'•"^ lyi.-^ ~., o ^0/ Webster Family Library of Veterinary Medicine Cummirrgs School of Veterinary Medicine at Tuits University 200 Westboro Road rJorih Grafton. MA 01536 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. I e ^ fc THE CdcUaini^^ "C^^^ / f9j SPORTSMAN'S CABINET, AND TOWN AND COUNTRY MAGAZINE ; A Periodical devoted to The Genuine Sports of the Field, AND INTERESTING ILLUSTRATIONS OF NATURAL HISTORY INDISPENSABLY CONNECTED WITH THE RAMIFICATIONS OF THE CHASE, THE TURF, THE STREAM, &C. &C. WITH AMUSING AND INSTRUCTIVE ANECDOTES, AND ELEGANT ENGRAVINGS. EDITED AND CONDUCTED BY T. B. JOHNSON, Author of the "Sportsman's Cyclopedia," the ''Shooters Companion," Sfc. S;c. VOLUME 1. NOVEMBER, 1832, to APRIL, 1833. LONDON : Published by SHERWOOD, GILBERT, & PIPER, JOHNSON, Liverpool; WAKEMAN, Dublin; JACKSON, New York; AND SOLD BY ALL BOOKSELLERS IN THE UNITED KINGDOM. 1833 I JOHNSON, PRxNTER LIVERPOOL. THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET, AND Toivn and Country Magazine. Vol. I. 'l^i^^^>*.^»W ■ »■■■» ■»■ ■«■■■»»■■ I .......«..«»J..».». .--»».>»». | . ..^ ...... ..... ..^^^^^f^^f^f^f^^^^^ff^^mf^ff^f^f.^.^j^j.j^f^j^j^jjjjj^ NOVEMBER, 1832. No. I. ■«■»> *■■■»■«■■■—■■»«.».«»»..., .^^^^,^^f.,^.^^^^^f^^ ^ ^.^^^ ^ ^ ^ ^^ ^ ^ ^ ^^ ^ g^^^^f.f.^^^f^^^ ^ f^ ^ ^^ ^ j^^f^i ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^^^^^ ^ ^ ^ ^^^^^j »X^^*J*rstices became proportionably contracted, and the chance of striking the object in- creased almost to certainty. Let us look at the other side of the question. The advocates of large shot will tell you, that the force with which large shot is driven is so much superior to that with which small shot strikes the object, that one pellet is worth half a dozen, or that one lai'ge shot will be more eifective than six small ones. This must be admitted, (to make use of a homely expression) as far as it goes. I will presently examine it more minutely, or at least endeavour to place the mat- ter in a clearer point of view. Birds are generally killed at shorter distances than is hastily imagined ; and perhaps the average of shots, at least with partridges, would be under thirty yards. Fifty yards is a long shot ; and though birds are sometimes killed at much more considerable distances, yet such shots arise more from chance than any certain i-eliance upon the aim, nor is it indeed possible to make sure of the mark at more than forty yards distance. However, shot No. 7, or No. 8, if well directed, will kill a partridge, or even a grouse, at sixty yards, and beyond this distance it may be considered a mere accident, if the object be struck with shot of a much larger size, from No. 4 to No. 2, for instance, on account of the fewer pellets which is contained in the charge. Therefore, as shots cannot be reduced to any thing like certainty at more than forty yards distance, and as No. 7, or No. 8, is fully sufficient for this length, so consequently small shot is decidedly preferable. Further, it is an erroneous supposition that a pellet of large shot, striking the object, is so much more efficacious, as, unless such pellet take effect in an essential or vital part, the bii'd will fly away. A young rook has been known to have been com- pletely perforated by a bullet, and yet to maintain its position, apparently as if it had sustained no injury. Hence it follows, that bringing down a partridge or a grouse depends much more upon the part which the shot strikes, than upon the size of the pellet; since, if a bullet pass through a rook without serious injury, by the same reasoning, a pellet of large shot might go completely through a partridge, and yet not prevent the bird from flying away : therefore, as the part stricken is of so much more importance to the attainment of the object, than the size of the pellet of shot with which the wound is inflicted, and as the chances of strik- ing the essential or vital parts are so much in favour of small shot on account of the greater number of pellets which the charge contains, on this, as well per- haps as on every view of the case, small shot is to be preferred. A. B. THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 17 WILD FOWL SHOOTING. As wild fowl shooting forms, par- ticularly in the winter season, an essen- tial part of the diversion of the true sjiortsman, I have always regretted the custom M'hich prevails throughout the country of hunting the young wild ducks in the marshes and pits where they are bred, with water spaniels, before they are able to %. Although the wild duck commences her operations for the im- portant business of propagation at an early period of the spring, yet, as she lays a greater number of eggs than birds in general, and sits upon them a month before the young are excluded, the sea- son is of course far advanced before the hatching takes place. The young brood, like the partridge or the pheasant, leave the nest almost as soon as the shell is broken ; but while the latter are able to fly in the course of three or four weeks, the young ducks are almost as many months before they are able effectually to take wing. Aware of this circum- tance, the rustics and others who reside near the places where the ducks breed, and whose object is profit rather than diversion, in the latter end of July per- haps, or the month of August, take great numbers of the dvicklings before they are able to fly ; and as, in endeavoimng to escape from the dogs, they flap their wings upon the surface of the water, (when no longer able to dive) they are called " Flappers." Towards the latter end of August, however, many of the young wild ducks will be upon the wing, and may then be considered as objects of legitimate sport. He, however, who would enjoy wild fowl shooting in the greatest possible perfection should take a trip to the more northern regions, to Iceland, for in- stance, where these birds are to be met with in profuse abundance, as indeed are the grouse species also. In fact, it is the northern extremities of the earth which seem as if set apart for the pecu- liar heritage of the feathered race ; a possession which they have held coeval with creation. There, amidst the lakes and endless swamps, where the human foot never trod, and where, excepting their own cries, nothing is heard but the winds, they find an asylum where their young can be reared in safety, surrounded by the greatest profusion. This ample provision consists chiefly of the larvae of gnats and insects, with which the atmosphere must be loaded in those regions during the summer months. The eggs of these insects deposited in the mud, and hatched by the influence of the unsetting summer's sun, arise, like exhalations, in multiplied myriads, and, as we may conceive, afford a never failing supply of food. An equal abun- dance of nutriment is also provided for the young of those kind of birds, which seek it from the waters, in the spawn of fishes or smaller fry, which fearlessly sport in their elements, undisturbed by the net or hook of the fisherman. In these retirements, the feathered tribes remain, or only change their haunts from one lake or misty bog to another, to procure aliment, or mix with their kind ; and thus they pass the long en- lightened season. But so soon as the sun, in shortened peeps, begins to quit his horizontal course, the falling snows and the hollow blasts, foretel the change, and are the signals for their departure. Then it is, that the widely-spreading host, having gathered together their well- fledged families in separate tribes, directed by instinctive knowledge, leave the arctic regions, that prolific source, whence these migrators, in flocks innu- merable, and in directions, like radii from the centre of a circle, are poured forth to replenish the more southern quarters of the globe. In their route they are impelled forward, or stop short in greater or lesser numbers, according to the severity or mildness of the sea- son, and are thus more equally distri- buted over the cultivated world ; where man, habituated to consider every thing in the creation as subservient to his use, makes them feel the full force of his power. Wherever they settle under his dominion, they afford the eager sports- man what may be termed second-rate diversion. But when the vaiious and numerous wanderers from the north visit tliis country, particularly the web- footed tribes, they keep for the most part on the sea shore, where they aflord winter employment for the poorer in- habitants, who thus procure a tolerable livelihood, which is, however, some- 18 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. times attended with danger, particularly amongst the oozes where the tide ebbs and flows. In this- respect, the coast between Hampshire and the Isle of Wight is peculiar, consisting, at ebb tide, of vast muddy flats, covered with green sea weed, which afford the fowler an opportunity of practising arts perhaps not elsewhere resorted to. Fowling and fishing are indeed, on this coast gener- ally, the employments of the same per- son. He who in summer, with his line and nets, plies the shores when they are overflown by the tide; in winter, with his gun, as evening draws on, runs up in his boat amongst the little creeks which the tide leaves in the mud lands, and lies in patient expectation of his prey. Sea fowl usually feed by night, where, in all their multitudes they come down to the savannahs of the shore. As the sonorous cloud advances, (for their noise in the air somewhat resembles a pack of hounds in full cry) the attentive fowler listens which way "they bend their course : perhaps he has the mortification to hear them alight at too great a dis- tance for his gun to reach them ; and if he cannot edge his boat round some winding creek, which it is not always in his power to do, he despairs of suc- cess that night ; perhaps, however, he is more fortunate, and has the satisfac- tion to hear the airy noise approach nearer, till at length the host settles in some plain upon the edge of which his boat is moored : he now as silently as possible, primes both his pieces anew (he generally carries two guns) and listens with all attention : it is generally so dark that he can take no aim — in- deed, if he could discern the birds, they would see him ; and, being extremely shy, would seek some other pasture. Though they march with noise, they feed in silence ; some indistinct noises, however, if the night be calm, issue from so vast a concourse ; he directs his piece therefore towards tlie sound, fires at a venture, and instantly seizing his other gun, fires that also, levelling it to catch them as they are rising on the wing. His gains for the night are now decided, and he has only to gather liis harvest. He immediately puts on his mud pattens (flat pieces of board which the fowler ties to his feet to prevent him from sinking into the ooze) ; upon which he goes groping about in quest of his booty, sometimes picking up a con- siderable number, sometimes not one. So hardly does the poor fowler earn a few shillings, exposed in an open boat, during a solitary winter night, to the weather, as it comes, rain, hail, or snow, on a bleak coast, a league probably from the beach, and often liable, with- out great care, to be fixed in the mud, where he would become an inevitable prey to the returning tide. The most vexatious part of the business is, that after the fowler's pains, others frequently enjoy more from his labours than him- self, as the tide next day often throws on diiferent parts of the shore, many of the birds which he had killed, but could not find in the night. When there is much ice in the mouths of the rivers, the danger of pvu'suing Avild fowl in small boats is much in- creased, as they sometimes get encircled and can then only float with the current, and may be kept two or three tides be- fore they can extricate themselves : the boats or rather punts, which are gener- ally used for the piu'pose, are by no means calculated to sustain much pres- sure against their sides, which are not more than twenty inches high from the surface of the water ; in this the fowler by night drops down with the tide, or uses his paddles, after the fowl ; he knows their haunts, and takes every ad- vantage of wind, tide, moon, &c. his gun, which carries as much as a small cannon, is laid with the muzzle over the stem of the boat, in a groove or notch by which the line of aim is regulated ; at the bottom of the boat the fowler lies upon his bell}', and gets as near the fowl that are upon the M'ater as possi- ble ; when within range of his gun, he rattles with his feet against the bottom of his boat, and when, at the unexpect- ed sound, the fowls begin to spring, at that moment he pulls the trigger, and cuts a lane through their ranks ; he in* stantly follows up the direction of his shot, and gathers up those that are kil- led or just expiring, for it seldom answers to row after birds onlj'^ wound- ed : he then charges his gun and drifts further down the river, in hopes of suc- cessive shots. By this mode a man has been known to bring home a hundred wild fowl perhaps in one night's excur- THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 13 81011 ; but this is to be done only in hard frosty weather ; when the numbers that are sometimes, in their day flights, on some parts of the English coast, are almost incredible. On such occasions, great numbers of wild fowl may be fre- quently killed in the day time : those which are crippled generally escape — ■ only to be seized by the larger gulls, ■who are most expert at descrying the wounded birds, and are so exceedingly ravenous, that in a minute or two they will strip all the fleshy part from the bones and greedily devour it. This hazardous employment once led a fowler on the Hampshire coast into the most singular as well as the most perilous distress : — it happened too in the day time, which is less dangerous than the night for this occupation. Mounted on his mud pattens, he was traversing one of those oozy plains which are common enough on that part of the coast, in searclr of ducks, and, being in- tent only on his game, suddenly found the water, which had been accelerated by some peculiar circumstance affecting the tide, had made an alarming progress around him, and he found himself com- pletely encircled : in this desperate situ- ation, an idea struck him as the only means of safety ; he retired to that part which seemed the highest from its being yet uncovered by water, and, striking the barrel of his long gun into the ooze, he resolved to hold fast by it, as well for a support as a security against the waves, and to wait the ebbing of the tide. He had reason to believe a com- mon tide would not have flowed above his middle ; but in the midst of liis rea- soning on the subject, the water reached him : it rippled over his feet, it gained his knees, his waist ; button after but- ton disappeared, until it at length ad- vanced over his shoulders : with a pal- pitating heart he gave himself up for lost : still, however, he held fast by his anchor : his eye was eager in search of some boat which might accidentally be passing, but none appeared. A head upon the surface of the water, and that sometimes covered by a wave, was no object to be descried from the land, at the distance of half a league ; nor could he exert any sounds of distress that could be heard so far. While, as the exigence would allow, he was thus making up his mind to the terrors of certain destruction, his attention was at- tracted by the re-appearance of the first button of his coat. No mariner floating on a wreck could behold approaching succour with greater transport than he felt at the transient view of his button ; but the fluctuation of the water was such, and the turn of the tide so slow, that it Avas yet some time before he durst venture to assure himself that the button was fairly above the level of the flood ; at length a second button ap- pearing at intervals, his sensations may rather be conceived than described ; and this joy gave him spirits and reso- lution to sujjport his situation some hours longer, until the waters had suffi- ciently retired to enable him to reach a place of safety. ^ R. B. Will one Dog eat the Flesh of Another ? On penising that bulky compila- lation of anecdote, which passes by the name of Daniel's Rural Sports, in page 62 of the first volume, I was surprised to find the following passage.—" When hounds are very riotous, the feeder may sleep in a cot in the adjoining kennel; if well chastised at the first quarrel. Iris voice will be sufficient afterwards. When, however, a pack take a distaste to a par- ticular hound, mischief soon ensues, and many instances have been known, where no trace of the object of their ha- tred, except the skttU, has been found." This passage excited my surprise, as I have before observed, because I had always been led to s'.ippose tliat one dog would not eat the flesh of another. Such is the case if we are to place coniidence in the accounts of naturalists ; who do not hesitate to assert, the there is no mode of cooking dog's flesh, by which it can be so disguised but that a dog v/ill discover and reject it. 20 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. It is very well known that, generally speaking, dogs are not over nice in their food ; and, from the circumstance of their eagerly devoin-ing carrion and pu- trid carcases, it might be hastily suppos- ed that they would not reject the flesh of a hawk or an owl, which, however, they cannot be induced to taste. It is said, that a dog and a wolf never meet without either flying or fighting ; fight- ing for life and death, and without mercy on either side. If the wolf is the stronger, he tears and devours his an- tagonist : the dog, on the contrary, is more generous, and contents himself with his victor}'; he does not seem to think that the body of a dead enemy smells well; he leaves him where he falls, to serve as food for birds of prey, or for other wolves, since they devour each other ; and when one wolf happens to be desperately wounded, the rest track him by his blood and are sure to shew him no mercy. Dogs are never seen to attempt to eat the . carcases of their dead fellows ; and it is very doubt- ful whether a fox-hound would devour a dead fox which happened casually to fall in his way : Beckford seems to be of this opinion, as he says that the chase should be given to the hounds as soon as possible, as they manifest an inclina- tion to eat the fox only as long as they are angry Avith him. If therefore a circumstance has ever happened, where a kennel of hounds have devoured one of their companions, the appetite for such a meal must have arisen from their rage rather than their ordinary disposi- tion. But as I am of opinion that a dog can by no possible means (except starvation perhaps) be induced to eat the flesh of another dog, so I am conse- quently very sceptical on the circum- stance above mentioned ; nor would any thing short of an attesting eye-witness remove my incredulity upon a subject altogether so very opposite, as well as so very repugnant, to the habits and nature of the animal in question. Indeed, I consider the statement as the offspring of fanciful ignorance, handed from one to another, till it passes current, and idtimatelybecomes disseminated through the medium of the press. Your's, &c. An Inquirer. The WEASEL and the BABBIT, ^c, &fc. A few days ago, as I was going the usual round of my farm, upon com- ing to a bank where I knew there were a number of rabbits, I heard the cry of one of these timid animals, and direct- ing my eyes towards the spot whence the sound seemed to issue, I observed a weasel clinging fast to the head of a rabbit. As I generally carry my fowl- ing-piece on these occasions, I was ready for action, and instantly shot the weasel, and of course the rabbit also. I ■was aware that something of this sort had got amongst my rabbits, as I had found two of them dead the morning before :— it is astonishing what havoc these diminutive but fierce creatures will make amongst rabbits in a short space of time — indeed they are exceed- ingly destructive to game in general, nor has the hare an enemy more fatal than the weasel ; and although tlie hare is so strong and swift, yet the Aveasel will follow and terrify it into a state of abso- lute imbecility, when it gives itself up without resistance, making the most piteous outcries. The weasel seizes its prey near the head : the bite is mortal, 'although the wound is so small, that the entrance of the teeth is scarcely perceptible : a liare or a rabbit bit in this manner is never known to recover, but lingers for some time and dies. The common weasel is the least ani- mal of this species ; the disproportion- ate length and height of the little ani- mals which compose this class, are their chief characteristic, and are alone suffi- cient to distinguish them from all other carnivorous quadrupeds : the length of the wolf, in proportion to its height, is as one and a half to one, that of the weasel is nearly as four to one ; the weasel sometimes exceeds seven inches in length, Irom the nose to the tail, which is only two inches and a half long, it ends in a point, and adds considerably to the apparent length of the animal's body ; the height of the weasel is not above two inches and a half, so that it THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 21 is almost four times as long as it is high ; the most prevalent colour is a pale tawny brown, on the back, sides and legs , the throat and belly are white ; beneath the corners of the mouth, on each jaw, is a spot of brown ; the eyes are small, round, and black ; the ears are broad and lai"ge, and from a fold at tlie upper part have the appearance of being double ; it has whiskers like a cat, but two more teeth than any of the cat kind, having thirty- two in number, and these well adapted for tearing and chewing its food. The activity of the weasel is remai'k- able ; and it will ascend the sides of a •wall with such facility, that no place is secure from it. The weasel always preys in silence, and never utters any cry ex- cept when it is struck, or attacked (by a dog for instance) when it expresses resentment or pain or both, by a rough or hoarse kind of squeaking. The wea- sel sleeps in its hole during the greater part of the day, and evening is the chief time for its depredation : it may then be seen stealing from its retreat, and creep- ing about in search of prey, which ex- tends to all the eggs it can meet with, and it will very frequently destroy the bird that attempts to defend them. If it enters the hen roost, the chickens are sure to fall victims ; it does not there often attack the cocks or hens, nor does it devour what it kills on the spot, but drags it off to eat at leisure. The wea- sel's appetite for animal food is insati- able ; all the produce of its plunder, it will, if possible, convey to its retreat, where it is frequently allowed to putrify before the weasel eats it, though I be- lieve it uniformly sucks the blood of its prey the moment it seizes it. The weasel may be said to be useful to the farmer in winter by clearing his granaries of rats and mice ; more slen- der and nimble than the cat, it presents a more deadly foe, as it can pursue them into their holes, where it is sure to kill them. — However, if we look at the other side of the question, we shall find that the mischief which results from its neighbourhood will generally more than counterbalance the effects of its useful qualities : I have already mentioned its depredations in the hen roost ; to which may be added, that it will frequently in- troduce itself into the pigeon house, where it spares neither eggs nor young ones. In summer it ventures to a dis- tance from its usual haunts, is frequently seen by the side of water near cornmills, and is almost sure to follow wherever a swarm of rats occupy any place. It pursues the rat with uncommon ardour — it attacks it as fiercely as the ferret ; and as it is capable of introducing itself into holes and crevices, where the latter, from its superior bulk, is unable to pene- trate, it seems a matter of surpise, that a foreigner should have been imported either for the warren or the destruction of the rat, when we have a native ani- mal fully as well, if not better, calculated for either purpose. And of course as ferrets are domesticated, so, no question can be reasonably encertained, that the weasel is equally susceptible of familiar- ity. BufFon indeed mentions an instance of a lady trying the experiment of tam- ing a young weasel which had been taken in her garden, which soon recog- nized and licked the hand that e-ave it food, and it soon became as familiar and frolicsome as a squirrel. For the first two or three days, it was fed with warm milk, of which it was very fond, and afterwards with veal, beef, or mutton. To which may be added another instance, that of a gentleman who trained a young weasel so completely, that it followed him wherever he went, would distinguish his voice, and spring over other persons to get to him ; he describes its motions as very active, and its curiosity as very lively. The method used in taming them is to stroke them often and gently upon the back, and to threaten and even beat them, when they bite. They are fed with milk, boiled flesh, and water. Aldrovandus expressly asserts that M'ea- sels are easily tamed, and, when tamed, remarkably playful. The stoat is equally agile and mis- chievous with the weasel in the pursuit and destruction of the hare, and all other sorts of game, poultry, and eggs; and is no doubt susceptible of being do- mesticated in the same maimer, and of course of being applied to the purposes which have been already mentioned. The stoat being similar in form and ha- bits to the weasel, has frequently been described under the same denomination. The stoat is about the same height as the weasel, as well as the same length ; but its tail is much longer, very hairy, 22 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. and at the point tipped Avitli black ; the edges of the ears and ends of tlie toes are of a yellowish white. In the more northern parts of Europe, the stoat regu- larly changes its colour in winter and becomes perfectly white, except the end of the tail, which remains invariably black. It is then called the ermine ; the fur is valuable, and is sold in the country where caught for from two to three pounds sterling per lumdred. The stoat is sometimes found white during the winter season in Great Britain, and is then commonly called the white wea- sel. Its fur, however, having neither the thickness, the closeness, nor the whiteness of those which come from Si- beria, is, with us, of little value. In Norway, the ermine or stoat lives among the rocks ; his skin is white, ex- cept the tail, which is tipped with black. The furs of Norway and Lapland pre- serve their whiteness better than those of Russia, which soon acquire a yellow- ish cast ; and upon this account the former are in great request even at St. Petersburgh. The ermine (says Pontopiddan) catches mice like the cat, and, when practicable, carries oif his prey. He is particularly fond of eggs ; and, when the sea is calm, he swims over to the islands which lie near the coast of Norway, where there are vast quantities of sea fowl, and where of course (in the breeding season) their eggs and young ones are to be met with ill profuse abundance. Pontopiddan asserts, that when the female brings forth on an island, she conducts her young to the continent, upon a piece of •wood, piloting it with her snout. The ermine, (adds the writer-) although small, kills animals of a much larger size, as the rein deer and the bear. — He jumps into one of their eai-s when they are asleep, and adheres so fast by his teeth that the creatures cannot dis- engage him. He likewise surprises eagles and heathcocks, by fixing on them, and never quitting his hold, even Avhen they mount in the air, until, by loss of blood, the birds are the ground. It would be a great satisfaction to sportsmen if weasels and stoats were extinct in this country, unless indeed the breeds were preserved in a domestic state ; but as this is not likely soon to brought to be the case, I would wish to impress it on the minds of all the disciples of the chase, that these animals are easily caught in steel traps, baited with a small bird, a piece of rabbit's flesh &c. if in a state of putrescence, it will be more agreeable to the animal, and particularly if the bait be anointed with musk. The weasel, the stoat, the pole cat, &c. though cleanly animals as far as re- lates to the appearance of their skins as well as in their nests, are uncommonly fond of putrid and rotten meat, which unquestionably causes that unpleasant odour or stench so remarkable in most of them, and which is the most offensive in summer, or when irritated or pursued. These animals appear indeed to delight in the midst of putrid effluvia, as in France a weasel and three young ones were taken from the putrid carcase of a wolf, which was hung up by the hind legs as a terror to others ; and in the throat of this animal had the weasel made a nest of leaves and herbage for the accommodation of her offspring. But in speaking of the odour or stench, which is emitted by animals of the wea- sel tribe in this country, it naturally enough draws one's attention to a simi- lar species of animals in America, which our sailors forcibly enough call the Stinkards. The fetid odour of our wea- sels, stoats, and polecats, is fragrance itself when compared to that of the squash and the skink, which have been called the polecats of America. These two are found in different parts of Ame- rica, both differing in colour and fur, but both obviously of the weasel kind, as appears not only from their figure and odour, but also from their disposi- tion. The squash is about the size of a polecat, its hair of a deep brown, but principally differing from all of this kind in having only four toes on the feet before, whereas all others of the weasel tribe have five. The skink re- sembles a polecat in shape and size, but particularly diffei-s in the length of its hair and colour. The hair is above three inches and a half long, and that at the end of the tail above four inches. The colour is partly black and partly white, variously disposed over the body, very glossy, long, and beautiful. There ai'e some other varieties of this tribe, as, THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 23 for instance, the conepate, which re- sembles the skink in all things, except its size, being smaller, and in the dis- position of its colours, which are more exact, having five white stripes upon a black ground, running longitudinally from the head to the tail. Also, the 2arille resembles the skink, but is rather smaller, and more beautifully coloured, its streaks of black and white being more distinct, and the colours of its tail being black at its insertion, and white at the extremity ; whereas, in the skink, they are all of one grey colour. But whatever diiferences there may be in the figure or colour of these animals, they all agree in one common afiection, that of being intolerably fetid and loath- some. These creatures, like all of the wea- sel kind, prey upon small animals and bird's eggs. The squash, for instance, burrows like the polecat, in the clefts of rocks, where it brings forth its young. It often steals into farm yards and kills the poultry, eating only the brains. Nor is it safe to pursue or offend it, for it then calls into action all its scents, which are its most powerful protection. At that time, neither men nor dogs will offer to approach it ; the scent is so strong that it reaches half a mile round, and near at hand is almost stifling. If the dogs pursue, it exerts itself to escape by climbing a tree, or by some such means; but, if driven to an extremity, it plays off its extraordhiary battery upon its pursuers ; and if it should hap- pen that a drop of this fetid discharge fall in the eye, the person runs the risk of being blinded for ever. On such oc- casions, the dogs instantly abate of their ardour, turn tail, and leave the animal undisputed master of the field. In the year 1749, (says Ralin) one of these animals came near the farm house where I lived. It was in winter time, during the night ; and the dogs that were upon the watch pursued it for some time, until it discharged against them. Al- though I was in my bed a good way off, I thought I should have been suffocated ; and the cows and oxen, by their lowings, shewed how much they were affected by the stench. About the end of the same year, another of these animals crept into our cellar, but did not exhale the smallest scent, because it was not disturbed. A foolish woman, however, who perceived it at night by the shining of its eyes, killed it, and at that moment its stench began to spread. The whole cellar was filled with it to such a degree, that the woman kept her bed for seve- ral days after ; and all the bread, meat, and other provisions, that were kept there, were so infected, that they were obliged to be thrown out of doors." In fact, when one of these animals is irri- tated or killed near a dwelling, the whole place becomes infected ; the clothes, provisions, and all the rooms, are, in a few minutes, so saturated with the vapour, that no one can live in or use them for some time after. Your's respectfully, Sylvestre. The CUBA BLOODHOUND. The dog which I have chosen to dis- tinguish by the appellation of the Cuba Bloodhound, may be found most prob- ably in most of the Spanish islands in the western hemisphere, and probably in some parts of the South American Continent. Under the indefinite name of bloodhound, it has been hastily con- founded with the justly celebrated old English Talbot ; and even some writers have fallen into the same error. The two animals, however, ai-e strikingly dissimilar. The Talbot is about se- ven or eight and twenty inches high, with a wide forehead and a mild and attractive countenance; nose obtuse and expansive nostrils ; large, soft, and pendulous ears ; voice awfully deep and sonorous ; an affectionate disposition ; with imwearied perseverance, added to the most imdauntcd courage. The Cuba bloodhound, on the contrary, though he is about the same height, has small erect eai-s, the nose pointed, and the hair and skin hard ; his coun- tenance is ill-natured and even malig- nant, and his principal merit consists in his ferocity. — His olfactory organs are indiflerent, so anuch so indeed, that, in hunting the runaway Negroes, for which 24 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET he is chiefly used, he is generally ac- companied by a smaller dog possessing a better nose. The Talbot, it is well- known, in the goodness of his nose, far surpasses every other ramification of the canine race. At a period not very remote, the un- fortunate Negroes in the Spanish settle- ments were frequently torn to pieces by the Cuba bloodhounds. In fact, under the title of Chasseurs, the Spaniards maintained regular regiments of these dogs and their attendants. In pursu- ing or hunting the runaway Negroes, the Chasseur is generally accompa- nied by two dogs, and armed with a couteau de chasse, or straight sword ; and we are informed, that these blood- hounds, when well and properly trained, on coming up with the object of pur- suit, will not kill him, unless resistance is offered ; but bark at and terrify him till he stops, when they crouch near him, and, by barking, give their keepers no- tice, who approach accordingly and se- cure their prisoner. Dallas, in his account of the Maroon war in Jamaica, mentions an importa- tion of these Cuba bloodhounds in order to assist the regular troops in reducing the refractory Maroons. It may seem strange, that dogs were called to the as- sistance of well-discijilined soldiers ; but, in order to elucidate the subject, it must be observed, that the armed Maroons, under the conduct of various cunning- leaders, particularly of Cudjoe, Smith, and Johnson, aware of their own infei-i- ority, in point of that organization which constitutes the strength and essence of a regular army, cautiously avoided meet- ing their opponents on the plain ; on the contrary, they retired to the impe- netrable fastnesses of the woods and mountains, and by means of ambuscades, contrived so to harass the troops, that the governor of Jamaica ultimately ])ro- cured a company of these dogs and their attendants from Cuba, which arrived at Jamaica imder the command of Don Manuel de Sejas ; and a tolerable idea of these dogs may be formed from a re- view which took place immediately after their arrival. General Walpole, who conducted the war against the Maroons, being anxious to I'eview these chasseurs, left head quarters the morning after they were landed, and, accompanied by Colonel Skinner, arrived in a post chaise at Seven Rivers. Notice of the gene- ral's approach having been given, the chasseurs were taken to a distance from the house, in order to advance when he arrived. The Spaniards were drawn out in a line at the end of a gentle de- clivity, and consisted of upwards of forty men with their dogs in front unmuzzled, and held by cotton ropes. As it was intended to ascertain what effect would be produced on the dogs if actually en- gaged rmder a fire of the Maroons, the Spaniards, upon the word being given, fired their fusees, when the dogs pressed forward with almost ungovernable fury, amidst the shouts of their keepers, whom they dragged along with irresistible impetuosity. Some of these ferocious animals, maddened by the shout of at- tack, and held in check by the ropes, absolutely seized upon the gun-stocks in the hands of the chasseurs, and tore pieces out of them. In fact, such was their fury, that it was with the utmost difficulty they were stopped before they reached the English general, who was under the necessity of making an expe- ditious retreat into his chaise, while the utmost exertions were required to pre- vent the dogs seizing: on the horses. The unfortunate Maroons, who had successfully opposed all the efforts of regular troops, were panic struck on the arrival of the bloodhounds, and surren- dered without once daring to come in contact Avith animals Avhiqh at best could oppose but a feeble resistance to fire arms. But such is the effect of is:- norauce. In a book which professes to be a history of the revolutionary war of St. Domingo, the French are accused of having procured bloundhounds fromCuba for the pui-pose of devouring the blacks. The writer does not attempt to assert, that they were not attempted to be used for the purposes of war, but winds up the account of the business with words to the following effect : — " That on the 27th or 28th Ventose, (18th or 19th March) General Boyer, chief of the French staff, a very young man, having some cause of complaint against his cook, who robbed him of a few sous, (perhaps when he went to mai-ket,) caused him to be carried out into the court or garden behind the government THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 25 house, where he delivered liim over to the fury of the bloodhouuds. It is added also, that General Rochainbeau Avas present, that the black went and threw himself at his feet to implore his mercy and pardon, but that the General pushed him rudely from him, and the unfortu- nate wretch was devoured by the dogs!" This account, however, is, in my estimation, even more than suspi- cious. Leonard. LITHOTOMY. Mr. Editor, On the 11th of October, 1831, a brown gelding, the property of Mr. Simp- son, of Woolton, was brought to my sur- gery, on account of his labouring under great difficulty in voiduig his urine, which made its appearance only in drops, and those frequently tinged with blood. On examination, I found a stricture in the sheath, and an accumulation of calcare- ous matter ; upon which I opened the sheath, and removed the earthy parti- cles ; which, however, had not the de- sired effect ! on the contrary, I perceiv- ed that the horse was still afflicted with great pain, often stretching himself and endeavouring to stale, but without eifect. Towards the evening of the fourth day, there appeared a protrusion of the rec- tum, evidently arising from the disten- sion of the bladder. I proceeded to as- certain the cause, and found a stone in the bladder, which I could distinctly feel through the rectum. After the usual preparation of bleeding and dieting, the animal was placed on his back, and I made an incision about an inch and a half below the anus, into the neck of the bladder, sufficiently large to admit two fingers. I then introduced my right hand into the rectum, forced the stone into the wound, and removed it without difficulty with my left hand. For several days the horse ejected his urine through the incision ; when it be- gan to heal, and the passage of the urine returned to its natural channel. The horse became perfectly well in a short time. The stone weighed five drams. Joseph Bretherton, Veterinary Surgeon, Liverpool. On the Means of preventing Accidents from Fire Arms. Mr. Editor, The fowling piece must be consider- ed as a dangerous engine, unless in care- ful hands ; and even then is liable to accidents : — whatever, therefore, can be applied to render the operation of this deadly tube more secure may be justly considered as a valuable acquisition. Many inventions have been applied to the fowling piece with this view, which have attracted a transient attention, and have been laid aside. But of all the plans for this purpose which have hitherto fal- len under my notice, that of the Baron de Berenger is decidedly the best. By the Baron's contrivance, the gun may be carried cocked in the field with per- fect safety , and when placed in the house in a loaded state, may be com- pletely locked by the half turn of a small key. The safety powder flask of the Baron's invention is entitled to notice ; as well as several other highly improved appli- cations to fire arms which have eman- ated from this very ingenious and highly gifted mechanic. If these observations should meet the eye of the Baron de Berenger, he may perhaps be induced to favour us with a more particular ac- count of the inventions to which I have alluded. A Shooter. Field Sports in Guiana. Mr. Editor, Perhaps a hunt in British Guiana may amuse some of your readers, at all events it will not exhaust their patience by a prolix description :— At day-light I got into my coracle with my servant, and commenced pad- dling up a small lake in the interior — my dogs, two couple of fox-hounds and a brace of terriers of the right sort, were attended by a black whipper-in, drawing the thickets on the side of the bank. Scarcely five minutes had elapsed when Lucifer and Music preluded, and were joined in canine concert by Ringwood, Echo, Cerberus and Fancy — sweet me- lody to the ear that loves the soul-in- D 26 THE SPORTSMAN S CABINET. spiring hunt ! After nnining on a strong scent for ten minutes, tliey miliarboured a female tapir, who went away towards the lake — plunged in its black waters, cutting the mirror surface with great dexterity ; the contents of my rifle made her dive ; in a short time slie rose with- in a few yards of me bleeding at the head and making the woods resound her hideous roarhig, her eyes flashing fire, bent on my destruction. I just had time to lodge a second bullet in her skull, which causing her to dive, saved me from a somerset, if not from worse. She did not think proper to appear for some time, — she shewed herself at a little distance in shallow water ; I took my dogs in the coracle; they were quite exhausted with swimming. — We paddled with all our might, and by the time we reached the bank, the tapir was off. However, after a short chase, we ran into her, when she stood at bay, and would have wounded the dogs, had I not brought her down with a couple of shots ; on which I ended the day with a treble note on my bugle. This tapir was about the size of a small cow ; it was no easy task to quarter her, from the great thick- ness and inflexible texture of the skin ; the flesh has a very saccharine taste and resembles beef; the Indians call them mapourie : their excrement is like horse dung. Although deer, otter, paca, or agouti afford more sport, I have prefer- red sending you a tapir hunt, as it will be more outre. Should any one take a trip to the new continent, and, like myself^ carry his dogs with him, let him take more terriers than hounds : — the terrier stands the climate better, and is more adapted to the iiTegular mode of hunting, where the aid of a gun is generally necesary. For fowling a retriever is indispensi- ble, although you use a " Joe Manton." Your most obedient, H. H. British Guiana. What is the Meaning of the Term Thorough-bred Fox-hound ? 8fc, Mr. Editor, Will you allow me to inquire, through the medium of your pages, the correct meaning of the term thorough-hred fox hound ? I am very well aware, that the expression is in common use among sportsmen, but inconsiderately perhaps applied. In the old Sporting Magazine for last July, the writer, who signs Ve- nator, speaking of the hai-riers of " H. Ross, Esq. of Rossie Castle," observes, " they consist of about twenty-four cou- ples of heautiful thorough-hred dwarf fox-hounds." I am anxious to know if there be any absolute distinctive marks or appearances by which to ascertain at first sight, the " thorough-bred fox- hound." Johnson, in his Hunting Directory, thus expresses himself on the subject of hounds. " All the ramifications of the hoiuul (says he) which we at present possess sprung from one and the same source, namely, the 'I'albot or old Eng- lish blood hoimd. Admitting, therefore, that the Talbot was the source whence have sprung all our present varieties of the hound tribe, we may regard, as the first remove, that large dog used a cen- tury ago in pursuit of the stag, and which it is well known would perse- verini'ly continue the chase of the hunt- ed deer in defiance of every obstacle, and ■ and even through a herd of the same animals. It will be more difficult to ac- count for the immediate origin of the southern hound, unless indeed we sup- pose that accident produced a few Tal- bots of a smaller kind, and hence they were propagated. The same sort of reasoning may be applied to the beagle, while the fox-hound of the present day is evidently a mixture of the whole ; and as the crosses for the production of this animal have been directed by the dif- ferent opinions of a number of indivi- duals, so we may perceive the reason of that great variety in these animals which cannot have escaped the notice even of the most indifferent observer." Now, if we admit the correctness of this position, that the Talbot was the origin whence spnmg all our varieties of the hoiuid tribe, it would appear that the term " tltorough-hred dwarf fox- hounds" cannot be otherwise than very THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 27 indefinite, oi- altogether incorrect ; and since hounds can be bred of any size, form, and colour, they should take their name, I think, from the purpose for which they are employed, since no other appellation can be distinctly appropriate. Generally speaking, fox-hounds are bred larger and fleeter than harriers, and for the best possible reason, namely, because the game they pursue requires more strength and more speed : yet, hounds bred precisely in the same manner as the modern fox-hound may be just as easily (indeed much more so) trained to hare as entered to fox ; and, if hounds thus bred, be entered and used for no- thing but hare, I cannot conceive how the term " thorough-hred fox-hounds" could be correctly applicable. On the same principle, harriers may be converted into fox-hounds, since they will pursue the fox more eagerly than the hare. And as there is found differ- ence in the size and speed of fox-hounds (according to the opinion or will of the owner) so we find large and small harriers. Thus we have the light, fleet, sharp-nosed harrier, the deep-flewed harrier, and indeed every possible va- riety : therefore, instead of denominat- ing the hounds of Mr. Ross " thorough- hred dwarf fox-hounds," I should call them light fleet harriers. A few lines more on the subject of hounds. — In enumerating the consti- tuent parts of a hound, a " round cat foot" has been uniformly recommend- ed :— -his rush orrown tail O'er his broad back bends in an ample arch; On shoulders clean, upright and fii-m he stands ; His round cat foot, strait hams, and wide spread thighs, And his low di'opping chest, confess his speed. Beckford coincides with this doc- trine, and indeed I have never met with a fox hunter who does not sub- scribe to it, without the least qualifica- tion. It is completely erroneous, never- theless ; or, at least, it is utterly at vai-iance with the principles of speed, and as such ought to be cautiously avoided in abound. The toes of abound, instead of forming a sort of semi-circle, like those of a cat, should be elongated, hard, narrow, and elastic — like those of the grey hound, for instance. Has a fleet grey-hound ever been seen with a '■'round cat foot?" I think not; and surely if the elongated form of the foot above described be advisable for the grey-hound, it must be equally so for the whole of the hound tribe. The hare has a very long foot : that is, long, nar- row, hard, and elastic toes, from which she no doubt receives very considerable assistance in her progressive motion. The hare may be very justly considered as the swiftest quadruped in creation, which could not have been the case had she possessed the " round cat foot" — since all animals of the cat kind are by no means swift rimners : they can take an enormous spring or bound, more in height, however, than in length • but the impulse, in this case, is received from the hind quarters, which are so formed that these creatures place their hind legs completely under their body, and spring, as it were, all the way from the hock to the foot. The foot of a dog seems to be equi- valent to the fetlock or pastern of a horse, as far as relates to speed ; and the comparison might be variously mul- tiplied were it necessary, since all ani- mal motion is regulated upon mechani- cal principles. Investigator. 28 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. The Dongola Horse — The true Form of the Race Horse — Ameri- can Eclipse. In perusing the highly-interesting Travels of the enterprising and indefa- tigable Bruce, I found the following : — ■ " At Halfaia (says he) begins that noble race of horses justly celebrated all over the world. They are the breed that was introduced here at the Sai'acen conquest, and have been preserved unmixed to this day. They seem to be a distinct animal from the Arabian horse, such as I have seen in the plains of Arabia De- serta, south of Palmyra and Damascus, where I take the most excellent of the Arabian breed to be, in the tribes of Mowalli and Annecy, which is about lat. 36 ; whilst Dongola, and the dry country near it, seem to be the centre of excellence for this noble animal. " What figure the Nubian breed of horses would make in point of fleetness, is veiy doubtful, their make being so intirely diiferent from that of the Ara- bian ; but if beautiful and symmetrical parts, great size and strength, the most agile, nervous, and elastic movements, great endurance of fatigue, docility of temper, and seeming attachment to man beyond any other domestic animal, can promise any thing for a stallion, the Nubian is, above all comparison, the most eligible in the world. The horses of Halfaia and Gherri are rather smal- ler than those of Dongola, few of which are less than sixteen hands." Such being the case, it seems strange that the experiment of breeding from the horse of Dongola has never been made, particularly when it is considered that it is the small size only of those Ara- bian horses which have hitherto been seen in this country that renders them objectionable as stallions. From the observations of Bruce, I should consider the horse in question as the very highest class of those which come under the de- scription of Blood horses. Not that the mere hlood amounts to any thing — it is the superior texture and mechanical form of the true Arabian which ^jl^ices him at an immeasurable distance from all other varieties of his tribe. On this subject Osmcr's book con- tains the following observations : — " The hlood of all horses maybe merely ideal ; therefore, when speaking of these (blood) horses, I beg leave to change the word high-bred, and in its room substitute the word Eastern, or of Eastern extraction. For it may appear that the excellency we find in tliese horses depends totally on the due formation of their parts, and not in their blood ; and that all the jjar- ticular distinctions and fashions thereof depend also on the whim and caprice of mankind. For example, if we take a horse bred for the cart, and such a one as we call a lumter, and a horse of Eas- tern extraction, and set them together, the meanest judge can easily point out the best runner, from the texture, ele- gance, and symmetry of its parts, with- out making any appeal to blood. Allow but a diiFerence in the texture, elegance, and symmetry of parts in different horses, whose extraction is from the East coun- try, this principle will be cleai'ly proved, and the word High-bred of no use but to puzzle and lead us astray. Thus every man's daily observation should teach him, if he be not lost in this imaginary error of particular hlood, that, generally speaking, such horses as have the finest texture, greatest elegance of shape, and truest proportion, are the best racers, let their blood be what kind it will — always supposing it to be East- ern. It has been said that the get of the Godolphin Arabian had better wind than other horses, and that this perfec- tion of the wind was in the hlood. But, when we consider any horse, thus me- chanically formed, whose levers acquire more purchase, and whose powers are stronger, than those of his adversaries, such a horse will be enabled, by this su- periority of mechanism, to act with greater facility ; and therefore it is no wonder that the organs of respiration should be less fatigued." Hence, in breeding, the form rather than the hlood of the horse and mare should constitute the leading object of consideration. " If this mechanical power were considered as it ought to be, it would excite a proper emulation among breeders ; and, when the excellence in the breed of horses Q Z & O a I a o o C4 O z u Q O ai Q h" O P3 < w K THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 29 was found to be the effect of judgment and not of chance, there would be more merit, as well as more pleasure, in hav- ing bred a superior horse or horses. Add to this, mankind by applying their attention to this mechanism of animals, would improve their judgment in the laws of nature ; and it would not only produce a much better breed of racers than any we have yet seen, but the good of it would extend to all sorts of horses throughout the kingdom, of what kind soever, in a few generations." Of all the examples of speed which could be produced, there is none equal to that of the hare, and consequently none so striking ; and this power, which the animal possesses in so superior a degree, she derives, not from her blood, but from supei'ior conformation. The blade bone of no animal runs away with so much declivity into her back, as that of the hare. The great length from the elbow to the knee, and the short space between it and the next joint — this union gives her an amazmg length of arm, and enables her to extend her fore parts. At the same time, the quarters of a hare, are long beyond comparison, her thighs are let down ; while the lower part of her hind legs are placed under her ; and, to answer, as it were, the pur- pose of a long pastern, her toes are very long and very elastic. Somewhat simi- lar remai'ks might be applied to the greyhound, though not to the same ex- tent ; and this formation, in a certain degree, is applicable to the racer. That we possess the best running horses in the world is beyond all ques- tion ; yet that circumstance ought not to prevent us from studying the system of breeding upon more philosophical princijjles, and thus endeavouring to im- prove it. The Americans are luicom ■ monly attached to. the Turf, and spare no pains in their endeavours to procure and produce good horses ; and that they have made very considerable pro- gress the performances of many of their horses very clearly shew. D. The Talbot or JBlood-hound. — (Plate.) Nothing can be more ridiculous than the absurd notions which have been pro- pagated respecting the dog passing under the denomination of blood-hound ; and, even most of those who have published their thoughts on the subject, have en- tertained the crudest and most ill-defin- ed ideas on the subject, as their remarks so evidently shew. The dog passing under this name, was called in Scotland the sleuth hound, and in England the talbot ; and he was, in all probability, introduced into these islands by William the Conquei'or. At all events, the dog under consideration was evidently the original stock whence have sprung all those ramifications, which, under the name southern hounds, northern hounds, fox hounds, stag hounds, beagles, &c. are to be met with in various parts of Great Britain. — The genuine old talbot or blood hound, is about two feet four, or two feet five, inches high, of substantial, strong, com- pact, and muscular form ; the face wide, and the head altogether large ; nostrils, wide and expansive ; ears, very large. long, soft, and pendulous ; the counten- ance solemn and majestic ; the tail tolerably- long, with an erective curve, particularly when in pursuit ; with a voice loud, deep, and sonorous beyond comparison. Jf we are to believe what has been written on this highly interesting sub- ject, one distinguishing trait of purity in the breed consisted in the colour, which was a reddish tan, gradually dark- ening to the upper part, with a mix- ture of black upon the back, becoming some shades lighter in reaching the lower parts and extremities : some few, it is said, had a little white in the face, but this was by no means common with the majority of the breed. From spe- cimens which have fallen under our ob- servation, we have reason to believe, that though in the talbot or blood hound a variety of colours might be found, as in the deep-flewed southern hounds of the present day, yet that the prevailing colour was the dark or black just men- tioned, with, in all probability, the tan- ned marks over the eyes, so often seen 30 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. in modern hounds, as well as in Binooth- liaired black terriers. The great and distinguishing pecu- liax'ity of the blood hound ortalbot, was his infallibility in tracing to its final resort, any animal that had strayed away, or had been stolen, and also in tracing the thief himself. We are told, that the old method of teaching or train- ing the blood hound was, in the first place, to encourage him to follow, or rather, trace, a wounded deer, in com- pany with an old staunch hound ; and at the termination of the chase he was regaled with some of the venison, as a reward for his laboui-, and an excitement to future service. When perfect in these introductory lessons, the shoes of a man (possessing great speed, sti-ength, and perseverance,) were rubbed with the blood of a deer ; he then, taking a remote circuit of a mile or two, occa- sionally renewing the blood to the shoes, as the effluvium (scent) became less ef- fectual or more obliterated. — 1 hese in- culcations were continued, and the cir- cuit more enlarged, lengthened, and ex- tended, till, having afforded satisfactory proof, his last experimental lessons were to hunt the dry foot of a man upon whom he had been instructively laid ; and by these means the dog was render- ed capable of following that pursuit for which he was ultimately intended. This, however, was rather a round about me- thod of teaching the dog his business. To be more explicit — if perfection be desirable in hunting, or the desideratum at which we aim, a hound intended for any particular chase, should be first stooped at, and encouraged to hunt, that same scent, and that alone ; and by this means he will acquire a proficiency which is not otherwise attainable. It is more than probable, that the name of blood hound was given to the dog under consideration from the circumstance of receiving his preliminary lessons with the blood of deer, or from his ulterior em- ployment of pursuing thieves. But, if we consider the subject philosophically, we shall easily perceive that the word blood has no particular application in this case, more than the hunting of any other kind of hound or dog. Blood may be justly considered as the basis or fountain of scent ; as the latter is nei- ther more nor less thau mJ.nute particles of the former, which, in the process of nature, or animal economy, are expres- sed or driven from the body, and be- come colourless in the operation. There- fore, as all dogs which pursue the chase by means of smell, are guided by the scent, so all may, consequent!}', by the same rule, be denominated blood hounds However, the talbot evinced a sagacity, in this respect, so superior to any other kind of dog, that accounts which pai*- take of the marvellous have been fre- quently reported of hira : the fact is, the talbot was gifted with superior olfactory organs, or powei's of smell ; and the ig- norant, therefore, were willing to give him credit for supernatui'al cunning ; or, in other words, worked what they could not comprehend into a sort of semi- miracle ; though, in these more enlight- ened days, the cause is known, and therefoie wonder in a great measure ceases. The talbot, as already observed, has a very large head ; perhaps, by compa- rison, larger than that of any other kind of dog ; and as, on this account, he is more abundantly supplied with olfactory organs, he, of covu'se, possesses a better nose, or more exquisite smell, and is thus enabled to carry on a scent where an animal with inferior powers would not be able to touch it. It is a very well known fact, that the sense of smell varies very much in dogs ; or, to speak as a sportsman, some of them possess better noses than others. In dogs with broad heads, the os cetJimoides, or sieve bone, is much lai-ger than in narrow headed dogs ; the lamincc cribose, or the sieve itself, is therefore, more capacious, and contains more openings ; so that the olfactory nerves which pass through it are divided more minutely, and thus that exquisite acuteness of smell is pro- duced, which must always be found to obtain in dogs with large broad heads ; and hence we may easily perceive why the talbot, in this respect, stood pre-em- inently conspicuous : this excellence or superiority of the olfactory organs is further assisted by the largeness and flexibility of the lips and skin about the nose, which thus admit of much greater extension of the olfactory nerves, and render them more susceptible of exter- nal impressions. The olfactory nerves resemble a biuich of small white cords, THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 31 one end of which is connected Avith the brain, while the other, descending the head, spreads into numerous ramifica- tions, reaching to the edges of the lips, as well as to the extremity of the nose. Hence the inferiority of the grey- hound's sense of smell will be easily per- ceived : his head is narrow, while his lips are thin and compressed; and, in consequence of this inflexibility, and the contracted structiu'e of the head, that breadth and extension of nerve are in- admissible ; and, to make up, as it might seem, for this defect, nature has endow- ed him with a celerity which is not to be met with in any other species of the dog. All dogs, therefoi-e, with broad heads, must possess superior organs of smell ; but, it does not appear that a narrow or sharp nose presents any obstacle, as the main bulk of the olfactory organs is situated in the head ; but yet it would appear evident, that a very long nose, like that of the greyhound, nuist always be detrimental, since the impression of scent, externally caught, must have fui'- ther to travel to the brain. The wolf and the fox have both sharp noses, but their heads are remarkably broad and capacious : their olfactory organs are unquestionably of the first order. Ex- perience, in fact, fully verifies these conjectures. The dogs most remarkable for exquisite sense of smell, are equally distinguished for broad heads ; and the gradations are easily to be traced : — the talbot, the original of all our modern hounds, exhibits the outward character- istics of superior olfactoiy nerves, in a very obvious and striking manner : by crossing the talbot with something of the greyhound breed, the stag hound was produced : the speed of the talbot was thus increased ; but, as the head became more compressed, the sense of smell suffered accordingly. The fox hound is a still farther remove, and his olfactory organs are inferior to the stag hound ; and, the reason, in fact, why well bred stag hounds distinguish the blown or hunted deer from the herd, is entirely owing to their proximity to the talbot ; while the fox hound, by being further removed, is unable to distinguish the hunted or blown fox, when another happens to come in his way during the chase. Admitting, therefore, that the talbot is superior to any dog on the score of scent, we shall find that he is equally remarkable for the depth and power of his voice ; while his ears are also con- spicuously large : it would seem to re- sult, therefore, that in proportion to the size of the head, the quality of the nose may be, in a great degree ascertained ; and, it will be found also, that those dogs which are remarkable far the acute- ness of their olfactory organs, have large ears and deep powerful voices. Of the truth of these observations, a very little consideration must convince every sports- man : he will easily perceive a vast variety in the hound tribe, and he will perceive also, that in proportion as these varieties are removed from the talbot, will be the goodness of the nose, the size of the head and ears, and the depth of the voice. The talbot was, perhaps, the noblest variety of the dog tribe : while he pos- sessed that exquisite sense of smell that enabled him to pursue a thief through all possible mazes, he had also, at the same time, courage and strength suffi- cient to seize and hold him till other assistance came up. While the then barbarous, inveterate, and unrelenting clans of the north, vmder petty chiefs, were perpetually engaged in civil broils, the vanquished, who fled from the san- guinary conflict, were often hunted from cave to cave by a dog of this description, and slaughtered in cold blood. Deer stealing, not much more than a century ago, was so common, that foresters and keepers were under the necessity of keeping up an eternal watching and noc- turnal warfare ; the hounds vmder con- sideration were constantly trained to the practice, and so closely adhered to the scent the}' were once well laid on, that, even after a long and tedious pursuit, detection was considered certain and in- evitable. An offending criminal was formerly considered as not only posi- tively taken, but half convicted, the very moment a blood hound was laid on his track. The plate of the talbot which appears in this number is the first of a series in- tended for representing the prominent varieties of the hound tribe, followed by the ramifications of the pointer, &c. 32 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. The Fox in Ms Kennel. (Plate.) Although the fox makes a hole or burrow in the earth, which must fre- quently cost him much labour, it is in- tended as a place of refuge or safety, rather than as a favourite situation for repose. This animal, after satisfying his hunger during the night, will, if un- disturbed, retire to the neighbourhood of his earth, and, choosing a dry situa- tion (with a southern aspect if possible) coil himself (as represented in the plate) and thus continue till the calls of appe- tite, on the following evening, lead him forth in quest of prey, which he surprises beneath the shades of night. When alarmed, either by the ap- proach of hounds or otherwise, he quits his kennel, and seeks for safety in his subterraneous retreat. The earths of foxes (at least when made by themselves) are found in light or sandy soils : they cannot form them in clay lands, on account of the clay ad- liering to their feet, and thus preventing their scratching. The female generally brings forth her young either in an earth, dry sough, or other similar situation, at the mouth of which, on the approach of evening, the cubs may be seen to perform various gambols. The plate will be instantly recog- nised as an accurate representation of the fox in his kennel, and constitutes the first of a series relative to the iiiter- esting animal in question. THE PROSPECTUS. Mr. Editor, There needs no apology for addressing you on the present occa- sion, since you have, by the publication of your Prospectus,* thrown down the gaimtlet, as it were, to those who have hitherto figured as periodical writers for the sporting world : I therefore call upon your candour and impartiality for the insertion of the following remarks : — In * The Prospectus may perhaps be your publisher's ; but no matter ; as you have lent your name to it, you must be an- swerable for its contents. your Prospectus, you observe, " It is a fact well known to Sportsmen, that all those periodicals, which have hitherto appeared on the subject of Field Sports, have, with but little exception, betrayed the most egregious ignorance of the sub- jects which they professed to render more interesting by instructive elucida- tion. The truth is, genuine practical sportsmen seldom feel disposed for lite- rary labour; while professed literary men rarely, if ever, pursue the Sports of the Field : in consequence, the conduct and editorship of Sporting Periodicals have uniformly fallen into the hands of writers whohavenever followed (perhaps never seen) a pack of hounds, who have never observed a grouse or a partridge on the wing, and whose presumed theo- retical knowledge enabled them merely to excite the derision of the genuine sportsman, and to manifest their own incapacity." This is severe language, the truth of which, however, cannot be denied ; and I wish the above extract therefore (as well as one or two more) to appear in the first number of your work, as a me- mento of your professions, and to rise in judgment against you, should you fail in the promises thus indirectly, but strongly, held forth. Again you say : — " Recurring to Sporting Periodicals: — These are uni- formly distinguished, not for elegance of diction, sound reason, or philosophy ; but for false taste, an affectation of semi- slang, and interested motives, which cannot fail to excite disgust in cultivat- ed minds : while the embellishments, although sometimes well engraved, are (with very little exception) miserably deficient in a characteristic point of view, arising from the source already noticed, namely, ignorance in the conductors of the work. " The object of the present under- taking therefore is, to give it a charac- teristic and philosophical originality, in every department; and by placing it under the conduct and superintendence of a thorough practical Sportsman (as- sisted by numerous and able contri- butors) to avoid that display of igno- rance and cupidity, which has so indeli- bly marked the character of previous publications, and excited the contempt Q N ^ ^ s r fi -y THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 33 of the sportsman ; at the same time, to afford instruction and amusement, by conveying infonnation in a philosoplii- cal, correct, and characteristic manner, upon all those subjects which we have previously enumerated." 