hear he had the ill luck to lose two horses-one from a stub in the frog, which mortified; the other from inflammation. The Messrs. Moody are good riders, though they know the country rather too well, which generally makes a man ride cunning. Mr. Taylor, from what I have seen once or twice, can go very straight I suspect. Mr. G. Butler is a good rider, and is not particular about a fall or two; which you may depend is no bad criterion to judge by, especially if the person be an old sportsman, as he is.

Lord Lisle hunts a good deal with these hounds, and is a most capital good sportsman and hard rider, also a most entertaining person at the covert side. Mr. Lukin appears very often; and it always made me enjoy a run the more when I saw him going along, standing up in his stirrups, and screeching with delight, which is his custom when hounds are running hard.

The following are some extracts from a journal written after each day's sport; and though not containing many very good runs, as some of the best were from the Horndean side of the country, yet perhaps they may be accept able.

Nov. 12th.-Met the Hambledon at West-End, about three miles from Southampton, a large field out. Found instanter in Allington; he went out at the lower end, crossed the road into the large covert, through it into the meadows, right down to the water, thence to the right, pointing as if for Stoke Park, but turned short towards Durley, crossed the brook, then making a ring, was killed in a field close to the brook, where he had crossed-fifty-two minutes, over a country

very deep, with fences very blind, and a thick fog the whole time. There were a great many falls, Mr. Moody had two; King, jun. and Mr. Taylor each one, besides many others. Found a second fox, who gave us a long tiresome run, and beat us at last.

Nov. 14th.-Met the Forest at Ouze Bridge; drew all Mr. Nightingale's coverts blank; also the whole of Paulton's; left them at three o'clock, raining hard.— These hounds do not draw well, and I am quite sure we missed more than one fox from this reason. Out of the whole there are not more than half a dozen hounds who try; the remainder keep at the huntsman's heels, following down the rides in file.

16th. Met the Hambledon at Hare House, near Titchfield, a tolerable large field, though considered a bad fixture. Went to the small covert near St. Margaret's, and in about ten minutes a fox was halloo'd away over the Common towards Hook. It was a very pretty find, and they ran him at a good pace over the heath to the farm-house, near a gully, where they checked; hit him again into the Park, through the small plantations, across the lawn close to the house, then, after a check, across the inclosures towards Titchfield, but turned short to the left, and we finally lost him from getting among the fallows, where the scent was wretched.

Found a second fox in Botley Woods, but could not do any thing, there not being an atom of scent out of eovert. The Hon. Mr. Pery, of the 7th, got a bad fall into a lane, his horse rolling over him, with our second fox.

Nov. 23d.-Met the Hamble don at Holywell House; found

in the wood close by, and, after a long time, and his being headed two or three times, he got away by the back of the house; then to the left through the Forest part of the Chase towards Wickham, and taking a ring in the open Chase, brought us back to where we found, and right down to the brook, but did not cross, luckily for the field, for it was quite impracticable except at a ford; went back through the wood a second time, and killed him in a lane about a mile on the other side:-one hour and fifteen mi

nutes.

Found a second fox at Close Wood, who went away at once by Chidfield, and crossing the high road, seemed to point for Durley, but turned back towards Holywell and Close Wood, where they finally killed him also: a good hunting day, and very trying to hounds, being very indifferent scent except under the trees, where they ran a very fair pace: on the whole a tolerable good day's sport, not much fencing, but a few queer places. Mr. Burford, of the 7th, got a nasty fall in a boggy ditch.

Nov. 30th.-Met the Hambledon at Botley Gate; drew one covert blank, and then tried Botley Grange, and found a capital fox, who, after one ring in covert, went away in the direction of Fair Oak, where he tried the earths, but finding them stopped, went straight for Durley, crossing the brook, through Stroud Wood, and over the Common, up to Rough-haye, where we changed foxes unfortunately; and, after taking our fresh fox to Blackdown and back, we were obliged to give him up, raining hard, with a thick fog-from Botley to Stroud Common there was not

