 
they may be reached by the way of the Loddon, within 
thirty miles of Bendigo, and the Goulburn from tbo Mutray, 
more eusily than from Melbourne ; und this route from 
Europe, avoiding the dangerous navigation of Bash’s Straits 
and Port l’hillip Heads, will also be the most convenient for 
emigrants to the interior of New South Wales and Victoria, 
as well us South Australia. Tho governor reports that the 
aborigine* arc few in' number, and generally woll conducted 
uud disposed to work, and arc, to a considerable extent, 
actually employed in most of the avocations usual on sheep 
and cattle stations; tliut the climate is salubrious, tho banks 
abound in timber, and that, as far as regards soil, climate, 
und other natural advantages, the vust basin of tho Murray, 
KqUAI, IN AREA TO S1SVEN GREAT BRITAINS, is Well 
adapted to sustain a large population. With regard to the 
question, whether the river can he continuously navigated 
throughout the year as easily as at the season of that expe- 
dition (8eptomber), that is, he allows, a point to lie resolved 
only after u longer acquaintance with the periodical changes 
to which tho river is subject ; but, be says, he lias no reason 
to question its navigability by steamers for at least eight 
months of tho year. 
A Successful Gold Digger. — Among the passengers 
who arrived by the Great Britain, from Australia, was u gold 
digger, named Thomas Dawson, a native of Bury, in this 
county, who has been very successful, in conjunction with 
partners. In gold-digging operations. The scene of his 
labours was at Ballarat, very’ near the spot where the cele- 
brated large nugget was obtained. Ho states that lie was 
one of the party of seven men who obtained 7 cwt. of gold 
iu the shape of nuggets and washings from one hole, which 
they sunk to the depth of 106 feet. They calculated that 
about o cwt. of the precious ore remained in tile excavation 
when (heir operations were put a 6top to by an overflow of 
water. Dawson had been eleven years in Australia, and hud 
accumulated property there to which he Intends to roturu 
with his wife and children, who have come to England with 
him in the Great Britain. He has brought samples of the 
gold he obtained at Ballarat, including a curious nugget 
valued at about £150. The gold is slightly intermixed 
with white quartz, but is remarkably pure; the nugget 
weighs 34oz. lie describes the vein from which it wastuken 
as varying in thickness from 8 feet to 2 feet. Its direction 
is zigzag, and, owing to this circumstance, holes are fre- 
quently sunk by Hie diggers which only result in disappoint- 
ment. Dawson states that lie discovered gold six years ago 
but he did not then know what it was. He considers the 
gold-diggers’ operations and discoveries in Australia to be 
quite in their infancy, and appears to think that the supplies 
of the precious metal are all but inexhaustible. After spend- 
ing some time at Bury, where bis. father resides, he proposes 
taking back with him an engine to enable him to recom- 
mence working the hole, which lie bus left inundated. His 
original employment was that of a working engineer, and 
his compact frame and evidently hardy constitution rendor 
him peculiarly adapted for the life he has lately led. He 
states that he would not advise any man to try his fortuno 
at the gold fields unless ho is possessed of somo capital to 
( liable him to subsist in the event of being unsuccessful for 
a considerable period . — Liverpool Mercury. 
foreign Intelligence. 
The French Budget. — The Budget for the yoar 1855 
wrtl on Monday luid before tire Corps Legislatif. The 
receipts are put at 1 ,559914, 440f., the expenditure at 
1,553, 922, 075f. Surplus of receipts 5,992, 365f. 
It is reported that one of the first operations of the Anglo- 
French expedition to Turkey will be an nttack upon the 
Crimea. According to this report the troops will land at 
Bnla-Klilavn, in the Crimea, for the purpose of attacking 
Sebastopol by land, while tho united fleets will attack it by 
sen. 
We hear from the Baltic that on the 5th instant 
martial law was proclaimed at St. Petersburg and throughout 
the various provinces of Russia and the kingdom of Poland. 
Tbo government of St. Petersburg lias been put under tho 
command of the Czarowitscli. 
Tiie Federal Council op Switzerland has ad- 
dressed a circular to all tho cantonul governments, calling 
their attention to tho increasing exportation of horses to 
Franco and Sardinia, and recommending them to take 
measures to check such exportation as soon as it may appear 
that horses might be wanting for the federal army, in case 
it should be culled out to defend the neutrality of Switzerland. 