1 fully agree with you in all this — nay, more, I am of opinion, that the very existence of the periodicals to which you allude, is owing to the thoughtless patronage of the sporting world ! — And while I make this assertion, I blush to acknowledge, that, for the last thirty years, I have been a constant reader of the "Sjmrtinr/ Magaziue," of the "Annals of Sporting," in due course ; and lastly, of the "New Sporting Magazine:" the whole of which have been imiformly under the conduct of persons utterly un- acquainted with the practical department of Field Sports. It is true, occasionally an article has appeared which manifested the requisite knowledge of the subject ; but this has not often happened ; and, the " Annals of Sporting" being defunct, the monthly issues of the two existing publications still continue incontestible demonstrations of the truth and justice of these observations. Public writers are legitimate subjects of remark ; and I shall therefore pro- ceed without hesitation to scrutinize the qualifications of several of those who have been the most unblushingly active in professing to give instruction upon subjects which they did not understand ! Mr. John Lawrence very naturally and very reasonably first presents himself for my purpose : he is pre-eminently en- titled to priority of notice, not merely as the oldest veteran in this species of spon- taneous ignorance, but as the busiest, the most bulky, and the most multifa- rious ; who has, like another Proteus, presented himself under various forms, and whose ultimate vanity induced him to reveal the secret of his own identity, lest his conceited mortality should des- cend to the grave without enjoying the luxurious self-gratulation of being re- cognised as the author of so many, of such ponderous, and such varied excogi- tations ! — With his friend. Sir Charles Bunbury, always in his mouth, many of Mr. John Lawrence's remarks (some of them flippant and foolish enough) on the horse might pass unnoticed ; but when this busy, bustling writer professes to give instructions upon Field Sports, his ignorance becomes manifest even to the extreme of contempt ! Mr. John Law- rence never rode a run in the whole course of his life — and yet what egotisti- cal dissertations has he not put forth on the subject of hunting ! — On shoothig he professes to be Sir Oracle ; and yet never killed a brace of partridges — he never visited the moors — nor could he, I believe, distinguish a grouse from a partridge, were they on the wing toge- ther ! For many years, Mr. John Lawi-ence might be regarded as the giant of the Sporting Magazine, when Mr. Apperley, under the signature of Nimrod, rose like a comet in the hemisphere of field sports, but shone more brilliantly at the dining table than in the field. Nimrod is a pleasant writer, but by no means a mighty hunter : to the education and manners of a gentleman, he does not add a knowledge of the chase — a run must be over a very favourable country indeed for Nimrod to witness it. Of a horse, he is able to form a good opinion ; of a hound he knows very little. He affected to despise the description of a run with a fox ; — in which he certainly shewed his sagacity : he rarely witnessed any thing of the kind : even at an early period of life, when the young blood beats high, Ninn'od, to use the language of an old weatherbeaten huntsman, was " no scratch over a country ." His wri- tings are light and conversational, but his style is often slovenly. As if aware of his own incapacity to write on the subject of practical fox hunting, he very dexterously avoided it by getting his '■'■feet under the mahogany" as soon as possible, where he felt more at home than in crossing a country. This gen- tleman appeared very well at the cover side ; but I am not aware that he was ever seen to keep a good place with the hounds. When Nimrod left the Sporting Ma- gazine, Nim South was appointed his successor ; or, at least, so he himself as- serted ; but this was denied by the con- ductors of that publication. However, be this as it may, a gentleman, under the signature of Nim South, fancied him self the successor of the self-denominated E 34 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. mighty hunter ; and he endeavoured, though unsuccessfully, to copy him : yet the attempt at imitation is evident in " tlie bookman," as well as in other not- to-be-mistaken manifestations. I make no doubt that this gentleman is very zeal- ous in his new calling of proprietor and editor of the New Sporting Magazine ; but if an opinion is to be formed from his writings, his knowledge of field sports is compressed into a very nari-ow space ■ — is very limited indeed ! There are many other stars, which have appeared in the constellation of field sports, that might be added to the luminaries already mentioned, as striking examples of your position, (that the con- duct of sporting periodicals has hitherto fallen into the hands of men utterly ig- norant of the subject ;) but I shall foi'- bear, at this time, to notice them indivi- dually, though I shall not fail to return to this immediate subject, as well to others connected with it. In the mean time, I give you credit for your prospec- tive professions, which I hope to see realized ; thus providing the lovers of the chase with a genuine mental gratifi- cation which the press of this country has never yet afforded them. — Let genu- ine sportsmen be no longer so egre- giously duped I A Sportsman. EMIGRATION OF BIRDS. To the Editor of the Cabinet. Sir, Amongst the dispensations of of an inscrutable providence, the migra- tions of birds is not the least v/onderful, and must be interesting to the sportsman, as well as to the ^philosopher. While we ai-e perfectly aware of the facts, we are at a loss to account for the manner in which an animal apparently incapable of a journey even of an ordinary length, continues to make its way over an amaz- ing extent of unfathomable ocean. Per- haps the most extraordinary part of this mysterious circumstance is, that while those birds, whose superior powers of wing seem in some degree calculated for these extraordinaiy flights, are not un- frequently observed in their passage, there are others, that appear altogether incapable of flying five miles, which ne- vertheless make their way over an ex- tent of ocean, perliaps of 500 miles ! That sea fowl, adapted either for fly- ing or swimming, and whose food is al- ways near, should take long journies, seems reasonable enough, from their evident powers to accomplish such un- dertakings ; further, it is not altogether so v/onderful that swallows should be able to reach distant countries, because they not only fly with amazing speed, but are able to continue a great length of time on the wing ; but the case is very different with a variety of other migratory birds, which are ill-calculated for long flights, whicli are never seen on the journey, but which, however, reach their places of destination. The swallow tribe visits us in spring, and, with their progeny, quit the coun- try on the approach of winter, when their food is no longer to be found. That they traverse the ocean is an incon- testible fact, as many navigators have been eye witnesses of their flights, and whose ships have sometimes afforded them resting places on their toilsome journey. Yet, there are not wanting writers, who assert that swallows do not quit this country ; but that they lie con- cealed, and in a torpid state, dm"ing win- ter, under water ; that the martins hide themselves during the same period in crevices of rocks, and other lurking places above ground ; that the sand mar- tins remain in the holes in which they formed th eir nests ; and that the swifts con- tinue all winter in their holes in church- es and buildings. It is very probable that some of the later hatches, not able to vmdertake the long journey, may have been found in crevices and holes rather later than the general migration, but that they must shortly perish is beyond a doubt : while nothing can be more ri- diculous than to suppose the chimney swallow buries itself beneath the flood, where it continues for six or seven months ! Such opinions, ushered into the world through the medium of the press, induced the late celebrated Mr. John Hunter to examine the subject anatomically ; and on dissecting several THE SPORTSMx\N'S CABINET. 35 swallows, he observed in them nothing ditlering from other birds in the organs of respiration ; and concluded, without the leas^; hesitation, that nothing could be more absurd than to suppose they could remain for a long time under water. However, from the very formation and habits of the swallow tribe, it re- quires little or no stretch of credulity to believe them capable of crossing the sea from one country to another. The wood- cock also, it must be admitted, crosses the ocean : this bird certainly does not appear so admirably calculated for a long flight as the swallow, yet it possesses a considerable extent of wing ; and though apparently so sluggish when flushed by the sportsman, little doubt can be enter- tained that it is sufiicieutly active and sti'ong in flight to ti'ansport itself to veiy considerable distances. The woodcock does not see well in the broad glare of daylight, and at this period reluctantly takes wing ; but eveiy sportsman must be very well aware how much more ac- tive this bird rises in the dusk of the evening. They cross the sea in the night, as the circumstance of their fre- quently striking against lighthouses suf- flciently testifies; and in stormy weather, it is very well known, numbers of them perish in the adventurous journey. The quail is also a bird of passage, though it is not easy to imagine how a bird so ill-calculated for extensive loco- motion is able to effect those long jour- nies which appear indispensable to its habits. Quails are not general in this coimtry ; but they visit some parts of it in the month of April, and leave it in September ; and are supposed to winter in Africa. These birds, like the wood- cock, prefer travelling in the night, and arrive at Alexandria in inmicnse num- bers : such prodigious quantities have also appeared on the western coast of the kingdom of Naples, that a hundred thousand have been caught in one day. In some parts of the south of Russia, they aboimd so greatly at the time of their migration, that they are caught by thousands and sent in casks to Moscow and St. Petersburgh. We are told, that quails assemble at the approach of au- tumn, to cross the Black Sea over to tlie southern coast : the order of this emi- gration is invariable : towards the end of August, the quails, in a body, choose one of those fine days, when the wind, blowing from the north at sunset, pro- mises them a fine night. They take their departure about seven in the even- ing, and finish a journey of fifty leagues by break of day — a wonderful distance for a short winged bird, which is gene- rally fat too, and sluggish of flight! Pliny says, quails ballast themselves in their sea voyages by carrying stones in their feet, or sand in their craw I If such an absurdity were swallowed by the ancient Romans, few will be found weak enough to believe it at the present day. Now, we may certainly very readily admit the migration to other countries of the swallow, the woodcock, and the quail, from the incontestible authority which has been already recited ; while the passage of various other birds, pos- sessed of great power of wing, is equally placed beyond a doubt ; but, how are we to account for the very extensive ex- cursions of those birds, which appear by no means calculated for such undertak- ings, but whose invariable periodical visits, nevertheless, confirm the fact, though perhaps the means or the mode by which it is accomplished will remain for ever perhaps buried beneath impene- trable obscuiity : for instance, how are we to suppose the corn crake, which flies with the utmost difficulty even for a few hundred yards, is able to cross an extent of ocean, which, upon the lowest esti- mate, must be one hundred times farther than the utmost eflTorts of its wing can carry it in this country ? Scarcity of food, and the want of a convenient situation for the breeding and rearing their young, are the predo- minant causes of the migration of birds. The periods for these excursions are ob- served with the most astonishing order and punctuality ; which has been illus- trated as well as immortalized by Pope, in the following beautiful lines : — Who taught the nations of the field and flood To shun their poison and to choose their food ? 36 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. Prescient, the tides or tempests to withstand, Build on the wave, or arch beneath the sand ? Who bid the stork, Cohimbus-like, explore Heav'ns not his own, and worlds unknown before? Who calls the council, states the certain day, Who forms the phalanx, and who points the way ? See then the acting and comparing powers — One in their nature, which are two in ours ; And reason raise o'er mstinct as you can, In tills 'tis God directs, in that 'tis man. The secrecy of the departure of birds, as well as the suddenness of their re-ap- pearance, have involved the subject of migration in great obscurity. Accus- tomed to measure distances by the speed of those animals with which we are well acquainted, we are apt to overlook the superior velocity with which birds are carried forward in the air, and the ease with which the generality of them conti- nue their exertions for a much longer time than the strongest quadrupeds are able to effect. Suppose a bird to fly half a mile a minute* for twenty-four hours, in that space of time, it will have gone over an extent of seven hundred miles, which is sufficient to account for almost the longest migration ; and, if aided with favourable cun-ents of air, which, when in their highest flights, from the appearance of the atmosphere, the clouds, direction of the winds, and other causes, they can apply by that in- stinctive knowledge which regulates their movements, the journey may be still more speedily performed. Hence I can very easily conceive it possible for strong winged birds, like swallows, to reach vast distances across the ocean, as well as many others (the cuckoo for in- stance) whose powers of flight are very great, and yet inferior to those of the swallow. But, in regard to the corn crake, the case is different ; and the only way in which I can think it jiossible for these birds to cross the sea, is by sup- * And birds in general fly much faster. Tlie flight of a crow is at least equal to half a mile a minute, or perhaps much more, what theri must be the speed of that variety of the swallow, distin- guished by the name of the swift, which I consider as possessing greater speed than any other animal in the known world ! posing that instinct directs them to the straits and narrowest parts, which, with the advantage of a strong current of air, they may be able to cross. The structure of birds is most wisely and curiously contrived to assist their aerial motion ; in every part of their form they are active and buoyant, moulded for lightness, and shaped for celerity. The bones, according to the observations of the late celebrated ana- tomist,* are hollow and contain air, which he imagined might be intended to assist the animal in the act of flying, by increasing its bulk and strength, without adding to its weight. The in- ternal structure of birds is no less wisely adapted. The lungs are placed close to the backbone and i-ibs ; the air, entering into them by a canal from the windpipe, passes through, and is conveyed into a number of membranous cells which lie upon the sides of the pericardiimi, and communicate with those of the sternum. In some birds, these cells are continued down the wings, and extend even to the pinions, thigh bones, and other parts of the body, which can be filled and dis- tended with air at the pleasure of the animal. It seems to be evident that this general difliision of air through the bodies of birds is of infinite use in assist- ing respiration in the rapidity of their flights. Were it jjossible for a man to move with the swiftness of a swallow, the actual I'csistance of the air, as he is not provided with internal reservoirs si- milar to those of birds, would soon suf- focate him. The plumage of the bird is admirably adapted to protect it from the inclemency of the atmosphere through which it passes. The quills of its feathers are firm, yet very light ; and by the firmness » Mr. John Hunter. THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 37 of them it is enabled to cleave the air taining a quantity of unctuous matter with proper force ; while, by their light- which can be pressed out with its bill ness, it elevates itself at pleasure. The and with which it lubricates and anoints feathers are placed generally according its feathers at pleasure. However, as to their length and strength ; so that in birds that share, as it were, the habita- flight the longest and strongest feathers tions of man, and live under cover, as have the greatest share of duty. Never- they require a more slender supply of theless, the feathers of the bird would this fluid, they are not provided with so perpetually imbibe the moisture of the large a stock as those that rove and reside atmosphere, and in every impetuous in the open elements. On this account, shower would absorb so much wet, as therefore, domestic poultry are soon af- almost, if not wholly, to impede its flight, fected by wet, a circumstance too well had not the wise economy of nature ob- known to need further illustration in viated this by a most effectual expedi- this place. ent. The animal is furnished with a B. D. gland at the extremity of its body, con- ANAMNE, THE HUNTRESSj OR, THE WREATH OF FRIENDSHIP. A Poem, in Speiiserian Stanzas. For Friendship's wreath bring flowers of every shade : — Blue hyacinths that emulate the sky. And gold chrysanthemums that never fade, And amaranths that, though they bleeding lie. Retain, unstained, their brightness as they die. And silver lilies, proud because they're pure, And the arm'd rose, that rudeness doth defj^. And anemonies, whose coy leaves immure Their beauties from the breeze till of its fervour sure. Such wreath of Friendship, of celestial growth, A lovely nymph, in Arcady of yore. Suspended o'er her grot, and breathed an oath, (Such innocent oath as virgins breathe before Altars of verdure, when their lips implore The sylvan goddess to give ear, and vow Their love shall be sweet friendship and no more) Such innocent oath the deities allow ; Yet oft', with tearful smile, behold such votaries' bow. Anamne was she call'd : her eyes were bright x\s are the stars that o'er the waves, at eve. Appear to kindle in that softening light : Her lofty brow was ample to receive Locks of pale gold, which she would interweave With saffron asphodel of deepest hue ; And, if beneath her vest would sometimes heave Her bosom, 'twas with joy, when came in view, Proud, bounding from his hills, the stag she would pursue. 38 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. When in full chase her light form met the wind, Close to her limbs her jealous vesture clung, Yet imaged forth the beauties it confined : And, as across the bubbling brook she sprung, Loose to the breeze her flowing tresses flung Their treasures : swiftly flew her sandall'd feet ; The feathered quiver on her shoulders rung ; Beneath the clasp her panting bosom beat : She wing'd th' unerring dart, and smiled — how proudly sweet ! 'Twas an autumnal morn : the cloudless sky Shewed its pure azure through the scanty wood ; The leaves, embrowned, were on the winds borne liigh. And down the mountains rolled the swollen flood. Anamne, with redoubl'd joy, pursued The animating chase, and, without fear, The deepen 'd flood pour through the vales she viewed : — Across the deepen'd flood leap'd the fleet deer — Across the deepen'd flood, Anamne hurl'd her spear, Then plunged into the waters. The strong stream, With gurgling undulation, clasps its prize ; The sparkling spray shoots forth a brighter gleam. As from th' embracing eddy dash'd, it flies Against her lips and glowing cheeks and eyes : But, as th' embracing eddy round her flows. She shakes her amber locks, and boldly vies With the full current, and her fair arms throws. Repelling wide the waves that would around her close. And frequent, on the farthest bank intent, She darts a glance the wounded deer to trace, But shelving rocks the farthest bank indent. And gushing rills dash down their sides apace. Encircling with expanding foam each base : Yet, still the maiden stemmed with ardent breast The surging waters ; but, alas ! the space From the wish'd shore decreas'd not, and her vest, Now heavy with the flood, her floating limbs oppress'd. Yet still she stemm'd the stream, though paler now Flushed her bright cheek, and glances of alarm Cast she around ; and, pendant o'er her brow Droop'd her fair locks ; and, fainter either arm Strove 'gainst the surges ; and, with hope less warm, Her heart throbbed tremulous ; still the stream she stemm'd. And oft her eyes shone with relumined charm Of proud rebuke, that scornfully condemn'd The rude waves rising round that her fair form inhemm'd. As when a swan some rapid stream ascends. Her nest amid the oziers to I'egain, Ruffling her plumes, her snowy neck she bends, And breasts th' opposing cun'ent with disdain ; So strove the maid the far bank to attain, So o'er the waters oft' she rose with pride ; And so her unclaspt bosom heaved again. THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 39 As 'gainst her unclaspt bosom heaved the tide, While wider gushed the streams and sweli'd on every side. But vain her efforts : as o'er some clear pool A water-lily, long its silvery head Hath rear'd, and breathed its fragrance soft and cool, Towards the green banks, with broad round leaves outspread In rich luxuriance wide (a cradled bed Rock'd by the rippling waters and light wind) Till the swoll'n lake by confluent torrents fed. Bursts through the willows round, and, unconfined, Bears far the shatter'd flower, with weeds and reeds entwined. Anamne thus, exhausted, pale, subdued, Among uprooted pines, down the strong tide Was borne along : the whelming tide was strew 'd With plunder of the upland forest, wide ; And the rent oak boughs thicken'd round her side. As she her faint arms hopelessly extended Across them for the aid they not denied : Her bright locks with the leafless branches blended, As droop'd her gentle form, and down the stream descended. Her eyes, with fearful wildness, darted beams Like stars mid broken clouds ; her arms, outspread, White as the snow-drifts borne down wintry streams ; And where the buoyant branches rais'd her head. Her golden tresses on the waters shed A luminous track, which, as her yielding vest Lay open, floating on that wat'ry bed, Gave softer lustre to her throbbing breast. That heaved, convuls'd, and told how much she was distress'd. It chanced a shepherd o'er a shelving rock That rose, with jutting crags, on the far shore. Had sought a lamb, the choicest of his flock, And in his arms the truant wandei-er bore 'Cross the green ridges that projected o'er The waters, when he saw the lovely brow Of fair Anamn^, like the burnish ore Of silver, that through dark sands sheds a glow, And lightens up the streams, that, heavy, 'gainst it flow. 'Twas not with thought but impulse, the young swain Threw to the ewe, that bleated in the dell, The trembling lamb, and dash'd himself amain Into the torrent, where, with angry swell, The broken foam rose, and the waters fell Down from a high rock : but, with ready aid. And firm arms, did the youth the flood repel. And as his right enclaspt the sinking maid. And held her o'er the waves, his left the torrent sway'd. And soon he gain'd the bank, where verdant reeds On the dank margin of a deep dell grew. And bore his beautiful burden to the meads ; When, lo ! beside a bruised lamb, a sad ewe. 40 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. With bleatings loud, complain'd, and scem'd to sue ' For help. The shepherd started and perceived The panting victim he so lately threw From off the crag : he started, stopped, and grieved ; And at his start and stop, Anamnes bosom heaved. And life, rekindling blushes on her brow. Relumed her eyes, as she their lids upi-ais'd — Their fringed lids — and, with increasing glow, On the young shepherd, her preserver, gazed. Till pride shot through her glance ; but quick abased, She droop'd her head, and trembl'd on his arm ; And while that youthful shepherd stood amazed. Again, suffused with modesties that charm. Proudly she rose and spake, yet not without alarm. — "Thanks, my preserver, who my life hast saved — " Yet saved it not without a sacrifice ! " Farewell !" — With that, her ti-embling hand she waved, And flew, as o'er the open moorland flies The hind, when she the sparkling dart espies. And fears the wing'd shaft whistling through the air, And on her rapid flight alone relies T'escape vmwounded : thus, the huntress fair Flew, scattering showers of dew from forth her golden hair. And soon that wreath, to sacred friendship vow'd, Sought she again, and o'er its hallow 'd flowers Her eyes, that sometimes shone through tears, she bow'd. And in their fragrance pour'd those heart-felt showei-s, While from their fragrance she renew'd her powers : And soon again, recovering her free pride, She pass'd in woods her morn and evening hours, Her bow in hand, her quiver at her side ; But near a swollen flood, she smote her heart and sigh'd. Thomas Noble, THE TALKING ROCK. Wicco-Quoi-Creek, 19th Nov. 1831, About six miles beyond that, we words for one, and after all be sure to passed over JVicco-Quoi-Crcek, named have the last. It speaks not only the so from the multitude of rocks over language of men, but also of birds and which the water tumbles in a fresh, with beasts, and often a single wild goose a bellowing noise. Not far from where is cheated into the belief that some we went over, is a rock much higher of his company are not far off, by than the rest, that strikes the eye with hearing his own cry multiplied, and agreeable hoiTor, and near it a very 'tis pleasant to see in what a flutter the talkative echo, that like a fluent help- poor bird is when he finds himself dis- mate, will return her good man seven appointed. — Amer. Turf Register. HORSEMANSHIP; OR, Practical Instructions and Illustrations of the Science of Riding to Hounds, on the Course, the Road, and the ordinary Business of Life : in which the Essential Difference between True and Natural Equitation and the Manege System is rendered manifest, and the gross absurdity of the latter, as applicable to any useful purpose, clearly shewn. Also, a Complete System of Grooming and Stable Manage- ment. The True Form of the Horse described; with a Systematic Elucidation of the Principles of Speed, Strength, Sfc. The Method of Breaking Horses. Interspersed with Notices of various Packs of Hounds and Iluntijig Establishments. The Whole forming complete Instructions, not only upon the Science and Practice of Riding, but upoti whatever relates to the Horse. INTRODUCTION. Before I enter upon the regular or systematic detail of the present work, a few Introductory Observations appear indispens- ably necessary. In the first place, it may be remarked, that various publications on Horsemanship have, at different periods, been ushered into the world, which, whatever might be their merit, as regards ihe manege, or in a military point of view, are by no means calculated for those who wish to acquire a knowledge of the principles and practice of Riding adapted to the general occurrences of life, for Riding on the Road, Riding to Hounds, &c. subjects which will form the prominent features of this volume. However, with a view to make the work as complete as possible, I shall not only describe the mode by which a person may become a proficient as regards the Road, Hounds, &c. but also detail the System of the Manege, the Military System, and Riding on the Course or R,ace-Riding. That the English are the best Horsemen in the world, cannot, I think, be doubted ; particularly as far as relates to Hounds, and the Course. At the same time, it may be justly observed, that F 43 INTRODUCTION. Arabs and Turks ride well in their own way, though they would make but a poor figure after a pack of English fox-hounds, or on the English race-course. The Cossacs may be said to ride well, but would be equally at a loss in the cases just mentioned. Among the continental cavalry, will be found good horsemen, particularly the Hungarian Hussars ; but what has been said of the Arabs and Turks is equally applicable in this case. Further, I have noticed many instances of good horsemanship in the schools of this country, by persons who made but a miserable figure after hounds. Many — indeed by far the greater part — of professed riding- masters, appear to great disadvantage in the hunting field, if they appear at all — which is not often the case. Circus riders, who astonish the gaping crowd by their feats on horseback, will be found (perhaps, without a single exception), unable to ride after hounds ; and indeed many of them present but awkward figures, when out of the circle, on horseback. Grooms are hastily sup- posed to be good horsemen ; and it must be admitted that many of them become bold riders from constant practice : but they are ignorant of the true principles or theoi'y of the science, and almost uniformly deficient in one of its most important and leading features, namely, fingering, or the operation of the hands. Amongst the writers on horsemanship, the Duke of Newcastle may be noticed as having put together a work on the subject, by no means destitute of merit, but not calculated for the object I have in view, as expressed in the first paragraph of this article. The Earl of Pembroke published his thoughts on Horsemanship, but his book was intended solely for the use of the army. Meadows wrote on the subject; Beringer produced a work on Horseman- ship, which clearly demonstrates his consummate ignorance of the subject beyond the walls of the Riding School. Mr. Hughes published some remarks on Riding, which shewed that, as a Riding-master (in the Circus), be had made the subject his parti- cular study, but which are not applicable to the present purpose. What Mr. John Lawrence has written on the subject, manifests his presumptuous incapacity, to say the least of it. But of all the books that have hitherto appeared on Horseman- ship, the publication of Mr. John Adams, is most entitled to consideration. He was an Irishman by birth, served many years in the cavalry, and during the latter part of his life was a professed teacher of the science at a school in London. As Adams had not received sufficient education to express his ideas in good English, he was assisted by an amanuensis, who could not, however, lay claim to any great or elegant powers of expression, as the diction is very coarse, and the meaning of the author frequently rendered obscure by a redundant verbosity. It proves that Adams, as a soldier and a manege-horseman, understood the subject ; but it also proves that he knew nothing about Riding to Hounds; while i INTRODUCTION. 43 his instructions for Road Riding are much too deeply tinctured a la militaire. I shall notice another work on the subject of a more recent date, entitled " Principles of Modern Riding for Gentlemen, in which the late Improvements of the Manege and Military Systems are applied to Practice on the Promenade, the Koad, the Field, and the Course. By John Allen, Riding Master, Seymour Place, Bryanstone Square." After perusing this publication, I cannot help suspecting that it is merely a '' /?^a, the better half perhaps find it their inter- 62 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. est to encourage the influx or visits of sportsmen as much as pos- sible: some of the freeholders, it is true, feel themselves aggrieved, and every now and then attempt to put a stop to those whom they would willingly consider as trespassers. With this view they have several times, on the 12th and 13th* of August, hired men to run after the various sportsmen with which the hills on these occasions are very thickly dotted, in order to present them with written notices to restrain their further progress among the moun- tains. f But these become mere air bubbles, which burst, as it were, in the most harmless manner, with the smallest pressure be- tween the thumb and finger ; for, as the malcontents are outnum- bered by the rest of the freeholders, and as the interest of the latter induces them to thwart all such proceedings, so the agitation of the matter quickly subsides into calm, unruffled quiet. I have already remarked, that the greater number of Ireeholders find it their interest to encourage visitors, which is the true state of the case ; but they do not forget to make them pay for their amusement. These freeholders are tradesmen and innkeepers, particularly the latter ; whose acconmiodations are not of the best description, but whose charges are, nevertheless, of the first order : if a shooter, therefore, who visits the neighbourhood of Bowes for the first time, finds the comforts of his temporary domicil not exactly of the description which he had anticipated, he will not fail to be very much surprised, if not abmidantly satisfied, with the different items of expense. Jolly Matthias, who keeps a small inn on the moor, four or five miles from the town of Bowes, may be regarded as one of the Receivers General of the new comers : he fondly anticipates the commencement of the grouse shooting season : it were quite amusing, if not picturesque, to mark the mellow smiles, the knowing nods, and significant leers, of the ruby- * The generality of sportsmen, who visit the Bowes moors, seldom continue longer than the 13th. They mostly arrive on the 11th, and after shooting on the 12th and 13th, take their departure on the morning of the 14th. f I have met with some sportsmen who laboiu- under what I conceive to be a very mistaken notion in respect to Notices. I have heard them assert, that, though they may be served with a written notice on going out in the morning, they have, nevertheless, a right to shoot or sport over the forbidden manor for the remainder of the day. There is no accounting for false impressions ; nor is it always easy to alter the opinion of those whose interest or whose obstinacy in- duces them to cling to an erroneous idea ; but, if we are to be guided by reason and common sense, it is the duty of a sportsman to desist on receiving a legal written paper for that purpose : he should, if I be not mistaken, immediately leave the forbidden ground, by the nearest public road, if possible : if he persist in pursuing his sport (or traversing the ground) for one hour, or even five mi- nutes, after being duly served with the notice, he becomes, in the eye of the law, a wilful and malicious trespasser, and as such renders himself liable to a prosecu- tion accordingly. For a further illustration of this subject, I refer the reader to \\\c " Sportsman's Cuclopcdhi." The application of these remarks is general; they, are not intended to refer particidavly to Bowes moors. The new Game Bill has however, somewhat altered the law in I'egard to tresjjass. THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 63 faced rogue as his customers arrive : — he is a cunning good tem- pered, easy fellow, deeply skilled in the solemn mysteries of mul- tiplied management, the image of whose countenance will, I have very little doubt, be indelibly impressed on the remembrance of many of his customers. Those who visit the moors should not be overanxious respect- ing the disbursement of a few pounds ; yet many distant sports- men, who are not able to abandon their annual visit to the moun- tains of the north, adopt a more frugal plan, and procure much better accommodations at a more reasonable rate. In this way most of the private houses in the town of Bowes, and its neigh- bourhood, are prevailed upon to receive one or more shooters under their hospitable roofs : and, in these situations, every re- quisite comfort is obtained at a more reasonable expense. Stainmoor, as I have already observed, is of great extent, and abundantly stocked with grouse : but perhaps the best shooting ground is that part of it which belongs (if my recollection betray me not) to the Earl of Thanet, in the neighbourhood of Kirkby- Stephen. This part, however, is preserved, though a few hours' diversion may be frequently enjoyed without the least in- terference ; if a sportsman obtains permission, he will not only find grouse in plenty, but comfortable accommodations near the spot. In this part of the country, there is a great extent of grouse mountains, which belongs to different proprietors ; and which will, in all human probability, for ever continue grouse mountains, as it does not appear susceptible of cultivation. Yet, could the very high price of corn have been kept up, had wheat continued to sell at the enormous price which marked several of the periods of the late war, grouse would have been in more danger perhaps from the agriculturist than the sportsman, as many of the mountains, by the indefatigable perseverance of man, would have been cultivated to their very summits. But it was only unparalleled circumstances which could have produced the crisis in question, and as the over- strained operations whence they sprung could not long continue, so the retrograde movements, by restoring, in a great degree, the regular order of things, reduced the mountains and moors to their original sheep walks. Yorkshire contains many large tracts of excellent moors : in Wensley Dale, grouse are met with in abundance, as well as in many other parts ; but these are chiefly preserved by the propri- etors ; who, if they happen not to be sportsmen themselves, find little difficulty in letting their moors to those in opulent circum- stances, who are attached to shooting. Thus, the vast extent of grouse mountains belonging to Lord Strathmore, and which stretch away from Stainmoor towards Durham, were, for some time, dis* posed of in this way ; an extent of moor also in the neighbour- 64 THE SPORTSxMAN'S CABINET. hood of Muker, about twenty miles from Richmond, was rented by Lord Stanley ; and no doubt many other considerable tracts in this extensive county, are let in the same manner. At Newsham, eight miles from Bowes, there is a very good moor, though of no great extent, belonging to Mr. Hutchinson, and which, with the whole manor of Newsham, also the property of the same propri- etor, affords fair partridge shooting, and is, as often as a customer can be found, let for the season. Adjoining to Newsham moors are those of Arkengathdale,* abundantly stocked with game, and which, belonging to what are called the Lords of Arkengathdale, are preserved. Yet, it will sometimes happen, that a sportsman, driving birds from the moors of Newsham, may follow them for an hour or two upon Arken- gathdale without experiencing the least interruption. Westraoi'eland, (as already noticed) contains a very considerable extent of grouse mountains, but most, if not all, the moors in this county are strictly preserved. The same remark will apply in a greater degree to Cumberland. Probably, in this county, the very best moors in England are to be found. There are few who have not heard of Shap Fells, f in consequence of the many acci- dents which have happened by the overturning of stage coaches in passing those mountains. The road to Scotland, by way of Carlisle, lies directly across this elevated region, and though it has been of late very much improved, there ai'e still pi-ecipices, (from the edge of which the coach wheels pass about a yard) quite sufficient to produce fearful thoughts in the timid passengers. The moors in the neighbourhood of Shap belong to the Earl of Lonsdale, by whom they are strictly preserved. Black game are also to be met with in those parts, particularly on the borders, though not in very great abundance. In Northumberland, there are plenty of grouse mountains, or moorlands, but only of a secondary order ; yet there is much to interest the sportsman in this distant part of England, particularly the wild cattle in Chillingham Park, belonging to the Earl of Tankerville. * Generally pronounced ArJcendale. t The mountains in the North of England are called Fells hy the inhabitants CHAPTER II. Jotirnerj to the Moors of Durham. — The Stage Coach and its Passengers. — The Landlord at Middleton. — We are misled. — Gloomy Reflections on the Prosjiect of a Tumble into the Lead Mines. — Reach Chapel in Weardale. — TheLandlady. — Shooting on the Grouse Mountains of Durham. — The Poachers. — Exces- sive Fatigue of a long days Grouse Shooting. — Arrival of a Friend. — The two Lead Miners. — The Bishop of Durham's Gamekeeper. — Siddall. In some parts of Durham, the grouse shooting is excellent, es- pecially on the moors in the neighbourhood of Weardale, which principally belong to the Bishop of the diocese. The Marquis of Cleveland's property joins that of the Bishop on the Yorkshire side, and is equally well stocked with grouse, and more rigorously preserved. I visited the mountains of Durham a few years since ; and intending to travel as far as Bowes by the coach, I mounted it accordingly nine miles from Liverpool, and found myself in com- pany, as fellow outside passengers, with three very grave-looking men, and a female of a frank, open, and agreeable countenance. I would willingly have enjoyed the smiles oi i\ie Lancashire witch ^ but there was something in the appearance, manner, mode, and, in fact, the tout ensemble of the three solemn males I have just mentioned, that very forcibly fixed my attention ; yet, it was not an attraction arising from agreeable impressions, nor from a con- viction that my good stars had brought me in conjunction with planets of a superior order ; their countenances evinced no hallu- cinations of extraordinary mental capacity ; no supernatural intel- ligence flashed from their eyes to irradiate, like lightning, the sur- rounding gloom : and yet I could not withdraw my gaze from these sleek and lusty mortals: — " I still did gaze, and still did won- der why." What can these men be, thought I ? as I began to examine my travelling companions more minutely. They were, like myself, on the stern of the land vessel that bore us, and had placed their backs from the horses ; I and the smiling female sat directly opposite. The man to my right scarcely reached the middle stature, (about five feet six) ; his countenance bore many and very evident marks of that loathsome disease, the small pox ; it was, however, still more strongly impressed with marks of ill nature, and there was a kind of mahgnant solemnity about him which rendered his aspect forbidding and even repulsive. The next, in succession, was taller, better dressed, and better looking, he seemed superior to his companions, and might have passed I 66 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. without exciting much attention, only that a blearness of the eyes, gave to his countenance an uncouth appearance ; while an affected gravity, under which he sought to conceal a very turbulent spirit, and some of the worst feelings of human nature, contrasted occa- sionally by a ghastly apology for a smile, rendered him an object of disgust rather than of attention. The third of the trio, he to the left, was of the middle stature, with nothing remarkable in his appearance, except that the gi-avity and importance which he la- boured to assume, made absolutely grotesque one of the dullest, most stupid, and most obstinately inflexible countenances I ever beheld ; in fact, this mass of mere animated matter, whose features bore such incontestible marks of positive obtusity of intellect, formed a striking contrast to his two companion ; and, on the whole, a more forbidding trio (Macbeth's weird sisters were far more interesting,) never fell under my observation. I involunta- rily retired within myself, exclaiming — " Let no such men be trusted." I was at a loss to gTiess what could be the employment of my new acquaintances — what their avocations : for though their ap- pearance was extraordinary, quite out of the evei'y day course of things, yet there was nothing that indicated independence either of mind or pocket ; and I very innocently concluded such abundance of muscle could not be kept up without a very liberal portion of good feeding. — While I was revolving this matter in my mind, the man on the right asked his elbow companion how long it was since he had heard from Joseph Dingwell in Connec- ticut ? In a few minutes I discovered that I was in company with three ministers of the gospel ! and that consequently it behoved me to look well to my own conduct, while in the presence of such distinguished teachers of inflexible morality — such sober-minded serious men — such ghostly counsellors — such administrators of con- solation to afflicted souls, and such invaluable members of human society ! But while I was inwardly debating as to the necessity of uncommon decorum, the blear-eyed minister who sat in the mid- dle, after muttering something in the way of ejaculation, began to launch forth very vehemently against what he called " the fol- lies of this life." I continued silent, as did the smihng female who sat beside me ; while these select and doubly sanctified mor- tals complacently complimented themselves on having become the chosen instruments, the very " elect " for dispensing the true light to others. The blear-eyed minister was the principal orator upon the occasion ; and, at length, waxing warm with the spirit, he levelled some remarks, rather contemptuously, at sportsmen ; and was evidently upon the point of expressing his opinion more un- disguisedly on the *' vain pursuits" of our fraternity, when he sud- denly uttered a sort of half stifled grunting groan, which caused a kind of ellipsis in his lecture, as well as some confusion amongst THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 67 the feet of the preachers. " What is the matter ?" said the female. ** That nasty dog,* under the seat, has bitten me," said the lec- turer. As the guard had taken pains to chain the dog so close that he was almost unable to stir, I thought the preacher must have been mistaken, and that his alarm, well or ill founded, pro- ceeded from some other cause ; but, on examination, it was clear Bob had made the attempt at least, as the marks of his teeth were very visible in the minister's boot : the boot was not perforated ; and I therefore concluded no serious injury could have been sus- tained. I placed the dog between my legs, and was about to make the best apology in my power for the accident, when I was very unceremoniously interrupted by this mild advocate of Chris- tian charity and forbearance. He commenced a torrent of abuse, the colour forsook his cheeks, he became pale, his lips quivered with resentment, while the rolling of his eyes, and the more than malignant glare which flashed from them, gave to his countenance the most demon-like appearance I ever beheld. I was struck speechless, as it were, by the man's extraordinary conduct, till roused by no very indirect threats of personal violence. 1 had submitted to his abuse with the utmost forbearance, and should have patiently listenetl most likely to the end of the chapter ; but when this very temperate expostulator ventured a step further, and threatened to inflict upon my shoulders the discipline of a very awkward stick which he held in his hand, I was under the necessity of calling him to order in a way which changed his com- plexion almost in an instant. His countenance suddenly altered from the fervour of animated malignity, to that of disappointed inquietude ; and he sat growling like the rebuked wave beneath the opposing blast. However, half an hour had scarcely elapsed, before he again screwed his courage to the sticking place, and spoke of the necessity of avoiding "evil communication," and the company of "worldly-minded and wicked men." — His hints were too broad and too vindictive to be misunderstood ; and as they were delivered with a degree of coarseness and asperity utterly uncalled-for, I ventured to enter the lists as a disputant with this redoubtable wordy champion, and played oft' my raillery so suc- cessfully as not only to attract the attention of the passengers in front, but to plunge my antagonist into the very depths of disap- pointment, if not of despair — so much so indeed, that for half an hour before we reached our destination he sat sullenly upon his seat, and did not utter a syllable. The coach arrived at Lancas- ter about four o'clock in the afternoon, (where it remained for the night :) I descended from it ; the three "ministers of tlic gospeV^ * On this occasion, I took one dog only witli me, as a gentleman had agreed to meet me at Bowes, who was anxious to shoot over his own pointers, and who was abundantly supplied with them. The dog in question was a favourite setter, which was chained under the seat. 68 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. did the same ; but my blear-eyed antagonist had no sooner touched terra firma, than he exclaimed, "Thank God, I am relieved from the company of a Devil !*" A little before three o'clock the next morning I was called up for the purpose of proceeding on my journey ; when, lo ! on get- ting to the coach, the first object that attracted my attention was the identical preacher, who had, according to his own notions, so gallantly struggled with the wicked one the preceding day ! He was traveUing in the same direction, and by the same conveyance, as myself; and on the present occasion accompanied only by the man marked with the small pox, the third, it would appear, re- mained at Lancaster. I advanced towards my antagonist, and bid him good morning, as if nothing had occurred. Not so the minister ; I appeared, I suppose, like a horrid spectre in the grey of the morn, to his astonished visual organs ; he turned from me with evident disappointment and vexation, placed himself on a different part of the coach, and from that moment another word never passed between us. After a pleasant journey of upwards of fifty miles, much of which was amongst the mountains, the coach, about two o'clock, reached Bowes, where I found my friend waiting for me with two saddle horses — our guns, &c. having been previously dispatched to the scene of action. Anxious to reach Weardale as soon as possible, neither of us being acquainted with the road, we were soon on horseback ; we came to the small town of Middleton in something less than two hours, and there attempted to feed our weary steeds, in which attempt we consumed upwards of half an hour. The master of the small inn or public house at which we stopped, was awell-looking portly sort of man, with something of Yorkshire nevertheless in his countenance. He acted as his own ostler, and we waited in the stable till the oats were put into the manger, and very fine oats they appeared. The door of the stable was then shut : and, going into the house, we seated our- selves at a window directly opposite, so that no person could enter, * Let not my readers suppose that by this exposure of my travelling compan- ions I am a disciple of those who wish to cast satiric sarcasm upon Sectarians : — No, I honour the religious scruples of all good men, let their creed be other than mine own. But there was so much affectation, and want of Christian charity in these wayfarers, that it is doing a public service to expose their vanity, and cor- rect their hypocrisy. In fact, their whole demeanour would have impressed any considerate Christian with a conviction that such as they were never thought of by Cowper, when he wrote his admirable description of a minister of the gos^ pel: — *M ■**« »■ m m i >■■<»»■*—■ VMMMAMNMMWIM Summary of the Season, with Illustrative Observations. The atmospheric influence of the month of November is generally sup- posed to produce a gloomy and suicidal feeling in the minds of Englishmen ; but this prevalent opinion cannot apply to the sportsman, since the pursuit of the fox, which is called into active oper- ation throughout the kingdom, at this period, acts as the most powerful sti- mulus to the energetic impulses of his nature. Those who prefer pointing the deadly tube to following the hounds, find ample employment during the month of November, inasmuch as the interesting pursuit of the woodcock is added to the list of feathered game. Woodcocks, it is true, make their ap- pearance in the middle or latter end of October, but not in great numbers, and these may be considered as the avant couriers, which precede the main body. The first woodcock which fell under our observation this season was on the 19th of October; it was one of the small dark-coloured birds; and this particular ramification of the tribe uniformly visit us a week or ten days before the larger light-coloured bird. Of partridges there were a fair ave- rage number, and a similar observation may be applied to the pheasant : hares have been found more than usually abundant. Coursing has been vigorously pur- sued throughout the kingdom ; but it is not till the approach of Christmas, that excellent runs with greyhounds can be expecte:!. Hares, from luxuriant abun- dance of succulent food, are, prior to this period, too heavy to run well, and are consequently overmatched by their more lengthy pursuers. As, however, the sea- son advances, more scanty and less juicy feeding render them active, and they consequently afford much better diver- sion, whether pursued by the greyhound, the harrier, or the beagle. Having already observed that hares have been found very numerous, we can further state that foxes have been equal- ly prolific. Generally speaking, more were killed in cub hunting this season than usual, and for the best possible reason, that they were found very plen- tiful. FOX HOUNDS AND FOX HUNTING. To the Editor of the Cabinet. Sir, As the late rich luxuriant har- vest was housed at an early period, the pursuit of the fox, and the hare also, became eligible at an early period ac- cordingly. I have noticed for many years back, that the month of October has been remarkable for fine weather — this was particularly the case in the pre- sent year. A considerable quantity of rain fell about the 20th of that month. 74 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. at least in the midland and northern counties, although the barometer, for the most part, continued high. On the 24th of October, the quicksilver in the tube had risen considerably above " fair," yet lowering clouds gave a gloomy appearance to the morning, which did not, however, betoken much rain ; and, although some light moisture seemed to be suspended in the atmo- sphere rather than to descend, as the day advanced the weather became fine. The richest and mellowest landscape is presented in autumn, and even at this advanced period of the season, nature still appeared in a lovely form: — Knowsley Park was particularly inte- resting : the beautiful and expansive sheets of water which adorn this forest- like park were animated by herds of swans, and flocks of Canada geese, and other foreign varieties of the goose tribe. Great numbers of fallow-deer en- livened the scene ; these animals were more than usually active, which is indeed always the case with them at this period of the year, when that sort of social contract which is uniformly found to prevail, is partially broken up, or at least suspended, for some weeks. Knows- ley is indeed a princely domain, in the hands of a princely nobleman, who has attained the patriarchal age of fourscore years. The Earl of Derby is a great- grandfather, so that there are at pre- sent in existence four degrees of succes- sion. On the morning of the 25th of Oc- tober, I met Sir Harry Mainwaring's hounds at Peover : they assembled in front of the mansion of the very worthy baronet at twenty-five minutes past ten o'clock, and I was highly gratified by their appearance. It was the large pack, out of which I could have select- ed as many as fine specimens of fox hounds as were ever presented to the eye of a sportsman; they were remark- ably clean and healthy — indeed their condition appeared perfect. Several years have elapsed since I saw the Cheshire hounds ; and, although I al- ways thought very highly of them, on the present occasion an improvement was evident. They are splendid hounds ! As the hounds were somewhat new to me, the huntsman and his whips were entirely so : the former, however, con- vinced me that he understood his busi- ness, and was an active and killing fel- low too — he will kill his foxes if possi- ble : up to this day (Oct. 25) he had killed 20 brace ; a large quantity cer- tainly ; but which, it seems, the Cheshire hunt can afford, it being abundantly slocked with foxes. As the season does not, strictly speaking, commence till the first Mon- day in November, the field was not very numerous. The hounds proceeded to some woodlands at a short distance, into which they were thrown ; and they continued to draw for some time blank. I expressed some surprise at it, when the huntsman (Maiden) informed me that he was of opinion the earths had been stopped at an improper hour the pre- vious evening, since he was well con- vinced there was no scarcity of foxes. At length the glad tidings were borne on the gale, and I am inclined to think that more foxes than one were on foot. However, the hounds were soon got well upon one of them, and drove him through the woods with uncommon energy and spirit. The wind blew from the east with a little southing in it; the scent was good; the hounds went away with him in capital style, and killed in something less than an hour. Two of the loveliest part of the crea- tion (the Misses Mainwaring and Clegg, if I mistake not) graced the business of the day, the scene of which was in a country uncommonly well calculated for ladies' richng : there were numerous rides and roads, along which they put their pretty palfreys with interesting gaiety and spirits. This kind of ladies' himting is not uncouth, but pretty, very pretty ; it gives an indescribable inte- rest to the scene, which no other cir- cumstance could impart. The brush of wily reynard was placed in the head- stall of the beautiful grey palfrey which proudly bore its light and lovely bur- den : Miss Clegg caressed the animal, pleased at its performance ; and, if we are to form an opinion from that power- fully-expressive organ, the eye, it was doubtful which of the two derived the most gratification. The hounds returned to Peover, and THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 75 were thrown into the ornamental covers of the park, where they soon found se- veral foxes; and at length went away with one : in a few minutes they got upon good terms with him ; and I have no doubt Avould have killed him ; but, as the day was advanced, they were stopped, and thus the business con- cluded. The chase is very interesting to hu- man feelings. As I returned through Sir Harry Mainwaring's Park, (after having partaken of the unaffected hos- pitality of this genuine English gentle- man) I was eagerly asked by two well- dressed pedestrians if we had killed our second fox. I had observed these per- sons come up to the fixture and accom- pany the hounds in the morning ; and I suppose they had not been able to keep a good place in the second run. On Tuesday, the 30th of October, the hounds of Hugo Meynell, Esq. met at Rollestone; and as there is to me something highly interesting in viewing the pack while stationed at the fixture, as well as in observing its rapid move- ments, I left Derby at an early period of the morning in order that I might enjoy this gratification ; but not being acquainted with the road, after proceed- ing about two miles, I discovered, on inquiry, that I was going to Ashby, in- stead of Rollestone: in consequence, after trotting smartly for some miles, I had the mortification of obsei-ving the hounds move off to cover by the time I reached the fixture — just as I reached the mansion of Sir Oswald Moseley, Bart, in the front of which they had been drawn up, " Old Tom," the hunts- man, looked uncommonly well, I thought, and appeared as young as when I saw him four years ago. The hounds were taken to an osier bed a short dis- tance from the village of Rollestone, which they drew blank ; but were more successful in a second similar cover : — several foxes were on foot : an old stager — a very fine fox, went off to the left, upon the scent of which the hounds never got, but brought another up from the osier bed to a cover by the road side ; and if he had not been headed back twice by two stupid pedestrians, I make no doubt he would have crossed the road and gone away : however, in a short time, he was killed in cover ; nor is this the first time I have seen sport spoiled by pedestrians. The hounds wf^re taken to another osier plantation on the opposite side of the village of Rollestone, where they fovnid, and went away with him. He hung to some neighbouring woodlands, but the scent was good, and the hounds at length got upon good terms with him, and after a short, pretty run of fif- teen or twenty minutes, he got to ground, and saved himself. This did not ap- pear to be a country calculated to shew hounds to advantage ; and I therefore patiently waited for the following Thurs- day, the fixture being in a better coun- try, and where I consequently expected to witness better doings. Much rain fell during Wednesday night, and at daylight on Thursday morning, it continued to descend, with every atmospheric indication of a tho- rough wet day. As I had fourteen miles to ride to the place of meeting, which was Drakelow, the beautiful seat of Sir Roger Griersley, I was on horse- back at an early period, and had not rode two miles before the rain ceased, the clouds dispersed, and the horizon pre- sented a very promising appearance. I fell in with the hounds a short distance before they reached Drakelow, and had thus an opportunity of noticing them ; I was aware that they were great fa- vourites with the gentlemen who gener- ally attend them, some of whom I had heard speak in high terms of their per- formances. They are indeed beautiful hounds, formed for uncommon speed, as " their wide spread thighs, low drop- ping chests" proclaim ; at the same time they shew much bone and strength. They are superior in appearance to what they were when I saw them four or five years ago. They have evidently been bred with the most judicious attention, under the eye of an excellent judge, as Mr. Meynell must be, from the speci- mens whicli were this morning offered to my notice. To the grandfather of this gentleman, fox-hunting is indebted for its present state of perfection. He it was who improved the old sluggisli system of three or four hours' duration to tlie more quick and animated dash of fifty- five minutes ! Tlic county of Derby, or 76 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. rather Mr. Meynell's hunt, is indebted to him for a pack of hounds which would seem to place any disparaging remark beyond the power of the most fastidious critic ! Drakelow is a charming spot; the mansion is situated in a very pretty park, on the bank of the river Trent, the waters of which slowly flow at the distance of a few score yards from its walls. Genuine and elegant hospitality was prepared for all who chose to par- take of it ; the gout of which could not be otherwise than greatly increased from the polite attention of the accomplished baronet. When the hounds moved through the park for the purpose of drawing the neighbouring covers, the scene became unusually animated. The field was numerous, amounting perhaps to nearly one hundred and fifty : it was prettily sprinkled with pink, which formed a contrast with the sombre ap- pearance of the sons of the church. There were many excellent nags : a bay horse ridden by Sir Roger Griersley •was a very neat, powerful little animal. Major Hurt rode a fine grey horse ; Mr. Batt was well mounted ; and in- deed the remark might be extended to the greater part of the field. A fox was found in a cover called the Grove — indeed here thei'e appeared to be several foxes on foot, which did not, however, seem willing to leave the covers which fringe the borders of Drakelow Park. At length a fox inclined to go off" in the direction of Bradby ; but it was evident there was no scent ; and although the hounds were anxious, and made some pretty casts of their own ac- cord, it would not do. When there is no scent, hounds cannot hunt. Hope kept the business on ; the temperature of the atmosphere is extremely variable, and might alter in a few minutes. The hounds drew in the direction of Catton, and ultimately found. The fox was viewed away by Mr. Denham, and al- though several hounds went away close at him, and the pack got upon him very actively indeed, yet, unfortunately, they could not carry the scent ; and after trying for some time, it was given up at a quarter past three o'clock. This part of Mr. Meynell s country is beauti- ful: the fields are large, much grass land, and had the scent been good, I have no doubt we should have had a brilliant run. The hounds are very handy : " Old Tom," the huntsman, at the age of 67, displays all the activity and energy of youth : two of his sons (active young men) whip-in to him. This was Thursday, Nov. 1 ; the previous Thursday J saw Sir H. Main- waring's hounds : the wind had much easting and felt harsh, yet the scent was good, and the hounds went brilliantly. The wind on the first of November, had much southing in it, the atmosphere was soft and moist, the ground in the best possible order, yet the hounds could carry no scent, though no pack could try harder or better for it. In the earlier part of this article, I remarked that field sports are uncom- monly interesting to the human mind ; but no department of them appears to excite so much attention as the pursuit of the fox. The inhabitants of large towns, and