a check, and over the most strongly-fenced country in Hampshire, and proverbial for dirt and good scent. Of course, as is usual in very quick things, very few men were with the hounds; and at Durley, when they crossed the bottom, owing to it being only practicable at one or two places, they got away from every one, and it was not till they checked on Stroud Common, that Messrs. Stretton, Delme, King, and one or two others, could get up. Thence to Rough-haye was not so fast; and at the latter place, where they were delayed in covert some time, the field came up. It was during the first part of this run that Square rode so admirably, as mentioned in the beginning of this letter. was surprised to see horses so fresh at the end of this run, after coming over such a severe country; but the fact is, that inclosed countries do not take so much out of horses as open ones with fences which you fly; and certain it is that banks, ditches, and fences are crossed with less distress to a horse than any other description. The very act of pulling him up for these fences, which you must do, and perhaps being obliged to wait a moment for some one to get over-(for I generally observe there are not more than one or two who go at fresh places)—give him time to catch his wind. I am quite sure that forty minutes, at the pace we went this day, over Northamptonshire, would have made the nags look very different.

Dec. 3d.-Met the Hambledon at Wintershell Common-a very windy and stormy day. Found two foxes, but could not run them, such a wretched scent. An unlucky circumstance occurred this day. Mr. King, jun. was

crossing a meadow where there was a narrow rivulet, or brook; and though the horse could have almost stepped across, yet he made a spring over; the ground on the other side giving way, he fell on his chest against a small stake, about as thick as your finger, which entered his head and killed him on the spot-a very favorite hunter.

Talking of accidents, I remember one day last season being out with Sir H. Mainwaring's hounds in Cheshire, when two splendid hunters met with accidents. One was a magnificent horse, belonging to Lord Molyneux, who during the first run rode him at a brook, with a fence on the farther side on a bank. The horse fell back, and a thick stake entered his sheath, coming out close under his tail. There appeared about two inches of it behind, and nearly a foot and a half under his belly; strange to say, it had not touched any vital part, and I believe the horse recovered. The other horse was a very fine young one, which a farmer had out for sale. We were standing close to a bit of gorse the hounds were drawing, and Sir Harry was asking the price of the horse (which was 1601.), and saying he should like to have him, when we found, and went away. The horse had not gone a hundred yards over the field, which was ridge and furrow, with slight drains for carrying off the water, when he left his hind-legs behind him in one of these and fell, having broke his back, dying on the spot.

Dec. 8th.-Met the New Forest at Pond-head. Found a fox in the inclosure, and killed him in twenty-five minutes without

breaking. Found a second fox at Ashurst; ran him to ground in ten minutes.

Found again in a low swampy plantation, and had a capital burst over the Forest for twentyfive minutes, but in a circle, and finally ran him into the plantation near Pond-head, and lost him.

The Forest hunting is certainly very pretty, and you see hounds work in perfection; though to a stranger it is nervous work, gallopping over the ruts, and the idea of bogs always present to your imagination. Horses are also very apt to lame themselves. Mr. Timson is reckoned one of their best performers, and is certainly very quick in getting to hounds. I believe he knows every track in the Forest.

9th.-Met the Hambledon at Burleybury Down; found immediately, and had a burst of twenty minutes, very fast, across the Warren, towards Beaworth, where they checked, thence to the right, and back to Exton Woods, where they killed-one hour and a quarter. For thirty-five minutes the pace was capital, and the first twenty minutes was as fast as I ever remember-all over the open, with firm ground: had it been deep no horse could have lived with them.

Dec. 17th.-Met the Hambledon at Corhampton. Found in Mr. Windham's covert, went away directly at a famous good pace for twenty-five minutes towards Preshaw, and thence to Lord Northesk's, where they checked, which enabled those who had a bad start to get up. Thence on across the Warren to the Punch Bowl, where another check took place, and a good deal of time was lost; owing to a bad

cast, however, he waited in some plantations, being nearly beat. They got on him again, and thought he was dying, when he again gallantly and desperately broke, and went back over part of the Warren to a small covert, where they killed. Had it not been for the unlucky cast, we should have forced him forward, and most likely killed him in the open, for there was no covert within miles.

On Wednesday these hounds had a capital run, with a kill; and on Friday killed a brace of foxes. -The H. H. also have had some capital sport within this fortnight.