In the Prussian Chamber M. de Mnnteuffel replied 
to questions put to him in the following words: — “The 
Government will hereafter make communications to the 
Chamber, which will see that it has not deviated from its 
policy. The fleets which have entered tho Black Sea 
belong to Powers with which Prussia lives in peaco and 
good intelligence.” (Applause.) 
Lisbon Letters state that several Russian merchant 
ships have left the portof Lisbon ; and that it is the intention 
of the Russian Minister there to send others home under a 
neutral flag, if hostilities commenced. 
In Spain we find that Catalonia sets an example to the 
ic.'t of the Peninsula as to what may bo done by self-reliance 
in railway matters. Without asking for any subvention 
from the Government, lines are under construction from 
Barcelona in several directions. 
From Constantinople we learn that sonic difference 
of opinion lias arisen between the English and French 
ambassadors ns to the course adopted in dealing with the 
Greek insnrgeuts, for Lord Stratford advised taking de- 
cisive measures, whilst his confrere favoured a more tem- 
porising policy. Rumours of dissatisfaction in our fleet 
ou the “ Grog question ” have reached us. 
An Affair at Giurgevo (now said to have fallen) has 
been rather serious. Two battalions of infantry, with two 
guns and 300 Bnshi Bitzuks. crossed the Danube, and en- 
gaged three battalions of Russians, with six guns, and a 
regiment of cavalry. After a sanguinary engagement of 
three hours' duration, tho Turks returned to their own 
side of the liver, with the loss of 100 killed and 250 
wounded, while the Russians are said to have lost 300 
killed and 1,500 wounded. Measures are now being taken 
to put a check on unnecessary slaughter. A reward of 
100 piastres, or about £1 sterling — a large sum for a 
Turkish soldier— is offered for every prisoner taken, and 
500 for every gun. 
Turkey in Asia contributes intelligence from the sent 
of war that Prince Wovonzoff is still acting on the defen- 
sive, and anxiously awaiting reinforcements. The 
Ottomans were strongly fortifying St. Nicholas (Shcfkntil). 
At Fabriano, a small Town near Ancona, disturb- 
ances liu vc just taken place. 400 or 600 peasants, beaded 
by u woman, or a man disguised as such, entered the town 
ami plundered the bakers’ shops and the other shops of the 
pluce, 
A Russian “Order of the day ” was published by Prince 
Gortschukoff on the 1st of March at Bucharest, in which it 
was announced that iu three weeks or a month Prince 
Puskiewitseh would, ia his capacity of Generalissimo 
of the ocilvc Rus.-iun army, inspect the troops ou tho 
Danube and in the south of Russia in Europe. By that 
time all the infantry divisions must be in tantod camps, 
and the cavalry in wooden barracks. Each comp Is to be 
intrenched. 
The Citadel of Arta was in tho hands of the Turks 
on tho 3rd inst., and is likely to romnin so. Yanina is 
well provided with all the necessaries for a vigorous de- 
fence. 
Egyptian Troops have been sent to Cnndin. 
On the 18th inst., Said Pasha, heir apparent to the 
Pashulic of Egypt, gave a grand public entertainment to 
tho Europeans, to celebrate the birth of his first child, a 
son horn of n slave in tho beginning of this year. All 
who wished to attend the least were welcome, refreshments 
on a profuse scale wero ut tho disposal of all comers, and 
dancing was kept up all night in his palace. 
The Overland Mail, (By Submarine and European 
Telegraph.) —Marseilles, Wednesday . — Tho Overland 
Indian Mail has arrived at Marseilles. 
INDIA AND CHINA. 
Trieste, Saturday, Murcli 11. — The steamer Culcutta 
arrived at Trieste oil the lltli of March, nt a quarter past 2 
o’clock p.m., in 117 hours from Alexandria, which ahu left 
on tho Gjh of March. Tho Indian mail arrived at Alex- 
andria on the 4th, and leaves for England after the arrival 
of the English steamer. The mall brings advices from 
Calcutta to the Gth of February; Madras, to the 10th of 
February ; Shanghai, to the 20th of January; Amoy, to the 