others whose avocations in life, do not permit them to follow the hounds regularly, nevertheless embrace every possible opportunity of gratifying their darling passion : and when it hap- pens that they have not witnessed the run, how eagerly they enquire and listen to its recital : of this feeling Mr. Brea- rey, of Derby, is a striking instance. This veteran sportsman has abandoned the active pursuit of the chase, owing to lameness, but yet feels the most intense interest in whatever relates to it : his eyes sparkle with delight when listening to the detail of the proceedings of the day. Mr. Meynell's hoimds, he thinks superior to all other packs ; and hopes he shall live to see the day when they will rival, in the county of Leicester it- self, the celebrated packs which have hunted, and continue to hunt, that fine country. " I would sooner lose one of my children (says he) than see a fox shot or unfairly killed." Mr. Brearey is witty, and full of anecdote : I select the following, which, however, will lose much of its force and point, as no form of words can image to the mind the look, the gesture, or the manner in which it falls from the lips of this re- spectable veteran. He happened to ob- THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 77 serve, some years ago, an Irishman ri- ding a very indifferent nag in the streets of Derbv ; and without a remote idea of becoming the purchaser, induced the man to ride his screw up and down by way of joke, bantering him about the price till he lowered it to nineteen pounds, declaring, by all the saints in the calen- dar, that he would not take one single farthing less. Brearey, by way of get- ting out of the business, offered thirteen pounds : — " by J — s" exclaimed Pat, " the horse is your's!" — Brearey was fixed : he reluctantly paid for his bar- gain, the horse was put in the stable, where his new owner thought he was likely long to remain, as far at least as related to a purchaser. — However, in a few days, Mr. Brearey desired his ser- vant to saddle the horse and lead him to the outskirts of the town, he being ashamed to ride him through the streets. At length, being mounted, he had not proceeded far before he heard the hounds ; and in a minute or two he ob- served the fox (a bagman which had been shook before the Derby harriers) cross a lane to his left, not more than fifty yards from him. The fox was dis- tressed : he was black in the mouth, his tongue out, brush down, &c. Six couple of leading hounds dashed into the lane in a second or two, staring about, and manifesting all those well-known indica- tions of having viewed their fox, and were well aware death was at hand. The fox had crossed the lane, and entered a field, dotted with gorse bushes, where he was killed. Brearey, in the mean- time, had opened the gate, and turning his horse loose, took the fox from the hounds, held him up and gave Whoo- whoop ! with uncommon spirit and ani- mation. While thus employed, Mr. Bhigham, well mounted, came up : — " Brearey (said he) how the d — 1 did you get here ? I did not observe you as I came along." " Nor I you," retorted Brearey. Andrew, the huntsman, came up, and the short dialogue was reiter- ated. The business concluded in the usual way, and the sportsmen set their faces homewards. Brearey's new pur- chase had taken himself to the further side of the field; his master was in no hurry to move away, so that the horse thus escaped any scrutinizing examina- tion. Some days afterwards, Mr. Bing- ham sent to inquire if Brearey would sell the horse he rode on the day they killed the bagman, Brearey replied that he thought the horse would remain with him as long as he lived. Mr. Bingham shortly afterwards made his appearance ; and, after some little parley, they pro- ceeded to the stable, which happened to be much darker than stables generally are. Mr. Bingham could therefore only satisfy himself by feeling the horse : from a persuasion in his own mind that Brearey had beaten them all on the day in question upon this horse, he was anx- ious to purchase him, which he ultimate- ly did for forty guineas. I will not say how this gentleman liked his bargain, but he soon afterwards gave him to An- drew, the huntsman; and the horse was at last disposed of for three pounds ! Whenever Mr. Meynell's hounds are within reach of the Derby sportsmen, Mr. Denham, the dealer, (son of the ce- lebrated Reid Denham,) is generally to be seen on a good nag, which he puts well along. Mr. Statham, the clever veterinarian, is much attached to the sport : on going through his stables on the 31st of last month (October) he drew my attention to a little nutmeg- grey by Catton ; dam by Sir Harry Dims- dale, 16 hands high. The singularity of the matter is, that although the stock of Catton are any thing rather than small and slender ; and the dam larger than common, the animal in question is scarcely 14 hands, no way bulky — a sort of lady's pad : yet it has always been well kept, and has been uniformly healthy ! Mr. Witton,* the coach pro- prietor, comes out, and many others. * This gentleman, I was glad to find? has no connexion with a coach called the Lord Nelson, which runs between Nottingham and Manchester. On the first of October, I left Derby for Man- chester, by this said Lord Nelson, hav- ing taken my seat on the outside, not suspecting the game about to be played. Before we were out of Derby, I per- ceived we were going at no ordinary pace ; but, as the road was remarkably good, I thought little was to be appre- hended. In a little time the road be- 78 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. I learned with much pleasure, that the hounds known by the name of Loi'd Scarborough's are likely to be continued by subscription. The late master of this hunt has taken Sir Tatton Sykes's country; and it was feared Lord Scar- borough's country would become vacant. However, a committee has been called together : Mr. Foster has been appoint- ed director ; funds have been raised suf- ficient for present exigencies; and amongst the generous contributors, Loi-d Milton very handsomely sent one hun- dred pounds. While I was in Derby, Mr. Denham sold three horses to them for the huntsman and whips, and has received orders to furnish more. As far as my observation hitherto will allow me to form an opinion, foxes are more than usually numerous this season : I think, more so than I ever observed them before. Pheasants are numerous also, a proof that the fox and the pheasant are not so directly opposed to each other, as to render the utter ex- termination of one race indispensable to the preservation of the other. In draw- ing the covers with Sir H. Mainwaring's hounds on the 25th of October, phea- sants were very numerous and foxes also : — I counted seven pheasants, which rose from a small cover in the park of that gentleman ; and it was well ascertained that it held a brace and a half of foxes also. In drawing Sir Ro- ger Griersley's covers at Drakelow, and particularly that called the Grove, phea- sants were continually rising; while it came hilly, some of the hills very steep, down which, however, the horses went at full speed ! — I remonstrated with the coachman as soon as opportunity offer- ed ; but in vain. I therefore took my seat inside as the less dangerous of the two. I never experienced a more un- pleasant journey. The coachman was obstinate and of course ignorant ; the guard not distinguished for an obliging disposition : and is this (" thinks I to myself") the way in which the limbs and lives of the public are to be ex- posed, owing to the rival cupidity of coacli proprietors ? — Oh! shame! where is thy blush ? was evident that several foxes were on foot. It was my intention to have been at Kirby Gate on the morning of the 5th of November, and with that view I left the town of Derby on the previous Sa- turday morning, while, however, I was suffering under indisposition. On reach- ing Loughborough I felt so unwell, that I deemed it prudent to remain there for a short period : I did not leave it before Monday morning; nor should I have quitted Loughborough so soon, only that having sent forward my wearing ap- parel, I was constrained to proceed to Melton. On Tuesday, the 6th of No- vember, the fixture for the Cottesmore hounds (the Earl of Lonsdale's) was Laund Abbey : Sir H. Goodricke's fix- ture was Ratby. I preferred the former. When I reached the place of meeting (and I reached it as soon as many others) I saw no hounds ; but I heard them in a neighbouring wood speaking to their fox. The country appeared an exten- sive strong woodland. It generally hap- pens in the early part of the season, that foxes hang to strong covers, particularly young foxes, old stagers, who well know the country, fly on the approach of the hounds, leaving their younger fraternity to take care of themselves in the best Avay they can : — on the present occasion, the fox kept the cover most tenaciously ; and, although he was several times forced out, followed by a part, or the whole of the hounds, he perseveringly returned, as if conscious of his incapa- city to maintain the struggle in the open, country. The wind blew at turns rather hard, accompanied with a bitmg keen- ness: — thi-eatening, murky clouds flew wildly in the horizon : sleety i-ain occa- sionally descended : — all of which might be regarded as atmospheric indications no way favourable to scent. An hour had elapsed, and I began to think the fox had made up his mind not to quit his strong hold, but to die rather in the place, where, in all probability, he had first breathed the vital air. At length a view halloo was heard in the direction of the house (Laund Abbey) through the yard of which, judging from the liounds) he had evidently passed. The hounds got well together, and followed THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 79 their fox, skirting another large wood — indeed there was a succession of strong woodlands — through which the hounds rattled him till he was forced to face the open country. Yet he had not run far, before he leaned a little to the left, ma- nifesting an inclination to return to his old haunts. However, he went away to the right, and took ground in a drain. The drain was of some extent ; but just as one of the whips came up with the requisite implements, he bolted in the face of the hounds and the field, and I was fearful would have been killed in the view. Having threaded the friendly fence, and thus lowered the heads of his pursuers, he gave us ano- ther little burst of some fifteen minutes, when he again took to gi-ound in a sough. It was a short sough, in a gate place, from which, with the assistance of a prime little terrior, he was soon dislodged and killed. He deserved to die : — he was a rank coward : and he died the death of a coward. Had he faced the open country, and gone bold- ly away, it is doubtful if the hounds would have been able to run up to him, with the indifferent scent with which they had to contend. The pack. — These hounds (the Cottesmore) in the estimation of the energetic Meltonians, are a turn too slow. Judging from the specimen of the pack which was out on this occasion, I should say, they are fine powerful dogs ; when running, they presented a very pretty appearance, and I thought worked well with — certainly not a good scent; if they are a turn slower than some of the Fliers, such as those under the conduct of Lord Forester,* Mr. Meynell's, and many others, they are moi-e musical : — they are quite fleet enough for me. In * The quickest thing I ever saw in my life was with these hounds. About seven years since, I saw them draw a cover called Holywell (or Holwell) Mouth, where they found. The fox steered his course boldly up the valley : the hounds went away well at him, scent breast high : they ran in to him in twenty-two minutes, racing all the way. fact, I shoidd say, they are correctly bred for their country, which is much wood- ed, very heavy, and I believe, contains a more than ordinary number of drains, as whenever I have happened to see these hovuids, their fox has generally got to ground in a drain. Two years ago, on the first day of the season. Lord Southampton's hounds run their fox to the neighbourhood of Little Daulby, when the same circumstance took place. Up to this period, I have seen three packs. Sir Harry Mainwaring's, Mr. Meynell's, and the Earl of Lonsdale's : in point of appearance and condition, they were equally creditable to the hunts- men, Joe Maiden, Old Tom, and Jack Lambert. I should further say that these packs are bred with the most judicious atten- tion to the countries they hunt. Hav- ing noticed the country hunted by the the Cottesmore hounds, I will further remark, that, although some parts of Cheshire, particularly the Nantwich countiy, is almost as fine as Leicester- shire, yet, in other parts, the inclosures are small, with many rough, " blunder- buss" fences, with fallows, and much light sandy land ; which altogether re- quires a strong hound that can hunt as well as run ; and this the Cheshire hounds can do, as I have often witness- ed. In Cheshire, more than any other hunting country, I have noticed very sudden alterations in the scent, arising, not from any change in the the tempera- ture or quality of the atmosphere, but from the variableness of the ground. In the year 1825, I met the Cheshire hounds in their Nantwich country, and, to the best of my recollection, the fox was found in Radnor Gorse ; the hounds went away with their heads up, and for nearly one hour the run was brilliant ; I concluded death could be at no great distance. — Sir Harry Mainwaring will most likely remember the day : he rode his favourite horse Warwick. But the scent suddenly died away from the soil becoming light and sandy, and the fox was lost at a small village, of which I do not, at this moment, recollect the name. — Some of the most interesting, the most brilliant, and the best runs I ever 80 THE SPORTMANS CABINET. witnessed, have been with the Cheshire hounds. In regard to Mr. Meynell's country, and the hounds with which he hunts it, that gentleman is of opinion, that, as many of the fences are so high that the hounds cannot jump them, and so strong, that they are forced to thread or pass through them one at a time, if his hounds were not very fleet, they would kill very few foxes. Hence it may be fairly presumed, that each pack is cal- culated for the country it hunts, and that when we speak of fleet or of slow hounds, we should, at the same time, consider their country. As to a bad pack of hounds, such has been the interest felt in the pursuit of the fox, and the persevering spirit with which the breed of hounds has been cul- tivated and improved, that a bad pack of fox hounds is scarcely to be met with throughout the kingdom. The most in- different which ever fell under my ob- servation was Lord Southampton's two years ago ; but then, it must be recol- lected, that his Lordship was young in the business, and when Mr. Osbaldeston took his hounds from Quorndon, Lord Southampton took the country under every disadvantage ; it was not an easy matter to get together any thing worthy of the name of a pack of fox hounds in so short a space of time. The style of the modern fox hound is quite different from what it was in days of yore, from what it was, for instance, in the time, when Mr. Shutt hunted the Holderness country ; and as the style of running was different, so the detail of management was equally at variance with modern times. Mr. Shutt's hounds, when they reached home, after the busi- ness of the day, were fed and turned out into a sort of walled croft, in which there was an open shed, which afforded an apology for a shelter against the ri- gours of the season ; further, his horses were treated in a similar manner : yet this gentleman gave satisfaction and kil- led his foxes. In the latter operation, it is true, he might occupy three or four hours : in modern days, experience proves that one third of that time is amply sufficient. The fox hound of the olden time ran down his game : the mo- dern honnd runs up to his fox. On this day (Tuesday) Sir H. Good- ricke's hounds met at Ratby (as I have already observed) which I presume is not a favourite fixture, as I thought I observed the worthy baronet at Laund Abbey, as also Lords Gardner, Rokeby, Sir J. Musgrove, &c. "Wednesday, Nov. 7. — As I sat at breakfast this morning at the Hurbo- rough Arms (kept by Mason) I thought I saw the celebrated hunter. Plunder, the property of Mr. GHmour, leave Ma- son's yard, and in company with a pow- erful light chestnut, proceed in the di- rection of Lowesby, the fixture for Sir H. Goodricke's hounds : I mention the horse Plunder as celebrated — and he is justly celebrated as the winner of two steeple runs a year or two back : — Capt. Ross proposed to Mr. Gilmour a match of this kind, upon the following terms, that Mr. Gilmour should allow Capt. Ross one hundred yards in the start ; and, if in two miles he could reach Capt. Ross so as to touch him with his whip, be should be deemed the winner : Capt. Ross to name the ground, and for this purpose to choose his own time to the moment of starting. At length the morning arrived; and Capt. Ross led his antagonist up the Oakham road to a certain spot where he desired him to stop : both gentlemen were mounted for the contest. The Captain having taken his ground, three very strong fences were placed between him and Mr. Gilmour, which the latter gentle- man had to clear, also to gain one hun- dred yards before he could get upon good terms with his antagonist. Yet, Mr. Gilmour, on his horse Plunder, ac- complished the object and won the wa- ger. Out of this grew a second contest between the same gentlemen, for four miles across the country, in which Nicholson rode Plunder ; and in which Plunder proved victorious a second time. Thursday, Nov. 8. — The fixture for Sir H. Goodrick's hounds was Six Hills, where, at half past ten o'clock, I found a numerous assemblage of eager sports- THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 81 men, and a collection of splendid horses : — many of the horses were truly splen- did! That accomplished gentleman, Sir John Kaye, (to whom I am much indebted on the score of polite atten- tion) mounted a very fine powerful chesnut mare ; she was a noble animal; but his second horse (upon which sat his groom) was superior to her — I thought I had never seen a horse better calculated for a hunter, particularly for a heavy weight. Amongst the group of sportsmen I recognized R. Willis, Esq. from Lancashire, mounted upon a neat horse, which could go the pace. The worthy Baronet, the master of the hounds, looked remarkably well ; it is two years since I had seen him ; he had evidently increased in weight. Several noble Lords were on the ground, splen- didly mounted ; as well as many persons of wealth and distinction : several ladies graced the place of meeting, and I make no doubt were highly gratified in wit- nessing the find. The scene was bril- liantly animated and interesting in the highest degree ; amongst the very nu- merous and gay assemblage, I easily dis- covered my old acquaintance, Mr. Crad- dock : this gentleman is indeed an old acquaintance, as I have known him for something more than forty years — still he continues a keen sportsman, and I trust will long continue so. — It is worth the trouble of a three days' journey merely for the gratification of having an opportunity of looking at the magnifi- cent horses which assemble at the cover side in Leicestershire, very few of which, however, are Irish. It is said many good horses are imported from the Sis- ter Kingdom ; and such may be the case : I know that many horses cross the channel for the purpose of finding a market in England. — I have seen many Irish horses ; but very few of them would bear the slightest comparison with the very superior animals which were this day congregated at Six Hills. — I have had some half score Irish horses at different periods, several of which were entitled to be called good hunters : yet, in a short time, I found something amiss (a screw loose, to use the technical phrase- ology of the school) and I never derived from them any thing more than a very negative sort of satisfaction. This has rendered me suspicious of Irish horses ; and, although they may experience a ready market in this country, they, for the most part, find their way into the stage coaches. Indeed to form an opinion from numerous instances which have fallen under my own observation, I should say that Irish horses are not calculated to follow hounds in Leicester- shire, at least not till they have re- ceived a few probationary lessons : they do not float smoothly and easily over the ridges and furrows, an undulating sur- face of frequent occurrence on the grass lands in this celebrated county : — fur- ther, their up and down style of jump- ing, though admirably adapted for the stone walls in Ireland, is by no means well calculated to clear the wide ditches which are found united with the strong quickset fences in the country under consideration. I am also inclined to think, that very few Irish horses (such at least as are brought to this country, can go the pace in Leicestershire. But to return. — The fine cover called Mundy's Gorse is only the distance of two fields from Six Hills (Six Hills, however, is a flat country ;) into which the hounds were no sooner thrown, than a fox was found — (more than one fox, most likely, since such a cover as Mun- dy's Gorse, in the early part of Novem- ber, must hold, I should think, several brace) — and in a few minutes the hounds went well away with him : unfortunately it soon became apparent that they could not run up to him for want of scent. The huntsman and whips exerted them- selves, as did the hounds also ; but hold hard ! was the order of the day : as it uniformly happens with a numerous field and a bad scent, the hounds were not al- lowed fair play. Yet, under every dis- advantage, they contrived to hunt him, in a zig-zag, for a mile or two, in the direction of Shoby Scholes, where they came to a check : the himtsman (Mum- ford) cast his hounds judiciously forward, and equally so back to a large field, con- taining several covers. The fox had gone back, as he Avas observed by some peasants to cross the road leading to Six Hills, where he was found ; and, although the hounds worked hard in picking a cold 82 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. scent, they could not get upon any thing like terms with him, and he was consequently enabled to beat them with- out hurrying himself. Scent sets at defiance all human cal- culation : although we well know it is entirely under the influence of the at- mosphere, yet no precise data can be foi'med upon this principle : — one day we find a burning scent with the wind from a certain point, the atmosphere present- ing certain appearances to the eye, and impressing certain sensations on the feel- ings : another day, precisely under simi- lar circumstances, as far at least as our perception will enable us to discover, the hounds cannot pursue their game — there is no scent ! — Further, it is no un- common occurrence for scent to alter in a surprising manner in the course of the same day ; so mysterious, and apparently so capricious is the nature of this subtle fluid! The hounds now trotted along for a place called Cream Gorse, an extensive and beautiful cover, part of which had been cut and burnt, an indispensable operation ; as, when the gorse becomes old, the dead thorns from the lower parts of its storks are continually falling, and foxes will not lie in it : hence the reason why part of the beautiful cover of Cream Gorse had been laid prostrate (the gorse quickly springs again very vigorously ; and in about three years attains sufficient growth for the recep- tion of foxes ;) but quite sufficient re- mained in a state of luxuriant vegetation to hold twenty foxes. I thought the hounds drew it rather sluggislily ; they reminded me, in some measure, of Lord Southampton's hounds, when I saw them, two years ago, draw a number of covers, and, amongst the rest, the celebrated Billesden Coplow, which they performed in a very sluggish manner : Sir Harry Goodricke has had the difficult task of improving this pack, and I make no doubt has carried improvement as far as the short period of time would allow : — a pack of superior fox hounds is not the work of a day — but more of this anon : — I shall visit the kennel to-morrow. At length a fox was viewed away from Cream Gorse (one great perfection of gorse covers is, that a fox can seldom skulk away unseen ;) he made off" in the direction forCossington (if I mistake not the name of the place ;) and I thought he appeared to be leaning to the left something in the direction of Shoby Scholes : however, he turned sudden- ly to the right towards Walton, and the hounds rattled him along at a clipping pace to Prestwould, a distance of four or five miles, where I believe they left him : the rain fell fast, and there seemed to be a general im- pression that the business of the day was at an end. This day affiarded a striking proof of the uncertainty of scent: in the morning it was feebly cognizable by the olfactory organs of the hounds ; in an hour afterwards, such was the alter- ation that had taken place, that they could run breast high ! On the previous Monday, I had passed Six Hills on my way to Melton, and stopjied for a few minutes at the apology for an inn, situated at that place : by calling it an apology for an inn, I wish it by no means to be under- stood as intending to lessen the respect- ability of the concern • on the contrary, I have called here several times at va- rious periods, and never experienced any thing but the greatest civility, and the most obliging disposition ; the house is in fact a farm house, with correspond- ing outbuildings ; adapted, at the same time, for the temporary reception of the weary traveller, where he will find clean and comfortable accommodations : — it is one of Sir Hai'ry Goodricke's fa- vourite fixtures. During my stay at Six Hills on Monday last, I inquired re- specting foxes, whether they had been prolific, were numerous or otherwise? and was told that they were very scarce : — I derived this information from three sulky-looking yeomen, who happened to be smoking in the chimney corner, and they had no sooner pronounced this very ill received information than they appeared to me three of the ugliest and most suspicious fellows I had ever met with. I could not believe them ; and T found, from the indications which fell under my own observation, as well as from inquiry, that foxes were never known more numerous in that neigh- bourhood. THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 83 During the time thatJMr. Osbaldes- ton was the master of the Quorndon hounds, and hunted this country, he found it necessary to import consider- able numbers of cubs from France, whicli were turned down in the stronger covers, and regularly fed, till they exhi- bited indubitable manifestations of their ability to provide for themselves. But those who are acquainied with Sir Harry Goodricke, or who have had an oppor- tunity of observing his candid and con- descending politeness, would be con- vinced that the general good-will of the country would scarcely fail to secure him an abundance of foxes. (To be continued.) On Friday, Nov. 9, the fixture for the Cottesmore hounds was Leasthorpe, about four miles from Melton. The hour of meeting was a quarter before eleven; and, under the circumstances of an extra quarter of an hour, and a very short distance to ride, I was in no great huny to start: I indulged the opportunity which was presented of no- ticing a number of .beautiful horses, as they passed on their way to the ap- pointed place : — the beauty of the horses, and the general perfection of their con- dition made it a real treat. FINDING. In our first number, we gave a sketch of the fox lying in his kennel : in the plate under consideration, the fox is seen rising from his kennel on the ap- pi'oach of the hounds. As we observed in our previous number, a fox, after having satisfied the calls of hunger during the night, does not seek the se- curity of his subterranean asylum, un- less he labours under some degi'ee of alarm ; on the contrary, he retires to his kennel (generally in the midst of a strong cover or thicket, and if possible with a southern aspect) to repose. He no sooner, however, perceives the ap- proach of the hounds, than he rises upon his fore feet (as represented in the plate) and listens : aware of the impend- ing danger, he seeks the protection of the earths, which, having been stopped —(Plate.) the previous evening, he is imahle to enter : he will hang to the cover for some time, particularly if a young fox, and in the early part of the season ; but, at length finding the cover no longer tenable, he breaks away ; a correct i"e- presentation of which will be given in our next number. In some parts of England, there are no earths, and in these places the foxes are called Stub foxes. Indeed, a fox is not capable of forming a subterraneous abode for himself unless in light soils : he cannot burrow in clay on account of its adhering so tenaciously to his feet when scratching : if there be badgers in the neighbourhood, the fox will soon provide himself with an earth ; and in some hunting countries earths are formed for them by manual labour. THE TURF. In our last, we made a few observa- tions under this head, which we find have been copied into many of the pro- vincial and other papers. We shall con- tinue the subject, not merely as a legi- timate object of animadversion, but as an imperious duty — fearlessly to tear the veil from the sinister brow of deception, and thus expose to genei'al execration, those infamous contrivances, by which, for some time back, confederated nests of swindlers have been enabled to rob honourable and confiding men of their property, of their triumphant satisfac- tion, and even of their well-entitled fame. There was a period when the prize- ring received the countenance of men of distinction, of the wealthy, of the in- fluential, and the good ; the very best intentioned members of society encou- raged the proceedings of the prize-ring, and from the best possible motives : — it promoted a system of self-defence at once open, honest, and manly : it was an honourable substitute for the dagger of the dark assasfein of many parts of Continental Europe, for the stiletto of 84 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. the dastardly Sicilian : — in fact, it formed the most eligible mode of settling a knotty point, and evidently tended to produce that active, persevering, and undaunted courage which has rendered the British arms invincible! moreover, pugilism, according to our early records, can fairly claim a classical, and indeed, a princely origin, since the heroes of Homer, amongst their other noble qua- lities, were remarkable for their skill as boxers. It is a lamentable reflegtion, how- ever, that the prize-ring, from having deserved, and having received, the pa- tronage of princes, has degenerated into the very lowest, the most degraded, system of swindling and robbery! — Without entei'ing into particulars (as they are too despicably low — too dis- gusting) let us only reflect for a few seconds not merely on the indirect rob- beries of the ring, but upon the number of pickpockets and professed thieves, which, from being members of the ring, have ended their days at the gallows, or have been removed from decent society, to atone for their crimes on board the hulks, or in Botany Bay! — No man be seen at a prize fight — can be known to afford the least coimtenance to the members of the prize-ring — if he have the least regard for his character. If then the ring has reached the very acme of turpitude — if it has be- come the very cesspool of infamy — what must be our feeling, when we contem- plate the painful retrograde of the Turf for the last half score years ; when we look at the regularly organized system of deception and wholesale swindling at which its proceedings have arrived ! No honourable man has, at present, a chance of fairly contending for, or win- ning, any of the principal stakes, im- less it happen to suit the views and the books of the numerously confederated, consummate rogues, who labour during the previous winter months, to orga- nize, and render as complete as possible, their system of plunder for the ensuing season. Let us just look at a late " Investi- gation before the Jockey Club :" — it ap- pears very like the conduct of two thieves, who, having quarrelled respect- ing the division of the booty, each be- comes eager to administer a little white- wash to himself! We shall not here re- capitulate the particulars, as they have gone the round of the daily and also of the weekly press. If we investigate the business, we shall find that most of the trainers have not only contrived to get extensive stables and numerous horses, but also to possess an interest in almost any horse to which they take a fancy : they pre- serve an understanding and a connexion with each othei-, and thus when a horse is discovered of superior powers, he is planted or placed accordingly — a drag chain is placed upon him, if necessary, and the thing made as safe as sinister contrivance can make it. The trainers have their confederates in various ways; and are anxious to have a proper tmderstanding with the judge, in case the thing should become a nice matter : — I have witnessed many instances of this kind. Two or three years ago, I happened to be at Epsom ~ - - - - race. and, in the very first the Tuesday morn- was run on Races ; which ing, a horse called Conrad, and the ce- lebrated mare, Fleur de Lis, appeared, amongst others, as competitors. I had taken my station in the uppermost wooden stand, which afforded the best possible view of the finish of the race : the struggle lay between Conrad and Fleur de Lis ; and, if my orbs of vision did not very grossly deceive me, I saw Conrad win the race as fairly as I ever saw a race won in my life : seve- ral gentlemen, who sat near me, were fully impressed with the same unquali- fied conviction • — yet the judge declared tlie mare the winner ! — I should like to know how his betting book stood on the occasion. Let it here be repeated, no judge, having bets depending upon the race, can go into the chair with an unbiassed mind. No jockey, being a bettor, or having an interest in a horse, ought to be allowed to ride- — at least the horse of another person. No trainer possess- ins: a property in any horse or horses those belong- person. Let us reflect for a moment upon the career of Velo- ought to be trusted with ing to another I THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 85 cipede ; let us look back upon the man- ner in which the Yorkshire junto (prin- cipally of trainers) have got into their hands many of the best horses ; let us look at what more southern juntos have been able to efiect ; and, finally, let us look at the dishonest practices which thence result, from the system of whole- sale swindling down to the mere petti- fogger in the infamous science ! All the great stakes are made safe ; books are made right, down to the lowest grade of betting, of which I give the following as a specimen : — amongst the various classes of bettors, there are those to be found, who establish an extensive correspondence with trainers and jock- eys, and by this means tliey ascertain that a niunber of horses whose names appear in various stakes, will not start : in consequence they get all the bets they possibly can p. p. (play or pay) and reap a harvest of ill-gotten lucre without risk : — there can be no fair bet, where there exists no thance of losing. BETTING AT TATTERS ALL'S. DERBY. 8 to 1 agst Mr. Ridsdale's Glaucus. 10 to 1 agst Mr. Rawlinson's Revenge. 14 to 1 agst Lord Cleveland's c. out of Longwaist's dam. 14 to 1 agst Mr. Hunter's Forester. 14 to 1 agst Mr. Mostyn's Prince Llewellyn. 20 to 1 agst Duke of Rutland's colt out of Moses' dam. 25 to 1 agst Duke of Grafton's Divan. 25 to 1 agst Sir M. Wood's Brother to Margrave. 25 to 1 agst Mr. Walker's Boscobel. 25 to 1 agst Lord Exeter's Marinella colt. 1 1 to 1 agst Cooper's stable, consisting of Nonsense, Zone, Pilkington, Twatty colt, &c. out of Whiteboy's dam. 5,000 to 500 was taken about this lot at New- market. Weeper first favourite- about Sister to Oxygen. OAKS. -10 to 1 offered on the field; offers to take 20 to 1 ST. LEGER. Offers to back Belshazzar against any thing. FALSE STARTS at NEWMARKET. Our frequent notices of the false starts at Newmarket cannot have escaped the recollection of our readers, and the ques- tion naturally arises — " How is it they prevent them at Doncaster, where there is only one Meeting in the year, and not at Newmarket, where there are seven ; where the Stakes are heavier, the facili- ties greater, and the parties interested of all others most competent to provide a remedy?" In other respects, the rules and regulations of the Newmarket Club are sufficiently precise and comprehen- sive, insomuch as the Stewards of almost every Provincial Meeting in the kindom find it best to adopt them ; but, strange as it may appear, the starting (important as it is) seems entirely to have escaped their notice, and thus it is, that it seldom happens that a field of horses shall run the Two-year-old Course without eight or ten (sometimes more) false starts — the effect being to disgust the spectators and destroy the tempers of the horses. This is not all : it sometimes occurs, that, irri- tated and distressed by the repeated starts and consequent checks, the best horse in the race will get beaten, and the public led into erroneous calculations. The fault rests between the starter and the jockey — for, in nineteen cases out of twenty,' the horses liave nothing to do with it, or how is it that we so often see boys of twelve years old riding two-year olds? 86 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. The starter at Newmarket is personally incompetent, and is, moreover, without any control or authority over the jockeys, who may play any tricks they please with impunity, as there is no penalty for dis- obeying him. The conduct ofjockeys is, in fact, strongly to be reprobated ; for, supposing it to be a field of young horses or of old ones, over the T. Y. C. we shall constantly find three or four of them be- fore the post, in their eagerneso to get an advantageous start, or, very probably, going off without any signal from the starter, while the others will hang fire till the horses they have reason to dread shall have fretted and destroyed them- selves. This may be repeated ad infini- tum, and the only notice the unruly jock- eys shall bestow on his complaints will be to "damn him for an old fool!" It has happened more than once, that part of the horses at the post have been suf- fered to run the whole distance without being recalled, and then have to go over the ground a second time ; and we could point out plenty of instances where a do- zen or fourteen abortive attempts have taken place in races of great importance. It is obvious how serious an influence it must have on a two-year-old, who has to run something less than three quarters of a mile as a distance commensurate with his age — under the present system, he may start a dozen times, and go two hundred yards at each attempt— it fol- lows, that he runs double the proper dis- tance, and is, besides, harassed and worn out by being so often set going and pulled up ; it becomes still worse if he be a high-couraged horse, and in the hands of an vmskilful rider. It is in- dispensable that something should be done to do away with this evil, and in the hope that it may lead to the adop- tion of something equally or more to the purpose, we beg to suggest to the Jockey Club the following rules : — To give the starter full power over the jockeys, and to fine the latter hea- vily on proof of getting before the post, starting without orders, or in any other respect disobeying him. To have a (moveable) post, of a dif- ferent colour from the others, placed one hundred yards from the regular post ; the horses to walk in a line from it to the starting-post, where the starter shall give the word. If a false start, the starter to hoist a flag, which shall be answered by one at a proper distance down the course, not to trust to the voice or the bell, which the jockeys frequently do not, or aflfect not, to hear. To have a competent starter — one who is not afraid of the jockeys, and who will make complaint of any misconduct, or be himself fined ; and never to suf- fer any irregularity to go unpunished. If these rules were enforced, we should see no more false starts, Since writing the above, we peixeive that the Jockey Club has, in some de- gree, anticipated us in the following rules : — " New Rooms, Nov. 2. — At a meet- ing of the Jockey Club, it was resolved — That the person appointed to start the horses have authority to order the jock- eys to draw up in a line as far behind the starting-post as he may think neces- sary ; and that any jockey disobeying the orders of the starter, or taking any unfair advantage, shall be liable to be fined in such sum, not exceeding five pounds, as the Stewards of the Jockey Club may thing fit to inflict. — Bell's Life in London. Food of Foxes. — Foxes return to where they were hred. To the Editor of the Cabinet. Sir, The fox is an exceedingly voracious animal • he hunts leverets in the plains, seizes old hares in their forms, and phea- sants and partridges on their nests ; but rabbits are his favourite food. Keepers, when they know of pheasants' or par- tridges' nests, effectually keep off foxes, by tying a piece of red cloth near the nest, wliich no fox will face. The in- jury done by foxes to the hen roosts is sometimes very considerable, and, in some cases, brings down the vengeance of the imsporting farmers on their heads ; this is only to be stopped by the master THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 87 of the hounds giving them a fair allow- ance for the damage done. Most farm- ers, however, are too much of sportsmen to destroy a fox, and cheerfully submit to a loss of property which procures them a good day's sport. In No. 1, p. 13, of the " Sportsman's Cabinet," there is a very remarkable anecdote of a bag- ged fox continually returning to the cover where he was bred, or passed his early days. It is Mi*. Beckford's opin- ion, that, " Cubs, though they may get off from the covers Avhere they were bred, when hunted, will seldom fail to return to them." Mr. John Warde, the father of fox hunting, had a fox bagged in Kent, which was marked in one of its ears : it was taken into Northampton- shire ; was turned out, and escaped, after a very severe chase : the following year, this same fox was killed, at the end of a sharp run, in Kent, and was recognized by the mark in its ear as the identical bagged fox. Wishing every success to the Sports- man's Cabinet, which, having passed the greater part of my life in the com- pany of sportsmen, I perceive to be the only practical sporting periodical in ex- istence, all other magazines, falsely called " Sporting," being regular made up humbugs, I am. Tour's, &c. Surrey, Nov. 5, 1832. R. G. Americati Fox Hunting. — The King William County, Fa. April 29, 1832. Sir, I had made up my mind of only hunting once more the past season, and that to be after the old red fox that had several times before eluded me and my dogs ; I, accordingly, made an ap- pointment to meet sundry of my friends and brother sportsmen with their re- spective dogs, at a tavern called Brandy- wine, in this county, near the grounds upon which the old veteran is generally found, on the 16th day of March, and about the sunrise of that morning, the company all assembled, with their packs, which, added to mine, made the whole pack to consist of about eighteen couple, all in high spirits, and eager for the chase. From Brandywine, after a little regaling, with some fine mint sling, we proceeded to cover, and had gone but a short distance, before a challenge was made by one of the dogs, to which the whole pack instantly I'esponded and joined in the chorus, and we soon ascer- tained it to be a fine drag of the old red. Unlucky, however, after pursuing the drag from the slashes where it was first struck, up into the piney lands, upon the hills adjacent, some confusion oc- curred among the hounds ; and the fox was unkennelled at some distance from the main pack, by two of the young dogs, whose notes were unknown to me, and off they went, down into the slash- Old Red Fox still Triumphant. es, and before I could with all my exer- tions, possibly break off from the drag, the balance of the pack, those two dogs had run nearly out of hearing ; we pur- sued with all possible speed, and after a run of about two miles, came up with them at the main road and at fault. An- ticipating the course old Reynard had gone, we made a cast with the dogs that way, and old Ringwood, belonging to a Mr. E. soon hit off the drag, which had, by this time, become quite cold and dif- ficult to follow, the wind being at the east ; an unfavourable point for the dogs to smell well. From thence, we traced the old fellow through Mr. Bassett's es- tate, down into the low lands, across Pampatike creek over into Goodwin's island ; thence through the sunken grounds contiguous to the island, a me- andering course, displaying in his ex- cursions, a great deal of cunning and generalship, down into the marshy lands of Mr. Thomas Carter; and at length, at the extreme end of the marsh, he was again unkeimelled ; hounds all well to- gether. Now, Mr. Editor, there was a general enthusiastic burst from the com- pany of that indescribable joy and plea- sure, that huntsmen (true lovers of sport,) at such a moment feel, which was manifested by exclamations, of now he's up, halloo ! — Only hear at old Ring- wood. Now, exclaimed anotlier, listen at Ti'uxton, how he rushes tlu'ough the mud and water ; well done Rock, he is 88 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. doing his part faithfully; hurrah for Crowner and Blunder, they are pushing for the front, &c. And away they went up through the sunken grounds and back the course old Ileynard had conducted them from, through Goodwin's island field, in which a view of him was ob- tained by some of the huntsmen, who remarked that he went like the wind — from thence he led the pack across the creek, through Bassett's and Tomlin's large estates, continuing to course the neighbouring fields and woods, over hill and dale, through break and briar, for about two hours, when by running the road, a fault was caused and the fox ob- tained a considei'able advantage — thus ended the first heat of hard running. Upon casting the dogs, after a lapse of some minutes, the scent was again hit off, and we were kept at long taw for a considerable time ; but, finally, unken- nelled him again out in the forests some distance from the lower lands, and all hearts were again elated by the cheering halloo — and now he's off" again — hurrah my brave fellows ! and away they went running breast high, for nearly two houi-s, when from the fox running in among a large gang of hogs, another fault was caused, and he again of course, obtained considerable advantage, and thus terminated the second heat of hard running — dogs behaving very well. The dogs were now cast around so as to get clear of the hogs, and at some distance from where the loss was made, they hit off the drag, and after following over lying down trees innumerable, and through thickets of bamboo briars, the old fellow was again unkennelled, im- mediately after which, a view Avas ob- tained of him by some of the huntsmen as he crossed a field, and contrary to the general expectation, he seemed to run quite strong and boldly, as if bidding de- fiance. He now took a new course of se- veral miles distance, running for Mans- kin neck, upon the river which he gained, and being hard pressed at about one and a half hours by sun in the even- ing, he resorted to his old ti-ick of swim- ming the river, by which he obtained a great advantage of the dogs, but the brave fellows took the water very rea- dily, and over they went like Trojans. It being impossible to cross the river with a horse, a small canoe was obtained at a small distance below, and two of the company went over to the Hanover county side, and pursued on foot where the dogs continued to push the old vete- ran until just at dusk, some of the com- pany who remained on the hill, near the river on the King William side, disco- vered the fox running with all his might up the river bank, not more than two hundred yards ahead of the hounds, and after running about one mile up the river, he was compelled to take earth, and thus ended the third and last heat of as hard running as ever was witness- ed in this or any country. An examination of the den was made, and the conclusion was that from the nature of the earth (being very hard) and the difficulty of its situation, he could not be dug out during the night ; and the company being nearly exhaust- ed by fatigue and hunger, the conclu- sion was finally made to let the old ve- tei'an remain until the next season, by which time, my young dogs Flash, Trooper, Trouncer, Crowner, Victor and Sting, the progeny of Old Venus and by the Frolic ci'oss, will have attained the age of two and a half years, and an ad- dition to Blunder, Truxton, Tippler, Helen, &c. I think, Mr. Editor, I shall be able not only to catch this old red fox, but any other upon the face of the earth. Your most obedient servant, Ro. Pollard. Amer. 2urf Reg. THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 89 OF SCENT. To the Editor of the Cabinet. Sir, There are many signs and symp- toms, by which, from habit, the sports- man is enabled to form an opinion as to a good or a bad scent ; yet it is a sub- ject little understood, though the sports are so mnch influenced by it. Somer- vile's opinion on the nature of scent is thus recorded : — The panting chase grows warmer as he flies, And through the net work of the skin perspires ; Leaves a long steaming trail behind, which by The cooler air condensed, remains, unless By some rude storm dispersed, or rarefied By the meridian sun's intenser heat. To every shrub the warm effluvia cling, Hang on the grass, impregnate earth and skies. With nostrils op'ning wide, o'er hill, o'er dale The vig'rous hounds pursue, with every breath Inhale the grateful steam, quick pleasures sting Their tingling nerves, while they their thanks repay, And in triumphant melody confess The titilating joy. Thus on the air Depend the hunter's hopes. The truly celebrated author of the " Chase" may not be wrong in his ideas, but much more remains to be said, in order to form a tolerable idea of what scent is composed, as well as of the manner in which it is influenced by the earth and the air. In the first place, scent would appear to be an effluvium, which, in a greater or a less degree, is continually issuing from the bodies of animals and other substances, and con- sists of minute particles or corpuscles, which, driven by the wind or otherwise, and coming in contact with the olfactory organs of the dog, enable him to disco- ver the proximity of the object of pur- suit, and, having ascertained the direc- tion of the vapour or steam, he cau- tiously ascends, as it were, the stream, and, by practice becomes a proficient in ascertaining the identical situation of the source whence the effluvium or scent issues. Scent, howevei', as far as it relates to the chase, is much under the influence of the weathet as well as situation. With a cold, dry, northerly or easterly wind, the scent is almost uniformly bad, while the soft and wanner breezes from the south enable the dog to hunt with ease, pleasure, and precision. Extreme heat seems to dissipate or dry up the scent ; a hard frost has nearly the same effect ; while much wet is almost equally detri- mental. In a ploughed field, or a hard road, a dog must possess a very superior nose to enable him to carry the scent ; while in stubble or grass, particularly the latter, the scent generally lies well, as the effluvium, by adhering to the blades of grass or stubble, becomes more easily cognizable by the olfactory organs or powers of smell. Generally speaking, when spiders' webs hang much on the stubble or bushes, the scent is difficult of i-ecognition. When scent, by the state of the atmosphere, rises from the earth, it is most favourable for the hound, as he has then no occasion to put his nose down, but runs with the greatest speed, and in such case the scent is said to lie breast high. An ingenious writer upon this sub- ject asserts, that motion is the chief cause of discharging those particles which constitute scent, because a hare, he observes, is very seldom winded whilst quiet* in her form, although the * But they are often steadily pointed by the dogs in shooting, and must con- sequently emit scent, though in a quies- cent state. M 90 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. hounds are so near as even to run over her. It is very evident, that the slower a hare moves, the grosser are the parti- cles of scent she leaves, which is the principal reason that the morning walk yields a scent so much longer than the flight when pursued, and to this also may, in a great measure, be attributed that increase of scent which is uniformly perceived when a hare or fox has been hard hunted, and is sinking before the hounds, and which old hounds seem so perfectly to understand : — How, niggard of his strength, the wise old hound Hangs in the rear, till some important point Rouse all his diligence, or till the chase Sinking he finds ; then to the head he spi-ings, With thirst of glory fired, and wins the prize. It would seem, however, that the particles of that subtle fluid, denominated scent, are inconceivably small, as hares, after a chase of four or five hours, are not perceptibly lighter than when first started, which has been clearly ascer- tained by those who have hunted box hares. This, on a superficial view of the case, appears altogether paradoxical, and yet when duly considered, appears very easily as well as very satisfactorily accoimted for. In the first place, we must admit that the particles of scent escape by the mouth and nose in breath- ing, and are also emitted through the pores of the skin, and by a constant evapoi'ation of this sort, no question can be entertained that a very perceptible decrease in the weight of the animal ■would soon be very obvious, if the fluid which was constantly escaping was not as constantly supplied : thus, it seems evident that every inspiration which the animal makes not only supplies the fol- lowing respiration, but is also sufficient again to make up the fluid which may have escaped through the pores of the skin. That scent, as far as relates to its recognition by the olfactory nerves of the dog, depends mainly upon the state of the weather, is an incontestible fact : a storm will immediately destroy it, nor is this to be wondered at, if we consider that those particles which constitute scent are of precisely the same specific gravity with those of the air, and which ahvays fall and rise in just proportion to it. Ignorant huntsmen (and they are generally so) rate and curse those hounds (which perhaps the day before they swore were the best in the world) for running with their noses in the air, as if their game had flown, when in fact it is in vain for them to seek the scent any where else, the increasing weight of that fluid element having wafted it over their heads. A fox or hare has little chance of escape when the air is in its mean gravity, tolerably moist, but in- clining to grow drier, with a mild breeze; the moderate gravity buoys up the scent as high as the dog's breast, the vesicles of moisture serve as canals to caiTy the effluvia into his nose, and the gentle breeze so much assists in spreading it, that every hound, even at ten or twelve paces distance, may have a due propor- tion. There are to be found those hardy enough to maintain, that the longer a hare or a fox is hunted the weaker the scent grows ; and in support of this no- , tion they assert, that the scent lies stronger at first because it makes its re- turn from a full stomach ; that, as the lungs have not suffered much distension, the animal breathes freer, and as the chase stretches more and consequently runs lower to the earth at first starting (particularly a hare) the breath inter- mixes better with the herbage, and thus leaves a better scent. But, on the other hand, it must be recollected that hares or other creatui'es hard run, perform their inspiration and respiration much quicker than when they remain perfectly quiet, or at least, are not urged beyond their natural pace : further, from the violent exertion of a long and severe chase, the animals in question become heated to a great degree, the fluid constituting scent becomes rarefied, the pores of the skin are more than usually dilated ; evacu- THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 91 ation therefore takes place much quicker and consequently in greater quantities, and, of course, the scent is rendered much hotter towards the end of a chase than at the commencement. It is true, that when a hare has been hard run, and is nearly exhausted, she makes her stretches shorter, which naturally brings her body more upright, and consequently higher from the surface of the earth ; and hence it may be supposed that the scent is more likely to suffer from wind and weather ; but the reasons which I jiave just given, such as her quickness of breathing, &c. far overbalance her more upright position, the truth of which is abundantly confirmed by the old hounds uniformly pushing to the head of the pack Avhenever the chase is sink- ing. The reason why a hare towards the end of a chase is sometimes difficult to be killed, is owing to her confining her doubles to a more contracted space : she crosses here and there, over and over, redoubles, making very much foiling in a little compass, thus creating such a va- riety of equal scents as frequently to puzzle the hounds exceedingly, and sometimes to save her own life. Nor should it be forgotten that there is an unaccountable difference in the very particles of scent, which are more distinguishable at one time than at ano- ther ; that there is a different scent also in other individuals of the same species is easily deducible from the circumstance of the hounds formerly used in tracing and pursuing thieves and deer stealers, as well as from some mongrel curs that will hunt their master's foot, or even hunt out his horse from a score of others ; and that it is the same with the hare is no less visible from the old deep mouthed beagles, as well as tlie deep flewed southern harriers, which will not readily change from the original chase, unless another hare start in view, or unless a long fault happens, by which the hounds become so confused, as to induce them to embrace the fii-st scent that offers. The greatest art, as well as the nicest discrimination, are requisite in hunting the foil, especially if the hare im- mediately steals back behind the hounds in the same path she came : it then re- quires the utmost skill to distinguish the new scent from the old, especially when both are mixed with the strong evacu- ations of dogs, horses, and men. If, under such circumstances, the hare leaps from her track into some thick hedge or brake, and there squats, the hounds will generally pass, and sometimes never hit her off afterwards. That the same hare will also at divers times emit finer or grosser particles of scent, is tolerably evident from what has been already sta- ted ; while it may be further observed, that the coursing of a cur dog always occasions a fault, and the hounds must, in general, be repeatedly put upon the scent in such case before they v/ill ac- knowledge it for their game ; the reason of which seems to be, the change in the motion of the animal causing an al- teration in the perspiring particles deno- minated scent. It is very well known amongst sports- men, that frost has a very powerful in- fluence upon scent, and on this account it will frequently happen that the walk of a hare may be hunted in one part of a field, and not in another ; that, at ten or eleven o'clock, the walk which gave the least scent at nine in the morning, will then aff'ord the best ; and what may prove still more perplexing, the hounds, perhaps, will be able to hunt it only at the wrong end or backwards. These accidents are merely the effect of the hoar frost, or a very gross dew. When the hoar frost is evaporating or going off] the mercury in the barometer will generally be found falling, and the scent sinking into the ground. The earth, on such occasions, is in a state of fermenta- tion, and sends forth a sort of fetid efflu- via ; and, in consequence, the jiarticles of scent must be buried, corrupted, or destroyed by stronger vapours. Thus, as a thaw corrupts or destroys the particles of scent, it seems fair to presume that the frost fixes, covers, and preserves them. What deserves particular notice is, that the hoar frost is very often of short duration, changeable and uncertain, both as to its time and place of falling; a huntsman, therefore, would do well to examine tlie windows in the early part of the morning, as they will generally discover whether any hoar frost has fallen, 92 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. and from which he may probably be able to form an opinion as to its continu- ance or going oft". If it appear to have fallen at two, three, or four o'clock iu the morning (in the month of October, for instance, and other periods of the year must be judged of by proportion) and to be going off about the break of day, a great difficulty may then be ex- pected of trailing a hare to her form, because her morning retreat, being on the top of the frozen dew, the scent is most likely either to be dissolved or cor- rupted and exhaled. It is true, that after such a night the hounds may open in almost every field, and sometimes even hunt in full cry, but it will gener- ally be backwards, and always in vain, her midnight ramblings, which the frost had covered, being now open and fra- grant. If the frost begins later in a morning, after the hare is seated, there is nothing to be done until that has va- nished. But, if the frost began early enough, and continues steadily until the dogs are in the field, the scent may be made good at her seat, as well as at other times on naked ground ; although it is evident that it must be materially affected when the frost is going off. After all, it must be allowed that there is great irregularity in respect to scent, and it will frequently alter very much in the same day, which is a strong proof (if, after what has been stated, strong proof were wanting) that it is principally influenced by the atmo- sphere. A fine sun shiny day is seldom good for hunting ; while a warm day, without sun, is directly the reverse. In some fogs, scent lies well ; in others, not at all ; which seems to depend on the quarter whence the wind blows. If wet continues to hang upon the bushes, the scent is generally bad ; though in a hard rain, with a mild air, the scent will some- times be good. A wet night will fre- quently produce the best chases^ as the game will then avoid the covers as well as the roads. In heathy countries, where the chase brushes as it goes along, the scent is excellent ; the contrary is well known to obtain over roads and fallows : — the reason seems obvious : in the for- mer case, the chase, by brushing the twigs, blades, &c. with which it comes continually in contact, leaves particles of scent upon them, which adhering for some time, of course create the finest scent imaginable ; in the latter case, as there are no obstacles with which the particles of scent may come in contact, and to which they may consequently ad- here, so they are immediately dissipated, and a bad scent the certain result. Among long grass the scent is equally good as amongst heath ; and indeed over grass in general the scent will be found to lie well : in this respect grass is superior to stubble, which no doubt arises from the softness and moisture of grass : therefore, when clover or grass is mixed with the stubble, the scent will be improved accordingly. A sudden change from a good to a bad scent frequently causes much con- fusion amongst the hounds; and there- fore a much better chase may be ex- pected from a scent not so good, but more equal. Some are of opinion that scent lies best in the richest soils ; and it has like- wise been observed, that in some parti- cular spots, in almost every country, let the temperature of the air be what it may, hounds are never able to carry a scent well across them. Hitherto I have been speaking of scent, as far as relates to the chase ; and consequently of that evacuation or ex- udation which proceeds from animated beings ; and though it has been shewn that much of this depends upon the mo- tion of the animal, it must not hence be concluded that I am contending that scent is confined alone to animated mat- ter ; on the contrary, it is a striking fact, that corrupt and putrid carcases emit the strongest vapour or steam ima- ginable, the particles of which, floating in the air, become very sensibly, and frequently very offensively, cognizable by the olfactory organs or jjowers of smell. However, while the evacuation of scent seems not to diminish the weight of the hunted hare, it causes a sensible and even rapid decrease in rot- ten and putrefying masses. A Sportsman. THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 93 DOG AND JACKAL. To the Editor of the Cabinet. Sir, A few days ago, I happened to visit an exhibition of wild beasts, and amongst the collection were two jackals, vulgarly called lion's providers. These animals, more than all the rest, excited my attention, from a train of ideas which in succession appeared in my mind's eye. — In the first place, as a lover of the chase, I could not help regarding the jackall as calculated to afford excellent diversion with a 2>ack of hounds in the same manner as a fox ; in the next place, the contemplation of these ani- mals brought to my recollection some remarks which had appeared on paper respecting the dog and the fox, and reasons stated why these two animals never had, nor never would, produce an intermediate species, or in plainer lan- guage, breed together, Avhich is in direct opposition to the commonly received opinion. From the appearance of these jackalls, I could not help thinking that a conjunction of this sort would be much more likely to ensue between one of the latter species and the dog, than between the fox and the dog; for though the jackal much resembles the fox in ap- pearance, yet there is something more frank and open in the aspect of the for- mer, it has much less of that suspicious distrust and malignity in its covmte- nance, which are so uniformly and so strongly marked in the look of the fox. Although a casual observer might easily mistake a fox for a jackal, or a jackal for a fox, yet, on close inspection, there will be found differences amply sufficient to mark the distinct species. The head and the nose of the jackal ap- pear more blunt and shorter than those of a fox ; while the brush, in contradis- tinction to that of the fox, is tipped with black ; at the same time the legs are longer ; and its greyhound-like appear- ance altogether manifest its capacity to afford capital sport before a pack of hounds. Whether the dog and the jackal would engender has, I believe, never been put to the test ; yet it may be re- marked, that in those parts of the world where the jackal and the wild dog are found in abundance, such a conjunction was never known. This circumstance, howevei", ought to have very little weight in the scale of reasoning ; for, as the mare and the ass are never known to approach each other in a state of nature, so it is only when animals have been subjected and reduced to the obedience of man, that we are to expect those con- junctions which may amuse the experi- mentalist, but are, perhaps, after all, of little solid utility. Nevertheless, I am of opinion that the dog and the jackal would be much more likely to unite than the dog and the fox, for the reasons I have before given, as well as the follow- ing : — In their native forests, jackals as- sociate in packs of from fifty to two hun- dred, where they hunt, during the night, like hounds in full ciy. The noise which they make is not exactly like the bai'king of a dog, but something between that and the howling of the wolf. Dillon says their voice is like the ci'ies of many children of different ages mixed toge- ther : when one commences, the whole pack immediately join in the howl. Their appearance and manners approxi- mate more nearly those of the dog, than the manifestations of character in the fox are found to resemble that