Dec. 24th.-Met the Forest at Veimy Ridge. Found instanter, and, without hanging a single instant, went away across the Forest at their very best pace straight for Manor House, where they checked-about twenty-five minutes up to the check. Lord Lisle, Timson, and one or two others were well with them. Mr. Windham was beat by the pace, having a good start. The rest of the field, who had not been quite so quick in getting away, could never catch them till at the check. We hunted him on to the Park, but somehow or other he beat us. Mr. Windham, however, pursued after him, and after an hour and a quarter got on him againground very deep in some parts, and two or three half-bogs to scramble through.

28th. Met the Hambledon at Botley Gate. Found in the covert to the left, took one ring, and then went away at the farther end; crossed the lane, and through the small covert straight for Durley. After crossing the Botley and Winchester road, Square and Mr. Delme, jun., and two others,

jumped the fence into a wheat field, while the body of the field kept the lane on account of the Master of the Hounds making a fuss about riding over wheat: the consequence was, that, with the exception of the above four, not a soul saw a hound for forty minutes, as they went at their best pace straight through Durley, Stroud, on to Babridge, and thence to Marwell, where they lost him, fortunately, for he was a most gallant fox, and is no doubt the same that gave us such a good run from the same place before, and the hounds have had plenty of blood, having killed a fox every day for the last nine days. At Stroud Wood the field who had ridden the road got up. There was some very severe fencing for those who came the line, being over the stiffest part of Hampshire.

Jan. 14th.-Met the Hambledon at Fair Oak House. Drew the coverts there blank; went to a plantation near Durley, and found instanter, and went away straight, without a check, to Botley Grange, where he went to ground. This burst was twentyeight minutes, over a very severe country. The youngest Mr. Delme and another were first, but I believe no one could be said to be fairly with the hounds. Mr. G. Butler got a bad fall and lost his nag. Mr. Taylor had two falls, and Mr. Beresford one, besides two or three being bogged in one of the bottoms.

Found a second fox near Allington, who took us towards Botley, then inclining to the left took a ring, and crossed the West End road, over the new inclosure up to the Telegraph above Bittern, thence down into the valley,

through Mr. Story's plantations, and back to his former point above Bittern, through the valley again, and plantations, to the top of Lord Ashtown's hill, where they killed him. The first part of the run was good, but over a most distressing country, very deep, and immense banks and ditches; the consequence was that almost every man who came the line had a fall. I reckoned seventeen men down at different times, besides many farmers, &c. whose names I did not know; and horses were loose in all directions. One of

the Mr. Moody's was on his head three times. The three Messrs. Delme all had falls, and both the Messrs. King. Square, the whip, got his horse nearly buried in a ditch-a very severe day for horses, our second fox being nearly two hours a-foot: the first part of the run good, the latter bad, owing to frequent turns, and too many halloos.

Adieu, dear ONEOFUS. I am on my way to see what they are doing in the North. Yours, truly,

April 8, 1833.

MILES.

SIR,

FTER a sojourn of several months in my native southern county, I have been induced from several circumstances to return to this northern metropolis-a fair city certainly, although perhaps its inhabitants assume too much in the appellation of Modern Athens. My two trusty horses being all right, I have ordered one of them occasionally to the covert side, and I shall endeavour to give some account of part of the sport we have had since the frost with the Duke of Buccleuch's hounds. They hunt an extended country, which is divided into districts, and hunted periodically from different kennels: the hounds are now at Dalkeith kennel, and are hunting the country in this immediate neighbourhood, the most distant covert being about fourteen miles from my three six-foot stalls.

On Friday last Roseberry was the fixture, the property of the Earl of Roseberry, a house which had evidently been larger, sur

rounded by a grass field, always desirable as a place of meeting both for horses and hounds,

Shortly after half-past ten the hounds were thrown into a deep glen with some wood and a great deal of brush-wood; a fox was soon found, and run with no sport into a crevice of a rock forming one side of the glen. England is acknowledged a changeable climate, but Scotland appears to be much more so. When I mounted my black at nine, the weather was mild, and not unpromising as a hunting morning: before I reached Roseberry, which stands high, snow was falling heavily, with every appearance of an approaching storm. Before our fox was many minutes in safety, from the power of the Duke's staunch hounds, the snow was melting, and the sky such that Somervile would not have disapproved of our drawing again, which we did, and soon found near Arniston. This fox was killed with little sport, and, melancholy to tell, re37.

G