animal ; though, like the fox, they burrow in the earth, where they chiefly hide them- selves during the day, but emerge on the approach of night, when the forest resounds with their cries. They devour povdtry and lambs, ravage the streets of villages and gardens near towns, and are said even to destroy children when left improtected. They are bold and coin-a- geous, sometimes entering the tent of a traveller, while he is asleep, and stealing any thing that is eatable. The wolf, the fox, the jackal, and the dog, are much alike in external ajipear- ance, while, internallj^, there is no per- ceptible diirerence ; yet, in a state of na- tiu'e, they never approach each other except to combat. An intermediate ra- 94 THE SPOTSMAN'S CABINET. mification between any of the two seems no more improbable than what, at one period, the conjunction of the ass and the mare might appear ; yet, I am of opinion this will never take place until ages of captivity have reduced the ani- mals to that state of subordination, to which the generality of our domestic animals so cheerfully submit. Yovu- well wisher, Q. SHOOTING IN WET WEATHER. To the Editor of the Cabinet. Sir, Possessing that anxious feeling so common among shooters on the near approach of the 12th of August, I ho- nestly confess I was not able to sleep on the night of the 11th, so prepossessed ■was I with anticipations of the follow- ing day's diversion ; and although the weather was unfavourable, I groped my way up the mountains before (he dawn of day. With my double copper cap percussion, 1 conceived myself proof against the weather, and was weak enough to suppose I could pursue my diversion despite of the rain. It is true, I discharged my gun several times, and it is equally true that I attempted to discharge it many more ; and though the priming uniformly exploded, yet the gunpowder in the barrel did not ignite. I was for some time at a loss to ac- count for this ; but a careful examina- tion convinced me that this defect arose from the size of the air-hole, which in my fowling-piece is much too large, and for which indeed there is not the least occasion. To be moi-e explicit : — my gun is formed with what the gunmakers call collars ; or in otlier words, at the breech end of it, where the touch-hole in a flint-lock gun is situated, project two cylindrical pieces of iron, called collars, into which the peg or touch- hole is fixed, and upon which the cop- per cap is placed : at the end of these collars there is a small hole, called the air hole (for which I can perceive not the least occasion either in theory or practice) which, in my gun, is about half the size of a common touch-hole ; and into this hole the rain insinuated itself, and, as gunpowder possesses a powerful principle of absorption, so the charge thus becoming wet, did not ignite by the flash produced from the explosion or combustion of the priming ; and thus I lost several brace of grouse. The moors upon which I shot, were exceedingly wet, more so than I can recollect, yet the game lay well, and I levelled my gun at eight beautiful shots, which all escaped from the reason which I have just assigned. This, you will easily admit, Mr. Editor, was, to saj' the least of it, a most vex- atious circumstance ; and thouo-h shoot- ing m ram very much neutralizes the pleasure of the diversion, yet on the present occasion I should certainly have persevered for some time longer, had it not been for the circumstance I have just mentioned. Prior to ascending the mountains, I had prepared a number of primings by placing wax* upon the per- cussion powder priming already in the bottom of the cap. This precaution rendered the primings completely im- pervious to the wet — they never missed, and had it not been for the unlucky air- * The wax hei-e mentioned, is thus prepared : — Of tallow, two parts. Of white soap, three parts, Of hog's-lard, one part, which should be melted and mixed to- gether, till tlie whole is quite smooth. As the soap is more difficult to melt than either of the other ingredients, so it re- quires this operation, before they are added. By making a small mortar to- lerably warm, the soap may be melted, when the tallow and hog's-lard may be added, and the whole stirred with a pestle till it is perfectly smooth. This was used to prevent wet penetrating into Forsyth's magazine, and is very superior to tallow, particulai'ly as it is much less affected by heat : while per- haps it may be justly remarked that the priming fires better with it than with tallow. THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 95 hole, I should certainly have bagged a few brace of birds, notwithstanding the continued misty rain. I met with a gentleman in my range with a similar gun to my own, except that it had no air-holes, and as he had prepared his caps with a little tallow (which is not equal to the wax I have just mentioned) his gun was rendered completely water-proof. On mentioning the circumstance to my gunmaker, he remarked, that he had formed air-holes in all the percus- sion guns which he had made, under an idea that they would thus be less liable to burst, as well as that the powder in the baiTel would be more rapidly ig- nited. — -I must confess these appeared very cogent reasons ; but they were mere- ly theoretical ; for, on dischai'ging my gun after the holes in question were stopped, I perceived no difference in the discharge, nor the least tendency to bursting of the barrels. However, shooting in rain, after all is not remarkably pleasant, though ar- dent sportsmen are sometimes apt to attempt it. But, prepared in the man- ner above described, a shooter may keep the field in drizzling rain ; but when it falls heavily and fast, his clothes, to say nothing of his fowling- 2)iece, become in a short time, so satu- rated with moisture, that he will find it next to impossible to keep his gun- powder dry, or to load his gun. Finally, it should be remarked, that those who wish to retain the air-hole (those in my gun, were, I believe, much too large, even allowing such apertures to be necessary) should, i'a hazy or wet weather, fill it with tallow or the wax above mentioned, which will of course, render it water-proof. Your's respectfully, A Shooter. RATS AND THEIR HABITS. To the Editor of the Cabinet. Sir, I take the liberty of transmitting to you the following account, which may perhaps be deemed worthy a place in your amusing Miscellany, although the circumstance to which it relates took place several years ago. A gentleman of Liverpool, Mr. A — ,occupied a ware- house in that town, which, before it came into his i^ossession, had been used for some business which required a sort of vaulted chsmber or apartment, arched over with brick, the entrance to which was from an aperture in the top, about half a yard in diameter. In this state it came into the hands of Mr. A — : the •warehouse was much infested with rats, and as one was occasionally found which had accidentally fallen into the chamber just mentioned. After varioiis ineffective methods had been contrived for the de- struction of these noxious vermin, a sort of balance trap was so contrived across the aperture just mentioned, that proved so successful in its operations as to pre- cipitate fifty-seven rats in one night into the chamber below, from which there was no means of escape but by the aper- ture in question, and as the height of this from the bottom of the chamber was something more than two yards and a half, the rats appeared to have no alternative but death. An obvious mode for this purpose presented itself the use of terriers or other dogs accustomed to Avorry rats, but, after a few seconds spent in debate upon the subject, an Irish porter, who was employed in the warehouse, volunteered his services to become the executioner of the rats ; and as a preliminary step, he procured a short ladder, and, in defiance of the ear- nest entreaties of his fellow labourers, descended into this semi-subterraneous receptacle, armed with a stout cudgel about a yard in length. The moment he reached the bottom, he requested his com- panions to draw up the ladder to prevent the escape of the rats by rimning up it : the latter had retreated to the corners of the place, and appeared silently in clus- ters, with their backs, however, nuich bent, as if prepared for a spring ; nor were they long before they altered the position of this preparatory curvature of 96 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. the back-bone — the ladder was scarcely drawn up, Avhen, with loud squeaking or rather screaming they darted to the attack. Unfortunate Pat appeared pe- trified — he made no use whatever of his shillaleh, nor attempted the least defence in any form ; and in consequence of his passive conduct, the rats did not bite him, but they ran up him as if to gain the aperture by this means; the poor fellow was literally covered with these disgusting vermin from head to foot, which continued their cries all the time. The ladder was of course lowered to him as soon as possible ; but, for some se- conds, he had not the power to move. The rats, however, quitted his person, and retired to their former positions, and Pat was at length rescued from his ter- rific situation, but he appeared to be de- prived of his senses, and some time elapsed before he was able to utter a word. A terrier was then lowered into the chamber : it was a beautiful young dog ; but he no sooner perceived the number and array of his enemies than he refused to advance to the attack: he was therefore drawn up again, and in a few minutes, an old white terrier bitch was procured and let down into this awful receptacle : the bitch was in a state of gestation, but she hesitated not a moment — she darted into the midst of the rats with the most undaunted cou- rage, and was literally covered by them in an instant. But the bitch was an accomplished rat killer, and every rat she seized she qviitted again in a mo- ment, but in this moment she had dis- abled it, and thus in a very short time a number of rats was observed strug- gling but imable to rise. The battle raged with the utmost fury for some time, conducted with the greatest con- fusion and noise on the one part, and the most active and resolute silence on the other. The rats at length hauled off as far as the limits of the place would admit, leaving twenty-three of their companions dead and disabled on the field of battle. The bitch appeared ex- hausted ; she lay down and panted for breath : another dog was shortly after- wards lowered to her assistance, when the combat was renewed with the utmost ardour on the part of the terriers, while the resistance of their opponents was evidently less determined. The contest Avas sliortly over, and ended in the total destruction of the rats. The most melancholy part of the business is, that the poor unfortunate Irishman appeared never afterwards to recover either his spirits or his senses : he followed his occupation, nevertheless, for some time, frequently manifesting, however, a degree of unconnected or insane abstraction, and in little more than twelve months he breathed his last ; nor is there the least doubt, in the mind of his employer, that the fright he re- ceived from the rats was the cause of his death ! Many are the recorded and well authenticated instances of the effects of fear on the human mind, and amongst the rest, is that of changing the colour of the hair : it is a fact mentioned by several writers whose veracity is above suspicion, that the hair of the beautiful, but unfortunate, Maria Antoinette turn- ed grey in a very short period, the effect of the terror inspired by the sanguinary and ferocious monsters to which the French Revolution gave birth, or at least called into action. Further, a pea- sant some years ago, who was suspended from the top of a rock by a rope in order to take the nest of an eagle which was situated in the crags below, being armed with a sabre to defend himself from the attacks of the parent birds, in making a blow at one of them, he cut two of the plats or twists of the rope on which he sat, and thus became suspended by the only remaining twist. He was drawn up as soon as possible ; but when he reached the top and was placed in safety, it was observed that his hair had turned white. But to return to the rats — I have already observed that the rats defended themselves with the utmost fury against the attack of the terrier bitch ; they ad- vanced upon the man and would no doubt have bitten him severely had he not contiimed passive. In some of the plantations in the western hemisphere, they have been known in one single night to devour an unfortunate negro, that was confined in a dungeon : — if a person place his foot over a rat hole to prevent the animal gaining his asylum, the rat will instantly seize him with all THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 97 the fury of a tiger. Yet, notwithstand- ing all the fierceness and courage which individually and collectively they have heen frequently known to display, they are, nevertheless, but cowardly animals after all. When the second dog was put into the chamber above mentioned they did not attempt to advance to the attack as in the first instance ; and in* deed it is owing to their cowardly dis- position that they arc so easily killed by the weasel or stoat, animals inferior to themselves in strength, but possessing the most undaunted courage. The same remark will equally apply to the circum» stance of those who make a trade of rat catching frequently handling these ani- mals with the utmost familiarity, and even putting them in their bosoms. It has been frequently supposed that some charm was made use of by these men for the purpose above mentioned, and such is the notion still entertained by many of the ignorant ; but this charm consists in nothing more than the situa- tion in which the rat is placed and its cowardice. One morning, last October I met one of these rat catchers coming from aboard a vessel with his cage nearly filled with enormous brown rats. I spoke to him on the subject of handling these vermin, when he informed me that rats lost their courage in a state of cap- tivity ; and to convince me of the truth of what he said, he immediately opened the cage door, and thrusting his hand amongst them, first took hold of one and then another, which he drew forth, ex- hibited to me, and returned to the cage. He admitted, however, that the safety of this operation depended in some degree, upon the mode in which it was performed, and that to take hold of one of these very rats (which appeared al- together so harmless) in a timid or hesitating manner would be to incur the danger, if not the certainty, of a bite. If a rat be seized by the hand, even when it is at liberty or endeavouring to escape, and be very finnly and very fearlessly grasped, it thus becomes de- prived either of the power or the will to bite. If we are to judge from circumstances there would appear as much difference, in regard to courage, amongst rats as amongst men, and that consequently one rat will be found much more cou- rageous than another ; but perhaps this observation will apply rather to the va- rious ramifications of this hateful com- munity than to the individuals, as the brown rat is a more courageous creature than the black rat, more mischievous and moi-e destructive. It is frequently called the Norway rat, though it is un- known in all the northern countries, and hence it would appear that the intense cold of the northern regions is by no means congenial to its constitution, or it would long ago, either through the medium of ships or otherwise, havefound its way to those countiies. Even in this kingdom, the great brown rat, though common in the fields in summer, never fails to seek the protection of buildings or other places in winter where it is se- cured against the inclemencies of the weather. This rapacious creature, there is every reason to believe, came origin- ally fi-om the Levant ; and its fii'st ar- rival was in Ireland, brought in vessels that traded in provisions to Gibraltar ; and perhaps we owe to a single pair of these animals the numerous progeny that now infests the whole extent of the British empii'e. This new invader, soon after its arrival, found means to destroy almost the whole race of the black or common rat, as it was then called, but now rarely to be seen. But it was not against the black rat alone that its rapa- city was directed ; all other animals of inferior strength shared the same mis- fortune. The contest with the black rat was of short continuance. As it was unable to contend and had no holes to fly to for retreat but where its voracious enemy could pursue, the whole race was soon nearly extinguished. The frog also was an animal still more incapable of combat or defence. It had been de- signedly introduced into Ireland some years before the great brown, or Norway rat, made its appearance in that country, and was observed to multiply amazingly. The inhabitants were pleased with the propagation of a harmless animal that served to rid their fields of insects ; and even the prejudices of the people were in its favour, as they supposed that the frog contributed to render the water more wholesome. But the Norway rat soon put a stop to their increase ; as N 98 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. these animals were of an amphibious nature, they pursued the frog to its lakes, and took it even in its own natural ele- ment; and thus, in a short time, consi- derably reduced the number of these in- offensive creatures. The great brown rat will destroy poultry and all kinds of game ; and, like the polecat, kills much more than it can carry away. Tt swims with ease, dives with great celerity, and easily thins the fish pond. In short, scarce any of the feebler animals escape its rapacity, except the mouse, which shelters itself in its hole, where the Nor- way rat is too big to follow. These animals frequently produce from twelve to eighteen or even twenty-five at a time, and usually bring forth three times a year ; a degree of increase sufficient in a short time to overrun the whole coun- try were it not that they eat and destroy each other. The same insatiable appe- tite that impels them to indiscrimate carnage also incites the strongest to de- vour the weakest of its own kind ; and in illustration of this fact, I must take leave to mention, that some time back, Mr. Charles Towne (the animal por- trait painter) procured three living rats for the purpose of filling up and animating a picture containing the por- traits of two favourite terriers, the pro- perty of Mr. Alison. These rats were confined in a wire cage, and in the evening the cage was placed in the cellar and some meat put into it for the rats. But, in the morning, when the painter visited the cellar for the pin- pose of bringing the rats again into his painting room, he was astonished to find the food which he had placed in the cage untouched, and that the largest rat of the three had killed the other two and devoured a part of each ! The large male rat indeed generally keeps in a hole by itself, and is dreaded by its own species as the most formida- ble enemy. In this manner the num- ber of these vermin is kept within due bovmds ; and when their increase be- comes injurious to us, it is repressed, in some degree, by their own rapacity. Further, it may be added, that as this animal is disgusting to man, so it is hateful to most other animals, and all the stronger carnivorous quadrupeds seem to possess natural antipathies against them. The dog, though he re- fuses to eat their flesh, pursues them with the utmost animosity : and those dogs that are not well practised in the business of rat killing frequently get se- verely bitten in the contest. From the inflammation and other angry symptoms which generally attend the bite of the rat, some have been led to suppose that it was, in some measin-e, venomous ; but it is very likely that the difficulty of the wound's healing arises merely from its being deep and lacerated by their teeth, and is rather a consequence of the figure of the instruments that inflict it, than any venom they may be supposed to possess. The cat is another formidable enemy of the rat kind, though many of our domestic cats testify no great incli- nation to attack it, and some of them decline the combat altogether — very few of them will eat any part of it except the head. The cat is a more prudent hunter than the dog, and will not be at the pains to take or combat with an ene- my that is not likely to repay her time and danger. Some cats, however, will piu'sue the rat with the utmost ala- crity ; if the rat is very large, a combat uniformly ensues, and the rat maintains the conflict as long as he is able and sells his life as dearly as possible. The polecat also destroys the rat whenever it comes in contact with it. But the most dangerous foe to these vermin is the weasel. This animal pursues them with avidity, and being pretty nearly of their own size, follows them into their holes, where a desperate battle ensues. The strength of each is nearly equal, but the mode of fighting, and the arms, are very different. Those who have witnessed the combat of the weasel and the rat, are very well aware that the onset is , fierce, and the advantage appears on the side of the rat. The latter, furnished with four long tusks at the extremity of its jaws, rather snaps than bites : whilst the weasel, where it once fastens (which is generally about the rat's throat) holds, and continuing also to suck the blood at the same time, weakens its antagonist and always obtains the victory. T. THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 99 Hunting of the Ancients, and the Britons always celebrated for the Love of the Chase. To the Editor of the Cabinet. Sir, The ancients were passionately fond of hunting : they esteemed it a manly and wavlike exercise, in the high- est degree conducive to health. Galen recommends it not only as an admirable exercise for the body, but as affording a healthful and vigorous entertainment to the mind. Yet it would a2)2Jear, from whatever has been written on the sub- ject, that they were but very imperfectly skilled in the science of the chase : they knew but little of the " odora canum vis;" whenever the ancients mention dogs following by the scent, they seem to mean no more than finding the game by the nose of one single dog ; and the description of ancient hunting, as we find it in the Antiquities of the Pere de Montfaucon, taken from the sepulchre of the Nasos and the Arch of Constan- tine, has not the least trace of the man- ner now in use. Oppian gives a description of the ancient harriers ; and though he ap- pears to describe the hunting of the hare by the scent, through many turnings and windings, yet he really says no more than that one of these hounds hunted the hare to her form, whence she was run by sight. Thus Nemesi- us says They challenge on the mead the recent stains, And trail the hare unto her secret form. It is remarkable too, that the best sort of these finders were brought from Britain, this island having, it seems, always been famous for the best breed of hounds, for persons best skilled in the art of hunting, and for horses the most enduring to follow the chase. Nothing is more certain, than that hunting was the exercise of the greatest heroes of antiquity. By this they form- ed themselves for war : they were early taught to contest with the swiftest wild beasts in speed ; with the boldest in strength ; with the most cunning, in craft and subtlety : and their exploits in the chase were a prelude to their future victoi'ies. The Roman emperors, in those monimients they erected to trans- mit their actions to future ages, made no scruple to join the glories of the chase to their most celebrated triumphs. Yet, as I before observed, their no- tions upon this subject were crude and imperfect to a much greater degree than might have been ex2)ected : they had no idea of pursuing wild beasts by the scent only with regular and well-disci- plined hounds. Ovid, in his story of Acteon, in describing the dogs, gives us a list of all sorts and of all countries ; while what Virgil says of dogs relates merely to greyhounds and mastiffs, which he, in direct opposition to mo- dern custom, directs to be fed on but- termilk. It has been before observed, that this island was always celebrated for its knowledge of the chase ; in this respect however, it was inferior to the Danes at the time when Canute estabhshed himself in this countrj'. The Saxons also appear to have had a more scienti- fic knowledge of the chase than the Bri- tons : while the Normans were evidently superior to the whole in this respect, and unquestionably laid the foundation of that system of hunting which has con- tinued through every successive im- provement, till, in the present moment it has acquired the utmost perfection, or perhaps rather overstrained the point. I say rather overstrained the point ; since I cannot help regarding the jJre- sent fashionable sharp-nosed fleet hound as an experiment pushed too far, or be- yond the pinnacle of perfection. NiMROD. 100 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET, SIGNS of the WEATHER, RAIN, %c. To the Editor of the Cahiiiet. Sin, As the amusements of the sportsman are so much under the influ- ence of the weather, a few remarks upon that subject, as well as a recital of the prognostics, the greater part of which I have found to be correct, from the ob- servations of thirty years, may not, per- haps, be uninteresting to many of your readers : — There are few sportsmen, or indeed few people who reside in the country, but wliat are acquainted with a number of circumstances which they regard as signs or signals of the approaching wea- ther — for instance, when dogs eat grass, it is supposed to indicate rain : the truth of this observation I have frequently ex- perienced, not that the animal can have any foreknowledge ; but, as the state of the atmosphere, on such occasions, is such as to cause nausea or sickness, and as the broad blades of grass, when swal- lowed, by tickling the stomach, induces vomiting, so the dog, by nature taught, seeks relief by swallowing grass. Moles throwing up more hillocks than usual is also supposed to indicate rain ; the same remark will equally apply to worms creeping out of the ground in great num- bers ; as well as when frogs assume a a black or dark colour ; but when these animals appear of a golden hue, it is in- dicative of fine weather. When toads crawl over the road, and all sorts of in- sects are more alert than usual, rain may be confidently expected. Bees confine their industry to the neighbourhood of their hive, when rain is approaching in order that they may reach home before the storm commences ; when they fly far abroad, and continue out late, it is a sign of fair weather. Ants bustle more than usual, move tlieir eggs to dry places, and then retire to their burrows, before rain falls. When small flies flock toge- ther in great numbers, about the beams of the sun a little before it sets ; and gnats play in the open air in the even- ing, fine weather may be expected : but when the latter collect and dance in the shade, showers may be expected; when they sting much, rain generally follows. Bats flying early and numerously, and glow worms appearing in unusual num- bers, are strong indications of fine wea- ther. In the hilly parts of Derbyshire, as well as in Charnwood Forest in Leices- tershire, the shepherds observe, that, if the sheep ascend the hills in a morning to their pasture, and feed near the tops, the weather, although cloudy and driz- zling, will clear away by degrees, and terminate in a fine day ; but if they feed in the bottoms, the rain will continue and increase. Sheep and cattle in general, if they feed more greedily than ordinary, in rain, it is a sign of the rain's continu- ance. When sheep skip and play wan- tonly, rain may be expected ; on the ap- proach of a thunder storm, however, they manifest mucli alarm, and seek shelter, I have frequently witnessed the sheep in Charnwood Forest, on the approach of thunder, make their way up to Sharply Reck, accompanied by their lambs, expressing their apprehensions by loud bleatings all the way, and on their arrival, sheltering themselves in the crevices of the huge masses of which the rock consists. Geese and ducks more noisy, and washing and diving more than usual, is indicative of rain. When peacocks are very noisy, and cocks crow in the mid- dle of the day, rain may be expected. Kites and buzzards hovering high in the air indicates fine weathei'. Owls scream- ing frequently in the evening, if the weather be foul, fair and frosty weather may be expected. Larks rising high and singing long is an indication of fine weather ; redbreasts singing long and loud in the open air, fine ; f^iintly under cover, i-ain. When moor game quit the tops of the mountains and betake them- selves to the valleys, rain. Crows are more earnest after their prey before rain. According to Pliny, it is a sign of rain when the land fowl, especially crows, are clamorous near waters and wash themselves : when crows fly in an irre- gidar, scattered manner, dive much in the air, and are noisy, it is a strong in- dication of stormy weather; sea gulls Avill also be ninnerous at some distance THE SrORTSMAN'S CABINET. 101 from the sea shore on the approach of stormy weather, as they arc unable to keep at sea in a high wind or bad wea- ther. When swallows skim the surface of the water or fly low, rain may be ex- pected. In the summer of 1775, there was a drought of three months' duration ; the day previous to the rain falling, the swallows flew very near the ground, which they had never done during the whole period of the dry weather. When sparrows chirp much in a fine morning, rain may be expected ; and the chaffinch being loud in his note is a signal that wet is approaching. When two different currents of clouds appear, especially if the lower flies fast before the wind, and these appear in hot weather in the summei', they portend the gatherins; of a thunder storm. If thin whitisli clouds fly swiftly in the air under those that are thicker, and when small scattered ones appear in clear wea- ther, it is an indication of rain. When a general cloudiness covers the sky above, with small black fragments of clouds, like smoke, driving underneath, rain is at no great distance, in all probability a considerable quantity. • If a black cloud is seen in the west about sun-setting, and when, at any time, clouds arise sud- denly in that quarter, rain may be ex- pected. Also, when clouds are formed like fleeces, dense towards the centre, and very white at the extremities, with a bright and blue sky about them, snow, hail, or hasty showers will soon follow. Before heavy rain, every successive cloud rises larger and more expansive than the former, and all of them appear in an increasing state : this is perhaps most remarkable on the approach of a thunder storm ; after the copious vapours have been elevated and suspended in the sky by the heat, and are highly charged with the electrical fluid, small 2)ieces of flying clouds augment and as- semble together, until, in a short time, they cover the sky : as this gathering of clouds out of the air is a certain fore- i"unner of i-ain, so when they decay and resolve themselves into air, it is a cer- tain indication of fine weather. When clouds are streaming within the canopy, and small ones enlarge themselves, when they are arc large, and shaped like rocks or towers ; when watery clouds appear to rest on the tops of the mountains, and small, rugged, livid ones are near the sun, especially at its setting, all these may be regarded as symptomatic of rain. If clouds appear with livid bases and capped with white, thunder may be expected ; and when two such clouds rise, one on either hand, sudden tempests will generally follow. If clouds are seen to congregate or breed high in the air in thin white trains, like locks of wool, they shew that the vapour is irregularly spread by the winds above ; in consequence a wind below will soon follow, probably succeeded the next day by rain. When high moun- tains are free from clouds ; and also when small white clouds appear high and light, they arc both symptoms of fine clear weather. In a very foggy morning, if the dew or vapour falls, a very hot day will cer- tainly follow ; but, if the mist rises, rain may be expected. Where there are high hills, and the fog which hangs over the lower grounds in the morning, draws towards the hills and rolls uj) their sides till it envelopes their sinnmits, rain is not to be expected. But in order to form a coi'rect judgment from the ap- pearance of a fog, it is necessary to be acquainted with the nature of the coun- try, as, in some places, if the mist hangs upon the hills and drags along the woods, instead of overspreading the level grounds (in a morning) rain will fol- low. The contrary, when it rolls down from the hills and settles in the valleys below. Generally speaking, a heavy dew may be regarded as a prognostic of fine weather ; and when the dew lies plentifully upon the grass after a fine day, a similar one may be expected to succeed it ; but if, after such a day, no dew is upon the groimd, and little or no wind stirring, it is a sign that the va- pours have ascended, that they will ac- cumulate, and that rain will follow. Lightning, accompanied by thunder, after a clear day, is a prognostic of the continuance of fine weather. When a dark thick sky, lasting for some time, without either sun or rain, changes to a clear serene sky before it turns to rain. When a lowering red- ness spreads far upwards in the horizon, cither in the morning or evening, it is 10J2 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. generally succeeded either by wind or rain, and frequently by both ; and when a fiery redness, with rugged clouds, ex- tend towards the zenith in an evening, wind from the west or south west gener- ally follows. If the sky be tinged with a sea green colour near the horizon, much rain may be confidently expected ; when a dull dead blue aj)pears in tlie same place, showery weather will fol- low. When in a morning some parts of the sky appear green between the clouds and blue appears above, stormy weather will quickly follow. The following general observations of " the evening red, the morning grey, are sure signs of a fine day," is founded upon this circumstance — that, if the abundance of evening vapours denoted by the red evening sky descends in dew, or is otherwise so equally dispersed in the air, as to give the morning a grey appearance, such an equal state of the atmosphere denotes a fine day. When the sun, at its rising, appears of an orange hue, rain may be expected ; if it rises red and fiery, it denotes rain ; if clouds attend its rising, and afterwards decrease, fair weather may be regarded as certain to follow ; but when the sun rises dimly, it denotes drizzly weather. When the sun's rays breaking through the clouds are visible in the air, it shews that the air is filled with vapours, which will soon produce rain. If there is a haziness high in the air, so that the sun's light fades by degrees, his orb not well defined, attended with a whitish appear- ance, rain may be very confidently ex- pected. When the sun at setting ap- pears foul, rain will follow ; when red, wind or rain may be expected ; if it as- sumes a blue appearance at setting, rain will follow ; if dusky, streaked with red, storm; if a purple colour predominates, it indicates fine weather ; also, if very bright, it denotes fine weather. When the sun appears white at setting, or sinks into a dusky bank of clouds, it is a strong in- dication not only of the approach, but also of the continuance of bad weather. When the moon looks red, it is a sign of wind ; if it appears pale or dim, it denotes rain ; but if white, and of her natm-al colour, surrounded by a clear sky, fair weather will ensue. If the moon and stars grow dim in the night, with a haziness in the air, and a circle appear i-ound the moon, rain will speed- ily follow. Should the moon be rainy throughout her course, it will become fine at the ensuing change, and rain will most likely fall in a few days after and continue : if, on the contrary, the moon has been fair, and at the change it rains, fine weather will return about the fourth or fifth day of the moon, and probably continue for some time. When the moon is bright, with sharp tips, it de- notes fair weather ; the new moon not ai^pearing until the fourth day indicates a I'ainy month ; when the lower horn of the new moon is sullied, bad weather may be anticipated before the full. Many vegetables expand their flow- ers in fair weather and close them on the approach of cold or rain. The stalk of trefoil grows more upright and swells against rain ; similar is the efiect on many other plants. In some parts of the country, the rustics pay much atten- tion to a small red flowei", which grows amongst the stubble, called winco-pipe : it closes on the approach of cold or rain^ while its expansion is regarded as a sure indication of a fine day. The sound of bells, as well as the noise of water, heard at a great distance, portend rain : those who reside near the sea are very well aware how loudly and distinctly the roar of its waves may be heard on the approach of a storm. When the earth, or any fenny places, yield disagreeable or extraordinary smells, rain may be expected ; the same remark will apply to sewers, drains, &c. The more than usual sinking of rivers presages rain. The speedy drying of the surface of the earth, denotes fair wea- ther, accompanied perhaps with a nor- therly wind ; and its becoming moist, a southerly wind, accompanied by rain. From the state of the wind a tolera- ble idea may be generally formed of the weather, though, in this respect, opinion may be found somewhat to vary accord- ing to the locality ot the situation, whence the observations are made. When the wind blows from the north- east for three successive days, without rain, fair weather may be expected for eight or nine days following. When it hastily veers about to several points of the compass, rain is approaching ; THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 103 also, when the wind makes a whistling or howling noise, rain may be confidently expected. The wind blowing from the north-east to the north-west denotes fair weather ; from south-east to sonth-west the contrary. In most parts of this country a south wind is apt to produce rain ; but wlien a week's fair weather accompanies a southerly wind, drought generally follows. An easterly wind in the fore part of the summer denotes a dry summer. Westerly, the latter part of summer, dry autumn. If, in the morning, a rainbow appear, it is a prognostic of rain ; if in the even- ing, fine ; if red be the prevailing colour, it indicates wind ; green or blue, rain. When it appears in boisterous weather in the north, fine weather generally fol- lows. The frustum of a rainbow indi- cates rain. Sudden rain seldom lasts long ; but when it comes on gradually, and the air grows thick by degrees, and the sun, moon, or stars diminish in brightness, it is likely to continue for some hours. When rain begins with a high southerly wind, and the wind subsides, a consider- able quantity of rain may be expected to fall, and it sometimes continues until a strong north wind clears the air. If rain commences before sun rise it gener- ally ends before noon ; a shower before sun rise is generally succeeded by a fine day ; but when rain sets in an hour or two after sun rise, a rainy day may be expected ; setting in wet before eleven or twelve o'clock mostly produces a rainy afternoon ; clearing up about tliat period, the afternoon fine. When the wind is cold after rain, more rain may be expected ; a squall of rain or hail is an indication of settled fair weather fol- lowing. A rainy Friday is frequently followed by a rainy Sunday ; and a wet Sabbath is often succeeded by a rainy week. A rainy spring is supposed to denote a fine summer ; a fine summer, a windy autumn ; a serene autumn, a windy win- ter ; a windy winter, a rainy spring. The early arrival of woodcocks and birds of passage is an indication of a long and hard winter. When the cuc- koo arrives early in the spring it denotes a hot summer. When chronic pains are more severe than usual, rain will generally follow ; but when they are extremely violent, high wind or stormy weather succeeds. I have no doubt that most, if not all, of the foregoing prognostics may be sa- tisfactorily accounted for on the princi- ples of true philosophy ; that task, how- ever, I shall leave to more able hands, and remain Your's respectfully, F. B. W. The IRISH WOLF-DOG, To the Editor of the Cabinet. Sir, A friend of mine, who feels much interested in subjects of natural history, and who has lately bid farewell to the Emerald Isle, on account of the agitated state of that distracted portion of the British dominions, put into my hands, a few days ago, a skull of the celebrated Irish greyhound or wolf dog, an animal, which, in days of yore, was so highly esteemed, and which might be said to be peculiar to the Sister king- dom. Now, although there was nothing remarkably interesting in the contem- templation of the skull in question, yet a train of ideas naturally enough led me to a retrospection of that period when the Irish greyhound appeared in- dispensable as well to the chase, as to the care of the flock, and even to hu- man protection; and I could not help regretting the extinction of the noblest species of the dog tribe, though the service of this animal is no longer an object of consideration. The same friend who presented the skull to me, remark- ed that two of these dogs only were at present to be found in Ireland, one of which was in the possession of the cele- brated Hamilton Rowan, who very ob- stinately refused all applications for the purpose of continuing the breed. A writer on this subject observes, the great Irish wolf dog, which may be considered as the first of the canine spe- 104 THE SPORTSMAN S CABINET. cies is very rare, even in the only country in the world where it is to be found, and is kept rather for shew than use, there being neither wolves nor any other formidable beast of prey in Ireland that seem to require so powerful an an- tagonist. The wolf dog is therefore bred up in the houses of the great, or such gentlemen as choose to keep him as a curiosity, being neither good for pur- suing the hare, the fox, or the stag, and equally unserviceable as a house-dog. Nevertheless, he is extremely beautiful and majestic in appearance, being the largest of the dog kind to be seen in the world. The largest of those I have seen, observes the writer (and I have seen above a dozen,) was about four feet high, or as tall as a calf of a year old. He was made extremely like a greyhound, but more robust, and inclining to the fi- gure of the French matin or the great Dane. His eye was mild, his colour white, and his nature heavy and phleg- matic. This was perhaps owing to his having been bred up to a size beyond his nature ; for we see in man and all other animals, that such as are over- grown are neither so vigorous nor alert as those of a moi"e moderate stature. Goldsmith, the writer here alluded to, was most likely mistaken in I'egard to the height of the Irish greyhound, as it by no means agrees with other accounts, which state the height of this animal to be scarcely three feet, and even this is enormous. However, be the height what it may, all accounts agree, in placing them at the head of the dog tribe ; and that they were both fierce and powerful are evident from the nature of their em- ployment, which was to clear the country of wolves; but these being destroyed, the dogs also are wearing away, as if nature intended to blot out the species when they had no longer any services to perform. In this manner several kinds of animals fade from the face of nature, that were once well known, but are now no longer seen. The enormous elk of the same kingdom (Ireland) that by its horns could not have been less than eleven feet high, the wolf, and even the wolf dog are extinct, or only conti- nued in such a manner as to prove their former plenty and existence. Hence it is probable that many of the nobler kinds of dogs, of which the ancients have given us such beautiful descrip- tions, are now utterly unknown, since, amongst the whole breed, we have not one that will ventiu-e to engage the lion or the tiger in single combat. The English bull dog is the most courageous of the kind, but his exploits, owing to his comparatively diminutive form, are nothing compared to those of the Epi- rotic dogs mentioned by PHny, or the Indian dogs of which an account is given by Elian. It is affirmed by respectable authori- ties, that the large Danish dog, the Irish greyhound, and the common gi'ey- hound of this country, though they ap- pear so different, are but one and the same race of dog. The Danish dog is said by BufTon to be but a more corpu- lent Irish greyhound ; and that the com- mon greyhound is the Irish greyhound rendered thinner and more fleet by ex- perimental crosses, and more delicate by speculative culture ; for these three dif- ferent kinds of dogs, though perfectly distinguishable at first sight, differ no more comparatively from each other than three human natives of Holland, Italy, and France ; and, by the same mode of argument, he justifies the sup- position, that, had the Irish greyhound been a native of France, he would have , produced the Danish dog in a colder climate, and the common greyhound in a warmer one ; and this conjecture, he observes, is absolutely verified by expe- rience, as the Danish dogs are brought to us from the north, and the grey- hounds from the Levant. At all events, in whatever state of ambiguity, the origin of the Irish wolf dog may remain cer- tain it is, that the similitude between the dog of this description and the Danish dog is so exceedingly correct, that little doubt can be entertained of their being of the same race with such trifling variation as may have been oc- casioned only by the difference of cli- mates in which they have been pro- duced. However, after all the specula- tive theories, I am inclined to think that the Irish greyhound or wolf dog was originally produced by crossing the rough or wire-haired greyhound and the THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 105 mastiff, being merely two removes, in this way, from tlie latter : — it appears in fact to be the strength and courage of the mastiff, united to the speed of the greyhound; and if we consider the na- ture of the employment for which they were originally intended, nothing could be better calculated for the purpose. Some years ago, a mastiff bitch belong- ing to a friend had a litter of whelps, and though no particular dog had been put to her, it was nevertheless deter- mined to rear one of the puppies. The whelp for the purpose of rearing was selected with indifference ; but as it grew, it became evident that the sire of the animal was a neighbouring grey- hound. It attained an enoi^mous size, (in fact, it was the largest dog I ever saw) retaining perhaps more of the mas- tiff than the greyhound in its disposi- tion. It was amazingly strong, though of a peaceable temper, and its courage was equal to its force. This animal would attack either bull or bear with all the bravery of a well-bred bull dog, when encouraged by its master ; and what is singular, it had a remarkable an- tipathy to an ass, which it would uni- foiTnly seize whenever one of these crea- tures happened to come in its way. I once saw it attack a strong male ass, and the latter making a desperate defence, a very furious battle was the consequence : the ass was not able to use its hind feet effectively owing to the manner in which the dog had attacked it ; but it struck with its fore feet, and bit most vehe- mently ; and yet the combat was of short duration, as in a few seconds the ass was laid prostrate, and would have been quickly killed had not the dog been taken away. The dog in question was not quarrelsome, nor was he ever known to resent the insults of the smaller ani- mals of the tribe ; he was heavier than the Irish greyhound (weighing 140 pounds) but from his character and ap- pearance altogethei-, I have little doubt, had he been crossed with the greyhound, that the Irish greyhound or wolf dog would have been the result. What is by some called the Harle- quin Dane varies in a small degree from the race of which I have just been speaking, and tliat more in colour per- haps than any other respect : these have a fine marble coat, beautifully varie- gated with large and small spots of black, grey, liver colour, or sandy red upon a white ground. The majestic and com- manding aspect, bold miiscidar action, and elegant carriage of this dog would recommend him to notice had he no other useful properties or points of at- traction. He is sometimes, though but rarely seen trotting before the splendid retinue of the wealthy, with a degree of dignity denoting the state of grandeur he is selected to precede or support. In the execution of the trust reposed in him, he manifests neither fear nor pusil- lanimity, amidst various obstruction?, but supports the intrepidity of his cha- ractei", and the eminence of his appoint- ment, by a firm and stately demeanour, vmdebased by any clamorous or barking disquietude. The Dalmatian or com- mon coach dog is considered a much more humble and subordinate attendant upon the horse, the carriage, and the servants, than the animal above men- tioned, who from a certain conscious- ness of his own force, seems to be both the harbinger and escort of his master, being bold and eager in his appi'oach and ready in his defence. It does not appear by any regular transmissions upon record, that these dogs were ever appropriated to any particular depart- ment of the chase, either ancient or modern, but were most probably des- tined to many pursuits according to the customs and fashions of the times in which they lived. Indeed from their aggregate of distinguishing properties of strength, speed, instinctive courage, and indefatigable persevei'ance, there cannot be a doubt that, with the himters of centui'ies past, who traversed the trackless desert in pursuit of game of every kind, as well as wild animals of the most ferocious description, these dogs must have been held in high esti- mation ; were as fearless as those who boldly exposed their persons to the im- minent dangers of the most perilous chase ; as they would attack much largci", and much more fierce and power- ful animals than are now to be found in this country in its present refined state of sporting and agricultural improve- ment. Dogs of the above description are O 106 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. frequently introduced and expressively depicted in the finest productions of Ru- bens, Snyders, and others, as well as in the prints of Ridenger, where they are represented as fierce, swift, and power- ful, rushing to the combat with the most determined and impetuous ferocity, in- stantly closing with the wolf or the boar, and equally undismayed at either. Now that I am upon this subject, I cannot forbear to notice another variety of the dog tribe, which, from appear- ance might be regarded as the Dwarf Irish greyhound, and which, though not altogether extinct, is much less common than formerly — I allude to the lurcher. The dog passing under this denomina- tion is supposed to have been originally produced from a cross between the shepherd's dog and the greyhound, which from breeding in and in with the latter, has so refined upon the first change, that very little of the shepherd's dog seems now to be retained in the stock, its pa- tience, docility, and fidelity, excepted. The lurcher, if thus bred, without any farther collateral cross, is about three- fourths the height and size of a grey- hound, rough and wire-haired, ears nearly erect, dropping a little at the point, of great speed, courage, and sa- gacity. These dogs are but little calcu- lated for the diversions of the great, but used to be great favourites with the farmers, as they are capable of running up to a rabbit or a hare not fully grown, and easily taught to carry the game in their mouth to almost any distance. The late celebrated breeder of cattle, Bake- well, of Dishley near Loughborough, Leicestershire, had a very large specimen of the lurcher, by which he was usually attended, and which possessed almost incredible sagacity. The qualification, however, for which he was most prized by his master, was the following : — Mr, Bakewell was in the habit of riding oTer his grounds — in fact, being very corpu- lent, he walked very little, but was much on horseback, on which occasions he was uniformly attended by his favourite dog ; if he happened to drop his whip or stick, the dog would immediately seize it, and with a spring place it in the hand of his master. In riding acrpss his grounds, Mr. Bakewell some- times dismounted while his horse leaped the fence, when the dog would stand ready prepared on the other side, and seizing the bridle reins, hold the horse till his master had also crossed the fence. It is not necessary to enumerate the whole of the feats which this dog would perform, but what is not very usual with dogs of this description, he would take the water, and both swim and dive as well as any water spaniel ; yet his accomplishments appeared in- stinctively natural, rather than the effect of education. Indeed, generally speak- ing, the lurcher, though rough and un- inily by nature, soon becomes tractable, imbibes instruction in a shorter space of time than would readily be believed, and soon conforms himself to the vari- ous motions, manners, and pursuits of the person who commands him. Pos- sessing these qualifications, it can create no surprise that this is the veiy race of dogs applicable to the aggregate wants of the poacher ; in fact, they are so ad- mirably adapted to the universality of the system and the services required, that no other breed of the whole species seems so peculiarly calculated for the purpose : they equal, if not exceed, any other dog in sagacity, and are easily taught any thing that it is possible for an animal of this description to acquire by instruction. Some of the best bred lurchers are but little inferior in speed , to the greyhound ; rabbits they kill to a certainty if they are at any distance from home ; and when a rabbit is start- ed not far from a warren, the dog inva- riably runs for the burrow ; and by thus getting between the rabbit and its re- treat, seldom fails to secure his game. As their name implies, so they will lurk about the borders of a rabbit war- ren, and the moment they perceive a rabbit at any distance from the holes, they throw themselves in the interve- nme space. seldom without success. But the qualifications of the lurcher do not stop here. In nocturnal depreda- tion, he very soon becomes a proficient : when nets and wires are fixed for hares, the lurcher is despatched by a single word of command, to scour the field, paddock, or plantation, which, by their running mute, is effected so silent-. THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 107 ly, that a great number of hares may be very soon caught in a plentiful country with little fear of detection. The writer happened to be return- ing from a small market town in com- pany with a farmer who kept one of these dogs which then attended him. It was about eight o'clock in the even- ing in the month of October ; our road lay across a small rabbit warren, over which we trotted at the rate perhaps of seven miles an hour : the lurcher, how- ever, secured three rabbits and brought them successively to her master, when rearing by the side of his horse, he took them from her mouth without alighting. That lurchers which were once common enough, and are now very scarce, is easily to be accounted for, as a man cannot keep a dog"of this descrip- tion, without suspicion attaching to him as a poacher. The farmers have been compelled by their landlords to abandon animals so notoriously destructive to game, while the professed poacher, to disarm suspicion as much as possible, generally makes use of an animal for his purpose of the terrier kind inter- mixed with the bull dog, or a cross be- tween the bull dog and cur, many of which will run mute, and are found to answer the purpose of driving hares as well as the lurcher. I remain, your's, &c. An Old Sportsman. LARGE SERPENTS.— TREE FROG, ^c. To the Editor of the Cabinet. Sir, It is a well known fact, that the lar- ger species of serpents of the boa con- strictor tribe, for instance, attack and devour deer, goats, &c. and if we are to credit the following account, it would seem that the common snake, which is numerous in some parts of this country, particularly in Warwickshire, is detri- mental to game : a gamekeeper of Mr. D. Grosveuor, in Dorsetshire, hearing a partridge utter a distressful cry, was at- tracted by the sound into a piece of oats, where the bird ran round him very much agitated : upon his looking minutely into the corn, he saw a large snake in the midst of the infant brood, which lie killed, and perceiving the body of the reptile much distended, he opened the belly, when, to his astonishment, two young partridges ran from their horrid prison, and joined their mother ; two others were found in the snake's sto- mach, quite dead. I have more than once found one of these reptiles coiled up in the nest of a bird, after having perhaps destroyed the young ; and it would appear that, whenever they have made a hearty meal, they continue for some time afterwards upon the spot, without the power or at least the dispo- sition to move. In appearance nothing can be more disgusting than these rep- tiles, even our very religion teaches us to regard them with horror, and al- though no means are spared for their de- struction, yet there is scarce a country in the world that does not still give birth to this detestable breed. Their numbers, however, are thinned by human assi- duity ; and it is possible some of the kinds may be wholly destroj'ed. The various malignity that has been ascribed to European serpents of old is now utter- ly unknown ; there are not above three or four kinds that are dangerous ; and their poison operates in all in the same manner. A burning pain in the part easily removeable by timely application, is the worst effect we experience from the bite of the most venomous serpents of Europe. But thougli we have been able to reduce these dangers, in other parts of the world they still rage with all their ancient malignity. Nature seems to have placed them as sentinels to deter mankind from spreading too widely, and from seeking new abodes till they have thoroughly cultivated those at home. To us, however, their slender form, their undulating motion, their vivid colouring, their horrid stench, their forky tongue, and their envenomed fangs, may be said to be harmless. Hap- pily for us, we are placed at such a dis- tance from the more dreadful of the tribe, that we can survey their impotent 108 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. malignity and take a view of them, with- out fearing for our own safety. But it is very different in many of the warm countries that lie within the tropics ; and those countries have them in the greatest abundance where the fields are unpeopled and fertile, and where the climate supplies warmth and humidity. All along the swampy banks of the rivers in Africa, and also of some of those in America, where the sun is hot, the forest thick, and the men but few, the serpents cling among the branches of the trees in infinite numbers, and carry on an unceasing war against all other animals in their vicinity.* Tra- * Stedman, in his account of Suri- nam, gives the following relation of a contest between a snake and the Tree- frog. When Stedman first perceived the animals, the head and shoulders of the frog were already in the jaws of the snake, which last appeared about the size of a large kitchen poker, and had its tail twisted round a tough limb of the mangi'ove tree ; while the frog, which appeared to be about the size of a man's fist, had laid hold of a twig with the claws of its hinder legs as with hands. In this position they were contending, the one for life, the other for his dinner, forming one straight line between the two branches, and thus I beheld them for some time ^says Sted- man) apparently stationary and without a struggle. Still J was not without hope that the poor frog might extricate himself by his exertions; but the reverse was the case, for the jaws of the snake gradually relaxing, and by their elasti- city forming an incredible orifice, the body and fore legs of the frog by little and little disappeared, till finally nothing was seen but the hinder feet and claws, which were at last disengaged from the twig, and the poor creature was swal- lowed whole by suction down the throat of his formidable adversary, whence he was drawn some inches further down the alimentary canal, and at last stuck, form- ing a knob or knot at least six times as thick as the snake, whose jaws and throat iinmedialely contracted, and re- assumcd their former natural shape. vellers inform us that they have often seen large snakes twining round the trunks of tall trees, encompassing them like a wreath, and thus rising and descending at pleasure. In these coun- tries therefore the serpent ia too formid- able to become an object of curiosity. A life of savage hostility in the forest offers the imagination one of the most tremendous pictures in nature. In those burning coimtries where the sun dries up every brook for hundreds of miles round ; when what had the appearance of a great river in the rainy season, be- comes in summer, one dreary bed of sand, a lake that is never dry, or a brook that is perennial, is considered by every animal as the greatest convenience of nature. As to food, the luxuriant landscape supplies that in sufficient abundance : it is the want of water that all animals endeavour to remove ; and, inwardly parched by the heat of the climate, traverse whole deserts to find out a spring. When they have disco- vered this, no dangers can deter them from attempting to slake their thirst. Thus, the neighbourhood of a rivulet in the heart of the tropical continents, is generally the place where all the hostile tribes of nature draw up for the engage- ment. On the banks of this little en- vied spot, thousands of animals of va- rious kinds are seen venturing to quench their thirst, or preparing to seize their prey. The elephants are perceived in a long line, marching from the darker parts of the forest; the buffaloes are there, depending upon numbers for se- curity ; the gazelles, relying solely upon their swiftness ; the lion and tiger, wait- ing for a proper opportunity to seize ; but chiefly the larger serpents are upon guard there, and defend the accesses of the lake. Not an hour passes without some dreadful combat ; but the serpent, defended by its scales, and naturally capable of sustaining a number of The snake being out of our reach, we could not kill him, as we wished to do^ to take a further examination. Thus we left him, continuing in the same at- titude without moving, and twisted round the branch. THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 109 wounds, is, of all others, the most for- midable. It is the most wakeful also ; for the whole tribe sleep with their eyes open, and are, consequently, for ever upon the watch ; so that, till their rapa- city is satisfied, few other animals will venture to approach the station. But though these animals are of all others, the most voracious, and though the mor- sel which they swallow, without chew- ing, is greater than what any other crea- ture can devour, yet no animals upon earth bear abstinence so long as they. A single meal, with many of the snake kind seems to be the adventure of a season ; it is an occurrence for which they have been for weeks, nay, some- times for months, in patient expectation of. When they have seized their prey, their industry for several weeks is en- tirely discontinued ; the fortimate cap- ture of an hour often satisfies them for the remaining period of their annual activity. As their blood is colder than that of most other terrestrial ani- mals, and as it circulates but slowly through their bodies, their powers of digestion are but feeble. Their un- fortunate prey continues for a long time partly in the stomach, partly in the gullet, and a part is often seen hanging out of the mouth. In this manner it digests by degrees ; and in proportion as the part below is dissolved, the part above is taken in. It is not therefore till this tedious operation is entirely per- formed, that the serpent renews its ap- petite and its activity. But should any accident prevent it from issuing once more from its cell, it still can continue to bear famine for weeks, months, nay, for years togther. Vipers are often kept in boxes for six or eight months toge- ther without any food whatever ; and there are little serpents sometimes sent over to Europe from Grand Cairo that live for several years in glasses and never eat at all. Thus the serpent tribe unite in themselves two very opposite qualities — wonderful abstinence and yet incredible rapacity. If we compare the serpents, an amazing difference will be found in the size, no other tribe differ- ing so widely in this pai-ticular. What, for instance, can be so widely separated as the great boa, which, in the pestife- rous marshes of South America; and also in other places, grows to the length of thirty-five, or forty feet ; and the little serpent at the Cape of Good Hope, and the north of the river Senegal, that is not above three inches. This tribe of animals, like that of fishes, seems to have no bounds put to their growth : their bones are in a great measure, car- tilaginous, and they are consequently capable of great extension ; the older therefore a serpent becomes, the larger it grows ; and as they seem to live to a great age, they arrive at an enormous size. Legnat assures us, that he saw one at Java, that was lifty feet long. Carli mentions their growing to above forty feet, and describes the long ser- pent of Congo, making its way through the long grass like mowers in a summer's day. He could not without terror, he said, behold whole lines of grass lying levelled under the sweep of its tail. In this manner it moved forward with great rapidity, until it found a proper situation frequented by its prey : there it continued to lurk in patient expecta- tion, and would have remained for weeks together, had it not been disturb- ed by the natives. Mr. Wentwoi'th, who had large con- cerns in the Berbices, says, that he one day sent out a soldier with an Indian to kill wild fowl for the table, and for this purpose, they went several miles from the fort. In pursuing their game, the Indian, who genei-ally marched before, beginning to tire, went to rest himself upon the fallen trunk of a tree, as he supposed it to be ; but when he was just going to sit down, the enormous monster began to move, and the unfortunate sa- vage perceiving that he had approached a boa, the largest of all the serpent kind, dropped down in an agony. The sol- dier, who perceived at some distance what had happened, levelled at the ser- pent's head, and was lucky enough to shoot it dead ; and then going up to rescue his companion, who had fallen motionless by the side of the serpent, he, to his astonishment, found him dead likewise, having expired through the fright. Upon the soldier's return to the fort, and telling what had happened, Mr. Wentworth ordered the animal to be brought uj), wlicn it was measured, and found to be thii'ty-six feet long. In 110 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. a letter printed in the German Epheme- rides, we have an account of a combat between an enormous serpent and a buffalo, which took place in the East In- dies, by a person who declares that he was an eye-witness. The serpent had for some time been waiting near the brink of a pool, in expectation of its prey, when a buffalo was the first that offered. Having darted upon the af- frighted animal, it instantly began to wrap it round with its voluminous twist- ings ; jand at every twist the bones of the buffalo were heard to crack almost as loud as the report of a musket. It was in vain that the poor animal strug- gled and bellowed, its enormous enemy entwined it too closely for it to get free, till at length all its bones being mashed to pieces, like those of a malefactor on the wheel, and the whole body reduced to one uniform mass, the serpent un- twined its folds to swallow its prey at leisure. To prepare for this, and in order to make the body slip down the throat more glibly, it was seen to lick the whole body over and thus to cover it with its mucus. It then began to swallow it at that end which offered the least resistance ; while its length of body was dOated to receive its prey, and thus took in at once a morsel that was three times its own thickness. That such extraordinary relations, incredible as they may appear, are founded in fact, we have reason to be- ' lievc from the account of one of these creatures which was on board the Caesar, when (in 1817) that vessel conveyed home Captain Sir Murray Maxwell, and the crew of the Alceste, which in carry- ing out Lord Amherst as Ambassador to the Court of Pekin, was wrecked on a reef of sunken rocks in the Indian Ocean. The writer had the account from an eye-witness (Lieutenant Sykes of his Majesty's navy) and it is also printed in Macleod's account of the voyage and wreck of the Alceste. The boa constrictor which was put on board the Caesar was but a small one of his kind, being only about sixteen feet long, and eighteen inches in cir- cumference ; but his stomach was rather disproportionate to his size, as will shortly appear. He was a native of Borneo, and the property of a gentleman (now in England) who had two of the same sort ; but in their passage up to Batavia, one of them broke loose from his confinement and very soon cleared the decks, as every one very civilly made way for him, and ran up the rig- ging or to some other place of security. The serpent, however, soon sprawled overboard, and was drowned : he is said not to have sunk immediately, but to have reared his head several times, and with it a considerable portion of his body out of the water. But his compa- nion was safely brought on shore at Batavia, and lodged in the court-yard of Mr. Davidson's house at Ryswick, where he remained for some months waiting for an opportunity of being conveyed home in some commodious ship sailing directly for England, in which he was likely to be carefully attended to. This offered in the Cassar, and he was ac- cordingly embarked on board that ship. During his stay at Ryswick he had been entertained with a goat for dinner every three or four weeks, with occa- sionally a duck or a fowl by way of a dessert. He was brought on board shut up in a wooden-crib or cage, the bars of which were sufficiently close to pre- vent his escape ; and it had a sliding door for the purpose of admitting the articles on which he was to subsist ; the dimensions of the crib were about four feet high and five feet square, a space sufficiently large to allow him to coil himself round with ease. The live stock for his use during the passage consisted of six goats of the ordinary size, which were sent on board with him, a goat a month being considered a proper allow- ance. At an early period of the voyage, an exhibition of his abilities in the eat- ing way was publicly made on the quarter-deck, upon which he was brought in his cage for the purpose. The sliding door being opened, one of the goats was thrust in, and the door shut. The poor goat, as if instantly aware of all the horrors of its situation, immediately be- gan to utter the most piercing and dis- tressing cries, butting instinctively at the same time, with its head towards the serpent in self-defence. The ser- pent which at first seemed scarcely to notice the goat, soon began to stir a little ; and turning his head in the di- THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. Ill rection of the affi-ighted animal, at length fixed a deadly and malignant eye on the trembling victim, whose terror and agony seemed to increase, for, pre- vious to the snake seizing it, the poor animal shook in every limb, but still continued its unavailing shew of attack, by butting at the serpent, which now became sufficiently animated to prepare for the banquet. The first operation was that of darting out his forked tongue, and raising his head a little ; then suddenly seizing the goat by the fore leg Avith his mouth, and throwing it down, he encircled it in an instant in his horrid folds, — so instantaneous was the act that it was impossible for the eye to follow the rapid convolution of his elongated form. It was not a regu- lar screw-like turn that was formed, but resembling rather a knot, one part of the body overlaying another as if to add weight to the muscular pressure, the more effectually to crush his object. During this time he continued to grasp the leg of the goat with his fangs, though it appeared an unnecessary precaution. The poor goat in the mean time, conti- nued its feeble and half-stifled cries for some minutes, but they soon became more and more faint, and at last it ex- pired. The snake, however, retained it for a considerable time in his grasp, after it was apparently motionless. He then slowly and cautiously unfolded himself till the goat fell dead from his monstrous embrace, when he prepared to swallow it. Placing himself in front of the dead animal, he commenced by lubricating with his saliva the head of the goat; and then, taking the muzzle into his mouth, he sucked it as far as the horns would allow. The horns opposed some little difficulty, not so much from their extent as from their points; however, they also, in a very little time were sucked in, though their progress was very distinctly to be traced on the out- side, threatening every moment to pro- trude through the skin. The victim had now descended as far as the shoulders; and it was an astonishing sight to ob- serve the extraordinary action of the snake's muscles when stretched to such an imnatural extent — an extent which must have utterly destroyed all muscular power in any animal that was not, like himself, endowed with very peculiar fa- culties of expansion and action at the same time. When his head and neck had no other appearance than that of a serpent's skin, stuffed almost to bursting, still the workings of the muscles were evident ; and his power of suction, as it is erroneously called, unabated : it was, in fact, the effect of a contractile muscu- lar power, assisted by two rows of strong hooked teeth. The whole operation of completely gorging the goat occupied two hours and twenty minutes ; at the end of which time the tumefaction was confined to the middle part of the body or stomach, the upper parts, which had been so much distended, having resumed their natural dimensions. He now coil- ed himself up again, and laid quietly in his usual torpid state for about three weeks or a month, when, his last meal appearing to be completely digested and dissolved, he was presented with another goat, which he killed and devoured in the same manner. This monster had more difficulty in killing a fowl than a larger animal, the former being too small for his grasp. As the Csesar approached the Cape of Good Hope, this animal began to droop, as was then supposed, from the increased coldness of the weather ; and he refused to kill some fowls that were offered to him, Between the Cape and St. Helena, he was found dead in his cage ; and on dissection, the coats of his stomach were found to be excoriated and perforated by worms, which was un^ questionably the cause of his death. The author of the " Voyage of hia Majesty's ship Alceste," observes, that during a captivity of some months at Whidah, in the kingdom of Dahomey, on the Coast of Africa, he had opportu- nities of observing snakes more than double the size of the one mentioned above; and from their superior bulk were capable of swallowing animals much larger than sheep and goats. Governor Abson, who had for thirty-seven years re- sided at Fort William (one of the Afri- can Company's settlements) described some desperate struggles which he had seen between the large snakes and wild beasts, as well as the smaller cattle, in which the former were always victorious. A negro herdsman belonging to this 112 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. gentleman (who afterwards limped for many years about the Fort) had been seized by one of these monstei-s by the thigh ; but, from his situation in a wood, in attempting to throw himself around him, got entangled with a tree ; and the man, being thus preserved from a state of compression which would have in- stantly rendered him quite powerless, had presence of mind to cut, with a large knife which he carried about with him, deep gashes in the neck and throat of his antagonist, and thus succeeded in killing him ; but he never recovered the full use of that limb which had sustained considerable injury from his fangs. S. S. To the Editor of the Sportsman s Cabinet. Sir, I have been favoured with a sight of a gun with a lock of very novel construction, and I think as well calcu- lated for large duck guns as any that has yet been offered to the notice of the public. The principle is Day's Patent, the cock being underneath the barrel and striking the touchhole upwards. It cannot of course be cocked and brought to the shoulder so quickly as the com- mon fowling-piece, but as in wild fowl shooting in a punt, quickness is seldom required, the gun in question is very well calculated for that diversion, be- ing completely watei-proof. From the numbers of wild fowl, &c. which have already appeared on our shores, it is likely that heavy guns will soon be in requisition, and by the same token we may expect a severe winter. Woodcocks have appeared in plenty : — a Mr. B. of. this neighbourhood killed three couple one morning about ten days ago, and several have been shot in Price's Wood, an excellent fox cover belonging to F. R. Price, Esq. in the country hunted by Sir T. Stanley. In the small covers and gardens in the vicinity of Bidstone lighthouse, cocks are frequently, almost invariably, found in immense numbei-s. This may be accounted for by the birds being attracted on their arrival on the ^coast by the light from the lighthouse (which only shines seaward ;) it being a well-known fact that many are annually taken by the lighthouse keepers that have flown against the glass, and stunned themselves so as to be unable to rise. Joseph Radley, the keeper, a man on whose veracity I can place the utmost reliance, informed me that he one morn- ing found six woodcocks, and killed four of them, which all fell within thirty yards of each other, and not more than a stone's throw from this lighthouse. Ducks, geese, and all the various kinds of wild fowl visit the marshes of Bid- stone in immense numbers in severe weathei', and the hooper or wild swan is occasionally seen in flocks of eight or ten, and afford good but rather chilling diversion. Should these remarks be deemed worthy of insertion in your Magazine, I shall at an early opportunity, send you a short notice of Sir T. Stanley's fox hounds which have commenced the sea- son well, and have had some very bril- liant runs. Your's respectfully, J. Birkenhead, Nov, 9, 1832. *»* The common copper cap gun is rendered as waterproof as possible by the plan recommended by our corres- pondent " A Shooter/' page 94. THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 113 ( Continued from p. 72. J from all dampness or wet, I suffered matters to continue in this state for upwards of an hour. During this period, two shooters approached the place, and after seating themselves for some time on a stone at the distance of one hundred yards, they approached, and asked me what diversion we had experienced ? There was something odd, as well as uncouth, in the manner of these men, and their appearance altogether was calculated rather to excite a sensation of fear, than a feeling of respect ; and although I re- turned an answer to their interrogatory, I gazed at the fellows with some surprise, and could scarcely forbear suspecting that my dig- nity suffered by their close approximation and unwelcome fami- liarity. Their apparel was not of that description which is worn by gentlemen, while their fowling-pieces bore evident marks of an ahnost obsolete antiquity, yet still in harmony with their other ap- pendages. They were attended by one dog, a setter, an animal which had seen much service, and from the expression in his eye, little doubt could be entertained that he well understood his busi- ness. The tone and manner in which I answered the salutation of these suspicious individuals would have repulsed a man of deli* cate feeling; in the present instance, they acted as a stimulus for further intrusion, as but a very short period was suffered to elapse before they very unceremoniously informed me that if I was in want of game, they could furnish me with any quantity at six shillings a brace ! — I was no longer in doubt as to the real cha- racter of these men ; but as I thought, under present circum- stances, civility would best become me, I declined their offer with as much politeness as I could possibly muster for such an occa- sion, and they departed. I awoke my slumbering companions, and pointing out the men to their observation, as they slowly strode away, related to them what had occurred. My friend informed me that they were poachers, beings with which these mountains were abundantly stocked, and whose depredations were frequently carried on in the most contumacious and daring manner. As to our attendant (Abraham*) he could scarcely forbear laughing in my face when I expressed my indignant surprise at the audacity manifested by these fellows on the present occasion. * Abraham was a young man about two or three and twenty years of age, un- assuming, if not polite, but who was evidently as much a poacher at heart, as the men above mentioned. However, on my next visit to the mountains of Durham, I found that he had been elevated to the situation of a watcher (to prevent tres- pass on the moors) in order, no doubt, to keep him as much as possible out of miscliief. 114. THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. ' We rose, and, with fresh dogs, re-commenced our delightful amusement. We continued to have tolerable diversion till the approach of evening warned us that it was time to give up further pursuit. I was never more fatigued, and as we had ordered our horses to be ready for us at a certain point of the moors, I was ^extremely anxious to reach the spot. But my friend, re-invigorated by his noontide nap, or more capable of climbing these laborious heights, was anxious still to continue, and, as the day expired, many shots presented themselves. Thus we lingered on our way, till at length I discerned the hacks ready to receive us at the dis- tance of a few hundred yards. I set my face towards them im- mediately, and moved in that direction as fast as my weary limbs would allow me ; but before I had proceeded twenty paces, Abra- ham recalled my attention by saying, *' Here's a point, Sir; the brown dog has set," and " there he may stand," replied I, and continued my progress. In fact, I was really so much worn out by the very long and very laborious exertion which I had under- gone, that, much as I am attached to shooting, and to grouse shooting in particular, had there been fifty points, they would not have been a sufficient inducement, under the circumstances, to have influenced my return. We mounted, and had just twihght sufficient to enable us to see our way to the village. On all occasions of excessive fatigue, I have never failed to experience the greatest relief from that stimulating* beverage, tea ; and at the present period, though I scarcely knew how, or in what situation, to place myself, arising from the too great exer- tions I had made, yet I had no sooner swallowed two or three cups, than I found myself exceedingly refreshed, and in the course of half an hour, I became as comfortable as possible. We retired to rest at ten ; and did not rise till six the following morning. We reached the moors about nine o'clock, or perhaps a little earlier, and found several parties on the mountains before us ; and others we saw slowly arrive shortly afterwards. There were many shoot- ers on the mountains by ten o'clock, though they were not so numerous as on the preceding day. The weather proved wet and stormy ; the birds were wild in consequence, so that, on the w-hole, we made but an indifferent day's work. About four o'clock in the afternoon we had however some tolerably good shooting. During our absence, a friend from Richmond, of the name of Fothersgill, had arrived at our quarters at Chapel ; and we were agreeably surprised at finding him on our return. He proposed * Philosophers or physicians, or both, would perhaps be disposed to dispute the application of the word stimulating applied as above : they Avould probably say that tea did not stimulate, but attenuate. It amounts, however, to the same thing in this case ; and the reader may take his choice of the two words. THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 115 to accompany us the following day, though so far from being a professed sportsman, he had scarcely ever seen a gun fired at game. We passed a pleasant evening ; retired to bed at eleven ; rose the next morning at six, and immediately prepared for the mountains. Mr. Fothersgill was by no means completely equipped for an excursion in the humid and lofty regions for which we were about to set out ; I therefore offered him a pair of shoes well adapted for the occasion ; but he very politely declined the offer, and persisted in making his first trip amongst the heath and bogs in a very neat, genteel, and pretty pair of boots. The morning was very foggy, so that when we reached the very edge of our shooting ground, we were unable to discern objects distinctly at the distance of a few yards. We paused for a few minutes during which I observed two very grim-looking figures, who stalked by us in silence : — they did not escape the observation of our Rich- mond friend, whom I found was as much surprised as myself at the sudden appearance and silent passing of the grizly creatures. The figures were of the human size ; but as they were imperfectly seen through the fog, and as their gait seemed unusual, and their manner altogether strange, they might, for aught I know to the contrary, have been mountain ghosts, with accounts of which our man Abraham had been the day before entertaining us. I there- fore immediately resolved to follow these doubtful beings, in order to ascertain whether they were mortals, or the incomprehensible influences just mentioned. I proceeded up the road as fast as I could run, and, on nearing the chase, as a sailor would say, the objects of pursuit turned round, and I was almost petrified with horror at the unearthly countenances which glared upon me. They were tall, thin, meagre figures, whose tattered garments hung loosely on their lanky forms, and whose prominent cheek-bones, narrow chins, and pallid countenances, produced altogether such an indescribable impression on the mind, that it required but little stretch of the imagination to suppose them really beings of another world ! I paused when they turned upon me, and some few seconds elapsed before I was able to articulate a single word. ** Good morning, my friends," said I ; and I at first thought of exclaiming, ''Angels and ministers of grace defend us;" and I was uncommonly well pleased to hear my salutation answered in an earthly tone. To be brief, the beings who had thus raised my curiosity, if they had not shaken my courage, were lead miners, and quietly proceeding to their subterraneous and sickly avoca- tions. The fog cleared away but slowly : and though we had tole- rable weather from nine till eleven o'clock, it then came on to rain, but not very fast, and we continued to range till we could no longer load our guns, and were completely wet through. At this 116 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. moment, we met with Mr. W. Rippon, the Bishop's head game- keeper, accompanied by one of the watchers, who carried a large leathern bottle, which was swung across his shoulders. The game- keeper very good-naturedly offered me a horn of ale, and we all seated ourselves as well as we were able, under a projecting rock which happened to be near us. The leathern bottle M^as lowered, and I was very soon presented with a horn of excellent ale. As the party consisted of six, the leathern bottle, though of very good dimensions, was soon emptied of its invigorating contents, a circumstance which I could not help lamenting very much and very sincerely. While we were sitting under the rock, a short fellow went by with a long barrelled single gun, and two fine setters : he passed at no great distance, and yet he spoke not a word, though he regarded us with some degree of attention : his garb resembled that of a keeper, and yet there was something in his manner not genuinely consistent with that character. " What man is that," said I to the gamekeeper ; when the latter informed me, that it was the " notorious Siddall ;" one of the most accom- plished, and for years one of the most inveterate poachers that had ever infested the moors of that neighbourhood. " He has lately been appointed a keeper (said Rippon) for no other reason than that it was found impossible to put a stop to his depredations. He was imprisoned for two years for i-epeated poaching on the adjoining moors of Lord Darlington; but since he has been placed in his present situation, grouse have been more plentiful, though w^e are still over-run with poachers."* Finding that Rippon was in possession of much information on this subject, I requested his company in the evening, in order that I might listen to what he had to say in a more comfortable manner, than was possible in our present temporary asylum. Further, the weather was fast clear- ing up, and in a few minutes we were able to pursue our diversion. Mr. Fothersgill had already discovered that light, thin boots were not well calculated for bestriding bogs, climbing mountains, or walking amongst the wet heath. The remainder of the day proved uncommonly fine ; we had charming diversion, and gave up when we could no longer discern the flight of a grouse. I have remarked, that it was Mr. Fothers- gill's first excursion amongst the grouse mountains : he was not well prepared for it: and as in the early part of the day he exerted himself more than was necessary, he became fatigued before night ; and though he was suffering very severely from denudation. * It has often been observed that bad tradesmen make good shopmen, so in- veterate poachers make famous keepers. Habit and nature are paramount. " Set a thief to catch a thief;" the proverb is musty, but wholesome, and true, spite its antiquity. THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 117 or chafing of the skin in various parts, and it was clear that every movement of his limbs was attended with great pain, yet he for- bore to complain, but gallantly persevered till we quitted the moors. However, on reaching our accommodations at Chapel, he was not able to continue up till tea was prepared, but slipped into bed, fell fast asleep, and awoke the next morning in good health, but with no inclination for a second excursion. CHAPTER HL Sketch of the Inhabitants of Chapel in Weardale. — Further Notice of Siddall. — Notice of Armstrong. — The Settlement of the Account. — The Breakfast at Bowes, — Mistaken Notions re- specting the Breeding of Grouse. — Charles Siddall. — The Good- tempered Sports7}ian. — The Bats. — The Moors of Newsham. — Richmond and its surrounding Scenery. — Wensleydale. I have already observed that I invited Rippon, the Bishop's head-gamekeeper, to spend an hour with me after leaving the moors ; he came accordingly. William Rippon is a very diffident, unassuming man, inoffensive in his manners, well-behaved, and I have no doubt is an excellent servant : it was with difficulty 1 pre- vailed upon him to take a second glass. From him, however, I learned, that the inhabitants of the village of Chapel and its neighbourhood, were principally composed of miners, who worked at the various lead mines in the adjacent mountains, and that a great number of them were very much addicted to poaching ; in fact, they carry on this illicit traffic in the most audacious manner, and all attempts hitherto made to put a stop to it, have proved abor- tive. In the first place, it must be recollected that it is their pur- suit in life, which makes them acquainted with the mountains, and consequently with those parts in particular, where grouse are most abundant : they are constantly traversing the hills, and thus are enabled to ascertain the precise situation of almost every brood. Their dwellings, completely embosomed in lofty and almost inac- cessible mountains, seclude them, in some degree, from the rest of the world. They may be regarded as more than a match for the civil power, and military could with difficulty be brought to act against men whose local knowledge and habits render them un- tangible (if I may be allowed the expression.) Many of them abandon the mines in the beginning of August, and subsist by poaching depredation during the whole season. They commence 118 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. grouse-shooting about the 10th of August, and they are thus enabled to supply the various markets as early as possible. Oc- casionally they procure a horse, which they load with their booty, and proceed to large towns and bathing places, particularly Har- rowgate, and have been known thus to make as much as thirty pounds at one trip ! On the 12th of August, when the mountains are thickly dotted with sportsmen, the most daring of these fellows will appear amongst them, and offer to sell game to those whom they have reason to suppose have not been sufficiently successful. They continue to shoot as long as it is possible to get near the birds, and even at a late period of the season, they adopt means of approaching game, unknown to, or beneath the practice of the true sportsman. But it is not to the immediate vicinity of Weardale that the miners confine their depredations: they are well acquaint- ed with the moors for fifty miles round, and extend their excur- sions according to circumstances : yet, when they go to any con- siderable distance from home, it is generally in bodies of from six to sixteen or twenty; and, being armed, they are enabled to defy any force which can be brought against them, at least, in those fastnesses to which they resort for plunder ; nor has it unfrequently happened that, under such circumstances, gentlemen have been necessitated to purchase their forbearance by a pecuniary gra- tuity. Each man has a gun, and is attended by one dog: they advance in a line, at the distance perhaps of forty or fifty yards from each other, and thus they are enabled, not only to range a great extent of moorland in a very short time, but as they are good shots, a bird can scarcely escape, particularly if it fly across, as it has then to run the gauntlet in the very face of a number of well-pointed guns. If the first fail to hit, or the second, or third, the fourth brings it down. At different places on the main roads, there are receiving-houses, well known to the guards and coach- men, and thus abundance of game is conveyed from the moors, and the markets regularly supplied. In all professions there will be generally found individuals who excel their fellows ; in the science of poaching, Siddall far out- shone all his associates — he blazed with the brilliancy of a comet, or probably it may be more correct to write with the dangerous splendour of a night vapour, leading those in danger, and astray, that as friend, or foe, followed amongst his fraternal stars ; and his opinion was consequently regarded as conclusive in all intricate and difficult cases. He was an excellent shot ; and skilled in all the modes of beguiling grouse, when those birds were no longer approachable in the regular way. He was able to fold himself in the skin of a sheep, and to manage his manceuvres with so much dexterity, that he could get up to the birds, even in their wildest state, without exciting in them the least suspicion ; he could ap- THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 119 proach them when the ground was covered with snow, and even at a more advanced period, he would decoy the moorcock by imi- tating the voice of his *' speckled bride." At the same time, he possessed the most undaunted courage, to which he vmited great address, and the most unwearied patience and perseverance. He has been known, in order to avoid notice, to make his way down the shaft of an old lead mine, or remain amongst the snow till he has been nearly frozen to death ! And, in addition to all these eminent qualifications, he possessed, it seems, the faculty of en- suring the friendship and affection of his brother poachers.* Such a character, however, naturally excited the attention of the owners of the moors, and one of the Bishop's keepers (about the year 1816) contrived, with the assistance of several local con- stables, to secure this notorious depredator : for temporary safety he was taken to the keeper's lodge in Chapel; but these move- ments attracted attention, and several sulky cadaverous-looking fellows placed themselves before the house in order to watch the event. A cart was at length procured in which he was placed : and the subordinate ministers of justice commenced to convey him to Durham ; but they had not proceeded many paces, when the tocsin of revolt was sounded — the alarm was given, and Weardale, for several miles was in commotion ! The miners sallied forth, armed with guns and other instruments, and not only released their hero, but compelled the keeper, and his assistants to seek shelter, very precipitately, in the actual place which had formed the tem- porary prison of Siddall. But they did not stop here : they broke the cart to pieces, and exhibited the fragments in triumph before the keeper's dwelling. Success only fanned their rage to a pitch of ungovernable fury — they attempted to force their way into the house, and, had they succeeded, would in all probability, have murdered those who had presumed to arrest their champion : in this attempt, however, they did not succeed, as a mode of defence had been internally adopted which appeared to render the little fortress impregnable. They were not able to force the door, nor yet to make their way in at the windows ; but the latter they shattered to pieces, and absolutely commenced unroofing the house, when some of the mildest and more sensible of the storm- * To them, upon the strength of the old inculcation, that there is honour among thieves, he was firm, faithful, and even kind ; but to those opposed to him and them, he was stern and uncompromising : single odds he would spurn, and in the words of the great Byron it may be said, " There was a laughing devil in his sneer, That rais'd emotions both of rage and fear, And where h\s frown of hatred darkly fell, Hope withering fled, and Mercy sigh'd farewell." 120 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. ing party had influence sufficient to put a stop to such daring out- rages. Night came on, and they continued before the cottage till near dayhght the next morning, shouting and occasionally firing their guns ! Some time after, however, the celebrious Siddall was secured at the instance of the Earl of Darlington ; and military, it seems, were necessary to escort a little fellow scarcely five feet, four inches high ! He was imprisoned for a considerable period, and when at length he regained his liberty, was found as incorrigible as ever ! As a dernier resort, he was made a gamekeeper, which situation he still enjoys, but whether he executes his commission with fide- lity or otherwise, is a problem which I am not able to solve. In the course of a desultory conversation, which afterwards ensued between Rippon and myself, I found that such was the desperate character of these men, that it was deemed advisable to wink at some of their misdoings ; and from this view of the case, a considerable portion of moorland in the neighbourhood of Chapel was left for their amusement, or at least, no persons were appointed to preserve it : and in consequence, this particular or commutation beat was generally cleared before the 12th of August. The appointment of Siddall operated as a temporary check to that audacity which had before manifested itself; but it was not long ere another leader sprung up in the same neighbourhood, only a little less accomplished perhaps, and less daring than his predecessor.* One more day's diversion finished my grouse- shooting for that season, and the next morning we departed from Chapel in Wear- dale, but not before a very important matter had been scrupulously * Siddall's successor was named Armstrong, of whom the following notice ap- peared in the Annals of Sporting, vol iv, p. 375 : — ■" Armstrong was well known to most of the coachmen and guards who cross Stainmoor, and to many persons, as an inveterate poacher and an excellent shot; but he was distinguished for his good temper, though very resolute, and, as any attempt at his capture was gene- rally understood to be pregnant with danger, as the miners were all at his beck, so for several years he remained unmolested. However, a short time ago, he was discovered alone in a public-house on the edge of the moors, by two of the persons who had for some time been watching his motions. They had not the courage, however, to seize him, but as he knew them not, they entered the house, and, calling for some ale, contrived to detain him by conversation till two of their fellows entered the house also. It was now that Armstrong discovered himself in the midst of his enemies, through which, however, he made his way, got quite clear of the house, and would no doubt have effected his escape, but a small river (the Swale or the Wear) unfortunately opposed his progress ; yet he did not hesitate — he plunged in ; but before he reached the other side, was seized, either with the cramp or some illness that rendered him incapable of defending himself on getting out of the water; he was consequently secured;" and was afterwards confined in York Castle. THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 121 settled by the sporting friend who accompanied me ; though not without some unqualified manifestations of dissatisfaction at the items which the account contained, they certainly were not such as might have been expected from our accommodations in this obscure village. The landlord took no part in the debate ; he retreated through the back-door the moment he perceived the storm rising, leaving his part of the matter to be settled by his wife ; and I make no doubt he was fully aware that he could not leave it in better hands. My friend, who is a very mild, systematic man, adopted what he conceived the pleasantest way of adjusting the business ; or, in other words, of allowing the voraciously expect- ant hostess an opportunity of becoming honest without commit- ting outrageous violence on her feelings. He therefore inquired if there were not a mistake or two in the bill ; and seeing the lady hesi- tate, he drew her attention to several of the items; and, amongst the rest, to eighteen shillings for *' Dogs meat." But the good- natured obliging creature no sooner perceived that his object was to reduce the amount, than her little black eyes sparkled with re- sentment, her bosom heaved with more than ordinary emotion, and her whole frame seemed convulsed with passion. A sort of pause ensued for a few seconds, during which the contending parties re- garded each other ; but the moment the lady's quickened respira- tion subsided sufficiently to allow utterance to her thoughts, she declared that the bill was correct, the charges were reasonable, and that he would have " paid it without a single word, had he been a gentleman /" — This appeal to our pride could not be with- stood. The bill was paid. We left Chapel about ten o'clock in the morning, and as we rode slowly along, I had an opportunity of noticing the place at my leisure, as well as observing a number of its inhabitants, both male and female. The village is pleasantly situated in a low valley called Weardale, Durham, and like many other villages, particularly in the north of England, consists of sti'aggling houses; but in speaking of its pleasant situation, it must be consie4ered that my observations were made on a very fine morning in the middle of the month of August ; for, I have much reason to be- lieve it has a dreary appearance during the winter. The river Wear runs through the village, and though at this period, it had dwindled into a mere brook, there were sufficient manifestations of its rising much higher when assisted by the mountain torrents in winter ; and that the lower parts of many of the dwellings would then, in all probability, be frequently inundated. Very lofty mountains rise on either side, on the right more particularly, round the tops of which the clouds will frequently be rolling, and rain consequently descending, when lower down and in the valley, the weather is very fine: — this is an appearance so famihar to the Q 122 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. north of England folks as to excite no attention, but which will not fail to be highly interesting to those who behold it for the first time. Those who visit the hills in this part of Durham for the purpose of shooting, will do well to be provided with horses or ponies, in order to ride up the hills to the ground, and thus diminish the fatigue. As to the inhabitants, they are lead miners almost to a man, and a more sickly-looking pallid race I never beheld ; an excep- tion, however, must be made in favour of such of them as are pro- fessed poachers ; for as these spend at least one-third of the year in the mountains, and other places, where they have all the advan- tages of air and exercise, they seem to become purified from that noxious effluvium which the lead mines exhale so profusely, and which is so highly injurious to human life. Those, on the contrary, who follow mining throughout the year, assume the appearance of advanced life by the time they reach the age of thirty. The boys too are as sickly in appearance as their seniors; extremely meagre visaged, whilst a chalky paleness has usurped the place of rosy health, and blighted the very bloom of life even in its bud. ding : many were almost in a state of nudity, while the tattered garments of others streamed to the wind, and seemed to increase that wretchedness, already too strikingly apparent.* Upon inquiry, I found that none of the miners followed their avocations, daily, in the same manner as the labouring community in general, but after remaining at the mine for a week or ten days returned to their homes, and there continued for a space (three or four days) ere they returned to their subterraneous and unwhole- some employment. At the moment I received this information, a party of these cadaverous beings were pointed out slowly ascend- ing a hill at some distance, and thus proceeding to the caves of labour. It frequently happens that the mines are at the distance of some miles from the homes of the miners, and they therefore, after providing themselves with a scanty provision, proceed to the place of destination, where they continue to labour for the ap- pointed period, when they are relieved by another set, and thus the mine is kept in continual work. But as the men cannot sus- tain the fatigue of a week or ten day's labour without rest, so a temporary shed is built near the mouth of the mine, where, on a bed of straw and wrapped in a blanket, they alternately repose. In fact, to quote from a modern poet: — " That foe, the last, that man shall feel, Had seem'd rejoic'd on them to set his seal ; Their toil unwholesome, and their home a cave, Infection first, and then a jrutrid grave." THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 123 At first view of tlie case, it might be supposed that a Ufe preg- nant with so much wretchedness would be voluntarily followed by no human being ; but this is not the case. The miners, at least those ofWeardale, are born, as it were, in the profession and ti'ained to it from infancy : this wretched mode of life is therefore familiarized to them with their earliest ideas, and they conse- quently regard with indifierence what others could not contem- plate without horror. The miners, indeed, seem quite content, for very little else passes before their eyes in the way of labour but their own em- ployment : and even those periodical pauses above-mentioned, are more frequently dedicated to the honour of the jolly god, than to sober repose. Hence it is evident, we must not in all cases, esti- mate misery, any more than happiness, from appearance, since nothing can impress the mind with a more forcible notion of human wretchedness than the looks of these men, and yet it would seem that they are not only perfectly content, but frequently happy in that very mode of life, which seems so repugnant to the com- mon feelings of our natui'e. As to the women they are healthy in appearance, though not remarkably handsome ; while their little well-built houses seem as well stored with the comforts of life as the generality of cottages in other parts of the kingdom. On the whole, I was much pleased with my excursion to the mountains of Durham ; and I returned to the ** Cottage of Peace on the Banks of the Mersey," with a full persuasion that I should visit them the following year. In fact, I agreed to meet the same friend, the August ensuing, in whose company I had, on this occasion, experienced all that can be derived from good sense and an obliging disposition. When therefore the time approached, I sent my gun, &c. according to previous agreement, several weeks before I left home, and heard of their safe arrival in Weardale ere I departed : my friend, I knew would provide plenty of dogs : and, therefore, under these circumstances, I had only myself to convey to the appointed spot, and this I intended to do upon the back of a stout pony, which I had so familiarized to the gun that he would stand like a rampart, when I fired from his back. On the 9th of August, at four o'clock in the morning, I left home, and proceeded, for the second time, on my way towards the moun- tains of Durham. Travelling by easy steps, I reached Mr. Rudd's at Bowes, at nine o'clock on the morning of the 11th, where I found my friend waiting for me. I had purposely avoided reaching Bowes the evening before, from a persuasion that the house would be filled with sportsmen, and that the chances would be much against me as to procuring a bed. I therefore remained on the night of the 10th a few miles from Bowes, and on reaching that 124 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. place the next morning, was abundantly satisfied with the plan which 1 had adopted, as, on my arrival, I was met by my yawning friend, whose appearance convinced me had not been reposing on a bed of roses. He had arrived rather late the evening before ; and as a mark of especial favour had obtained, not a bed, but a large arm-chair, in which to snore away one of the shortest nights in the year. On this occasion, the house was crowded with sportsmen to excess ; so much so indeed, that when, on enquiring for breakfast, we were shewn into the room for that purpose, we found the table so closely surrounded, that no station whatever was left unoccu- pied. I regarded this assemblage of hungry sportsmen for some seconds, expecting, according to the custom of well-regulated society, that an attempt would be made, by pressing more closely, to admit us into the circle. But, whether the members of this motley assemblage had prepared themselves by a few day's absti- nence, I know not : yet, far from paying the least attention to us, they attacked the mangible materials in so ravenous a manner that I could scarcely help feeling some alarm, lest the very table-cloth should be torn to pieces and devoured. One of these accom- plished beings in particular attracted my attention. He was a man about the middle size, and rather inclined to corpulency ; and though he had scarcely passed the meridian of life, his hair was completely white : he made several attempts to procure some beef which was placed out of his reach ; and impatient of delay, he seized a plate on which six boiled eggs were placed ; and succes- sively devoured them with a celerity which I never saw equalled, and which I am convinced can never be surpassed : I was lost in admiration at the adroitness and dexterity which was displayed in the operation, when my friend took me by the elbow and we withdrew, though, on my part, I must confess, not without some regret, as there was something highly amusing in the rapid dis- appearance of the six eggs, and I was preparing myself to witness the performance of some other extraordinary feat in the same way, and of course by the same person. The maid-servants (I saw no waiters of the other sex) were running in all directions, and it was not without some difficulty that we at length prevailed upon one of them to listen to our entreaty : we were anxious, if possible, to procure wherewith to supply the cravings of hunger, and that too as soon as possible, as we were anxious to quit a place which was already overstocked with customers. The girl was not remarkably handsome, but there was a bland and lucid softness in her mildly expressive blue eyes which beamed with good-nature, and evidently manifested an obligingness of disposition. She conducted us into a small apart- ment, where, in a httle time, we were furnished with the best THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 125 apology for a breakfast she could procure, for the host of sports- men mentioned above had, like a swarm of locusts, devoured nearly every thing. We quitted this place as soon as possible ; and as we were acquainted with the road, we reached Weardale in the afternoon after a very pleasant ride. But we did not direct our steps to our former quarters; on the contrary, my sporting companion, who thought perhaps that our old hostess and himself might not feel remarkably pleasant under the same roof, had provided against such a contingency : accommodations were prepared for us at the cottage of John Fleming, the Bishop's ** head watcher," where our situation was rendered as comfortable as possible. Our old guide and attendant Abraham had been appointed to the situation of a watcher ; and on this occasion Charles Siddall, brother of the celebrious Siddall already noticed, was recommended to our atten- tion even by the gamekeeper Rippon. Like his brother, he was a miner, but when August arrived, he ascended from the depths below, to figure upon the surface of the mountains as a poacher, or to act as a guide to those sportsmen who were unacquainted with the locality of the moors. With this man we proceeded to the mountains, which we reached before we could see the flight of a feather of red game ; we had therefore to remain till the grey lights of uprising dawn enabled us to commence operations. Al- though we had been very unsuccessful last season in ranging Westhope Fells, we were induced to try them again from being persuaded into a notion that on these Fells grouse had bred more numerously than in Bollyhope, from the circumstance of the greater number of bogs which they contained, and their superior quality of retaining moisture. But this proved a most mistaken notion ; and we ranged Westhope Fells for several hours without raising a single grouse. I am aware an opinion is abroad that the breeding season should be wet in order to produce grouse in abundance, and that in a dry time many of the young birds perish as well from want of water, as from falling into the cracks in the ground, caused by the heat of the weather. In opposition to this doctrine, however, I have always found the driest and best sheltered moors the most numerously stocked with game : and that in a wet season, numbers of eggs must become addled, as well as young birds perish, is so self-evident a fact that few will be hardy enough to call it in ques- tion ; I am also inclined to think that very few young grouse are ever found dead in ground cracks, nor indeed can I prevail upon myself to suppose that the season can ever be so dry but that suf- ficient moisture will be found to supply the wants of the young birds. The moors called Bollyhope Fells are much drier and much 126 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. better sheltered than those of Westhope ; I have Httle doubt but that they are uniformly much better supphed with game. At all events, we tried them again, and again obtained very fine diver- sion. Further, I noticed that all those sportsmen who were in the regular habit of visiting these mountains, and Mere well acquainted with them, were always to be found on Bollyhope Fells. Charles Siddall, the man who attended us on this occasion, was the most active and the very best servant I ever met on a shooting excursion. He was a short (5 feet, 3 inches, perhaps) well-formed man, and the ease and rapidity with which he ascended many of these fatiguing steeps w^ere truly astonishing, loaded too, as he was, with birds, shot, and provisions. About twelve o'clock we sat down upon some very elevated ground to dinner; the day was very fine and clear ; and we had an excellent view of the surrounding mountains. Siddall was very communicative : far from denying that he followed the profession or the practice of poaching, he observed with a smiling countenance, that he always impatiently expected the shooting season, and that August no sooner arrived than he abandoned his mining, and returned to it again only when the season expired. From him I learned that the mode which these people adopted in hot weather, to prevent putrefaction in the birds, was burying them in the ground, by which means Siddall informed me they would keep for a considerable length of time. The day was altogether fine, we met with good diversion, and re- turned at dusk uncommonly fatigued. The following day I determined not only to ride to the shoot- ing ground, but to take my pony on the moors. I did so ; and occasionally shot from his back ; but the nature of the ground, the bogs, &c. so uniformly met with in such beats, rendered my little steed, in some degree, a troublesome companion ; and as far as I am able to form an opinion from this experiment, I should in future be content with riding to the ground, and pursue my diver- sion, sans horsemanship, afterwards. The excessive fatigue which we had undergone the first day, had almost disabled us ; we met with birds in tolerable plenty, but yet we followed the diversion rather languidly, and ultimately retired at an earlier period than usual. The next morning we started for the hills at six, but met with indifferent sport ; at eleven o'clock it began to rain, which in the course of half an hour somewliat subsided, but was succeeded by one of the most dense and impervious fogs or mists, I ever wit- nessed. As we were already completely wet through, and as there was no prospect of fine weather for that day, we proposed to quit the mountains, but how were we to find our way, as it was not possible to discover any object at the distance of ten yards. During the rain we had been joined by one of the watchers, he THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 127 still continued with us, but was at a loss on this occasion which way to proceed. Siddall, however, was involved in no doubt on the subject : he spoke with the utmost confidence, nor did we hesitate to place ourselves under his guidance, though he took a direction in opposition to the wavering opinion of the watcher, and brought us to the village of Chapel, without the least pause or doubt, and I verily believe, without missing the most direct route even for one single yard ! We left Chapel the next morning at ten o'clock, proposing to proceed to the village of Newsham, in Yorkshire, on the moors of which we intended to shoot a day or two. The distance being about 30 miles, and as we rode slowly, Newsham was not gained before evening. The village is small, and therefore the accommo- dations are not of the first order. We put up at one of the small houses (for the village of Newsham contains two, if I was correctly informed) and if we were not received in style, and ushered into the most commodious and the most splendid apartments in the world, we experienced civility, were treated with attention, and very moderately charged for our entertainment. About eight o'clock in the evening, two plainly dressed men came in, who appeared familiar with the house and family, and seated themselves without ceremony. They were both somewhat beyond the meridian of life, and their countenances exhibited marks of ease and good living, and tinged with the rosy hue of Bacchus, yet they appeared something worse for wear, though they were cheerful, and, as it afterwards appeared, extremely good-tempered. Seeing we were shooters, they asked us a number of questions very unceremo- niously, but with good-natured frankness of manner that could not be otherwise than pleasing. In the course of a very short time, we found that they were sportsmen, but followed shooting with less ardour than they pursued it twenty years ago. One of them was very jocular in his remarks, and rallied his friend upon his awkwardness as a marksman. We learned in fact, that though, during the course of his life, he never arrived at that skill as to be able to bring down the fairest shot with any degree of certainty, yet he would frequently boast of his dexterity, and if in company where he was a stranger, it might have been concluded that he was one of the most expert shots in the kingdom. His friend ac- cused him of shutting his eyes when he pulled the trigger, though when in company, he would, if possible, fire at the same moment as his friend, and never failed to claim the bird if one happened to fall. On one occasion, it seems, when the two gentlemen present were shooting together, at partridges, the covey happening to pass through a gap in the hedge, at the moment of firing, four birds were thus brought down at one shot : they were claimed by the person who was accused of shutting both eyes at the moment of 1^8 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. drawing, though it was strongly and unequivocally asserted that the game was falling when he fired. But he persisted in his claim, and nothing could induce him to surrender this darling honour of having killed four birds at one discharge. About half past ten these cheerful, good-tempered souls took their leave, and we retired to rest — or rather to bed. I was shewn into a sort of parlour, which appeared to be the best room in the house, while my sporting companion was elevated attically to a parlour near the sky, as I could hear him directly over my head. My room was decently furnished, every thing was very clean, the bed in particular, and I therefore naturally enough calculated upon comfortable repose. But I had no sooner fallen asleep, than I was awoke by a strange noise, and on listening, was clearly of opinion, that one of my shoes was moving across the room. I sprung from my couch, and all was immediately still. Again, 1 reclined on the pillow, when my ears were saluted with a repeti- tion of the harlequinade accompanied by gnashing of teeth ; and in a very short time, I received the most unequivocal proofs of my vicinity to a numerous colony of rats. As, I had never before listened to the gnashing, gnawing, music of these vermin, under similar circumstances, I was very much astonished, not only at their boisterous vocality, but at the strange sounds which pro- ceeded from them, and with which they continued to amuse me during the whole night. I am also free to confess that I was not without some degree of alarm on this occasion, as I really expect- ed from their daring approaches, that they would ultimately per- form their midnight revels on my bed. I coughed occasionally, and made all the noises I conveniently could, and for some time this had the effect of producing a temporary silence ; but I could easily perceive the pauses of quiet which I thus obtained grew shorter, till at length the gnawing, rattling, and squeaking were almost incessant, in defiance of my utmost efforts. I had no im- mediate remedy ; and therefore I expected the return of day with all the patience I could summon to my assistance ; and when at length, the grey light of morn began to peep into the room, the rats became less boisterous, and their noises gradually subsided as the light increased, till at length they died away altogether. I now fell fast asleep, and thus continued till seven o'clock, when I was awoke by my friend, who, it seems, had slept so soundly as to be quite unconscious of those tormenting concerts just men- tioned, though as I have already observed, he slept in the room immediately over my head. We breakfasted, the morning was dull, and the clouds as- sumed a threatening aspect : at eight o'clock rain came on ; and (To be continued.) THE SPORTSMx\N'S CABINET. 129 Reining back is principally required in the army and the school : practising it a little, however, will tend to make any person a more complete or finished horseman. But the practise must be con- ducted with mildness and good temper, and not continued too long at a time, lest the horse should become impatient. Let it be recollected that the hand must always maintain a determined firmness ; it must not yield to the craving of the horse to get the ascendancy. For instance, a horse will, if permitted, abandon that delicate correspondence which produces the appui, doll a dull weight on the hand. A horse, however well broke, after being ridden for a while with a dull heavy hand, will generally fall into this habit, and is consequently liable to fall down and break his knees, and perhaps the rider's head or limbs. A horse- man therefore should always use a light and lively hand. Should the horse persevere in his attempts to attain the ascendancy, the reins should be shaken to induce him to raise his head, the cor- rection of the hand must be given severely, in the following man- ner : — yield the hand so that the reins become slack ; then give them a smart pull or snatch in an upward direction, which will make him raise his head ; and the apprehension of your repeating it will deter him from putting it down again. Having spoken oi the firmness of the hand, in a direct sense, a few words more on the subject, collaterally, or by way of qualifi- cation, become necessary ; since, although the hand must be suflii- ciently firm and decisive to enforce the requisite submission, yet it should be susceptible of a dehcate and sensitive feeling, soft, pliant, and discriminating, in order to accommodate the horse under any circumstances. By the feeling of the hand, the rider should become aware whether the horse wishes to disengage him- self from the restriction of the hand, or whether he desires a mo- mentary freedom for his own ease. For instance, he will remove your hand if he wants to cough : — he will move his head if cramped by too long confinement, to drive off' flies, &c. Under such cir- cumstances the horse is entitled to all reasonable indulgence. Further, in addition to the properties already enumerated, the hand should possess an enlivening, animating quality, which the horse will easily understand and readily obey. This is a light movement of the fingers and the muscles of the hand, which is communicated to the mouth of the horse, raises his expectations, and keeps him lively. It also eases and refreshes the horse's mouth. AIDS, CORRECTIONS, ANIMATIONS, &c. It will be perceived, that, while describing the operation of the hand in the preceding chapter, the subjects which comprise the II 130 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. present article or division of the work, were necessarily brought before the reader ; but as they were noticed only as far as they were intimately or inseparably connected with the subject, it be- comes requisite to proceed to further elucidation. In the first place it maybe observed, that Aids, are the indication of the rider's will to the horse ; they request the animal, assist him ; and, at the same time, prevent him from acting in opposition to the desire of the horseman. When the positions of the legs and body deviate from the Seat^ (as already described under a separate head) for the purpose of giving assistance to the hands, they are called Aids ; but when, for the purpose of maintaining the seat, or preserving the balance, they are necessary variations of the position and will be found as many as the variations of the posi- tion of the horse, to which they should always correspond, in order to ensure not only the ease, but also the safety, of the rider. The aids of the legs, possessing progressive strength, produce effect accordingly, and are thus to be applied or given : — the leg being brought nearer to the side of the horse, is the first degree or lightest aid. Placing the leg further back, with the toe turned a little out, is the next. The lightest touch with the calf of the leg, is the third ; and so on, increasing the degree of pressure ac- cording to the force or strength of the required aid. The strong- est aid is the application of the spur : when the leg is strongly ap- plied without effect, drop the toe, by which the spur will come in contact with the side of the horse — it should be slightly applied,* and if not effective, should be followed by giving the spur smartly, which is called a Correction. Aids with the whip are used, when requisite, to assist or give greater effect to the heel. These consist of gentle taps on the hind quarters, and sometimes on the shoulders. When given on the near side, the hand must be applied behind the back, with the whip held by the fingers somewhat after the manner in which a pen is held, or crossing the bridle hand when intended for the shoulder. Corrections are given by the whip and spurs. The common uses of the whip and spurs, to animate and quicken a horse, are not called corrections, even though they should be applied with seve- rity. Correction is administered for disobedience, obstinacy, and vice ; and should be so applied that the horse may be sensible for what he receives them. For instance, should your horse kick at the application of the whip to his flank or quarter, you should, at the instant, administer the correction sharply ; should he kick at it, give it more severely : by which the animal is made sensible of his fault, and punished for it at the same time. * Which in the phraseology of the School is called the Scratch. THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 131 Good tempered, well broken horses seldom require correction ; nor indeed should it ever be administered but when imperiously demanded ; its general application must depend much upon the sense and feeling of the rider. It sometimes happens that correc- tion avails nothing, as there are some horses, when determined not to yield to the whip and spur, will sooner die than submit ; and when the whip and spur have been smartly applied several times without effect (as will often happen with restive horses) other me- thods should be adopted, which will be pointed out in the subse- quent pages. The method of applying the spur is to lower the toe, that the spur may be given full ; and, if necessary to apply the spurs with force, remove your legs from the sides of the horse by which it is evident your strength for the purpose in question is much increased. When you correct with the whip, lift the arm high, apply the whip with force, and let the stroke take place behind the girths, round the belly. Sometimes correction is applied forward to the shoulders, but is much less effectual than the former method. Some horses disregard the whip, but answer the spur : others disregard the spur, and are fearful of the whip : but they are not numerous: — few horses, indeed, are indifferent to the spur. Animations are requests or stimulations for exertion, life, and spirit, and proceed from the hand, the legs, the whip, and the tongue. The first has been already described as one of the pro- perties of the hand. Animations of the legs are applications of them to the sides of the horse to induce him to increase his action. Animations of the whip are slight applications of it to quicken the horse — switching the whip in the air, without touching the horse, will very often answer the purpose. The animation of the legs and whip may be regarded as menaces indicating punishment, if disregarded. The animation or clucking of the tongue is too well known and too common, not to be well understood. It is an ani- mation which is pleasing to the horse, as he answers it cheerfully. Of course, if too frequently used, it loses its effect. Soothings are the opposite of animations. They pacify horses that are timid and easily frightened, and those that have much spirit and fire in their constitutions. They are very effective ; but not so often used as they ought to be, since the whip and spurs are frequently applied, where soothings would much better answer the purpose. A horse, as I have already observed, is a friendly creature, is fond of being caressed, and seldom makes an ungrate- ful return for kindness. The voice sooths by the soft mildness of its tone, which is well conveyed to a horse in the words poor fellow ! good boy ! and the like. The hand sooths by patting. The legs and body by a re- laxation, sitting quite at ease. Let it be indelibly impressed on 132 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. the mind, that patience and good temper constitute two very essen- tial, very effective, and very beautiful principles in the manage- ment of the horse. Whenever a rider suffers irritability and pas- sion to prevail, if he be not absolutely foiled by the horse, the busi- ness will finish in an unsatisfactory manner on both sides. Perse- vering mildness will not only accomplish every purpose, but will establish a consummate friendship between the horse and his rider. NATURAL PACES of the HORSE. These are the wallt, the trot, and \he gallop. There are horses, it is true, which are called amblers, and there are others which will canter : the latter is a short gallop ; the foi'mer may be called (for the want of a better expression) an artificial movement : they are both, however, acquired from the instruction of man. The WALK Is performed with less exertion than any of the other paces of the horse, and is the slowest. The action of the walk is the alter- nate motion of the legs, marking four distinct beats, as each foot in rotation comes to the ground ; which is performed in the follow- ing order : — the off fore-foot, leading first, marks one ; the near hind-foot, two ; the near fore-foot, three ; and the off hind-foot, four. Though the feet follow eacli other quick, yet the slowness of the action causes the beats to be flat. The excellence of the walk consists in that degree of union which supports the horse's head, and raises his foot, without shortening or retarding the step ; and that degree of animation also, which quickens the step and sharpens the beats, without falsifying the time or altering the action. No horse can perform well without the permission or as- sistance of the rider : — for instance, if the head be not supported, the horse moves in a sluggish manner, and does not raise the foot sufficiently to put it well out, and place it down flat : the step con- sequently becomes shortened, and the horse is liable to catch or touch with his toe. On the other hand, if the head is supported too high, the horse cannot put his foot out, and the step will be shortened and retarded. Should you animate the horse to quicken his step in this situation, he would break time, and proceed into the trot. THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 133 The trot. This is a more animated and quicker pace than the walk, and is thus described : " the oft' fore foot and the near hind foot mark one beat; and the near fore foot and the off'hind foot mark another beat ; so that the action of the trot is two legs crosswise off' the ground and two legs on, which, in alternate change of situation, mark the time of one, two." It is a difficult matter, however, to ascertain exactly, whether, in trotting, the horse really does move in the manner described. It was some time before I could completely satisfy myself on this head ; and had sometimes been induced to sup- pose that two legs on one sidewere raised together, and the horse thus performed the first and second beat. On mentioning the subject to a military riding master — he replied " that is impossible, as the horse, in that case, must fall on his side." This assertion does not appear conclusive, since we see that human beings or bipeds are un- der the positive necessity of using this lateral motion in their pro- gression, nature having admirably contrived that, while one foot is raised from the ground, the super-incumbent weight is supported by the other side. Will not this reasoning apply to the trotting of the horse? — However, if a horse be trotted very slowly, it will be clearly perceived that the legs move crosswise. The perfection of the trot is its suppleness, which gives the horse a free use of his limbs, next, in the union, by which the labour is more equally dis- tributed ; then the action, which should be true and equal (by which is meant, that the liberty of the fore-quarters is not to exceed that of the hind ; nor the hind the fore, otherwise the one will distress the other ;) the knee up, the haunches bent, springy and pliant, the step measuring exact and true distances, marking a regular time of one, two. In the trot, the horse leads with a foot either right or left, as in the gallop, by which the leading side is a little more advanced than the other. Most horses lead with the oft' leg ; but if, from fatigue or other cause, the horse changes from the les to which 111 1 he has been accustomed, it becomes very perceptible to the rider by the unpleasant motion which is thus produced. The gallop. As the trot proceeds from the walk, so the gallop may be said to proceed from the trot, since, if you animate your horse beyond the trot, he gallops. The action of the gallop is thus performed — supposing the horse to be leading with the off' leg : the near fore foot is first raised from the ground, then the off' fore foot. These coming to 134. THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. the ground in the same order, the near fore foot marks one beat or time ; the off* fore foot passing the other, while both are in the air, comes to the ground more forward, and is the leading foot, which marks the second beat. The hind feet follow in like man- ner, the near hind foot marking a third beat ; and the oft hind foot, passing, comes to the ground more forward, and marks a fourth beat, so that the action of the gallop is the two fore legs leading close after each other, and the hind legs immediately following in like order ; which, when true, mark a regular, sharp, and quick time, of one, two, three, four. The perfection of the gallop consists in the suppleness of the limbs, the justness of the action, and the regularity of the time. The gallop is not true, when the horse's legs do not follow or accompany each other in the order described : that is, when the horse leads with the right foot before, and the left foot behind ; or with the left foot before and the right foot behind. Likewise, a horse is said to be false, if, in gallopping to the left, he leads with the right foot ; also, if in galloping to the right, he leads with the left foot. For, though his feet follow in exact order, and the gallop would be just, if on a straight line, yet, on circles, or round sharp turnings, the leading foot must be that to which he is going : since the horse is not secure on his legs in these situations, unless the haunches are united and the croup in ; that is, the hind feet describe a circle something less than the fore feet, which secures his balance while he bends, and at the same time prevents his bending so much as he otherwise would be compelled to do, and which would consequently render his feet liable to slip from under him. Finally, the gallop when dis-united, as also when extended to speed, loses its harmony and regularity of time : as, in these cases, the fore legs measure less space from each other ; as also the hind legs ; which render the beats quicker in each, and leave a space between the beats of the fore legs and the beats of the hind legs. It is highly imprudent to turn a sharp corner on the full gallop. The STOP, Or the halt, as a soldier would say, should be governed by cir- cumstances, and must depend principally upon the speed at which you are going. I am perfectly aware that I shall be told by mili- tary men, and by professed riding masters (who pride themselves on their knowledge of the manege system) that the stop in horse- manship, is an instantaneous prevention of action, without the least previous indication given to the horse, whereby the animal THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 135 may become acquainted with the intention of the rider. The fol- lowing is the language of the school upon it : — "In the manege it is beautiful in effect : shews the great superiority of the rider's hand over the horse ; thereby gives him confidence, confirms the horse in obedience, unites him, supples the haunches, and bends the houghs. The perfection of the stop consists in the action ceasing at the finish of a cadence, without breaking the previous time ; the horse being so balanced on his haunches, and the ani- mation still alive, that, with liberty given, the horse can advance with the same rapidity as before." Novv, the sudden stop in any pace faster than the walk, cannot fail to have an injurious tendency ; and mischief can scarcely fail to result from the practice of it, particularly if the horse be mov- ing rapidly. [t will be very apt to spring the sinews behind, sprain the back, or hurt the loins. — The military service may re- quire the sudden stop when the horse is in rapid motion, for aught 1 know ; but, let it be recollected, that I do not profess to give in- structions to our cavalry; and, under ordinary circumstances, I regard the sudden stop as a species of foolery, from the practice of which, as I have already observed, th^re can scarcely fail to result the most injurious consequences. When the rider wishes to stop his horse, he should close his arms to his body, taking his pull at the bridle according to circum- stances, at the same time pressing the calves of the legs and knees against the horse (according to the pace, &c.) bearing moderately in the stirrup and leaning his body back. He will thus perceive that he procures a very firm seat, one which gives him great strength, and enables him to accomplish his object in the easiest and the best possible manner. Moreover, let him not endeavour to stop the horse too soon, unless to avoid a precipice or other dan- ger. Let us reflect for a moment on the sudden stop at full gallop, with a weak horse and a heavy rider ! LESSONS FOR FORMING THE HAND, AND ACQUIRING A CORRECT SEAT and GOOD BALANCE. The word Lessons would seem to imply the use of a school, and the assistance of a master ; and both are highly to be recom- mended when they can be procured. In many large towns there is a building for the purpose of a riding school. The teacher should be a man of good sense ; and should be fully aware that for horsemanship on the road, or for the ordinary purposes of life, or for riding to hounds, with ease, gracefulness, and safety, manege riding is not a requisite preliminary, nor indeed are the 136 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. principles of it at all applicable. Should the learner not be able to obtain the use of a riding school or the assistance of a teacher, a grass field will answer the purpose of the former; and the proper application of the instructions contained in this volume, will enable him to supply the place of the latter very effectually. Let him mark out with strong pegs (which can be easily seen) an oblong square, about sixty yards in length by thirty broad, upon which he can receive the instructions of a teacher, or teach him- self with the assistance of almost any person. When children are to acquire the art of riding or horseman- ship, they must, in the absence of a professed master, be attended by a good-tempered groom, or some such person, wdio, if he will follow the instructions contained in this book, the object in view can scarcely fail of accomplishment. It may irequently happen too, that grown-up persons, utterly ignorant of horsemanship, may wish to acquire the art of riding ; in which case, the assistance already pointed out becomes necessary, at least in the early stages of the business. There are others, v^ho, having frequently been on horseback, are nevertheless timid or awkward, and anxious to acquire greater skill for the purpose of riding with confidence, ease, and safety. There are others in the habit of riding, who, having acquired bad methods on horseback, have only to study the in- structions here given to become expert and elegant horsemen. A quiet, good-tempered horse, with a delicate mouth, is to be preferred for the purpose of instruction, and in the case of chil- dren or very timid persons, the teacher should be mounted also for the purpose of riding by the side of the pupil, in order to be able to give the most prompt assistance : unless, indeed, the longe is made use of in the first lessons, which is much the safest and best methods What I mean by this is, that the horse should move in a circle, a long rein being held in the left hand of the assistant or teacher, and a whip in his right. Where there is no riding school, a large barn, or other building, with a level earth floor, of sufficient extent to allow the horse to form a circle of ten or twelve yards in diameter, would be a good place for the learner to take or practise his first lessons, as the intrusion of strangers might be thus prevented. However, whether in a building or field, let the pupil commence thus : — Let him approach the horse and mount after the manner already pointed out under the head *' Mount- ing;" and during this operation, the horse ought to stand quiet without a pei'son taking hold of him, or standing at his head, which most horses will soon do if treated properly and kindly. Having placed himself on horseback, according to previous directions, let the pupil adjust his clothes, let the stirrups be taken away, iDut his legs nevertheless placed in the same position as if his feet were in the stirrups, or as nearly so as possible : let him then invite the THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 137 horse to move (according to previous directions) and commence with tlie walk, the assistant or teacher holding the long rein in his left hand, the horse describing a circle around him. By thus commencing without stirrups, the learner will acquire a good balance, and a firm grasp with his knees, legs, &c. After the pupil has acquired sufficient confidence, he may trot, and this he will generally be able to perform before the finish of the first lesson. As he improves in his balance and grasp, he will of course invite or press the horse to increased motion or pace — from the walk to the trot, from the trot to the canter or short gallop — always keeping his eyes on the circle, a trifle before the horse. Let him circle to the right and left alternately. In order to enable the pupil to throw his chest well forward, he may prac- tise with his arms placed behind his back. After having acquired a good firm seat, he may use the stir- rups, of the length already described under that particular head : and to the practice of circles may be added that of crossing from one side to another without altering the horse's pace, which will improve his seat as also his handhng of the reins. In riding schools, there are figures on the walls (for the purpose of directing the pupil,) but if he crosses to the right and left and vice versa, it is all that is required, and this can be done as well without figures as with them. At first a lesson of half an hour's duration is sufficient, whicK may be increased to three quarters, and ultimately to an hour, resting a few minutes occasionally for the purpose of relief both to the horse and rider. I strongly recommend also occasional prac- tice without the stirrups : indeed the commencement of every lesson should be thus performed. As soon as the learner has acquired sufficient confidence, he should finish each lesson with the leaping-bar, beginning with it low, and increasing the height by degrees, but never beyond four feet : — nor should the horse be put over it more than six or seven times each lesson, lest the animal become disgusted, as no horse jumps wilhngly under such circumstances. Let the horse be walked quietly up to the bar, and take the leap standing ; and as the learner becomes familiar with this department of the art of horse- manship, he can walk, trot, canter, or gallop to it, just as he pleases. It is generally said, that it is much more easy to sit the flying leap than the standing leap, and such is the case under ordinary circumstances ; but it is, nevertheless, strictly correct that the learner should commence with the standing leap, as it is much less alarming to him. The matter is quite different with an ex- perienced horseman. A learner will contrive to keep on the horse in a standing jump, but the increased force or animation of the horse in the flying leap would alarm him, and he would be 138 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. very liable to fall. Where the leap is of considerable height, the horse should be put briskly at it. The subject now brings me to the position of the rider while leaping, which, however, in the modern phraseology of sportsmen, is caWedi jumping. LEAPING. This is an operation which is highly interesting to youth, and it must be admitted that there is something pleasing and even pic- turesque in it when well performed. I have many times observed bold riders after hounds, who nevertheless sat very awkwardly over their jumps; and for leaping to be accomplished in a proper or masterly manner, practice, judgment, and dexterity are requi- site. The horse should come fairly up to his jump, and should receive just that degree of support from the rider as is consistent with correct performance, and no more. It is a pretty art to put a horse well over his jumps. I directed that the pupil should take his early lessons in horse- manship without stirrups ; but, in going over the bar, I recom- mend the use of stirrups in the first instance, which will give the rider more confidence; (since it is much more easy to jump with stirrups than without them ;) and after a lesson or two, I recom- mend him to practise without them. As I have, in the preceding pages, repeatedly mentioned, that the great secret or art of horsemanship consists in the rider taking a corresponding position to that of the horse, I must remind the reader, that, in leaping, the truth of this maxim is strikingly ex- emplified. The position of the rider should change with that of the horse ; for instance, when the horse is brought to the bar, the rider's body should be upright, his legs applied firmly to the horse's sides, a trifle backwarder than a perpendicular, (by which the rider acquires a stronger hold with the knees and the calves) by which the toes become rather sunk, and if the toe be a httle turned out it will strengthen the muscular grasp. The stirrups should be of that length, so that, after you have assumed the posi- tion just described, you bear very little in them, but which will receive the usual weight which you bear in them as the horse lands on the other side. The hand of the rider should be placed in the centre, and low, the reins not too short, but that just by the pres- sure of your fingers you can feel the horse's mouth.* In this po- * Under the head " Riding to Hounds," more will be found upon the sub- ject of leaping, as in hunting, jumps are presented under all possible forms. THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 139 sition the rider should approach the bar, when the pressure of your legs and fingers will invite the horse to rise, and as he rises, the body of the rider must come forward so as to preserve its per- pendicular, or perhaps describe avery trifling inclination forward — the back kept in, the head firm. At the instant the horse takes his spring from his hind legs, the rider should slip his breech under him (as it were) or forward, and let his body go very freely back — the hands down, legs close — till the horse's hind legs have come to the ground. By way of elucidation, I will state the reasons for the parti- cular directions which I have given in regard to leaping. I de- sired the hand to be kept low ; since, if it were elevated, it would raise the horse's head and nose, and straighten his neck, in which position he would not be able to unite or gather himself for the purpose of rising and taking his spring. Let us for a moment look at a horse when at liberty in the field, since it is no uncommon circumstance for a horse to jump over the fence from one field to another : in this case the animal is unrestrained, and will perform the art of leaping in a manner the most pleasant and easy to him- self, the most natural and the most correct. It will be perceived that the horse lowers his head, draws himself together, rises and takes his spring ; and therefore when riding over the bar (or any other leap) the nearer we can approach the natural position, the more likely we are to perform the leap correctly, with ease and safety to the rider and also to the horse. If a horse is forced to leap with his head held up (or even too tight) he cannot clear the jump — he cannot do otherwise than make an awkward business of it, and if he gets over, most likely all the four feet will come to the ground together, making what is called a buck leap, which is very unpleasant to the rider and also to the horse : I have seen horses which had contracted the habit of buck leaping; but such horses never leap well, and are unplea- sant to ride. As to what is called lifting a horse at his jumps, (a term constantly in the mouth of ignorant and unskilful horsemen) three times out of four it obstructs, rather than assists, the horse. Lifting can only be put in practice by a skilful horseman. When the horse rises, his mouth should be felt as lightly as possible, (if at all (I am supposing the standing leap) the hand, however, should support him gently from the moment he has taken his spring till he has fairly landed, the bearing of which should be tighter or more heavy as his fore-feet come to the ground, which will materially assist both the horse and his rider. In the flying leap, as the horse goes with force, he will require more support from the hand, but precisely in the same way. The manner in which I have seen lift- ing practised by ignorant riders is merely lifting or pulling up the horse's head, by which the animal is in general disabled from clear- 140 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. ing the leap. When, in hunting, horses become fatigued, they require greater support from the hand, and may be materially as- sisted, if lifted judiciously. The raising of the hand when the horse is rising at the bar, in those who are learning to ride, arises from fear ; they attempt to hold on by the bridle, which method, however, they must abandon, or they cannot succeed. The hand raised in this situation prevents the rider from leaning his body back, and if the horse makes a resolute or strong leap, the rider must be plucked or pulled out of the saddle upon the horse's neck. The close application of the legs to the sides of the horse is so obviously necessary as to require no explanation. It will be per- ceived, page 138, that I direct the toe to be inclined downwards, which is contrary to the rules of the manege, the teachers of which direct the heel to be sunk, and the toe to be raised. To place the matter beyond all doubt, let any person get on horse- back, try both positions, and then judge for himself. He will find, with the heels sunk as much as possible (for such are the manege instructions) the muscles of the legs become extended or stretched, and lose all compressive force or grasp : with the toe inclining downward, and the heel consequently raised, he will find himself enabled to grasp very firmly with the knee and the muscles of the legs, as I have already observed in the preceding pages. In fact, in one case you ride by the balance ; in the other, you are enabled to give great assistance to the balance by the compressive force of the muscles : — you may get safely over by the balance if all goes right and smooth ; but, should the horse swerve, or any irregu- larity occur, your seat will be disordered at least, and you are very likely to be thrown. With I'espect to the back of the rider being hollow : were the body'to be brought forward with a round back, it could scarcely assume the leaning position backward in time, whereas, if the back of the rider be hollow when the horse springs forward, it will naturally fall into the proper position, if the hand be not raised to prevent it. If the head be not held firm, the action of leaping might oc- casion the rider to bite his tongue, or possibly cause a wrench of the neck. Slipping the breech forward (under you, as it were) gives the body more liberty to lean back; and unless the body is well back when the horse's feet come to the ground, the shock will move the rider forward, and in consequence, the horse loses the support of the hand, and both are in danger of falling. If you assume an upright position, or move your legs from their proper situation, before the leap is completed, you can scarcely escape disorder, loss of balance — perhaps a fall. THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 141 By leaning the body very freely back, the rider not only as- sumes the corresponding motion of the horse, but can also take firmer hold with his legs. A little practice will soon convince the learner of the truth of what I have just stated. Let it be recollected that when the leap is well performed, the rider should be able to carry over the bar a shilling or halfpenny under each foot, each knee, and one under the rump. The seat should be close : if the breech or seat be ever so little raised from the saddle, there must be something wrong. Leaping may be regarded as the very essence of the science of horsemanship, since it is upon the same principle that the seat must be maintained in all violent exertions, or difficult situations of the horse. The flying LEAP. The position in the standing leap is applicable also to the flying leap. It is easier to sit by an experienced horseman, because the horse's body preserves a more horizontal position, occasioned by the animal taking his spring at a greater distance from the bar and going farther over — the rise and fall are not so distinctly marked. In consequence, the rider has no occasion to bring his body quite so forward- when the horse's fore-legs rise, as the spring from the hind-legs immediately follows. Therefore, keep your body upright, keep your hand down, take hold with your legs in the manner described under the preceding head ; and as the horse springs, slip your breech forward, and your body will not fail to take the corresponding motion of leaning back. Let not your body become upright, keep your knees and legs firmly grasped till the hind feet have come to the ground, bearing the horse's mouth nicely in your hand as he ahghts. The horse should rather canter than go full gallop at a flying leap ; and yet it should be done in a determined manner both by the horse and his rider : if the rider hesitate, or manifest any timi- dity, the horse will immediately perceive it, and will be very apt to swerve or refuse the leap, and consequently endanger the rider. Never allow your body to come forward, even at the commence- ment of the flying leap, lest the horse should not come fair at it, refuse, or stop, in which case, with your body forward, you would be very liable to be thrown. If the horse jumps willingly, allow him to take his own pace at it; if otherwise, take the horse fifteen or sixteen yards from the bar, place his head fairly towards it, touch him with the spurs just as he starts, but not afterwards : — lie will most likely trot a few steps, and strike into a short gallop 142 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. for a stroke or two before he springs. If the horse be very slug- gish, the smart appHcation of the spurs just before you turn his head towards the leap (but not when he is going at it) will not fail to give him the requisite animation. If you are suspicious that he will be likely to swerve, apply the right hand, as well as the left, to the bridle, by which means you will be much better able to keep his head straight : when the horse is about to spring, let go the bridle with the right hand. A horse requires but little support from the hand till he is over his leap, and coming to the ground — his head should be merely kept steady, till he is landing, when the support of the hand is highly proper, as it eases the horse, and also the rider, and assists in bringing the body of the latter upright. Many persons, in taking a flying leap, elevate the right hand, as the horse comes to the ground, which the riding-master will say, throws the body out of square : but it should be recollected that the left hand is drawn a little forward by the horse's landing, and thus a counterbalance is presented. It amounts to little whether the right hand is elevated, but I never perceived that injury resulted from it. — See Plate. KEEPING THE POSITION or SEAT in CRITICAL and DANGEROUS SITUATIONS. Having observed, in the preceding article, that the mode of management in leaping is the principle to be applied in all situa- tions of danger on horseback, the truth of it cannot be better ex- emplified than in the opposing and overcoming an unruly or vicious horse. When a horse is addicted to rearing, kicking, bolting, plunging, and the like, the modes of horsemanship which I have described in the two preceding articles must be brought into action, and steadily and forcibly applied ; in which the advantage of good hands will be strikingly conspicuous. The operation of the hands is intended to prevent and deter an unruly or vicious horse as much as possible. The rider's arms must be pressed firmly to the body, the reins separated and taken into both hands, the hands a little up. In this position, the rider should not pull at the horse, unless the latter attempt to force the hands and get his head ; on the contrary, the horse should have liberty to move forward, but not to get his head down, since, with his head in that position, he would be enabled to kick most vio- lently ; while, with his head held well up, he is prevented from kicking with any degree of violence, and he can only make a bolt upon all fours, something like the awkward jump of a horse at a THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 143 standing leap when his head is confined, but not quite so rough ; for, there being no bar in the way, the horse does not attempt to ]\xmT^ perpendicularly (if I may be allowed the expression) but forward, evidently intending to force himself out of the rider's hands, and spring from under him. Therefore, when you perceive the horse inclined to play these tricks, you, as a matter of course, prepare yourself for the encounter in the manner just described, applying both hands to the reins, &c. The body must be kept upright, but very flexible, so as to accompany every movement or action of the horse, and be thus prepared to repel every effort he may make (the corresponding motion, so frequently mentioned, can never be too strongly impressed on the mind of the rider.) Your balance will be assisted by the close adherence of the thighs ; the legs kept close to the horse, but not severely pressed till you feel the necessity ; for the horse will be in alternate motion with his fore and hind legs, and you know not whether he will rear or kick. If he lifts his fore-legs, thrust your rump out behind, by which you are prepared if he rears ; as the fore-feet come to the ground, slip your breech under you, and you become ready for his kicking or springing forward, the legs being in a situation to grasp at the instant, while a steady hold with the hands operates as a restraint upon the horse, and keeps him from falling. Every unruly or vicious horse will be found to adopt, or put in practice, his own peculiar mode of offensive or defensive opera- tions : some rear, others kick, some turn short to the left, others to the right ; some run sideways against a wall, some refuse to do what they are required, others will only offer battle when they perceive they have the advantage of situation. But it is not pos- sible to enumerate all the stratagems to which a horse will resort for the purpose of foiling or throwing his rider. However, of all the means resorted to by the horse for the accomplishment of his purpose, rearing is the most dangerous : a rearing horse will sometimes rise so unexpectedly and so rapidly, that the rider has very little notice or time to prepare himself: — some of them will rear so high as to be in danger of falling backwards ; but a horse addicted to this violent rearing is scarcely ever known to kick: the rearing, therefore, is what you have to guard against, and when he takes you unawares, your body must instantly incline forward close to his neck, your hands forward, on each side, so as even to clasp him round the neck, should that be rendered necessary — and it will where a horse resorts to such desperate rearing. Nor are horses very easily cured of this very dangerous vice ; that is, if they be viciously inclined, and determined rearers. Some will rear from playful excitement, but this amounts to nothing, as they never rise to any alarming height. When a determined rearer is playing his vicious pranks, an 144- THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. active and a thorough horseman may, when the horse's fore-legs are in the air, shp off, on one side, (keeping the rein in one hand) and pull the horse over backward. This operates most powerfully in subduing the horse, and he will seldom give you an opportunity of repeating it; that is, he will be careful how he rears again with the same rider. But such an experiment should never be attempt- ed by any but an expert and clever horseman, one who feels per- fectly conscious of his ability to perform it with safety to himself. And after all, it only remedies the evil as far as relates to the rider who performs it ; since, if a determined rearer, after having been thus subdued, passes into the hands of another person, he will generally have recourse to his old, but not forgotten, tricks. A person, named Godwin, who resided at the village of Daresbury, in Cheshire, purchased a vicious rearing horse ; but as the animal was well calculated for a hunter in all other respects, and Godwin being a good horseman, he took the horse into the fields, in order to induce him to commit the fault, that he might have a proper opportunity to administer the remedy. Godwin threw the horse backward, and while the animal was on the ground, he kept him down for some little time, during which he applied severe correction. Godwin mounted again, and the horse went as quietly as possible. This man rode him with Sir H. Mainwaring's hounds, and no horse could go more steady, and few could perform so well. He was purchased by the gentleman just mentioned, and came into the hands of W. Head, the huntsman, when he refused obedience, and took again to rearing — ^-I never recollect having seen a more vicious or determined rearer. The huntsman, being a good horseman, contrived to subdue him, but not till after a number of struggles for the mastery had ensued between them ; as Head did not resort to the dangerous expedient of pulling him backwards. I afterwards saw this horse carry the huntsman very steadily, but evidently more from fear than good will, as was apparent by the expression of his eye. I believe the horse was quiet in the stable, which is the case with many similarly unruly horses. In preference to the dangerous experiment of pulling a rearing horse backward, I recommend the adoption of the following me- thod: — Whenever you perceive the horse's inclination to rear, separate your reins and prepare for him: the instant he is about to rise, slacken one hand and bend or twist his head with the other, keeping your hands low. This bending compels him to move a hind leg, and of necessity brings his fore-feet down. In- stantly twist him completely round two or three times, which will confuse him very much, and completely throw him off his guard. The moment you have finished twisting him round, place his head (To be continued.) THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET, AND Town and Country Magazine. IW»^^»/*'^W*^^'^*Vr ^^*^ ^^on^.f^'^^^rfV^^ V/^> Ji^s^W^ »^^^ lr»^^^»V*^^|^^^^rf^^^»^^»>^» 20 to 1 agst Bravo. 25 to 1 agst Divan. 25 to 1 agst Ishmael. 27 to 2 agst Emraeline. 30 to 1 agst Marinella (tk). 30 to 1 agst Young Pituaria (tk). 30 to 1 agst Boscobel. 33 to 1 agst Brother to Margrave. 40 to 1 agst Anglesea. 1000 to 15 agst Sister to Frederick, 12 to 1 agst Lord Jersey's lot. OAKS. Offers to take 21 to 1 agst Sister to Frederick. To the Editor of the Sportsman s Cabinet. Sir, Amongst the various improve- ments made in guns within these few years, none in my opinion equal those of Messrs. Wheeler and Son, of Bir- mingham ; beside being the makers of a very complete safety gun, of most ele- gant construction, they have succeeded in manufacturing what they call " silver ' steel barrels" of much superior quality in shooting, both in strength and accu- racy to the generality of guns now made. My reason for troubling you with this communication, is a wish to give publicity to these improvements for the benefit of my brother sportsmen, and to do justice to the merits of Messrs. Wheeler and Son, who I must add, to a complete knowledge of their business, join the most liberal conduct. I am, Mr. Editor, Your well wisher, Thos. Robinson. Sandon, Staffordshire, Nov. 17 fh, 1832. *** A gun that cannot be accident- ally discharged is certainly a most de- sirable object, and we have not yet seen one which completely answered our idea of the thing. A paragraph has lately been going the round of the news- papers, respecting Somerville's Safety Gun, which is said to have been lately invented : — unless our memory is some- what treacherous, a similar paragraph appeared in several newspapers some years ago, and we should have passed it unnoticed but for the foregoing letter. Of the merits of the gun made by Messrs. Wheeler, we know nothing, as we have not seen one on their safety principle. Silver steel barrels may be superior to the best twisted stubs ; but as the best town and country gunmakers (with the exception of Smith, Avho ge- nerally makes Damascus barrels) almost invariably use the latter, till we are assured that there is really a superior metal for gun barrels, we must recom- mend that which has stood the test of many years' trial. We shall be glad to insert a description of Messrs. Wheeler's safety plan, if forwarded to 37, Sir Thomas's Buildings, Liverpool. — Ed. THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 159 The Greek Fire. — Gun^jowder, Percussion, ^c. To the Editor of the Cabinet. Sir, In all probability the precise ori- gin of that wonderful combustible which passes mider the denomination of gun- powder, will never be completely ascer- tained, as the accounts which have been handed down to us respecting it, are so confused that any thing like precision appears out of the question. But con- stituting, as it does at present, so essen- tial an article in the sportsman's cata- logue, a slight sketch may perhaps be interesting to some of your readers. It is tolerably well known that the composition formerly used in war, called the Greek Fire, was the invention of Callinicus, an architect of Heliopolis or Balbeck, who left the service of a Caliph, and brought the important secret to Constantinople, in the reign of the Emperor Constantino Pagonatus. This monarch ordered the secret to be communicated to none but his own sub- jects, and the mj'stery thus continued for a long time confined to the Western Empire. But whatever might be the composition of the Greek Fire, it has not been handed down to posterity, though as it was the precursor of gun- powder in Europe, at least it appears by no means an unreasonable stretch of the imagination to suppose that a train of ideas led from one to the othei-, and that gunpowder may be considered merely as an improvement of the Greek Fire. Though the component parts of the latter are not known, it is supposed to have been made of the gum of the pine and other resinous trees, reduced to powder with brimstone, to which were added naptha, and other bitu- mens ; and if we are to believe the accounts of some Avho have written on the subject, the ingredients which I have just mentioned were mixed up with the water of a fountain in the East, which possessed the quality of amalgamating with these combustibles, and of rendering them more inflam- mable. However, as there are few very surprising things made known to the world but credulity endeavours to render them still more wonderful, I cannot help regarding the story of the water as no way essential to the effect of the composition, but as the fanciful appendage of an over-heated imagina- tion. The Greek fire, however, though it may be justly regarded as the pre- cursor of the more powerful composi- tion, gunpowdei', yet it was used long after the introduction of the latter : and, under such circumstances it seems strange, that the method of making it should not have been handed down to posterity : nor does it indeed seem less unaccountable, that the date of the in- vention of gunpowder, as well as the name of its inventor, and its application to fire-arms, although the circumstance may be ranked among the most impor- tant discoveries,should remain unknown. Its first introduction to military pur- poses might have been very I'eadily re- garded as the means of more extensive as well as of more indiscriminate slaughter; but as the arts of evasion and defence seem to have kept pace with the more powerful modes of as- sault, so what, at first view, might as- sume the appearance of an additional cruel scourge, has proved beneficial to the human race, by reducing the de- struction of the species in battle within narrower limits. Prior to this period, when men engaged hand to hand, they were so intermingled that the only cri- terion of victory was the having no more of the enemy to kill : the dura- tion of sieges also has been consider- ably shortened since the introduction of gunpowder and artillery, by which the lives of millions have been saved who would otherwise have perished by hard- ships or disease, which were frequently more fatal in sieges than the sword. Further, in providing man with addi- tional power over the animal world, and thus multiplying the catalogue of his food, the advantages derived from the introduction of gunpowder are evident and important. Respecting the invention of gun- 160 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. powder and artillery, the following has been frequently related : — about the year 1320, one Bartholdus Schwartz, a German monk and student in alchymy, having in the course of his experiments, mixed saltpetre, sulphui", and charcoal in a mortar, and partly covered it with a stone, it somehow took fire, and blew the stone to a considei'able distance; thus, by one accident, furnishing the hints for making gunpowder, its force, and the most effective mode of employ- ing it ; and it is worthy of remark, that stones are said to have been thrown from mortars long before point blank shooting was attempted. This account may be true enough for aught that can now be said to the contrary, but it does not at all follow thence that gunpowder was not known before, the very same discovery having been repeatedly made by persons pursuing the same study. The invention of gunpowder, and even its application to artillery, is car- ried back, by many modern writers, to very remote antiquity, and that too with an air of imposing plausibility. The ingenious translator of the Gentoo Laws asserts that fire arms, gunpowder, and cannon, are mentioned in that code, co- eval, at least, with the time of Moses, most probably much anterior to the time of that celebrated lawgiver. " It will no doubt (says he) strike the reader with wonder to be informed of a prohibition ' of fire arms, discovered in records of such unfathomable antiquity ; and he will probably from hence renew the sus- picion which has long been deemed ab- surd, that Alexander the Great did abso- lutely meet with some weapons of that kind in India, as a passage in Quintus Curtius seems to ascertain. Gunpowder has been known in China and Hindos- tan far beyond all periods of investiga- tion." There is also, says Mr. Grose, the following ancient testimony to the point in Grey's Gunnery, printed in the year 1731. In the life of Appolonius Tyanseus, written by Philostratus, about fifteen hundred years ago, there is the following passage concerning a people of India, called Oxydracae — " These truly wise men dwelt between the rivers Hyphasis and Ganges ; their coimtry Alexander the Great never entered, de- terred not by fear of the inhabitants, but, as I suppose, by religious consider- ations ; for, had he passed the Hypha- sis, he might doubtless have made him- self master of the country all around them ; but tlieir cities he could never have taken, though he had led a thou- sand as brave as Achilles, or three thousand such as Ajax, to the assault ; for they come not out into the field to fight those who attack them, but these holy men, beloved by the gods, over- throw their enemies with tempests and thunderbolts, shot from their walls. It is said, that the Egyptian Hercules and Bacchus, when they overran India, in- vaded this people also ; and having pre- pared warlike engines, attempted to conquer them : they made no shew of resistance, but upon the enemy's near approach to their cities, they were re- pulsed with storms of hghtning and thunderbolts, hurled upon them from above." In a book, written by one Robert Norton, entitled the Gunner, and print- ed in London in the year 1664, the au- thor states, that, according to UfFano, " the invention and use, as well of ordi- nance as of gunpowder, was, in the eighty-fifth year of our Lord, made known and practised in the great and ingenious kingdom of China ; and that, in the maritime provinces thereof, there yet remain certain pieces of ordinance, both of iron and brass, with the memory of their years of founding engraved upon them, and the arms of King Vitey, who, he says, was the inventor." But to bring matters in a more tang- ible shape, the ingenious Friar Bacon, whose works were written at Oxford about the year 1270, fifty years before the supposed invention of the German Schwartz, has expressly mentioned the ingredients of which gunpowder is com- posed, and mentioned gunpowder too as a well known composition used for re- creation ; he also describes it as pro- ducing flashes of lightning and a noise like thunder, but more terrible than those produced by nature ; and adds, this might be employed to the destruc- tion of an enemy by sea and land. Ba- con became acquainted with the compo- sition of gunpowder from a treatise on ■^^^e! ^ ^ fe r. e V O THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 169 TJie Age of Birds, or their Longevity. To the Editor of the Cabinet. Sir, There are few animals which have been for any length of time under hu- man observation, but a tolerably correct idea may be formed as to their longevi- ty, with the exception perhaps of birds, whose ages have never been determined with any degree of accuracy, nor does it indeed seem an easy matter to arrive at precision on this subject. Thus much, however, I think, may be premised, that the ages of the feathered tribes do not seem to bear the same proportion to the time of acquiring their growth as has been remarked with regard to quadru- peds. Most birds arrive at their full dimensions in a few months ; and how- ever late they may have been hatched in the summer, they are capable of pro- creation the following spring. But in regard to the peacock, it may not be amiss to remark, that he does not arrive at full maturity till his third year, at which time his tail becomes perfect, and not before. In proportion to the size of their bodies, birds are much more vivacious and live longer than either man or qua- drupeds ; and notwithstanding the diffi- culties in the way of ascertaining the ages of birds, there are indubitable in- stances recorded of great longevity in many of them. Geese and swans have been known to arrive at 100 years and upwards ; and of the latter some are said to have existed three hundred ; but this is mere hearsay testimony, and it would require something much strong- er, I should suppose, than this worst of evidence to induce any man possessed of reason and common sense, to credit so obvious and striking an improbabi- lity. Ravens are very long lived ; and that they frequently attain more than a century seems evident. Hesiod as- serts that a raven will live nine times as long as a human being, but this is a mere fable. Ravens have been known to build in the same tree for upwards of a hundred years, as there is every rea- son to believe, the very same pair of birds. In the centre of a grove, near Selborne, there stood an oak, which, though shapely and tall on the whole, bulged out into a large excrescence near the middle of the stem. On this tree, a pair of ravens had fixed their resi- dence for such a series of years, that the oak was distinguished by the title of " The Raven Tree." Many wei-e the attempts of the neighbouring youths to get at this eyry : the difficulty whet- ted their inclinations, and each was am- bitious of surmounting the arduous task ; but when they arrived at the swelling, it jutted out in their way, and was so far beyond their grasp, that the boldest lads were deterred, and acknowledged the undertaking to be too hazardous. Thus the ravens continued to breed year after year in perfect security, till the fatal day arrived on which the tree was to be cut down. This was during the period of incubation with these birds. The saw was applied to the trunk, the wedges were inserted in the opening, the wood echoed to the heavy blows of the beetle and mallet, and the tree nod- ded to its fall ; but the dam persisted to sit. At last, when it gave waj', the bird was flung from her nest ; and, though her parental affection deserved a better fate, was whipped down by the twigs, which brought her dead to the ground. The raven is a bird found in every region of the globe ; strong and hardy, he is uninfluenced by the changes of the weather ; and when other birds are numbed with cold, or pining with fa- mine, the raven is active and healthy, busily employed in prowling for prey, or sporting in the coldest atmosphere. As the heat at the line does not oppress him, so he bears the cold of the polar regions with equal indifference. He is sometimes indeed seen milk white, which some inulerstand as a mark of extreme age ; but which is most likely wrought upon him, as in most other ani- mals in that part of the world, where their robes, particularly in winter, as- sume the colour of the country they in- habit. As in old age, when the natu- 170 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. ral heat decays, the hair grows grey, and at last becomes white, so, among these animals, the cold of the climate may pro- duce a similar languishment of colour, and may shut up those pores that con- veyed the tincturing fluids to the ex- treme parts of the body. Eagles are supposed, and with rea- son, to reach a great age. Pigeons are known to live more than twenty years ; and even linnets and other small birds have been kept in cages nearly the same period. A parrot has been known to live nearly a hundred years ; and the same remark will apply to the sea gull- Finally, it may be remarked, that, although domestic poultry have been known occasionally to attain the age of upwards of twenty years, yet the galli- naceous tribe may be regarded as short lived birds ; but, unerring nature wisely provides against the extinction of the species ; and, for the shortness of life, compensates with surprising fecundity. AUCEPS. FIELD SPORTS IN CEYLON. To the Editor of the Cabinet. Sir, It was my lot, some years back, to serve in the Third Ceylon regiment, commanded by the lamented General Bailey, who was lost at sea on his retm'n from the place just mentioned. But, having, in my native country, imbibed an ardent passion for field sports, I no sooner reached Columbo, than I began to turn my attention to the chase. In the first place, I must inform you, that there is a species of crow at Columbo, uncommonly familiar with the inhabit- ants of the place, so much so indeed, that it will, without hesitation, visit the breakfast table (the windows being ge- nerally open on account of the intense heat) and help itself very unceremo- niously. I was astonished at a sight so uncommon to English eyes, and was preparing to give these crows a very different reception from that to which they had been accustomed ; when I found that these birds were much vener- ated by the natives, and that such a pro- ceeding would not only incur general odium, but might be attended with dan- gerous consequences. Indeed, I very shortly afterwards found, that these fa- miliarly-obtrusive birds were as useful at Columbo as the wild dogs and vul- tures of Egypt or in South America; and by devouring the garbage and other ani- mal substances constantly thrown into the streets, they prevented that putres- cence which must othei'wise have arisen from the intense heat of the climate, and the indolence of the natives, and which must have been attended with the most unpleasant, as well as the most fatal, con- sequences. Game is even more abundant in the island of Ceylon, than on the Indian Continent ; but the heat is so oppressive, that it is not possible to follow the di- version of shooting for a whole day, as in England ; added to which, in the neighbourhood of the jungles (which are every where to be met with in Ceylon) the effluvium arising from vegetable pu- trescence, if I may be allowed the expres- sion, is very liable to produce the jungle fever.* Sevei-al oflScers, by persevering to an excess in the diversion of shooting, became victims of their own imprudence, and died either of the jvmgle fever, or other disorders incident to an insalu- brious climate, produced perhaps by die excessive fatigue of walking across mo- rasses, exposed to the scorching heat of * A disease which is supposed to arise from the floating exhalations emit- ted from the fetid and decaying leaves. The first approach of this disease is si- milar to that of a common fever ; but the violence of its paroxysms very ra- pidly increase. The unfortunate patient becomes delirious, and labours under that sort of delusion which excites him to attempt his own destruction ; which he is veiy apt to do by cutting his throat with a razor or other sharp in- strument, if it is not placed out of his reach. THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 171 an almost vertical sun, constantlj' liable, at the same time, to be bitten by ser- pents. Peacocks and pea bens are found in abundance : they form an ex- cellent dish for the table ; but as they seldom stray far from the jungles, the pursuit of them is pregnant with danger — even when shot, if not perfectly killed, they will contrive to flutter or run into the jungle, where few will be hardy enough to follow, lest a crouching tiger should spring, and tear the rash sports- man to pieces. Several sorts of phea- sants are met with in Ceylon ; and in- deed much the same shooting (though game is more plentiful) is to be obtained heVe as on the Continent of India, but serpents are more frequent, and walking attended with more fatigue on account of the nature of the ground. In one of my shooting excursions, accompanied by a brother officer, we observed a bird sitting upon a high tree, and quacking like a duck. It suffered our approach, and I was no sooner within gun shot,'riian I brought it to the ground. This bird was not of the duck species ; it was not web-footed ; its head and bill were lai'ge, and it resembled a duck only in quack- ing. To me it was a non-descript, though I found, on inquiry, that it was well known to the natives, and by no means rare on the island. We had it dressed for supper, and it proved a dainty. A residence in the island of Ceylon, however, is by no means so pleasant in any point of view as living on the Con- tinent of India. I occasionally made short excursions from Columbo ; but as no bridges appeared to exist in the coun- try, whenever I came to a river my pro- gress was stopped, unless I chose to swim across it. In one of these excur- sions, accompanied by two brother offi- cers (M. Vie! and Lieutenant Brown) we came to the edge of a small river more than ordinarily fringed with sedges : we plunged in and swam across ; and had scarcely seated ourselves on the opposite bank, when we heard some- thing flounce into the water on the other side, a few yards from the place where we had entered the river. The noise naturally drew our attention to the spot, when we beheld an enormous alligator (about eighteen feet long, as near as I could guess) which had just plunged from amidst the sedges, and which swam gently down the stream, without ever at- tempting to approach us. The jungles abound with monkeys of various kinds ; and if the sportsman happen to shoot one of these animals, great numbei's of them instantly approach the spot, and not only testify, in a very forcible manner, the regret they feel at the OSS of their companion, but, by a pe- culiar kind of chatter, and other means, menace the sportsman with all the fury of which they are capable. One of the varieties of the monkey tribe met with in this island seems like a burlesque on human nature. The animals have black visages, grey haii', and white beards, and, at a little distance, present altogether the appearance of little old men. There are nai-row roads cut through many of the jungles, which are less dan- gerous to pass in the night, perhaps, than in the day, as tigers (which are nu- merous in the island) and all other fe- rocious animals for the most part rest in the broad glare of day, and prowl in the night, when they are easily kept oft' by lighted torches. I once, and once only, had occasion to pass through one of these jungles, in the night. The shrill cry of the jackal, the deep growl of the tiger, and the dismal howling of other animals, are every where to be heard as soon as the shades of evening succeed the light of day ; in the imme- diate neighbourhood of the jungles, however, they are more loud and more appalling. I must observe, in the first place, that English officers generally travel in palanquins, borne on the shoul- ders of the natives, the hire of which is comparatively trifling ; and on this oc- casion, I was attended by my palanquin bearers. — Unfortunately, we missed our way, and were compelled to pass the night in the jungle. I had already been almost stupified by the frightful and dis- cordant noises of the wild beasts, which, however, had kept at a respectful dis- tance, owing, no doubt, to the glare of our torches ; but when I found I should be under the necessity of passing the whole night in a place enveloped with 172 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. so many dangers, I own I was very much alarmed at the idea of being torn to pieces by some hungry tiger. The fate of poor Munro* haunted my ima- gination ; while my swarthy and dimi- nutive attendants, after having kindled a large fire, very unconcernedly sat down to supper. By the way, I must observe, that the fire formed a circle of circumference sufficient to afford room ■within it for the accommodation of us all. While the greater part of my at- tendants slept, to all appearance, as comfortably as possible, my feai-s kejit me awake, and I spent the greater part of the night in listening to the most hor- rible discords, as well as in watching the wild beasts glide across the track. About midnight, a monstrous tiger ap- proached within ten or fifteen yards of the fire. I distinctly saw him ; his fiery eyes appeared to glare with more than common terrors, and he seemed to hesi- tate, as if desirous to ajjproach still nearer the circle. My fowHng-piece was loaded with three small bullets : I levelled directly at his glaring eye-balls, pulled the trigger, and he immediately disappeared. I could scarcely have missed him ; but he entered the thicket, and I saw him no more. If, however, * Mr. Munro, it is well known, was killed by a tiger on Saugur Island, which sprung upon him, as he was sit- ting, with several others, roimd a large fire. However, this melancholy event took place in the day time, under a burning sun, when the flame would be much less perceptible than in the night. the night had re-echoed to the howls and yellings of ferocious monsters, the dawn was agreeably hailed by the wel- come noises and songs of a countless va- riety of the feathered tribe ; which dis- sipated, in a great degree, the terrors which the fearful concert of the night had inspired. It will be recollected, that, at the pe- riod of which I am speaking, an active war was carried on against the native Candians ; and, with your permission, Mr. Editor, I will close my commimi- cation with the brief recital of a melan- choly event, which occurred a short time previous to my leaving the island. One day, after dinner, sitting in a com- modious tent, in company with several officers of the artillery, one of whom having occasion to withdraw, rose for that purpose ; but he had scarcely reached a yard from the tent, when he sprung back, exclaiming that he had been bitten by a serpent. We instantly destroyed the reptile, which was not so large as the English snake, and called by naturalists the Cobra di Capello. Medical aid was immediately adminis- tered, and every thing tried which was thought likely to counteract the effect of the venom. The wound was in the lower part of the leg, trifling in appear- ance ; but immediately swelled, became livid and yellow ; the whole frame was soon affected ; a violent palpitation of the heart ensued, and the gallant young officer (Lieutenant Davies) expired in the greatest agony. Your's, &c. Jno. Paterson. The Safe It/ Powder Flask. — Dangerous Consequences arising from the use of Paper Wadding. To the Editor of the Cabinet. Sir, In your first number, page 25, " A Shooter," mentions a safety pow- der flask, invented by the Baron de Berenger, as " entitled to notice." If there really be any invention which will render the contents of the powder flask safe from explosion, should the charge ignite in the act of loading from any fire, or burning wadding which may re- main in the barrel, it is much, very much to be lamented, that the inven- tion is not made more generally known. I have been a shooter from the time I could hold a gun to my shoulder, and for the last ten years, have seen almost all the alterations and improvements which have been made in guns, shot belts, &c, &c. but I have never yet seen THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 173 what may fairly be entitled to the name of a safety powder flask. That such a thing is a great desideratum, every one knows, and every sportsman feels parti- cularly. Three different times, in the circle of my acquaintance, I have known the contents of the powder flask to ignite while in the act of loading : — twice with almost fatal consequences. The late Mr. W. Brandreth, of Woodhouse, Burs- cough, was, about eighteen years ago, shooting on Martin Mere, an extensive marsh in Lancashii-e, when his powder flask blew up as he was loading his gun, pi-ovidentially with no other damage than the loss of the flask. A person of the name of Heaton, I believe, whose flask exploded was not so fortunate ; he lost one of his fingers, and received a severe wound on the right cheek, the scar of which is still very visible. The third occurrence of this nature I wit- nessed myself. In the month of April last, a party of gentlemen had assem- bled near that magnificent establish- ment, the New Liverpool Race Course, for the purpose of Pigeon shooting. Mr. B — n, of Liverpool, was in the act of loading his gun, surrounded by seve- ral friends, when the powder flask blew up, and part of it struck Mr. A — n, of Liverpool, on the cheek and temple, immediately above the right eye, divi- ding, I believe, the temporal artery. The flow of blood was frightful, and had it not been for the prompt and well directed attention of Mr. Woods, Sur- geon, of Kirby, a certain and speedy death would have been inevitable : — the loss of the right eye was the final result of this unfortunate circumstance. These accidents were all occasioned, it is true, owing to the use of paper wadding : — Mr. Brandreth was a vete- ran — a sportsman of the old school ; — Heaton, I am inclined to think, was more of a poacher than aught else, and Mr. B — n, had not been much accus- tomed to the use of the fowling piece, and I know, made use of brown paper wadding. With felt wadding there can be no danger ; but it is very expensive, while soft mill-board answers every purpose, is equally safe, and the gun shoots just as well with one as with the other. The greasy wadding made by Joyce is safe, but it is very unpleasant to use, as it dirties the pocket and hands of the shooter very much, to say nothing of its being expensive. I shall, however, hail with delight, the appearance of a safety powder flask, and if the Baron de Berenger has an invention of this nature, I hope he will make it public. Your's respectfully, J • Birkenhead, Nov. 21, 1832. UPON THEORETICAL SPORTSMEN. " Zounds! the girl's mad! her brain's turned by reading!" — Sheridan. To the Editor of the Cabinet. Sir, It was long ago remarked by Eu- ripides, that where you found one man better than his father, you found a thou- sand worse. We are, however, in this generation able, with good show of jus- tice, to flatter ourselves, that we have in no great degree degenerated from our ancestors. In one respect, it certainly does appear that we have ; and wc fear, that were a comparison to be instituted between the rising generation of sports- men and the one, now alas ! passing away, the result would be much in favour of the old school. It is all very well to talk of refinement and civiliza- tion, but it appears to me, that in most things, if not in all, there is a certain point, after which refinement and civili- zation begin to decline into luxury and effeminacy: the difficulty then will be to discover this point, and to keep our- selves up to the definite standard, erring neither on the one side nor the other. In the case of sporting then, we should say that refincmeut should stop when it had purged all sports whatever of un- necessary cruelty : the Corinthians of society no longer thi'ong to bull, bear, or ape baiting — these arc no longer the sports of a gentleman, whom we 174 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. should confine to the turf, the field, and the gun ; this being the case, we should decide that our diversions were now sufficiently refined, elevated, and hu- manized. Such also was the opinion of our fathers, to which the sporting ty- ros of the present day would do well to pay a little more deference. What we complain of now, and reprobate so much in the present generation, is the mania for reducing all sporting to out some arbitrary theory of which each individual may have become a parti- san ; insomuch that we really expect soon to see this science divided and sub- divided like any system of moral philo- sophy. Now it need hardly be said, how utterly repulsive all this is to the true genius and spirit of sporting. For our own part, and we are not ashamed to confess it, we will readily rank our- selves among the vulgar, in whom science, rejecting practice unless it bears '' this weak humour's bred, They'll sooner be with idle customs led Or fond opinions, such as they have store," than apply themselves to all the vile theories, and mad hypotheses, which disfigure the sporting annals of the pre- sent day. We could wish there were more of this staunch bigotry in the sporting world than there is : one class of men do however still remain unin- fected by the pestilence, and who are content to follow " the good old ways," we mean, gamekeepers. Taking their stand upon the firm data of practice, they laugh at and despise the modern theories, and chuckle in their sleeves at the new-fangled notions of their young masters. A cockney school of poetry arose, withered, and died : — such we may hope may be the fate of the cockney school of sporting : it has, however, a large class of suppoi'ters in the affected coxcombs and would-be-flash young puppies, who, to use the words of By- ron, " when they have travelled beyond Tempora mutantur nos et mutamur in illis. When the gallant Colonel Hawker hath theory, as the theorists ceased to afford questions for these legal young sportsmen to litigate, he ■will at length be known, as he has long deserved to be, only as the inventor of a very bad sauce for wild ducks. Let the rising generation study Beckford a little more, let them imitate their fore- fathers, and not disdain the good old fashioned rules, dictated by those prac- tical Nimrods, for some trumpery theory of the cockney school. We could wish to see a few more characters like Walter Scott's Geoffi-ey of the Peak, who hated a roimdhead and a poacher to the ut- termost of his power, and who knew about as much the meaning of the word the far distant boundaries of the wilds of Middlesex — when thay have over- passed the Alps of Highgate, and traced to its sources the Nile of the New River," will have it that they are com- petent judges of sporting; nay, if they have hunted a few times in Berkshire, or Hertfordshire, or taken a trip to a Lincolnshire cousin out of the city at Squampash Fens, or some such place, to terrify the snipes with a little inno- cent blasting, wasted a few pounds of powder and shot, and larked in the mud ;• — if their experience is so great as this, they set themselves down as vete- rans, and from some counting-house in Threadneedle Street, or cottage ornee within ten miles of town, they dictate the trash, for which the Subscribers to the New Sporting Magazine, pay half- a-crown a month. as the theorists know about sporting. We hope we may be forgiven for any warmth with which we may have expressed ourselves : but the truth is, we are old bigots, and feel the young ones treading in our shoes ; but we can- not see any manifest improvements in sporting since our day : let the young lads pardon us then, for to quote Old Mortality, — " My mither's auld. Sir, and she has rather forgotten hersel in speaking to my leddy, that canna weel bide to be contradickit, (as I ken no- body likes it if they could help them- selves.") I remain, your's, &c. THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 175 Is the Thorough-bred Horse brought out too Young ? To the Editor of the Cabinet. Sir, In former days the thoi-ough- bred horse was not put into training till at least four years old, whereas of late years, the racer is begun to be trained when scarcely rising two, and all the great prizes are exclusively for two and three years old. The greyhound, an animal which attains its full powers much earlier than the horse, is never coursed (without harm) until he is eighteen months old, and has arrived at maturity; and so it is with the race horse ; if he is trained too early, his sinews and muscles not having arrived at their full growth are strained, and the finest bred animals are tura^d out of the stud, stumped up, neither worth their keep, nor fit for any purpose what- ever: An example of this was shewn this year in Spencer, the property of the Marquess of Exeter, at one time first favourite for the Derby ; being a large overgrown colt he was strained in his first attempts, and was utterly spoiled. Many good judges, however, are of opinion, that if racers were not run till they were six or seven years old, yet they would not run better than at three yeai's old ; besides, racers are such ex- pensive animals that quick returns for the expence of their keep is a great ob- ject, and it certainly would not be ex- pedient to keep a horse idle for five years, and when he came to be run to be found that he was not worth the ex- pence of one year's keep, whereas if he had been run at two years old, the sum he sold for might have compensated the owner for the money he had laid out upon him. 411 that is now left for four and five year old horses is the picking up of the cups, and a very few good stakes at Goodwood, Liverpool, Ascot, &c. — beyond which age they are seldom kept in training. Ihis, however, has one advantage, the best horses being taken oft" the turf so early, brood mares are put to younger stallions than for- merly, whilst the animals are in the full strength and vigour of life : coursers are aware of this advantage, and always breed from very young greyhounds. Still good racers have been foaled from very aged mares : Priam, for instance, was foaled when his dam Cressida was near thirty years old; and very aged stallions also have got excellent runners, as was the case with Whalebone. Whe- ther the race horse is brought out too early or not, I leave to our more expe- rienced readers to determine, but it is a curious fact, that Childers and Eclipse never ran till they had attained the age of five, when of course their sinews and muscles were fully deve- loped. I remain your's, &c. R. G. The WOODCOCK and the SNIPE. To the Editor of the Cabinet. Sir, In the course of my shooting excursions this season, I have seen many snipes, but have generally found them wilder or more difficult of approach than usual, which has been the case also with partridges. On the 2d of this month (December) amongst other things, I shot a jack snipe; and on drawing the bird from my pocket two hours attei'- wards, when I reached home, was sur- prised to find it alive : my surprise was farther increased when, on examination, I found the bird had been struck in the head — one of the pellets of the shot had completely fractured the skull and per- forated the brain, and yet the bird was perfectly alive, and to all appearance would have lived several hours longer. Upon consideration, I recollected a cir- cumstance somewhat similar having oc- curred with a woodcock. It is well- known to sportsmen that the slightest touch is sufficient to bring down either a woodcock or a snipe, while a grouse 176 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. or a partridge will frequently fly away with a considerable quantity of shot ; yet, if either of the latter are struck in the head, they not only fall, but expire immediately ; while the woodcock or the snipe, if wounded in the head, will certainly fall, but though the skull should be so completely fractured that the brain oozes through the wound, yet, under such circumstances it will continue to live for a considerable length of time. The woodcock and snipe, which ap- pear so nearly to resemble each other in external appearance as well as in their habits, to a superficial observer, will, on closer investigation, be found to differ more widely than could be ima- gined, particularly in the latter respect. Woodcocks arrive in Great Britain in flocks, sometimes as early as Septem- ber, but they are seldom found in great numbers till November. The time of their arrival depends much on the pre- vailing winds ; and after they reach this shore they are frequently so much ex- hausted as almost to suffer themselves to be picked up with the hand. They are of course easily shot ; since, if missed several times, they fly but a short distance, and are marked down without difiiculty. They are, in fact, always an easy mark for the shooter ; but when they have perfectly recovered them- selves from the fatigue of their trackless journey, after being flushed and fired at once or twice, they will not only rise wildly, but fly to a considerable dis- tance, and will be approached with diffi- culty. The woodcock is found in fallow fields and stubbles in very open weather, and also in the hedge-rows, and about pits ; but in severe frost, he seeks the drier kind of ditches, which are well sheltered by overhanging bushes, but clear at the bottom ; as well as the more thickly-covered pits, and the strong cover of woods : yet he ever seeks a clear bottom, and is rarely met with in the sedgy margins of pits, or similar situations. The snipe, on the contrary, is gene- rally met with in the open country, in the stubbles, but particularly in the plashes and the marshy grounds : it is seldom found in cover, and seems to prefer above all other situations those pits and plashes which are thickly fringed with long grass and sedges. The snipe breeds commonly enough in some of the marshy parts of Great Bri- tain ; while the instances are very rare of the woodcock bringing forth in these islands — indeed, though this bird has been known occasionally to lay eggs, I re- collect few well-authenticated instances of young ones being produced ; and even when eggs have been deposit- ed, the circumstance appeal's to have arisen from the female being so wound- ed as to be unable to undertake the usual journey. Those woodcocks which visit this country come most likely from Norway, Sweden, Lapland, and other high north- ern latitudes, impelled forward by the severe frosts of those countries ; but woodcocks as well as snipes, are found in all quarters of the world, as well un- der the scorching sun of the tropics, as in the frozen regions near the pole, W.B. SHARK KILLED BY THE NEGROES, ^c. To the Editor of the Cabinet. Sir, Amongst the various descrip- tions of angling which I have seen described, I do not recollect ever to have noticed that of shark angling, which is common enough at sea. Fishes of the shark tribe are never seen in the frozen regions near the pole, where the whale is generally found, but are not uncommon in the temperate latitudes ; while, in the hotter regions, they are frequently met with in frightful abun- dance. At the mouths of many of the rivers on the coast of Africa, particu- larly in the neighbourhood of Old Calla- bar, where the water is remarkably clear, shai'ks may be seen lying at the bottom, as it might appear, asleep ; but the moment any thing is thrown over- board, they rise with the rapidity of lightning. In these parts, they are re- THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 177 garded with religious veneration by the ignorant negroes, and on that account are seldom disturbed by the crews of the vessels which trade to this part of the coast. But while such is the state of the case in the dark part of the world which I have just mentioned, the shark is regarded in a very different light by others — in fact, sailors in general, view him with a sort of su^^erstitious horror, and embrace every opportunity of de- stroying him, though the profit of his capture ill repays the trouble. The shark is the dread of seamen in all hot climates, where, like a greedy robber, he attends the ship, in expectation of what may drop overboard. He is fur- nished with great goggle eyes, which he appears to turn with ease on every side, so as to see his prey behind him, as well as before, and his whole aspect is mark- ed with a character of peculiar malig- nity. No fish can swim so fast as the shark; none is so constantly employed in swimming : he outstrips the swiftest ships, plays round them, and all the while does not seem to exhibit the smal- lest symptom of an extraordinary ef- fort. A man who unfortunately hap- pens to fall into the sea at such a period is sure to perish without mercy. A sailor that was bathing in the Medi- terranean, near Antibes, in the year 1744, while he was swimming about fifty yards from the ship, perceived a monstrous fish making towards him, and surveying him on every side, as fish are often seen to look at a bait. The poor man, struck with terror at its approach, cried out to his companions in the vessel to take him on board. They according- ly threw him a rope with the utmost ex- pedition, and were drawing him up the ship's side, when the shark darted after him from the deep, and snapped off his leg. The usual method adopted by the British sailors for taking the shark is by baiting a large hook with a piece of beef or pork, which is thrown out into the sea by a strong cord, strengthened near the hook by an iron chain, as, without this precaution, the shark would quickly bite the cord in two, and thus free him- self. It is no unpleasant amusement to observe the voracious creature coming up to survey the bait, particularly when not pi-essed by hunger. He approaches, examines it, swims round it, and seems for a while to neglect it, as if apprehen- sive of the cord and the chain : he quits it for a little, but retiu'ns again ; ap- pears preparing to gorge it, but quits it once more. In order to entice or pro- voke him to seize it, a pretence or feint is made to draw it away : it is then that the glutton's voracity excites him — he darts at the bait and swallows it, hook and all. Sometimes, however, he does not so entirely gorge the whole, but that he once more gets free : yet even then, though wounded and bleeding with the hook, he will again pursvie the bait un- til he is taken. When he finds the hook lodged in his maw, his utmost efforts are then exerted, but in vain, to get free ; he tries with his teeth to cut the chain; he pulls with all his force to break the line ; he seems almost to turn his stomach inside out, to disgorge the hook : in this manner he continues his formidable, though fruitless, efforts, till, quite spent, he suffers his head to be drawn above water, and the sailors, con- fining his tail by a noose, in this man- ner draw him on board and despatch him. As, however, these animals are very tenacious of life, he still struggles with liis adversaries, and his death is not effected without difficulty and dan- ger. Every effort is made to cut off his tail, when his destruction is easily ac- complished. Few animals in the world are harder to be killed, and even when cut in pieces, the muscles still preserve their motion, and vibrate for some mi- nutes after being separated from the body. Another method of taking the shark, is by striking a barbed instru- ment, called a fizgig, into his body, as he brushes by the side of the ship. In some parts of the African coast, the natives take a bolder and more dangerous course to combat this ter- rible animal. Armed with nothing more than a knife, the negro plunges into the water where he sees the shark watching for his prey, and boldly swims forward to meet him : ■ though the shark does not come to provoke the combat, he does not decline it, and suffers the man to approach him ; but, just as he 178 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. turns upon his side to seize the aggres- sor, the negro watches the opportunity, plunges the knife into the fish's body, and continues to pursue his blows till the ravenous tyrant sinks dead to the bottom. The shark is afterwards drawn to shore, where he makes a sumptuous feast for the adjacent villages. Such is the frightful rapacity of the shark, that nothing that has life is re- jected ; but he seems to entertain a pe- culiar enmity to man ; and when once the shark has tasted human flesh, he never desists from haunting those places where he expects a return of his prey. It is even asserted, that along the coast of Africa, where these animals are found in great abundance, numbers of the un- fortunate negroes who are obliged to frequent the waters, ai"e seized and de- voured by them every year. The people on these parts of the coast of Africa are firmly of opinion, that the shark loves the black man's flesh in preference to that of the white ; and that when men of different colours are in the water to- gether, it always makes choice of the former. It must be recollected, how- ever, that the negroes of Africa are not an enlightened race ; and that, while the inhabitants of one part of the coast view the shark with hon-or, and adopt all possible means for its destruction, those of another regard it with religious veneration. This is particularly the case, as I have before mentioned, in the neighbourhood of Old Calabar:* On this part of the coast, the shark is re- ferred to as a sort of adjudicator, in cases where no satisfactory evidence is procurable. I have already observed, that, at the mouths of the rivers on this part of the coast, sharks are very nu- merous ; therefore, in doubtful cases, the culprit is compelled to swim across, and is inevitably devoured : however, when suspicion falls upon two persons,, they are both constrained to swim over at the same time, and one of them ft-e- quently escapes ; as, though half a score sharks may rise to seize their victim, yet the moment one of the supposed culprits is drawn under water, all the * The crocodile was regarded in the same light by the ancient Egyptians. sharks pursue their fellow who has made the seizure, and thus afford an opportu- nity for the other negro to reach the opposite bank of the river. Persons, while swimming, have often been seized and devoured by sharks. In the pearl fisheries of South Ame- rica, every negro, to defend himself against these animals, carries with -him into the water a sharp knife, which, if the fish offers to assault him, he endea- vours to strike into its belly ; on which the shark generally swims off. The officers, who are in the vessels, keep a watchful eye on these voracious crea- tures; and, when they observe their ap- proach, shake the ropes fastened to the negroes, to put them on their guard. Many, when the divers have been in danger, have thrown themselves into the water, with knives in their hands, and hastened to their defence : but too often their dexterity and caution have been of no avail. An Indian, on the coast of Califor- nia, on plunging into the sea , was seized by a shark ; but, by a most extraordinary feat of activity, cleared himself; and, though considerably wounded, threw blood and water at the animal, to shew his bravery and contempt. But the vo- racious monster, with horrid violence, seized him a second time, and in a mo- ment dragged him to the bottom. His companions, though not far from him, and much affected by the loss, were not able to render him any assistance what- ever. The West Indian negi'oes some- times venture to contend with the shark in close combat. They know his power to be limited by the position of his mouth underneath; and, as soon as they discover him, they dive beneath, and, in rising, stab him before he has an opportunity of putting himself into a state of defence. We are told, that, in the reign of Queen Anne, a merchant-ship arrived at Barbadoes from England, some of the men from Avhich were one day bathing in the sea, when a large shark appear- ed, and sprung forward directly at them. A person from the ship called out to warn them of their danger ; on which they all immediately swam to the ves- sel, except one poor fellow, who was cut in two by the shark almost within THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 179 reach of the oars. A comrade and most intimate friend of the unfortunate vic- tim, when he observed the severed trunk of liis companion, was seized with a degree of horror tliat words cannot describe. The insatiable shark was seen traversing the bloody surface, in search of the remainder of his prey, when the brave youth plunged into the water, de- termined either to make the shark dis- gorge, or to be buried himself in the same grave. He held in his hand a long and sharp pointed knife, and the rapacious animal pushed furiously to- wards him : he had turned on his side, and opened his enormous jaws, in order to seize him, when the youth, diving dexterously under, seized him with his left hand somewhere below the upper fins, and stabbed him several times in the belly. The shark, enraged with pain and streaming with blood, plunged in all directions, in order to disengage himself from his enemy. The crews of the surrounding vessels saw that the combat was decided ; but they were ig- norant which was slain, till the shark, weakened at length by loss of blood, made towards the shore, and along with him his conqueror ; who, flushed with victory, pushed his foe with redoiibled ardour, and, with the aid of an ebbing tide, dragged him on shore. Here he ripped up the bowels of the animal, ob- tained the severed remainder of friend's body, and buried it with trunk in the same grave. It is a fortunate circumstance those who would avoid the attack of the shark, that its mouth is so situated un- der the head, that it has to throw itself on one side in order to seize its prey ; for its velocity in the water is so great, that nothing, which it was once in pur- suit of, would otherwise be able to es- cape its voracity. In most of the hot climates a vessel is seldom unattended by one or more of these frightful creatures, particularly in bad weather : — his the for " Increasing still the terrors of the storm, His jaws horrific, arm'd with threefold fate, Here dwells the direful shark. Lured by the scent Of streaming crowds, of rank disease, and death, Behold he, rushing, cuts the briny flood. Swift as the gale can bear the ship along ; And, from the partners of that cruel trade Which spoils unhappy Guinea of her sons. Demands his share of prey, demands themselves. The stormy fates descend, one death involves Tyrants and slaves ; when straight their mangled limbs Crashing at once, he dyes the purple seas With gore, and riots in the vengeful meal." Yet, however fierce the shark may in general appear, and however terrible he may be to the human race in gene- ral, such is the force of habit, that on the shores of the South Sea Islands, where the inhabitants spend half their time perhaps in the water, the shai-k seems to acknowledge the superiority of these savages, by uniformly moving away at their approach.* " I have seen (says Capt. Portlock) five or six large sharks swimming round the ship, when there have been upwards of a hundred Indians in the water, both men and they seemed quite indifferent women * It isa very well known fact, that the fiercest beasts retire from the pre- sence of man, whenever they have for any length of time felt his power ; while the contrary is found to obtain in those dreary regions, where man rarely appears. Thus, the lions of Mount At- las are, for the most part, easily scared, and generally fly from human approach ; while, on the contrary, the lions which inhabit the great African Desert of Zaara, will, individually, attack a whole caravan in the most undaunted manner. 180 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. about them, and the sharks never of- fered to make an attack on any of them, and yet, at the same time, would seize our bait greedily ; whence it is manifest that they derive their confidence of safety from their experience, that they are able to repel the attacks of those devouring monsters," It seems neces- sery to remark, that these South Sea Islanders are the most expert swimmers and divers in the world : they seem to gambol in the water like the fabled mer- men and mermaids : and whenever a shark happens to intenaipt them, they instantly surround him, and force him on shore, where he is destroyed. Of the shark there are vipwards of thirty species, eleven of which are found in the British seas. But the great white shark, which is the largest of the kind, joins to the most amazing rapidity, the strongest appetites for mischief. He has six rows of teeth, hard, sharply-point- ed, and of a wedge-like figure. These he has the power of erecting and de- pressing at pleasure. When at rest, they are quite flat in his mouth : but when his prey is to be seized, they are instantly erected by a set of muscles that join them to the jaw. Thus, with open mouth, goggling eyes, and large and bristly fins, agitated like the mane of a lion, his whole aspect is an empha- tical picture of the fiercest, deepest, and most savage malignity. The white shark is sometimes found from twentj' to thirty feet long: and it is asserted that some have been met with which weighed four thousand pounds ; and we are told particularly of one that had a human corpse in his belly. The head is large and somewhat flatted ; the snout long ; the mouth and throat enormous- ly wide, so much so indeed, as in the largest of them to be capable of swallow- ing a man with ease. Upon the whole, a shark, when li- ving, is a very formidable animal ; and, when dead, is of very little value. The flesh is hardly digestible by any but the negroes who are fond of it to distrac- tion. Its skin is, by great labour, po- lished into that substance called sha- green. Mr. Pennant is of opinion, that the female is larger than the male in all this tribe ; which would, if confirmed by experience, make a striking agree- ment between them and birds of prey. Y. O. SECTARIAN QUACKERY. To the Editor of the Cabinet. Sir, I am aware there needs little apology for introducing to your notice any subject interesting to the sportsman, or which indeed can be of service to the community in general ; and therefore, without further exordium, I must inform you, that I have for some time back, observed, with feelings of the most su- perlative disgust, the sinister attempts of a number of base-minded beings, who, under the plausible pretext of an excess of charitable humanity, and an affecta- tion of the most exquisite feeling, en- deavour to force a false taste (if I may be allowed the expression) on the lower orders ; or, in plainer and more expres- sive terms, to humbug the public. If any person will take the trouble to glance at the business of which I am now speak- ing, he will find there are dotted or sta- tioned throughout the kingdom a sort of consecutive series or regular chain of designing knaves, who, while they af- fect the most irritable nervous sensibi- lity, are, like well- practised deceivers, fattening on the credulous folly of their imsuspecting fellow-creatures. But 6f all the humbugs that have marked the present age, none is so truly contempt- ible as that system of quackery, which, while it preaches Avith methodistical ve- hemence, against what it denominates cruelty to animals, and affects the ut- most quivering qui vive on the subject of several very old-fashioned rural sports, hesitates not to sap the fairest character which may happen to stand in the way of its inordinate and base designs. I do not mean to assert, that all who have played a conspicuous part in this contemptible drama, are influenced by sordid or sinister views ; on the con- THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 181 traiy, I am willing to allow, Uiat some well-disposed men may have been led into the snare, owing to the wily machi- nations of those lank-haired hyjjocrites, who constitute, however, by far the greater number of dark and murky otars which appear in the deceptive and bane- ful constellation. Tliat upright and in- defatigable senator, Mr. ]\Iartin, who has played so conspicuous a part amongst the drovers in Smithfield, I have no doubt has been wofuUy led astray by the representations (or rather mis- representations) of those, who, actuated by any thing rather than what their pro- fessions Avould seem to indicate, have induced this well-disposed gentleman to render himself ridiculous in playing a part which his own honest and unbiassed inclination would never have induced him to study. But to come more immediately to the point. — That there are many defects in the present state and constitution of society I am willing to allow ; and that imperfections must always be pre-emi- nent in all the institutions of frail moi'- tality is one of those self-demonstrative principles, one of those incontestible axioms, that needs no logical deduction in this place ; yet, while T make this candid confession, while I admit the vacillating nature of our disposition, I contend, at the same time, that it be- hoves every one to emulate perfection (as it were) and, beyond all question, the nearer we can approach it, the hap- pier we must become ; or, in other words, the happiness of human society must always be in the precise ratio of our knowledge of true philosophy. And the very jet and marrow of the business lies here. — x\re the attempts now ma- king by the individuals which I have generally characterized above, calculated to produce that blessed millenium which they affect to prognosticate, and preach up with so much self-conceit, and such consummate effrontery ? I deny the position altogether. In the first place, if a good work is to be performed, worthy instruments would seem indis- pensable in tlie operation ; and, believe me, Mr. Editor, if we seek either worth or virtue, rely upon it we shall never find it amongst those lank-haired, de- mure, and tallow-faced sinners, who. under the hypocritical cant of extreme sensibility, charity, and religion, voci- ferously fulminate their denunciations against every thing cheerful and smi- ling in human existence. For my own part, I feel a perfect conviction that the errors or grosser imperfections of society are only to be corrected by the cultiva- tion of the understanding ; and if j)^o- per education, and consequently true philosophy, be placed within the reach of the lower orders, cruelty will gra- dually subside, without the intervention of prohibitory acts of parliament, or the interposition of petty or provincial ma- gistracy. As far as relates to cruelty to ani- mals, (a theme which has been so ban- died about of late) I am of opinion, it is a subject, which, of all others, least required the intervention of statute law. In the first place, a man must be a fool indeed, who would either abuse his own animals, or suffer others to do it, so that he sustained loss by such proceedings ; as interest alone would, in this case, ge- nerally speaking, interpose a protecting barrier; at the same time, it must be admitted that, as far as relates to ani- mals, there are many cases where a co- ercion, even to an excess, is indispen- sable, in order to render them obedient and tractable. And shall a methodist preacher, forsooth, fix the precise point at which wholesome correction shall cease ? Shall a fellow, I say, settle this truly indeterminate matter, who, with turned-up eyes and uplifted hands, af- fects the feelings of a saint, while in- wardly he cherishes the designs of a devil ; and while he rantingly repro- bates the rustic sports of bear or badger baiting, without hesitation seduces the wife of any credulous and ignorant dupe with whom his ghostly avocations may bring him in contact. We have not reached that period when the lion and the lamb are to lie down together ; and surely no pei'son can be stupid enough to understand this figurative expression in a literal sense ! as I have already observed, society must necessarily be always imperfect, and nothing perhaps exhibits, in the eye of reason, its imperfections more glaringly than the inroads which arc made on social order and common 182 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. sense, by a conglomeration of miscre- ants, who fatten on the egregious folly of their deluded votaries, and whose existence is certainly the foulest stigma on the character of the present age. As to cruelty, although in the gene- ral concerns of life, the term is suffi- ciently intelligible to the meanest capa- city ; yet, if we institute a rigid scru- tiny, we shall find that it is not so ea- sily definable as at first sight it might appear ; or perhaps, if we investigate the subject, and apply the term in its general acceptation, we shall perceive that nature is altogether made up of cruelty, and indeed such is evidently the case from necessity. The lion does not seize the deer or the fawn from the well-practised arts of a thorough-paced deceiver, but is pi'ompted to it by in- stinct and the cravings of appetite ; and can the lion be reasonably accused of cruelty in following the course which his very nature and existence have ren- dered indispensable ? The stronger ani- mals in general prey xipon the weaker ; the same system may be traced in the feathered creation, as well as in the scaly inhabitants of the deep ; while man, the great master of all, maintains his empire over the whole, and appro- priates to his own special use all such creatures as are pleasing to his appe- tite, or that can be conducive to his pleasures or his necessities : nor has this arisen from the polished (or as a puritan would call it, the corrupt) state of civilized society, as we find the un- tutored savage, in this respect, follows the same system as the cultivated man, and hesitates not to seize whatever li- ving creature may administer to his comforts or his necessities. Such is evidently the grand system of nature, and shall wretched grovelling fanatics, or wily hypocrites, question that sublime Wisdom which created the universe ? If some of the amusements of the rustics savour too much of days passed away, cultivation will neutralize and correct the evil, without the intervention of religious cant and religious intole- rance ; and I would rather see a ruddy- faced peasant enjoying the delight of a bull-bait, than that the numerous luna- tic asylums should be overgorged with the wretched victims of methodistical terror. If the lower orders of life are to be deprived of all amusements, what must be the consequence? Why, that bold freedom of spirit, that generous devotedness, that manly and undaunted courage, which have so imiformly dis- tinguished these happy isles, would be annihilated, and in their place we should behold the demon of fanaticism grin- ning over the ghastly ruin which he had accomplished ! We shall not hear, I suppose, of those sanctified hypocrites denouncing field sports ; they are too cunning, no doubt, to venture upon a measure which could only end in their exposure and disgrace. They are aware that tlie good sense and influence of sportsmen ren- der their characters invulnerable to the shafts of envious malignity, impervious to the pestiferous exhalations of calumny, falsehood, and detraction. T. Lydiate Nov. 26, 1832. ANECDOTES of the DOG. To the Editor of the Cabinet. Sir, If we take a survey of animated nature, we shall find, that, in proportion as animals approximate the human form, so their sagacity, or power of reasoning, appears to increase in exact proportion, the elephant alone perhaps excepted. The ouran-outang, which, of all other creatures, most resembles man in appearance, is unquestionably endowed with mental powers superior to any other animal. The scale regu- larly descends through all the monkey tribe, till we arrive at the acknowledged quadruped. The elephant manifests an astonishing instance of the reasoning faculties of brutes, is very grateful for kindness, but retains the recollection of injury for a considerable length of time. The horse, the noblest quadruped in the world, is not only susceptible of educa- THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 183 tion to a great extent, but will frequent- ly give proofs of a very strong reason- ing faculty, as well as of a very reten- tive memory. But of all the brute crea- tion, not one, on the score of disposition, will bear a comparison with the dog : superior both to the elephant and the horse in sagacity or intelligence, he is at the same time possessed of all those internal qualifications that can conciliate the affections, and make the tyrant be- come a protector : — his only ambition seems the desire to please : — " he is seen to come crouching along, to lay his force, his courage, and all his useful ta- lents, at the feet of his master ; he waits his orders, he consults his looks, and a single glance is sufhcient to put him in motion ; he is more faithful even than the most boasted among men ; he is constant in his affections, friendly without interest, and grateful for the slightest favours ; much more mindful of benefits received than injuries offer- ed, he is not driven ofi' by unkindness ; he still continues humble, submissive, and imploring ; his only hope to be ser- viceable, his only terror to displease : he licks the hand that has been just lifted to strike him, and at last disarms re- sentment by submissive perseverance." The dog is in fact a domestic companion as well as a faithful servant ; and from an union of the admirable qualities just enumerated, instances of sagacity, or extent of reason, have been attributed to the dog, which have had existence only in the prolific brain of their au- thor : the following may be taken as an example. A gentleman of Whitmore in Staf- fordshire used to come twice a year to London ; and, being fond of exercise, generally performed the journey on horseback, accompanied most part of the way by a little terrier dog, which, lest he might lose it in town, he entrusted to the care of Mrs. Langford, his host- ess at St.Alban's ; which he called for his retui-n home. The gentleman one time as usual for his dog, Mrs. Langford appeared before him with a woful countenance : — " Alas ! Sir ! your terrier is lost ! Our great house-dog and he had a quarrel ; and the poor terrier was so worried and bit on calling before we could part them, that I thought he could never have got the better of it. He, however, crawled out of the yard, and no one saw him for almost a week. He then returned and brought with liim another dog, bigger by far than our's; and they both toge- ther fell on our great dog, and bit him so unmercifully, that he has scarcely since been able to go about the yard, or to eat his meat. Your dog and his companion then disappeared, and have never since been seen at St. Alban's." The gentleman (it is said) heard the story with patience, and endeavoured to reconcile himself to the loss. But, on his arrival at Whitmore, he found his little terrier; and, on inquiring into cir- cumstances, was informed that he had been at Whitmore, and had coaxed away the great yard dog ; who it seems had, in consequence, followed him to St.Alban's, and completely avenged his injury ! Further, as if to put credulity to the utmost stretch, we find the following gravely recorded : — The French academicians make mention of a dog in Germany which would call, in an intelligible manner, for tea, coffee, chocolaie, &c. The ac- count is from no less eminent a person than the celebrated Leibnitz, who com- municated it to the Royal Academy of France. This dog was of a middling size, and was the property of a peasant in Saxony. A little boy, the peasant's son, imagined that he perceived in the dog's voice an indistinct resemblance to certain words ; and therefore took it into his head to teach him to speak. For this purpose, he spared neither time nor pains with his pupil, who was about three years old, when this, his learned education, commenced ; and at length he made such a progress in language, as to be able to articulate so many as thirty words. It appears, how- ever, that he was somewhat of a truant, and did not willingly exert his talents, being in a manner pressed into the ser- vice of literature ; and it was necessary that the words should be first pronoun- ced to him each time, which he then echoed from his preceptor. The French academicians declare, that, had not the 184 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. account reached them from so great a man as Leibnitz, they should scarcely have dared to report so extraordinary a circumstance. This wonderful dog, it is added, was born at Zeitz, in Misnia, Saxony. Again, a little dog was some years ago exhibited at Stockholm, which had not only learned to speak many words, but even to utter complete sentences, both in French and Swedish. Vive le Rot, it is said, he delivered very grace- fully! I am very willing indeed to give the dog credit for amazing sagacity, as well as for his susceptibility of education, to a very great extent ; in this respect, I have not the least objection to allow that he excels all other animals, but with all my partiality for the quadruped in question, I can never bring myself for a moment to suppose that the St. Al- ban's tale is founded in fact; it evinces a degree of reason, or power of reflec- tion, far, very far, beyond that portion which the dog possesses of either of these mental qualities? Nor, have I the least doubt, were the matter investi- gated, on the spot where it is said to have taken place, that no trace of such an extraordinary circumstance could be found ; and that the inhabitants of St. Alban's themselves became acquainted with it through the medium of that wonderful engine, the printing-press. If, indeed, such an extraordinary occur- rence had really happened, no question can be entertained, that it would be well known in the family of the gentle- man to whom the terrier belonged, which, it seems, resided at Whitmore in Staffordshire, where it would be hand- ed down from generation to generation. Even had something like what is re- corded taken place, it must have arisen rather from a fortuitous concourse of circumstances, than from the reasoning faculty of the little terrier. As to the dog's capacity for pronoun- cing words either in German, French, or Swedish, it is altogether so absurd as scarcely to deserve remark. I am wil- ling to " give the dog his due," but can- not help expressing my surprise, that men of common sense should gravely relate what might be expected, perhaps, from the mouth of an old woman, or serve to amuse and astonish the nur- sery. Your's truly, A Friend to Dogs. ANECDOTE of a WILD GOOSE. Near Col. Post's farm on the Mis- souri, an eagle was observed, frequent- ly to dart towards the water and then rise again. His evolutions attracting attention, it was observed, that he was endeavouring to take a wild goose which had alighted in the river, and which dived to avoid him ; and, on rising to get breath, was again attacked, and had again to dive in order to save him- self. The chase had continued in this way some time, the goose apparently yielding ; when it suddenly turned and made to the shore of Col. P's farm, where two men were at work. It-there landed, and walking leisurely up to the men, permitted itself to be taken by them, without an effort to escape. It appeared extremely exhausted. Three days afterwards. Col. L. of the United States' Engineers, passing that way, ob- served the goose in Col. P's farm yard, and received the story of its capture from him. Its wings had been cut by way of securing it, but it seemed quite contented and confident of protection. — Amer. Turf Reg. THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 185 ( Co7itinued from page \2S) though it fell neither very heavily, nor very fast, it continued to descend till past eleven o'clock, when we mounted our ponies and proceeded to the moors of Newsham, which are situated im- mediately above the village. We found plenty of birds, but they were very wild, and it was with the utmost difficulty we procured a few random shots. We had not been on the moors above two hours, when we were compelled to relinquish our diversion by the return of the rain. We took shelter at a farm house, which hap- pened to be near, and to which our ponies had been previously sent. On entering the house, we found two sportsmen had al- ready fled to it, and in one of them I recognised the good tem- pered fellow who the evening before had so rallied his friend upon his lack of dexterity in the use of the fowling piece. The other was a very tall, powerful, athletic man, with black hair, and a dark complexion ; and although he was what at first sight might pass for a well looking man, yet I never recollect a countenance on which was more indelibly engraven the genuine impression of the most ster- ling stupidity. This man had stripped himself almost naked, and sat before a large fire drying his clothes. He did not move on our approach, but continued in the same situation for an hour or more without uttering a single word. The person, on the con- trary, with whom we had become acquainted the night before, of- fered to share the contents of his spirit flask with us. We accept- ed his kindness ; and when we had drained his flask, we produced our own, and shared it with him in like manner. It still continued to rain ; and by the time we finished our brandy, which, however, we mixed with water, the approach of evening warned us that it was time to depart. We therefore mounted our ponies, and, in company with our new friend, rode down to the village, through the rain, as fast as we could, leaving the silent, dull, stupid fellow where we had found him. As bed time approached, I thought of the rats: — to be again tormented, in the manner already described, was a circumstance which I could not contemplate without the most irksome sensations. The landlord and his wife were extremely obliging, and aware that they had allotted me the best room in the house for the purpose of repose, and knowing they had no immediate remedy, I felt somewhat reluctant to complain to persons whom I was perfectly convinced were doing their utmost to render my situation agree- able and pleasant. The matter, after all, was very easy. When I went to bed, I took one of the pointers into the room, and though this measure did not altogether remedy the evil, it prevented the rats from drawing my shoes about the floor, as they had done the preceding night, and also from approaching the bed; but still they kept up a continual noise during the whole night. 2 A 186 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. The next morning we proceeded towards Newsham moors ; the weather was fine, but the birds were wild ; and as they generally flew into Arkengathdale (generally pronovinced Arkendale) we at length crossed the lordship, and met with excellent diversion. We had only bagged two brace, however, when we were accosted by a very rough surly-looking fellow, who demanded to know by whose authority we were shooting on Arkendale moors. He was a tall, lusty man, dressed principally in olive plush, and as his mode of address was rude and even threatening, I felt my choler rise, and very sharply asked his authority for such uncommon and abusive conduct. The fellow was evidently abashed, and after a little hesitation, he stam- mered out, that he had been appointed watcher by the Lords of Arkendale, who had ordered him to prevent all strangers from shooting on those moors. I immediately produced my certificate, which he was not able to read ; I therefore put it again in my pocket, and, in a very threatening tone, ordered the fellow to be- gone. We continued our diversion ; and though this man offered us no further interruption, I saw him watching our motions an hour afterwards or more. We quitted the moors at an early pe- riod of the afternoon, and rode to the beautiful town of Richmond, whence the next morning I took my departure for Lancashire. On leaving Richmond, I repeatedly stopped to gaze on the sur- rounding scenery, which is romantic and extremely interesting, at the same time it is luxuriant, and afforded a fine contrast to the sterility of the barren commons which I passed on my way to Wensley Dale. There is also some pretty scenery in various si- tuations in the Dale just mentioned, but it presents a different cha- racter from that which surrounds the town of Richmond. In some parts of Wensley Dale, grouse appeared to be abundant ; and be- tween Hawes and Ingleton many broods crossed the road imme- diately before me. At the latter place, I remained for the night, and reached home the following day. CHAPTER IV. The best Periods of the Day for Grouse Shooting. — /// Effects of overstrained Exertions on the Moors. — Visit to Stainmoor. — Old Spittal. — Messrs. Walker arid SyJces. — Jolly Matthias and his Wife. — Arrival of numerous Sportsmen, Sfc. — Grouse Shoot^ ing on Stainmoor. — Confusion at Old Spittal. — The Water Ouzel. — Quit Old Spittal. — Mr. Bradshaws Fox Hounds. An excursion to the moors lessens, in some degree, the value of partridge shooting ; the first of September is not so anxiously THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 187 expected, and even the game which is then presented to a sports- man's attention is of an inferior character. But it must be admitted that grouse shooting is more laborious than the pursuit of tlie par- tridge ; and it is often rendered more fatiguing from the ill-direct- ed ardour of sportsmen. To render grouse shooting as pleasant as possible ; that is, to divest it of all unnecessary exertion, the sports- man should never be on the moors earlier than nine o'clock in the morning ; he should pursue his diversion till noon ; when he should refresh his dogs* as well as himself, and rest till three o'clock, or even half past ; when he may continue to range as long as he can see. But it generally happens that, on the 12tli of August, such is the impatience of the shooter, that he is on the moors before he can well discern the flight of a bird. Grouse are thus rendered more wild than usual, and the dogs, by ranging unsuccessfully amongst heath, so profusely loaded with wet as it uniformly is at the period of which I am speaking, become completely exhausted before noon : the sportsman too must share the fatigue, and he consequently becomes so tired before night, as to render shooting extremely irksome, and every motion of the limbs attended with pain. Further, I am disposed to think that more game may be killed by the former method, that is, by a judicious distribution of time, than by an excess of unnecessary labour, such, for instance, as ranging the mountains from three o'clock in the morning till dusk. I think if sportsmen will reflect upon the matter, they will acknowledge the correctness of these observations, and will find too, that they have very rarely killed much game at such very early periods of the morning ; while, betv.'een the hours of nine and twelve, and from three till dusk, they have generally bagged the principal part of their birds. In my late shooting excursions (partridge as well as grouse) I have adopted the plan I venture to recommend, and much to my satisfaction. I have contrived to be on the ground about nine with two excellent pointers ; have di- vided my time in the manner already described, and I have seldom been disappointed in diversion. In fact, the hours which I have stated are those when game is on the move, when it is conse- quently more easily found, and with more facility approached. I have already remarked, that very little game is killed at very early periods of the morning ; and as to pursuing the diversion between the hours of twelve and three in very hot weather, it is distressing the dogs beyond measure, with little or no prospect of success. As an illustration of the evil effects sometimes arising from an * I am supposing the shooter to make use of the same clogs all day. It often happens that sportsmen use fresh dogs in the afternoon, which, however, is not necessary in moderate shooting, if the dogs are such animals as they ought to bo. 188 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. excess of exertion on the mountains, I give the following: — A Mr. Thomson, who resided at Lathom in Lancashire, and who was much attached to shooting, made an excursion to the moors (I be- lieve he had never visited them before) ; and, eager for the diver- sion, rose at midnight and was ready for action before the break of day. He laboured hard and became very ill, from overstrained exertion : however, he contrived to reach home, but he never recovered — palpitation of the heart ensued, and he died shortly afterwards. All those who visit the moors, particularly those who are not much accustomed to grouse shooting, or traversing the mountains, should be careful, when they get wet through, to keep moving till they reach some shelter where they can dry their clothes, or shift them if possible, which is much to be preferred. To wear flannel next the skin is one great preventive of ill consequences ; and, above all things, to avoid continuing long stationary in any spot : nothing, in fact, can be more advisable, than to be provided with (rlry shoes and stockings, so that on quitting the moors, the sportsman may ride to his lodgings in unsaturated clothes and warm feet. As grouse shooting is only to be obtained in particular places, and as these places are situated, for the most part, at a very con- siderable distance from my residence, thus, when I have returned from the moors, if my excursion has not been very successful or satisfactory, I have generally expressed an intention of abandon- ing grouse shooting altogether ; but how soon do those feelings, arising from partial disappointment, evapoi'ate ! How quickly, on the approach of the month of August, do they pass by as " the idle wind which we regard not," and how eagerly do we review our guns, our combustibles, and all the materiel composing a sports- man's commissariat — The double barrel, and tlie shotted belt, The woollen gaiters and the gi-eased shoes, The bag, the whistle, flask, and pointers staunch : Pride, pomp, and circumstance of glorious war. That make excursions pleasant. and begin to calculate whether it be better to visit the Derbyshire hills, or the mountains of the north ; the Highlands of Scotland, or the less elevated regions of Wales. A visit to the Sister King- dow, I have never yet contemplated, though excellent grouse shooting, I am told, may be there obtained, while a voyage across St. George's Channel can be made with as much regularity as the stage coaches travel from York to London, perhaps with less dan- ger, and the Wicklow or other mountains thus reached in a shorter period than is necessarily occupied in a trip to the mountains of Durham. THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 189 In the year 1823, I hesitated so long respecting what precise district I should visit, that I had scarcely made up my mind on the subject, when, on the morning of Saturday, the 9th of August, I mounted my poney, and turned his face to the north. The same evening I reached Kirkby Lonsdale, (Westmoreland) where I re- mained for the night, and would have proceeded forward early the next morning, had not the weather prevented me. On rising about five o'clock, and casting my eyes towards the opposite moun- tains, I perceived with regret that they were smoking"^ with rain ; shortly afterwards the showers began to fall in the valley, and in a little time, the mountains were entirely hid from my sight. It con- tinued to pour very hard till noon, when the weather cleared up ; I then swallowed a hasty dinner, and rode to old Spittal, on Stain- moor, a few miles from Bowes. I reached this place about six o'clock (August 10) and entered the parlour just as two gentlemen were sitting down to tea. I requested to be allowed to refresh with them, to which they politely assented ; and in a short time, I began to augur very favourably of Old Spittal, from the very cir- cumstance of falling into agreeable company. With these two gentlemen (Messrs. Walker and Sykes from the neighbourhood of Leeds, if I rightly recollect) I passed a very pleasant evening : one of them, Mr. Sykes, had seen some service in his majesty's navy, and was on board the Alceste, Capt. Sir Murray Maxwell, when she was wrecked among the isles of the Indian Ocean, in carrying out Lord Amherst to China ; the other, Mr. Walker, was very affable and very well informed ; and therefore it is no wonder that the evening should pass pleasantly. But, before bed time, having occasion to speak to the landlord, it afforded me an opportunity of seeing his wife also ; and I must confess, the countenance nei- ther of the one nor the other was much to my liking. Jolly Mat- thias was a ruby-faced fellow, who, on a superficial glance, might have been set down as a good natured harmless creature ; but, although he wore a sort of habitual smile, yet, to the keen gaze of the inquisitive observer, there was a cunning leer lurking in his eye, which might be regarded as an index to much worse feelings than * " Smoking with rain" may appear, at first view, a very odd or ill applied ex- pression ; but 1 have no doubt that it will be perfectly understood by those who have visited the grouse mountains ; and to those that have not, I beg to offer the following explanation : — In all elevated regions, it is well known that much more rain falls than in the vallies ; but the rain may be generally perceived on these vast elevations some time before it descends in the lower grounds : on such occa- sions, it is seen rolling round the summits of the hills, and presents very much the appearance of siitolcc. The tops of veiy high mountains are generally envelo- ped in clouds, and consequently in rain. The summit of Ben Nevis, the highest in Great Britain, is, on this account, seldom seen ; the same, with respect to Ben Lomond, Ben More, and indeed to all mountains of great altitude. 190 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. seemed to be predicted by the superficial grin which incessantly played, or rather danced a fandango, on his upper lip. His wife, as far as I am able to form an opinion from the wrinkles which ap- peared upon a dingy and prematurely withered countenance, was something more advanced in years than her masculine companion, and at a random guess, I should suppose, she was verging upon the highly respectable age of fifty, if she were not more : her small black eyes were sparkUng rather than dull, and yet it would have been inconsistent witli the impression which they produced, if not an outrage upon the acknowledged standard of feminine beauty, to have called them handsome ; while a feeling of more than ordinary rapacity pervaded her countenance, and appeared to index an agi- tated uneasy disposition in the possessor. But my readers will begin to fancy I am rather unlucky in finding pleasant physiogno- mies, or unjust in reading them ; yet, be their suspicions what they may, I can assure them 1 speak as I thought — "nothing extenuate nor set down aught in malice," what I saw I describe. " 1 write from 'practice^ not from hoohs compile" About 1 1 o'clock, the gentlemen I have mentioned wished me good night, and retired to a neighbouring cottage to sleep ; a cir- cumstance which caused a feeling of suspicion in my mind that all was not as it should be. I rung for the chamber maid, and, to my astonishment and vexation, was shewn into a small bed room, into which there were crammed, nevertheless, four beds ! The beds were not large, it is true ; but yet, even these four, so filled it, that in passing between them, it was necessary to turn sideways ! I went to bed, occupying one of the couches, the other three continued tenantless, at least for that night. At breakfast the next morning, I had again the pleasure of meeting the Gentlemen before mentioned ; and we sat a consider- able time at the table in consequence of the interesting conversa- tion which ensued. I afterwards strolled a few miles on the hills to give my dogs a little exercise (it was the 11th of August) and on my return, I found that several more sportsmen had arrived. About two o'clock a stage coach came up, and shortly afterwards three others, the whole of which seemed to groan beneath their burden of sportsmen and dogs, the greater part of which stopped at Old Spittal. The house was now animated in a very high de- gree — there was a feverish confusion produced by these arrivals, which raised the pulse of the hostess to such a pitch, that 1 thought at one moment I detected on her uneasy countenance an apology for a smile ! Smug Bonniface too, though not over active in general, was more alert than ordinary, occasionally displaying a wide mouth- ed gaping grin, as he waddled about, something like that exhibited by a Manx fisherman at the idea of a large draught of herrings. Nor was the bustle merely confined to the house, the whole of THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 191 the shabby half thatched builJhigs were placed in a state of requi- sition, and made a kind of tributary encampment ; my own beautiful, well fed and well bred pointers were very unceremonously turned out of their quarters to make room for those of another person. I was amusing myself by observing at my ease, the extraordinary and clumsy movements caused by the arrival of the coaches, gig-men and horse-men, when I noticed a rough-hewn sportsman open the door where my dogs were confined, and suflfer them to run out without the least hesitation, and without paying the smallest atten- tion to them or me ; after this sans ceremonie feat, he placed his own dogs in the situation mine had held (a sort of a hutch or small pigstyc) and directed his steps towards the house with the most deli- berate and self-satisfied complacency. I need hardly observe that I replaced my dogs. As the evening approached, fresh importations poured into Old Spittal, so that by nine o'clock, the house was crowded almost to suffocation. I now perceived the admirable policy of Mr. Walker, who, already acquainted with the place, had provided private lodg- ings at an adjacent cottage for himself and his friend Sykes; and therefore our shifts and disappointments became a source of amuse- ment to them — they were merely strolling gentlemen, who could relax themselves amongst the throng, and retire when they thought proper to the comfort of a snug private apartment, which at the present moment appeared to me almost invaluable. The large parlour, in which I had originally met Messrs. Walker and Sykes contained such an ill-assorted assemblage, and appear- ed altogether in such a state of confusion, that the gentlemen I have just mentioned and I contrived to seat ourselves in a small apartment at the opposite end of the house, where we passed the evening amidst mucli noise and bustle, and were frequently annoyed by the most boisterous vociferations. When I requested a candle from the chambermaid for the purpose of retiring to bed, the girl told me I could only be accommodated with half the bed that night, as a gentleman must sleep with me ! I received this information with indignant surprise, but without the least hesitation, told her that no gentleman should sleep in the same bed with me. I pro- ceeded up stairs, and found two of the beds already occupied : that in which I had slept the night before, was one of the two that con- tinued empty. Of course I took possession of that on which I had already reposed, with a full determination to surrender one inch of it to no man upon the face of the earth. My resolution, neverthe- less, was put to the test, as I had not been twenty minutes in bed before unblushing Bonniface entered the room, introducing the gentleman who was to be my bedfellow, lionniface began to pre- face the business by observing that his house was so filled with company that— I cut the matter short by telling him in a most de- 192 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. cided manner, that no man should sleep in the bed which I occu- pied besides myself. I was irritated — I was half inclined to rise, and did raise myself upon my elbow, and beheld the very ruffian who had so grossly insulted me respecting the dogs, now intro- duced as my bed fellow ! This was beyond all human endurance ! but, in the act of springing from my couch, I was recognized by the fellow, who immediately left the room, followed by Bonniface, while I resumed my recumbent position. Shortly afterwards, two persons entered the room, and with- out any great disturbance, went to bed : thus the four beds con- tained seven persons, and yet, judging by the landlord's calcula- tion, they still continued deficient in number. I heard the clock strike twelve, but such a noise was still kept up below, as com- pletely to prevent me from sleeping. The clock struck one, but the clamour did not cease ; I therefore rose, dressed myself, and went down stairs. I found plenty of company in the kitchen be- sides the regular inmates, but it consisted chiefly of persons who attend such places for the purpose of accompanying shooters on the moors, and who were calculating on the morrow, amidst thick and curling volumes of tobacco smoke. There were several, however, who appeared of a different description — they had shot belts hung about them, and several old-fashioned guns were stand- ing in one of the rooms, and from a consideration of all the circum- stances, I had little doubt they were poachers ; miners most prob- ably, similar to those already noticed, and who regularly attend to sell game to unfortunate sportsmen who are not able to kill a suffi- cient quantity for themselves. To these men Bonniface directed his attention — in fact, they seemed old acquaintances — well known to each other at least, if they were not congenial souls. Before the fire in the kitchen, two maid servants were snoring in chairs, while in traversing the different apartments, I discovered at length the mountain goddess herself, stretched on a temporary couch be- fore a good fire, and recruiting exhausted nature in the welcome embraces of soft slumber. I could not help dedicating a few se- conds to the contemplation of this moorish divinity : her repose, though somewhat sonorous, did not seem altogether undisturbed ; in fact, her mind was busy and active, even in this state of physi- cal helplessness. But this was not all : — her lovely bosom heaved with something more violent, as I thought, than tender and soft, sympathetic emotion ; and, in a second or two afterwards, an in- distinct mutter escaped her love-pouting lips, followed by the words — "Ralph! Ralph! I don't like that man in the grey jacket. Meet me to-morrow night !" At this moment, one of the maid servants entered to prepare breakfast, when this celestial creature opened her little sparkling black eyes, and was herself again. THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 193 The rain fell tolerably heavy at this period, and seemed likely to continue; yet the shooters gradually appeared below, and. breakfast was prepared in every room : like the Spartans of old, every thing (at least as far as relates to the breakfast) was in com- mon, and when we sat down it was my lucky fortune to be placed between two very good natured Manchester manufacturers. Day- light was longer than usual in making its appearance ; and when at length it began to peep through the window, it was dim and gloomy. The rain continued till half past four o'clock, when it abated, and in about half an hour afterwards, it had ceased, or nearly so. All was now bustle outside the house as well as within, and the shooters were in haste to commence the work of slaughter. I sallied out also, more on account of the uncomfort- able situation in which I was placed at Old Spittal, than from any sanguine expectations of fine weather. As the house was situated on the moor, there was of course no occasion for a horse to ride to the ground : I proceeded in a south- erly direction, and was astonished at the number of shooters which I saw moving from every quarter. But, before I had seen a bird, the rain recommenced, and though it did not fall heavily, it yet made our occupation unpleasant: nevertheless, I determined to keep the field, as a soldier would say, and therefore marched on. Many others were as staunch in standing to their guns as myself; for I could scarcely range three hundred yards in any direction without coming in contact with a shooting party. At length one of my dogs came to a point, and when 1 approached, five birds rose — one of which I bagged. The rain increased, but still I continued to move forward ; at length I obtained another point, and my gun missed fire, owing to the copper cap not having been primed.* In a short time, I had another point, and brought down another bird. I was at this time well wet to the skin, and the rain fell very heavily : however, I continued to proceed. A considerable time elapsed be- fore another trigger was drawn, when both dogs drew very steadily and stood : — six birds rose — I levelled at four that flew so close to- gether that I must have brought down more than one, if not the whole— 1 pulled the trigger — the priming exploded, but the gun was not discharged. I have not the least doubt but the rain had found its way to the gunpowder in the barrel ; for I was complete- ly saturated with wet. * Those who use Copper Caps (and the Copper Cap is superior to any other plan whicli has yet fallen under my observation) would do well to see that each contains priming before they place it on the touch hole. The caps, I apprehend, are principally primed by boys, who may not be sufficiently particular ; but whe- ther they are primed by boys or men, I have occasionally met with one destitute of percussion powder : therefore, to avoid disappointment, they should be exa- mined. 2b 194 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. I was attended by a man named Walter Heslop, a lazy lounging fellow, from him I learned that I was five miles from Old Spittal. Rain had fallen heavily for some time, it still continued to do so, without the least prospect of fair weather ; I began therefore to think it was time to return, particularly as I found, upon examina- tion, that neither of my barrels would fire. Between us and Old Spittal, there were several becks or sykes, or gills or gillies, which we had passed in our way, and which were then more than usually swoln with water: these we had necessarily to repass : some of them were seven or eight yards wide, and their streams were now so rapid and so deep, that it was not without some difficulty I could keep my feet in crossing them ; the water reached nearly as high as mymiddle, which, with the unevenness of their stony bottoms, in- creased the difficulty of the passage. On my arrival at my bivouac (it was inferior in comfort to one) I found "confusion worse con- fused." Most of the shooters had arrived before me, and were oc- cupied in drying themselves ; the fire places were crowded with wet clothes ; while the stairs, from top to bottom, were literally SM'imming with water : the bed chamber was in the same deluged condition ; and several shooters were lying in bed while their clothes were drying below! — Nothing, in fact, could exceed the general discomfort which at this moment pervaded Old Spittal. — The ruby-faced landlord leered with delight as he beheld the half drowned sportsmen pouring down their throats copious libations of hot rum and water to keep out the cold,* and was occupied in scor- ing a fine game for himself, as, stuck up in a corner of the kitchen, he gloated over the murky pages of his oblong journal v/ith the same sort of satisfaction that a vulture exhibits when she discovers a huge piece of carrion. Mr. Walker had been wise enough not to move out in the early part of the morning ; and he was fortunate ; for the weather clear- ed soon after my return, when he ascended the hills and bagged six brace and a half. I scarcely know how I passed the remainder of the day ; but certainly not much to my satisfaction. In the evening I took tea with Mr. Walker and his friend, and enjoyed an agreeable conversation. It was the first excursion which Mr. Sykes had made to the grouse mountains ; the weather had ren- dered it unpleasant, and nothing seemed to have equalled his ex- pectations. — The next morning also proved unfavourable, and he could not be induced to remain longer — he ordered his gig, and drove away. The unfortunate weather of the 12th, added to other collateral circumstances, no way calculated to please, had surfeited * To speak of cold on the 12th of August may seem strange; but it must be recollected that the summer of 1823 was remarkably cold as well as uncommonly wet. In these elevated regions, the weather will of course be found more severe than in the plains below ; I well i-ecollect almost shivering as I changed my apparel. THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 195 other sportsmen besides Mr.Sykes : several quitted Old Spittal on the 12th, while half a score departed the next morning. This threw a kind of gloom over the countenance of well-fed Mat — "A change came o'er the spirit of his dream" — the cunning leer of satisfaction, which had hitherto sported, even in fjintastic forms, on his wily visage, had vanished, and its triumphant pre-eminence was usurped by the darkness of despairing disappointment. As to his beloved and beatified spouse, 1 was at a loss to conjecture what had become of her. I had marked the twinkling sparkle of her uncommonly expressive little black eye ; I had observed the almost more than satisfaction which played in her diamond-like orbs of vision, on the afternoon of the 12th ; yet, on the morning of the loth, she no where met my sight. " What (said I to myself) has become of the lovely Cleora, the goddess of the mountains?" The morning of the loth was wet — it rained, though not so heavily as on the preceding day, the flying clouds rose rapidly on the wind, and one driving sleety storm succeeded another at such short intervals, that shooting was out of the question. Under such circumstances, I was kept lounging about the place the greater part of the forenoon. About eleven o'clock, on going into the kitchen, Cleora came in immediate contact with me as I entered the door. We were proceeding in opposite directions, and some few seconds elapsed ere we could pass each other, in consequence of both of us taking the same side of the door way ; nor was it without a jostle that we at length accomplished our ob- jects, she in proceeding from the kitchen, and I in entering it. I was struck with her altered appearance : the trembling and doubtful smile of more than ordinary anticipation no longer ani- mated her rather wrinkled features ; her diminutive sloe-black eye had lost its wonted lustre ; her yellow cheeks had become some- what hollow and pallid ; while her raven tresses, thickly mixed with grey, formed a disorderly fringe to her countenance, from be- neath a cap which would have been whiter for washing. 1 ven- tured to inquire after her health ; when she languishingly informed me in the half stifled tones of semi-despair, that she was labouring under a severe attack of the head ache ! About noon the rain ceased, and I again ventured to descend the sloping ground immediately from Old Spittal, and ascend the opposite hills. I had not proceeded far, before I perceived by the side of a beck, a bird which I strongly suspected to be the water ouzel. I asked my attendant what it was, and he informed me that it was called the loatei croiv. I waited some short time, in order, if possible, to observe it perform that very singular ope- ration for which it is so remarkable ; but as it manifested no dis- position for it, I shot the bird, in order that I might examine it at my leisure. It proved to be the ivater ouzel, as it answered the 196 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. following description of this rare bird as given by naturalists : — ■ about the size of a blackbird, perhaps scarcely so large ; bill al- most straight and black ; the upper parts of the head and neck of a deep brown ; and the rest of the upper parts, the belly, vent, and tail, are black. The legs black. This bird frequents the banks of springs and brooks, preferring the limpid streams, whose fall is rapid, and whose bed is broken with stones and fragments of rocks. Its habits are very singular. Aquatic birds, with palmated feet, swim or dive; those which inhabit the shores, without wetting their body, wade with their tall legs ; but the water ouzel walks into the Hood, following the declivity of the ground. It is observed to enter by degx'ees, till the water reaches its neck ; and it still advances, holding its head not higher than usual, though com- pletely immersed. It continues to walk under the water ; and even descends to the bottom, where it saunters as on a dry bank.* 1 had scarcely bagged a brace of birds, when the rain fell so violently, and the atmosphere assumed such an appearance, that I beat a retreat, and returned to the mountain accommodation of Old Spittal. I abandoned all further idea of grouse shooting for the season, and determined to proceed on my way home as early as possible the next morning. On the evening of the 13th, Old Spittal had lost more than three fourths of its company : Mat was in despair — Othello's oc- cupation's gone ! The disorders of the mind frequently bafHe the skill of the physician ; nor could I help supposing that our worthy host was labouring under some grievous mental affliction ; his usual gaiety had forsaken him ; his courage was not at the sticking * The following is M. Herbert's account of the above extraordinary habit, which he communicated to the Comte de BufFon : — " I lay concealed on the verge of the Lake Nantua, in a hut formed of pine branches and snow; where I was ■waiting till a boat, which was rowing on the lake, should drive some wild ducks to the water's edge. Before me was a small inlet, the bottom of which was gently shelved, that might be about two or three feet deep in the middle. A water ouzel stopped here for more than an hour, and I had full leisure to view its manoeuvres. It entered into the water, disappeared, and again emerged on the other side of the inlet, which it thus repeatedly forded. It traversed the whole bottom, and seemed not to have changed its element, and discovered no hesitation or reluctance in the immersion. However, I perceived several times, that as often as it waded deeper than the knee, it displayed its wings and allowed them to hang to the ground. I remarked too, that when I could discern it at the bottom of the water, it appeared enveloped in air, which gave it a brilliant surface ; like some sorts of beetles, which in water are always inclosed in a bubble of ail'. Its view in dropping its wings on entering the water, might be to confine this air ; it was certainly never without some, and it seemed to quiver. These singular habits were unknown to all the sportsmen witli whom I talked on the subject ; and j^erhaps without the accident of the snow hut in which I was concealed, I should also have for ever remained ignorant of them ; but the above facts I can aver, as the bird came quite to my feet, and that I might observe it, I refrained from killing it." THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 197 place ! " Cheer up, man ! (said an old fiddler, who sat in the kitchen, who had come to enliven the fading company with his Cre- mona) cheer up ! let us hope for better weather." JNIat raised his head, and endeavoured to force a smile into his countenance ; but the playful feeling could not be pressed into the service of an un- willing mind — the attempt amounted merely to a very constrained distortion of the muscles of the mouth, and evaporated in worse than nothingness, like all abortive attempts of this kind. The three beds which the room contained, besides the one on which I slept, were this night tenantless ; and I rose in the morn- ing at six, anxious to proceed home. It was after seven, however, before I could procure my breakfast ; nor was I particularly pres- sing, on this occasion, as the weather was boisterous, and the rain descended very fast. But to quit Old Spittal, I was determined ; and therefore, after waiting till half-past eight, and no probability of the weather clearing, 1 requested my bill for the second time ; I had, an hour before, made a similar solicitation for this important document, and was at a loss to conjecture the reason why it was not furnished : in a little time, I asked for the bill a third time — I ordered my pony to the door, and as I was preparing to mount, the languid mountain goddess herself appeared, and projecting her delicate hand, with all the gracefulness for which she was so re- markable, presented me with the list of my expences. It was not remarkable for the length of paper which it occupied, or for the quantity of ink used in rendering it into a peculiar kind of English : it was drawn out something in the aggregate style ; or, in other words, particular items were lost in the portentous whole. " Base is the wretch that pays" was not its motto. There was novelty in the manner and impression of it, which excited my attention more intently, or perhaps more intensely, than any similar document which had fallen into my hands. I could not suppose for a moment that I had found the London Tavern, or rather the Star and Gar- ter at Richmond, on the wilds of Stain moor, and yet the charges were in an equal ratio, though the accommodations, it must be confessed, had not been precisely of the same description. — After bending my eyes over the bill, particularly on the amount, I di- rected the mildest look I was able at the drooping and fretful lady of the hotel, who waited to receive the sum total. She avoided my gaze, till I asked her if there were not mistakes in the bill ? I thought she blushed, but I might be mistaken, she being all un- used to the melting rnood ; nevertheless her colour changed ; the salluw hue which overspread her benign countenance vanished, as it were, and in its place was substituted a purple-blue, or purple- brown, something which I feel a difficulty in describing, such as nature never paralleled, or painter coloured : the expression of 198 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. her eye, at the same time, was equally indescribable — nay, more, it was alarming ; for, as runs an old epigram. — He that can gaze on a woman's tear Unmov'd, noi- give a sigh sincere, Must be the Demon's elf; But he that dares lier frown to meet, And does not make a quick retreat, Must be Old Nick himself! I therefore placed the money hastily in her hand, mounted my pony, and rode away. I went off at a hand gallop, as the animal that bore me seemed as anxious to leave the place as myself; and in truth, it must be confessed, though I had paid him much personal attention, yet he had decreased in bulk, either from the altitude of these elevated regions not agreeing with his constitution, or from some other cause. But I did not long proceed at a hand gallop, for I met my friend, Mr. Walker, about one hundred yards from the house, and pulled up to bid him farewell ; and I sincerely regret, that I have not since had an opportunity of renewing the agreeable ac- quaintance of this accomplished gentleman. I reached Kirkby Stephen amidst the rain, which had been in- cessant, and as my pony manifested no inclination to stop, I con- tinued my journey to Sedberg ; but some part of the road before I reached this place was overflown in such a manner by the deluge from the mountains, that my little steed was sometimes knee deep. I remained no longer at Sedberg than was necessary for baiting, but proceeded onward to Kirkby Lonsdale ; whence, in a short time, I again set forward, and at dusk reached the village of Hal- ton, three miles from Lancaster, and there billetted "man and horse" for the night. My motive for not proceeding to Lancaster was on account of the assizes, when that small town is so crowded, that accommodations are with great difhculty obtained. But I had no reason whatever to regret this circumstance ; for, though it was only a village public house at which I stopped, the people were very obliging, and the accommodations as superior as pos- sible to those 1 had met with the two or three days immediately preceding. After a comfortable supper I went to bed, and, being fatigued, I slept more soundly than usual : when I awoke in the morning, my ears were saluted with the cry of the kennel : and on inquiry, I found there was a pack of fox hounds near the spot. 1 was anxious to see these dogs, as their notes were highly pleasing, and on mentioning this to the landlord, he accompanied me to the ken- nel. The huntsman was absent, and though the key was in the kennel door, I did not choose to venture in without the company of some person acquainted with the hounds. The gamekeeper THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 199 very soon presented himself, and we all three entered the kennel. The landlord testified some degree of hesitation or alarm ; and the dogs, no doubt, from this very cause, were more clamorous around him. The establishment, which belonged to R. Bradshaw, Esq. is not on a very extensive scale, but the appearance of the hounds was much to my taste. They were not exactly of that sharp-nosed very fleet kind that go like the wind when the scent is breast high, but which cannot touch a cool scent ; on the con- trary, they were bony well-headed, fine animals that could, I am persuaded, both run well, and hunt well also. Soon after nine, I left the village of Halton, and at dusk the same evening, reached the " Cottage of Peace on the Banks of the Mersey ;" after an excursion, which had not been so pleasant as anticipation had led me to expect. CHAPTER V, The Pointer, versus the Setter. — The Sense of Smelling. — A ma- lignant Neighbour. — Freeman, the Farmer. — The murdered Irishman. — Set out for Scotland. — The Quakeresses. — The Guinea Captain and his Daughter. — The Mountain Nymph. — Appearance of the Country.— The Bidky Waiter.— Eng- lish and Scotch Coachmen compared. — The Borderers. — Scotch Fox Hunting. — Drumlanrig. — Niihsdale. — The Ener- getic North Briton and the Farmer. — The Poet Burns, and his request. — John Knox. — Glasgow. — The Hunterian Mu- seum. In one of the conversations which I enjoyed with Mr. Walker, at Old Spittal, he informed me that he had made two excursions to Scotland, with both of which he was much pleased, and he spoke in raptures of the excellent shooting to be met with in that interesting part of the kingdom, the Highlands. I had contem- plated a visit to these for some time, and the remarks of this gen- tleman fixed my resolution, and determined me to put it in prac- tice the following season. My good neighbour and friend, Mr. Freeman, the farmer, is a sportsman, and I had frequently men- tioned the subject, under the idea that he might be tempted to accompany me. But he appeared to regard such an undertaking as a matter of serious and weighty importance ; and though, during the latter end of 1823, and the beginning of 1821, I painted the anticipated delights of such a trip in the most glowing colours I was master of, yet I clearly saw, long before the middle 200 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. of summer, that it would be a gross miscalculation to expect his company. I was resolved to go nevertheless ; and I kept the proposed excursion steadily in my " mind's eye" from the period when the observations of Mr. Walker had fixed my determina- tion. J was anxious to be well prepared for the occasion, and particularly in regard to my pointers ; setters I gave up some years ago, and I am determined never to try or plague myself with another. In making such an assertion, I am perfectly aware that setters are by no means exploded ; on the contrary, I know they are to be met with in most parts of the kingdom, are numerous in the north, and have still many admirers, not only there, but in other parts. It must be admitted that a well-bred setter is a beau- tiful animal ; nay, as far as relates to external appearance, the setter is decidedly preferable to the pointer : in fact, I am inclined to consider him as the handsomest of all the varieties of the dog : in my estimation too, there is something less foreign in his fashion than in that of the pointer: and I was formerly much pre- judiced in his favour. I took more tharx ordinary pains in the breeding of these dogs ; and though I was at times in possession of the best I ever saw ; yet, after endeavouring, for fifteen years, to prevail upon myself that they were superior to their fine-coated rival, I was ultimately compelled to admit their inferiority. The setter and the pointer are used for the same purpose, and yet there is a considerable difference in their disposition and charac- ter : the former is a very high-spirited, dashing animal, which, al- though in general good tempered, is, notwithstanding, inclined to be unruly, and can only be kept in proper obedience and good order by continual and violent exercise ; the latter is more mild in his disposition, and less capable of enduring fatigue ; and hence he is more easily reduced to obedience, and, when once acquainted with his business, is not nearly so apt to become lewd, and to bid defiance to restraint. It will generally be observed too, that the setter approaches his game more nearly than the pointer, and is thus more apt to spring it: this circumstance is usually attributed to his inferior olfactory organs, or want of smell ; which is unques- tionably correct in a very great degree ; to which if we add his more impetuous temper, we, in all probability, state the true cause, or rather causes, of the circumstance just mentioned. But it does not necessarily follow that the setter should be inferior to the pointer in the sense of smell, as it would seem to be contended from what has lately appeared on the subject, viss. that this faculty, in any dog, must necessarily depend upon the size of the (To be contmtied.) THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 201 ( Continued from p. 144.^ in the direction you wish him to proceed, apply the spurs sharply, and he will not fail to go forward: if the situation be convenient, press him into a gallop, and apply the spurs and whip two or three times (but not more) severely. The horse will perhaps not be quite satisfied with the first defeat, but may feel disposed to try again for the mastery. Should this be the case, you have only to twist him, &c. as before, and you will find, that in the second struggle, he will be much more easily subdued than on the first occasion — in fact, you will perceive him quail under the operation. It rarely happens that a rearing horse, after having been treated in the way described, will resort to his tricks a third time. But, on going into other hands, and having another rider, he will be very likely to have recourse to rearing. All vicious horses have a favourite side, which they are pre- pared to defend, and they must therefore be attacked on the other. It has been already observed, that a horse addicted to rearing high, seldom, if ever, kicks ; and, on the contrary, a horse given to violent kicking, is scarcely ever known to rear. If you follow the directions given in the second paragraph of this article, page 142, he will not be able to kick, or at least only in a trifling de- gree; and finding himself foiled, he will not long continue the battle. In this case, twisting the horse round will have the de- sired effect ; and indeed there are few cases of unruly horses where it will not : to accomplish which you must twist him round on his weak side, as he will be prepared for you on the other, and you would not be able to move him round ; but in no case, correct a horse beyond the just measure of punishment, let it also be well- timed, and administered without passion — lest you provoke him to further resistance. Whatever feeling influences the rider's mind, it will not fail to have a corresponding effect on that of the horse; and consequently, cruelty, anger, or revenge will operate most powerfully against that concord which should subsist between the horse and his rider. With an unruly horse, the rider should be as cool, as firm, and as philosophical as a Stoic. The moment the battle is over, let the horse and his rider become friends ; the horse, being ashamed from defeat, will be thus soothed and brought into good temper; and, as all provocation has ceased, he will feel no disposition to renew the contention. The RESTIVE HORSE. In the last article, I spoke of vicious and unruly horses, under which description the restive horse might be correctly enough 2 c 202 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. placed ; but, as there are many vicious and unruly horses, which, strictly speaking, cannot be called restive, so, I have thought it best to treat restiveness in the horse under a separate head. Restiveness arises from a cowardly disposition or bad temper, which stubbornly refuses obedience where the horse perceives the rider has not sufficient skill to force or compel him to perform his wishes. Restive horses are very cunning, and for ever on the watch for opportunities of putting in practice their evil propensi- ties. They feel, as it were, for the firmness of the rider's seat, and the strength of his resolution; and if they perceive that they are likely to be successfully opposed, they will wait till an opportunity and situation are presented where they can commence hostilities with advantage ; and they are certain to defend themselves stoutly on the point upon which they expect to be attacked. It will frequently happen, on bringing a restive horse out of the stable and mounting him, that before he has moved far, he will breathe harder than usual, place his ears forward, and affect a degree of alarm : and at the first object which appears to suit his purpose, he will pretend to be frightened. He commences his attack by stopping, turning short round, and, if allowed, will re- turn very quietly to his stable. Some restive horses select a wind- mill at which to aflfect alarm, others a house or building, others a tree, and so on ; but not one of them will proceed far, if he per- ceives he has a timid or unskilful rider on his back, without se- lecting some object at which he may stare and startle, as a prelude to his tricks for the purpose of returning to the stable. There are other restive horses, which will proceed quietly enough till they come to a public-house, a stable, or a farm-yard, to which they will go up; and if opposed, will offer battle. Such horses are very dangerous in unskilful hands; as, if these are not suffered to proceed to the place which they have marked out to stop at, they will sidle up to the wall, rush into a stable or even a house if the door happen to be open, and that too with obstinate and determined violence. These efforts, however, are easily counteracted by skill, but not by the whip and spur: for, under these and similar circumstances, the use of the whip and spur is worse than nothing: — and even, should a very resolute strong man force a horse to obey by dint of mere strength, flogging, and spurring, the horse seldom seems to think that he is completely subdued, but will, on the first convenient opportunity, try the matter again. It is the skilful, judicious, and well-timed operation of the hands which completely subdues the horse : twisting him about confuses him (as I have already observed) and when he is twisted round several times he becomes giddy, loses entirely his power of opposition, and obeys the rider's will. Let it, however, not be forgotten, that there is an awkward and an expert method THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 203 of twisting the horse ; and if the former mode is used, the contest will be prolonged, perhaps become doubtful, and at all events, place the rider in danger. When a restive horse endeavours to force you against a wall, &c. do not pull him from it, but bend his head to it, by which the side of the horse, next the wall, is forced into a concave position, and he is thus prevented from injuring the rider. The instant the horse is perceived sidling to any object, you may turn his head to that object, and back him from it, but bending his head to it is preferable. Should he rear, you will adopt the method already described for counteracting his efforts. But horses of this de- scription seldom rear. Most of these restive horses vrill go well enough in a town (except passing their own stable) but they will not go far from it, if they can avoid it. A friend of mine accidentally purchased a mare which he thought uncommonly cheap, and indeed the price was low. She was a handsome dark chesnut, and at his request I mounted her for the purpose of riding her a few miles. She went very well in the town, but I soon perceived an alteration when I left it, and was proceeding on the road. I fully expected she would prove restive, and I was not deceived. Yet we had proceeded nearly jfive miles before she offered battle : the contest did not last long, and she carried me very well the rest of the journey : but the owner could not be prevailed upon to mount her in consequence of my report, but immediately sold her. Many of these restive horses will go very well in company. A dealer once offered me a horse at what I thought a very moderate price: and I felt disposed to purchase him, if, after trial, he pleased me. He was a fine grey horse, the dealer represented him to be a superior hunter, and from his strength and form it seemed very probable. It was agreed that I should meet the hounds with him the following day, and the dealer accompanied me. All went on tolerably well, till, in the commencement of the run, the dealer and I got separated, when he refused the next jump, and, although he afterwards took it, the time occupied in manoeuvring him enabled the hounds to get so far ahead, that I was not able afterwards to reach them. There is another description of horses whose obstinate dispo- sition amounts to a species of restiveness. I purchased a little black Irish horse, which I rode for some weeks, several times after the hounds, and I was well carried. Happening, however, one afternoon, on my return home, to have a little business which took me out of the road, on attempting to turn down a lane, the horse refused. He reared in a trifling degree ; then, placing his ofi'fore cot in advance, seemed to bid me defiance. 1 twisted him to the eft several times, placed his head in the direction I wished to 204 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. proceed, applied the spurs sharply, when he sprung into the gallop, which I compelled him to continue for several hundred yards, in the first part of which I administered the whip and spurs twice or thrice. The horse never attempted a similar prank with me ; but got master of my servant, under similar circum- stances, who was never afterwards able to ride him. In all contests with the horse, the great object of the rider is to counteract or frustrate the intentions of the horse, and protect himself from injury. As the horse is weaker on one side than the other, so the rider may be said to be also : for instance, most men possess more strength in the right hand than in the left ; more power of grasp on one side than the other,* and an unruly horse has generally cunning enough to perceive on which side he is held the firmest, and will therefore attack your weak side : the horse will be found so well prepared on one side for resistance that it is not advisable to attack him on it. Instead of attempt- ing to prevent his efforts on that side, pull him round on the other, and place his head in the direction you wish to proceed : the spur only may be used, but seldom succeeds. On the contrary, the horse generally turns round again; and you, in like manner, attacking his unguarded side, turn him round two or three times, and act in the manner which I have already described, and it will very rarely fail to have the desired effect. Some horses will stand still and obstinately refuse to go for- ward ; in which case, if you cannot turn him round, rein him back- ward, which may be easily accomplished : and on no account con- tend with him on the particular point upon which he is prepared to dispute or resist. He must be foiled by counter-action. In cases where the horse can neither be moved forward nor back- ward, allow him to stand still, sit quietly on his back, and in the course of a few minutes, he will move forward. Whenever a person purposes to contend with a horse with a view to cure him of some species of vice, he should select a situation calculated for the purpose, a clear open space, where consequently there can be no danger of the rider being crushed against walls, trees, or other obstacles. And it is necessary to remark, that restive horses are artful enough to take all advantages; and, where they can, will sidle to other horses, carts, rails, &c. Under such cir- cumstances, let me repeat, turn his head directly to the object, and back him from it, but use neither whip nor spurs. * The bone of the knee with which the rider grasps or presses more strongly, will be found more prominent than the other ; so it may be equally observed, that where the muscle is the most exercised, it will be the largest and the most powerful. THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 205 It should be the rider's object to discover the temper and dis- position of the horse, by which he will be enabled the better to direct his movements. There are horses so abject in spirit that they may be whipped out of their tricks, others (and by far the greater part) require different treatment ; and I am by no means an advocate for the whip and spur under any other circumstances than when they are absolutely necessary ; and, generally speaking, unruly horses are much better manoeuvred and overcome without them. When the horse shies at any object, let the rider keep his eye directed to the horse's ears. This observation should be steadily kept in mind, in all cases with vicious horses: — the ears are strong indications to the rider of the intention of the horse. I have often been much surprised that so very few persons seem to be acquainted with the astonishing efficacy of the hands in the management of a restive or unruly horse, and particularly of the masterly manoeuvre of twisting round — the failure of which I never yet witnessed ! Grooms, and generally those whose prin- cipal business it is to attend horses, know nothing about the matter. How often have I seen one of this class upon a stubborn horse, display much more obstinate stupidity than the animal he was endeavouring to render obedient ! In such cases, the whip and spurs are vigorously and unmercifully employed, the rider is admired by the gaping crowd for his courage, the contest becomes doubtful and dangerous in the highest degree ; and should the rider ultimately succeed, it may be considered as a respite, or sus- pension of hostilities : the horse does not consider himself subdued, and will not fail to renew the encounter at no distant period. When a horse has been subdued, the rider should not exult in his triumph by administering the whip after the battle is over, and the horse has given in. A friend of mine, a year or two back, succeeded in rendering an unruly horse quiet, wherein he very in- judiciously made a free use of the whip and spurs. The horse submitted, and the rider was requested not to apply the whip again : however, after he had stood for some seconds or a minute or two, he gave the horse another stroke. The latter recom- menced the struggle, which he finished by throwing his rider ! It then became a much more difficult task to render the horse obedient. PLUNGING. I have already remarked that rearing is a most dangerous vice in horses ; and the same observation will, in a great degree, apply ia06 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. to plunging ; which however, very fortunately, principally occurs at the period of breaking, when the animal is rendered incapable of doing much mischief, by the systematic preparations which are made for the purpose. No horse can continue plunging for any length of time, since the violent exertion necessary to produce it, soon exhausts his strength. — When a horse intends to plunge, he sets up his back, swells his body as if to break his girths, cringes his tail between his quarters, and in this position kicks and plunges as long as he can hold his bi'eath ; and since he holds his breath all the time, it is an operation M'hich cannot last long. A horse cannot plunge more than five or six times before he must pause to breathe ; and if he be unsuccessful, and the rider remains firmly seated on his back, his next attempt will be shorter, and he will soon give it up altogether. If, however, the rider should be un- horsed, the animal will try the experiment again as vigorously as possible. With a plunging horse, the rider must take firm hold with his legs, and take care that the horse, in getting his head down does not draw the rider's body forward. There is no danger of the horse rearing ; and therefore, if the body be kept well back, and jhe horse held firmly, the rider will maintain his seat, and the horse, if young, (that is, when breaking) may perhaps attempt to plunge for two or three days, but with decreased violence every successive time. One principal care of the rider should be, to hold the horse firmly so as to prevent him throwing himself down, which, should the animal get his head loose, would be very likely to occur. A horse, with proper treatment, seldom plunges violently. There are, however, sometimes seen aged horses, which may be called vicious plungers. When one of this description com- mences plunging, the rider may sit out the fit of plunging, if he thinks proper ; but if he foi'ce the horse into a gallop after the first or second plunge, the business will be sooner brought to a conclusion, and with less risk to the rider. If the situation hap- pen to be convenient, I would gallop the horse for half a mile or more, and give him the steel and the lash very freely for the first two hundred yards. He will not be much inclined to plunge after- wards with the same rider. I have seen some brutes, when they could plunge no longer, make every effort to throw themselves down, and thus, if possible, to fall upon their rider. Generally speaking, however, horses are afraid of falling ; and even when they throw themselves down in plunging, it helps to subjugate them. But the moment they are on their legs, the rider should be on their back. THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 207 ROAD RIDING. In giving instructions for the accomplishment of any art or science, what may be called (for want of a better expression) the precision of systematic description becomes absolutely requisite, in order to impress clear and distinct ideas on the reader's mind, and consequently to avoid that confusion which could scarcely fail to arise from any other method. But, although such a plan appeared the best calculated to answer the object in view, it is highly proper, in this place, to observe, that, after the pupil has studied all the foregoing lessons, and comes to apply them to practice on the road, or in the ordinary occurrences of life, it is not expected that under every circumstance, he should rigidly adopt the formality or stiffness of the school, which, however advisable throughout the probationary period, should become ease and gracefulness there- after. The lessons are the rudiments and essential principles; which, in after practice, are to constitute the system, but charac- terized by an easy elegance, which shall, at the same time, give confidence and security to the rider. Those who are employed by horse dealers to shew horses are hastily thought, at least by those who are ignorant of the true and beautiful art of horsemanship, to ride well. These are mostly persons who have, from early life, been about horses, and thus acquire confidence, while constant practice gives them a firm seat. Their object is to shew the horse, as they think, to the best ad- vantage, which, with them, constitutes the very acme of perfection in riding. For this purpose, they sit as stiffly as possible, divide the reins, place their hands low, and keep the horse's nose down, and drive him forward, with the spurs, as fast as possible. This method answers the dealer's purpose, since many of the horses, thus exhibited, are lame or unsound in some respect, and by this means their imperfections are much less discernible. In the previous pages I have had occasion to notice grooms, and I must here again observe, that these persons, from constant practice, ought to ride well, and most of them do acquire a firm steady seat, while very few seem to understand the skilful opera- tion of the hands ; and hence may be perceived the reason of the difficulty they experience in the management of an unruly horse : further, many of them handle a quiet horse so roughly as to ren- der him restless and impatient, which often ends in a contest. Many high bred, well fed horses, manifest a spirit consonant with their breeding and condition ; and though they may be checked by a harsh severe hand, are nevertheless irritated by it. The rider becomes irritated also by the impatience to which he has 208 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. provoked the horse — he therefore apphes the spurs, the horse be- comes more violent and ungovernable, and a contest is the result, which does not always end in the defeat of the horse ; and in- deed, end how it may, the horse's temper is soured by the circum- stance, and, if violent means be continued, the horse is ruined. The mild, but effective, operation of the hand should render the horse obedient, and it should, at the same time, be characterized by ease, delicacy, and elegance. Under such circumstances, if the horse has been irritated, his temper cools by degrees ; and there are few horses so violent, hot, and impatient, that will not be restrained by these means. Keeping in mind and acting upon the principles of horseman- ship already laid down, the rider on the road should fall into an easy elegant flexibility, agreeable alike to himself and to the ani- mal that carries him : but by no means to suffer inattentive or awkward habits to creep upon him ; such as the back to become round, the shoulders to move up and down, the hand to describe a sort of see-saw, the legs to vibrate, &;c. circumstances which may be witnessed every day. Let the writer unite system with ease and elegance. To those who merely walk the horse on the road, no observa- tion is necessary here after what has been already stated ; but as there are few but wish to proceed more speedily, the walk can be easily extended to the trot, which is uncomfortable and rough till the horse trots out sufficiently to enable the rider to rise. The action of the horse will so palpably point out to the rider the pre- cise moment to rise in the saddle, that it is quite unnecessary to describe it. The faster the horse goes in the trot, the pleasanter the pace. Considerable difference, however, will be found in the action of horses : — some have a short quick step ; others a long step, and consequently not so quick ; the former are more pleasant to ride : yet the latter go well enough, if their action be light. But when a horse goes with a long, lounging, sluggish motion, as may be generally observed in carriage horses, they make unplea- sant hackneys. Hence it may easily be perceived, that gig horses, &c. are very often but indifferent for the saddle. In the trot, the action of the horse, assisted by a little effort of your own, should raise you from the saddle ; and in this pace, your body should incline a little forward, which is the most grace- ful, the most easy, and the safest position. The foot with which the horse leads is the one to which you are to rise ; in fact, you cannot rise to the other ; but as the action will be found more pleasant when the horse leads with the off" foot, so, should he lead with the near foot, you can easily rein him in ; and in again pressing him forward, draw the left rein a little tighter than the other, at the same time pressing your left leg THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 209 against the horse's side, a Httle behind the girth, and he will not fail to lead with the off leg. The rise and return of the body should be regular, easy, smooth, and even. In trotting, consider- able pressure is made on the stirrup ; but the knee should be firmly pressed, since the safety of the rider, in case of accident, depends mainly upon it. Should the horse happen to change legs, the rider must take the corresponding motion. It will be found that the horse will take a support from the hand, corresponding to the pace which he is going ; and the sup- port from the hand should be firm, but easy, in pleasant accord- ance with the action of the horse. If he be curbed up too tight, he cannot take the requisite support, and is consequently impeded in his motion. But any person of common sense will be able to form a better opinion, in this respect, for himself, than can be placed before his eyes upon paper. Trotting, I consider, the pace best calculated for the road ; it is the safest, as the horse is less liable to stumble or fall, when trotting well out, than in any other pace. Moreover, it is less fatiguing to the horse than the canter, or short gallop. Yet, in going a journey, it is advisable to walk a little sometimes, as well as to canter, since it acts as a relief both to the horse and his rider. The full gallop on the road cannot be recommended, for rea- sons too obvious to need enumeration ; but since there are persons who prefer the short gallop or canter to the trot, it may be requi- site to say a few words on the subject. The canter is a pleasant, graceful pace, and generally said to be easier than the trot, though I prefer the latter for road riding ; but a horse cannot be so safe in the canter, as in the trot, unless he raises his fore feet high, which retai'ds his progressive motion. The canter I consider as the ladies' pace, which I shall not fail to notice under the head—- Ladies' Riding. RUNNING AWAY. It may be easily perceived that a horse given to running away, is not only an unpleasant, but a very dangerous, animal. How- fever, it may be very truly observed, that if the horse has a proper mouth, he cannot run away with a rider who possesses but a tri- fling knowledge of horsemanship. When a horse gets the mastery [on the road, and runs away with his rider, the most dangerous [consequences may be anticipated ; and therefore, a horse of this description ought never to be ridden on the road, at least till he '2 D 210 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. has been cured of this pernicious habit, and even not then unless by a good horseman. Manege riders pretend that no horse can run away ; and I am wilHng to admit that horses used for that description or branch of the art of equitation, could not, as the mouth of a manege horse is rendered so delicate that the most trifling force is sufficient to stop him. It must not be forgotten that a horse used for the manege, is by no means calculated for road riding, as his natural, useful, and proper paces become thus utterly destroyed. See the article — The Manege. Horses properly broke, and ridden with a hght hand, will not become runaways ; but, when from improper management in breaking, or having been ridden for some time by heavy insen- sible hands, the horse's mouth becomes callous, he will, if a spirited animal, be apt to run away. The harder you pull, the faster such animals go. In such cases, the utmost exertions must be made to unite them, that is, pull them together for the purpose of shorten- ing their stride or stroke, and thus ultimately stop them : this con- sists in repeated efforts to raise the head and get the haunches under them, which diminishes the power of the horse, and gives the hand the ascendancy. Bear a little on the stirrup, grasp well with the knees, and, having the reins separated, throw your body back with all your weight and strength, allowing your hands to assume a firm upward operation for the purpose of getting the horse's head up : the instant this is performed, bring the body upright, that the hands may be eased, and the following is the effect of the operation : — the throwing the whole weight of the body forcibly back, the hands at the same time raising the head, produces a considerable check, upon the progressive force of the horse, it shortens his step, and the body becoming instantly upright, the horse is deprived of the support he derived from the hand, which deters him from extending himself so freely as before, at least on the instant. Repeat the same process immediately, and the third or fourth effort will scarcely fail to bring the horse well in hand, so that you can completely stop him, if you think proper. Be mindful to leave as little interval as possible between your efforts, lest the horse should recover one check before you give him another — moreover, let the pulls be resolute and determined : and they should be so timed as to correspond with the step or motion of the horse. When to the bridoon rein is attached a sharp twisted snaffle, sawing the horse's mouth from right to left, will generally stop him. It might be supposed that no horse could run away when he was well curbed up, the curb having a considerable length of branch; nor are there many that can. Yet there are horses. THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 211 which either by getting the bit in their teeth, and thus preventing its due operation, or by some other means, contrive to acquire the ascendancy, and run away. I once purchased a very fine bay horse at a low price, which was sold on account of his high spirit. He was certainly a very spirited animal, though very good tem- pered ; but having been improperly broke, and afterwards ridden by a timid horseman, he had become unruly, and disposed to run away ; and, from the state of his mouth, it was no easy matter to stop him. He was a very strong, powerful horse, nearly thorough- bred ; and, finding him unruly on the road, and even dangerous, as I happened to live on the coast, I took him down to the sea shore at low water. There were miles of good hard sand in almost every direction ; and he no sooner found himself on the marine savannah, than he manifested every disposition to run away with the utmost violence : therefore, taking him firmly by the head (that is, taking firm hold of the reins, in both hands, separated) I allowed him to stretch away at full speed. He went with uncommon resolution and spirit for two miles or more, when I perceived him slacken his pace, and at the end of the third mile, he would have given in ; however, I pressed him mildly forward for about another mile, when he very willingly gave in. On the following day, I took him again to the same place, and he evinced no disposition to run away. But he started very spiritedly, on tri- fling animation, and I took him the four mile heat again. He never afterwards attempted to run away with me, but he was not to be trusted with a timid or unskilful rider. Some horses will run away, when too tightly curbed ; their mouths are thus rendered uneasy, the operation of the curb is destroyed, and they are enabled to effect their purpose. When a person becomes possessed of a hard mouthed horse, he may render him lighter and more pleasant in hand by riding him according to the instructions given in preceding pages ; a light and lively hand renders a callous or hard mouth sensitive, and susceptible of feeling. But, if it be wished to render the horse's mouth sensitive by other means, I know of none so effec- tual, easy, and consequently advisable as placing him on the bit for an hour or two, or three, every day for a week, or according to circumstances. The bit should be wrapped round with flannel or wool ; the horse will continue to play with it, and it will have the desired effect. The head of the horse is of course made fast on each side ; but the mode of placing a horse on the bit in the stable is too well understood by every groom and stable boy, to need description in this place. At the first blush of the case, it may seem strange that a soft material, like flannel or wool, should render the mouth of a horse tender ; but such is the case : it operates on the mouth with a 212 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. degree of irritability or tickling, by which the hps of the horse are excited to continued motion, and the object is thus accomphshed. SHYING IN HORSES. Having already noticed the affected shying of restive horses, it will be necessary also to mention that there are horses which either from timidity of disposition, or other cause, are very apt to shy on the road : and, on such occasions, the ignorant and the hot tempered are very apt to have recourse to the whip and spur, which is the worst plan that can be adopted. When a horse shies, he should be spoken to in a soothing tone, tapped on the neck, and allowed to look at the object of his alarm for some seconds. He will then approach nearer to it, and will pass it. Nor should he be pressed too close to it the first time, unless his alarm so far subsides by looking at it, that this can be done by coaxing, not by coercive means. If a horse shies at any particular object, a windmill for instance, he should be treated in the manner already described, and in addition, the rider should contrive to pass it frequently, and allow the horse each time to pause and view it ; by which means he will not only pass it without notice, but may be ridden up close to the very sails. On the contrary, if, under such circumstances, the whip and spurs be freely applied, as is too often the case, it will add terror to the horse's already excited alarm : — he may be thus compelled to rush by it; while every time that or a similar object appears before him, he expects the whip and spurs ; thus bad is made worse, and the horse pei'haps spoiled, if he do not throw his rider. When a horse shies with me, I speak to him soothingly, &c. and if I conveniently can, I pause and coax the animal till he ap- proaches quite close to the object, and becomes convinced that he has nothing to fear from it. A horse, treated in this manner, will not shy again at any thing similar ; further, if this principle be steadily and good temperedly acted upon, the horse will aban- don shying in a great degree, if not altogether. Let it be well remembered, that a shying horse is as different as possible from a restive horse : the former is remarkable for good temper and a very ti-actable disposition ; the latter for cowardly cunning, and a most treacherous disposition. It is cruel in the extreme to urge a horse violently, with steel and the lash, up to an object which terrifies him : when the busi- ness can be so much better accomplished by mildness and gentle treatment. Indeed, in the management of horses, coercion should THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 213 never be applied but when it is rendered indispensably neces- sary. Spirited horses, in high condition, will start at the sudden flight of a small bird from the hedge, or any similar trifle ; but as there is not the least manifestation of vice in such an occurrence, the rider should not quarrel with his horse on that account : if he should be unwise enough to apply the lash or spur, the next time a similar circumstance happens, the start of the horse will be much more forcible (as he expects the whip and spurs again) and the rider may be thrown out of his seat — perhaps to the ground. Those who ride such horses should be prepared for little occur- rences of this sort, and, at all events, not sufler themselves to be irritated by them. The horse is an animal, which is grateful for kind treatment ; and I never recollect riding a horse for any length of time that would not follow me in a very friendly manner. I never had one which kicked at me when I was thrown (as I have been many times when following the hounds) ; on the contrary, when the horse has been uppermost, and been compelled to place his feet upon me, he has always borne lightly, and removed them as soon as possible. It is no uncommon occurrence for young horses to shy at meet- ing stage coaches, and if they are improperly treated, they become troublesome and dangerous. A horse, which is afraid of meeting a coach, should be frequently ridden where they pass. He should follow and accompany them for some distance — when the coach stops, he should be ridden round it; and when meeting it, he should not be urged too near it : he should be uniformly soothed, and in a short time the object will be completely accomplished. I believe all horses manifest alarm on passing the dead body of one of their own species. I never recollect riding a horse past his dead brother horse, but symptoms of dread were evinced. RIDING TO HOUNDS. If I except a short essay upon the subject which appeared in the " Sportsman's C?/clopcedia," whatever has been presented ,to the public, through the medium of the press, on Riding to Hounds, has been evidently put together by men who had never crossed a country — men who had perhaps never seen a pack of hounds. Adams describes the manege system correctly ; but as the Terre-a-terre, the Balotade, and the Capriole, form the very antipodes of Riding to Hounds, so when he comes to speak of Hunting, he is most completely at fault. It is true, he does not say much on the subject, but quite sufficient to shew that he 214 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. knows noihing about it. Mr. John Allen, Riding-master, Sey- mour Place, Bryanstone Square, has merely copied what Adams said upon the subject ; in fact, his book is a garbled copy of Adams s worJi. While Mr. John Lawrence, in his garrulous pub- lication, entitled " The Horse in all his Varieties and Uses," &c. &c. thus expresses himself: — speaking of the flying leap, he says, " It may be often necessary to touch your horse with the spur or whip towards the finish of his leap, in order to make him clear his hinder legs !" Again, he remarks, " Creeping, which signifies driving a horse a considerable length through brakes, thorns, and briars ; the impression of these upon the horse's skin and iiesh, aided by that of the spurs, no doubt vigorously given, must leave the animal in a most comfortable plight, and his skin in a rare state for the subsequent application of the currycomb and brush, more especially should he be high bred and thin skinned." Much more ridiculous nonsense might be quoted from the book in question; but quite sufficient is presented to the reader to &hew as clear as possible that Mr. Lawrence is most profoundly ignorant of the subject upon which he presumes to give instructions through the medium of the press. He is one of the most contemptible of literary drivellers ; and when he speaks of horsemanship, it is something like a dealer in matches calling himself a timber merchant ! He knows not the difference between creeping and screwing, and yet pretends to give instructions for riding to hounds, which, it is clear, he never attempted during the course of his life. Screiving, however, which he calls creeping, is not attended with cruelty, as might be inferred from his silly observations. There are many sportsmen, who would most likely throw the book away in disgust after reading such absurd and ignorant non- sense ! — such gross and absolute rubbish ! I never thought very highly of any of the writings of this gentleman which have fallen under my observation ; but his remarks on the subject under con- sideration may be regarded as the very acme of presumptuous ignorance and arrogant stupidity. If a person assume the office of teacher of horsemanship, he ought to possess some trifling knowledge at least of the art or science of riding : this, however, is not the case with Mr. John Lawrence : he presumes to give instructions upon Riding to Hounds, a task which, / think, he never undertook ; which, I feel well assured, he never performed. With what contempt his observations on hunting must be vievv^ed by Sir H. Goodricke, Lord Alvanley, Sir John Kaye, Lord Gardner, Lord Rokeby, Sir J. Musgrove, Sir BeUingham Graham, Lord Anson, and indeed by erery person who has fol- lowed hounds. As to professed riding masters in general, they rarely appear THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 215 in the hunting field, and if they should venture upon such an expedition, it is mere!}' to the fixture, or place of meeting ; or, if with harriers, they may potter about the lanes, and thus perhaps get an occasional glimpse of the turnings and windings of the run. Nor indeed, if we reason upon the matter, can more be expected from them ; the system of horsemanship which they practise in the school being utterly at variance with the principle or method of riding to hounds. The stiff and perpendicular position, with the stirrup just reached by the toe, or the ball of the foot, may do very well for the manege, where the horse is constantly on his haunches, but it will not answer over a country. Even when leaping in the riding school, the operation is conducted on mecha- nical principles ; the horse is trained for the purpose, is brought steadily to the bar, the motion is anticipated in the mind of the rider, and therefore all proceeds with the utmost regularity. The business, hov/ever, assumes a very different aspect when following a pack of fleet fox-hounds, the best pace, over eight, ten, or twelve miles of country; in which case, all kinds of jumps and situations are presented, and the riding master not at hand to give his instructions : — nor indeed, if he were, has the fox hunter time to listen to them. The lessons of the riding school are all very well in their way ; but as I never yet met with a pro- fessed riding master who understood crossing a country, I feel persuaded, that, after a pupil has passed through the probation of the riding school, he still has the business of riding to hounds to acquire in the field. Crossing a country requires a good look out, a cool head, firm nerves, and determined resolution. Few persons ride well to hounds, because they do not study the subject ; which, after all, is not so difficult as is generally imagined. There is another class of equestrians upon whom I shall devote a few observations in this place : I mean those who exhibit in the Circus. Persons who do not understand the subject would hastily suppose, that circus riders are the first horsemen in the world — and so they are in their own way, and yet are most profoundly ignorant of the beauty and true principles of horsemanship. Horses used in the circus are trained for the purpose, and into their education is infused as much of the manege system as will give an imposing effect to the performances in which they are introduced. Such of these horses as are used for carrying a per- son round the circle or ring are selected for their strength and steadiness : they are well drilled into that style of going best cal- culated for the purpose, and the various attitudes in which the rider places himself, and the feats of dexterity which he performs, give an imposing and an interesting effect to the spectacle. Ducrow, who seems to have attained the perfection of his art, leaves all his competitors at an immeasurable distance ; nor can 216 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. any person witness his performance without experiencing sensa- tions of pleasure and surprise. Yet all this amounts to nothing as far as relates to hounds ; and for the best possible reason — the system of the one is essentially different from that of the other : — the principles of circus riding cannot be applied to the field. Riding well to hounds constitutes the excellence of horseman- ship ; and I strongly advise the reader to peruse very carefully what I have said of the use of the stirrup (see No. 1. p. 46) since it is in direct opposition to what has ever appeared in print on the subject (except in the short essay in the " Sportsmaiis Cyclo- pcBcUa") but which I am well convinced, from actual experience and long practice, is correct, and will be found so by all those who will take the trouble to try the experiment. To talk of a firm hold by the muscles ,of the thighs, which is constantly in the mouth of professed riding masters, is an evident absurdity, since the utmost that can be effected with the thighs is merely to press them close to the saddle : — the thighs are utterly incapable of any muscular hold. When mounted for the chase (and indeed for the road also) the rider's stirrup should be of that length, that when his foot is home in it, he feels he can grasp firmly with the knee and the calf of the leg, without elevating his thighs so as to place his seat too far back on the saddle. This is by far the most secure and the best seat on horseback ; but, above all, in hunting the rider will find that the complete closeness of his seat can never be so well attained in any other position. If, on the contrary, he assume the manege seat — the stirrup (with the toe in it) so long as to cause him to present nearly a perpendicular position — his heel sunk as much as possible, and his toe conse- quently raised, by which his limbs become so stretched that he loses all lateral pressure: — I say, let him try this mode of riding to hounds against the other, and then judge for himself. I have met with timid riders who have been fearful of placing their foot home in the stirrup, lest, in case of a tumble, their foot should become entangled. To those who feel any alarm on this score, I would recommend the use of the drop stirrup, and also the spring bar at the saddle, by which an accident of this sort is rendered impossible. The spring bar and the drop stirrup are as eligible for riding as the common stirrup and bar ; and in case of a fall (as I have observed in preceding pages) the rider cannot be dragged. A shght inspection of these articles, which may be seen at any sadler's shop, will convince any person of the truth of what I have stated, which I know to be correct from more than one practical experiment. It is not possible to ride to fox hounds in the position of the (To be continued.) THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET, AND Town and Country Magazine. Vol. I. FEBRUARY, 1833. No. 4. Summary of the Season, with Illustrative Observatio7is. February 1. — The shooting season must be considered at an end, as far at least as relates to game, strictly speak- ing ; or, to be more explicit, as the pui'- suit of the grouse closed in the month of December, the partridge and the phea- sant are legally protected after the ex- piration of January. Woodcocks and snipes may still be sought : they are con- sidered exotics, and are therefore shot, if met with, till the advance of spring forbids further sporting perambulations. The snipe, however, is not exactly a foreigner ; for, although the greater part of these birds leave this country at the end of winter, many continue with us all the year, and breed in the exten- sive marshes in various parts of the kingdom. The same remarks will not apply to the woodcock : although a bird of similar habits and similar form to the snipe, they uniformly leave this country for the purpose of nestling, unless where it has happened that they have been rendered incapable of the long flight across the trackless ocean. Woodcocks have been scarce through- out the winter : very few made their ap- pearance till the beginning of Decem- ber, when the great flight arrived ; and, from that period till the end of the month, the best woodcock shooting was obtained. The weather, particularly up to the end of the year, was open and tine ; but nuichrain fell during the months of No- vember and December, and rendered the country deep and heavy almost be- yond comparison. Such a state may be said to be favourable to the opei-ations oF the sportsman, and such it certainly is to his uninterrupted career ; but, at the same time, it must be allowed, that it renders feathered game wild and un- approachable, and is an almost insur- mountable obstacle to those extraordi- naiy runs either with greyhounds, liar- riei-s, or fox hounds, which constitute the extreme delight of the sportsman, and form a never-ending theme of in- teresting discussion. The courser, and those who follow hounds (whether harriers or fox hounds) may calculate on good runs during the present month, as the objects of pursuit, as well as the animals by which they are followed, will have attained superior condition for speed and endurance. Those who pursue wildfowl (in which very few genuine sportsmen can be in- cluded) have reaped but a slender har- vest ; as, owing to the mildness of the season, few of these birds have been in- duced to leave their more northei'n abodes to visit this country. Sunday, the 30th of December, was remarkable for the fineness of the wea- ther, and even for the warmth of the mid-day sun : — in crossing some fields in the neighbourhood of my residence, T observed a covey of partridges which were evidently preparing for that quar- relsome dispersion which immediately precedes courtship ; a striking proof of the influence of the season. Leverets may be very confidently ex- pected at an earlier period than usual. In the month of November, I ob- served some of the higher Derbyshire hills slightly powdered with snow. On the night of the 30th of December, there was a heavy fall of snow in the north and north-western parts of the kingdom ; it was drifted by the wind, and filled the ditches, but disappeared in the course of the following day. 2 E 218 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. FOX HOUNDS and FOX HUNTING. {Continued from p. 156.) On Tuesday, December 3i*d, the hounds of Sir T. Stanley met at Ince, and had good diversion : a dipping run of something more than one hour, to ground : a numerous and well-mounted field — '■'■led,as usual," by Mr. JohnAs- pinall. On Friday, Dec. 6, the fixture was Bebbington, a pretty village on the main road between Birkenhead and Chester. The morning was frosty, with a degree of rawness in the impres- sion of the atmosphere, which indicated bad scent. That good-tempered gentle- man, whose name I have just men- tioned, was, however, "as usual," in high spirits, and, as we rode to the place of meeting, eager expectation sparkled in his eye, while he gaily re- marked, " the scent will be good, the barometer is high!" After waiting a few minutes in the village, which was thronged with sports- men, the hounds came up, followed by the master of them, when the word was given for Stourton covers, which con- sist of a succession of fine fir woods, well clothed in many parts by heath; and, being situated on dry eminences, afford excellent shelter for foxes. It is well that such protection is afibrded to these interesting animals on this part of the property of the worthy Baronet, the master of the hounds, since a family of inveterate vulpicedes resides in the im- mediate vicinity of Stourton, and acquire — not a very enviable distinction, by their avowed hostility to foxes, and con- sequently to fox hunters. Some months ."igo, I happened to meet with the semi- patriarch of this united band of vulpi- cedes, and incidentally mentioning foxes, I perceived an instantaneous alteration in his countenance: — his face did not lengthen ; but the ruddy blush of health forsook his cheek, his eye assumed a vindictive glare, while his utterance be- came indistinct from the rising choler which impeded its progress : — an ac- knowledged vulpicede stood before me ! — what an admirable subject for the pencil of Cruikshanks!* — Whenever I happen to meet with a determined ene- my to fox hunting, if he be not a luna- tic, or an absolute madman, I regard him as a being isolated in his fe#Mngs — feelings utterly at variance with the ge- nuine impressions of human nature. To demonstrate the truth of this posi- tion, let us only for a moment attend to the circumstances of riding to the fix- ture, where every person you meet, male and female, regards you with the most interesting attention, and frequently eager enquiries are made as to the place of meeting. If, during the run, renard happens to lead his pursuers through a village, how its inhabitants throng to their doors ! women with infants in their arms, as well as jiersons decrepid from age ! Who ever attended foxhounds without observing a number of pedes- trians, some stationed on rising ground or hills, others determined to follow as far as they could on foot .' On the return home, how often is the anxious inquiry made — " Have you killed, Sir ?" ^c. &c. Further, if you meet, in the even- ing, or on the following day, with tradesmen or others, whose avocations prevent them from following the chase, who perhaps never saw a pack of fox- hounds, how pleasingly interested they evidently appear during a recital of the find, the run, &c. Such is the general, the all-predominant, feeling in favour of foxhunting : hence it results that vulpi- cedes are isolated creatures, who, as the song says, should be " sent to some dis- tant shore, or solitary cell," as they are utter strangei's to sociality or kind- heartedness. Speaking of the semi-patriarchal vulpicede to a gentleman, on my return home, he said, he knew him, and was aware of his inveterate hatred to the animal which affords the most sterling and the best diversion in the world : he proceeded — -"A few j'eai's ago, my groom paid his addresses to a maid ser- vant belonging to the vulpicede's estab- * I have observed wit and humour in many of the productions of Cruick- shanks ; while Aiken's attempts amount to nothing more than wretchedly miser- able abortions. THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 219 lishmdnt (we reside at no great distance from each other;) and soon became aware of tlie hostile feelings of the mas- ter, to a greater extent than I had my- self suspected. He found that the vul- picede was quite willing to pay one gui- nea for an old fox, and twelve shillings for every cub which could be brought him. My groom was fond of fox hunt- ing ; but happening to meet with a dead fox, obtained a guinea for it immedi- ately : he was lucky enough to find ano- ther on the sea shore, which had appa- rently been washed up by the tide : this was cheerfully received on the same terms. The breeding season approach- ed : — the groom had, by this time, ma- tured his plan — he had established a con- nexion with some persons suited to his purpose in the mountainous district of Wales, where foxes are numerous, and where there are no fox hounds to pursue them(the nature of the countiy not admit- ting it) : he thus drove a profitable trade for some time, till the vulpicede j^erceiving foxes more numerous than ever in that part whence he thought those had been procured which he had purchased, sus- pected the groom had outwitted him, and very ill-temperedly declined further business in fox buying." To return. — The hounds were thrown in to the lower of the successive range of covers, and spoke not a word — I scarcely remember to have seen this cover drawn blank before. The next cover was tried, when several foxes were soon on foot. — It became evident the scent was bad, and the foxes seemed unwilling to leave the wood. I ob- served a fine old dog fox cross an inter- secting lane, and make off in a direction -towards the Mount — the hounds never got upon the line of him. Several foxes still remained in cover ; and after great exertions on the part of the bounds and their attendants, a fox went away from the lower end of the wood ; but the hounds could scarcely recognize the scent : they did not open : Brilliant tried hard for it : she led the pack across sevei-al fields, gave tongue, and the cho- rus swelled upon the breeze — but not full : the hounds picked a cold scent (the fox leaning to the right) till they reached the Mount ; and, after some unsatisfac- tory dodging, went away for Stanley Gorse, where another fox (or two) was disturbed. Without scent hounds can- not hunt, and therefore operations were suspended. However, as Sir Thomas purposed to give Pooton Wood a rattle, on his way home, for the purpose of disturbing the foxes, with which it was known to be stocked, part of the field accompanied the hounds to it. Pooton Wood forms a strong hold for foxes : it consists of an abrupt valley or ravine, extending for nearly a mile, the sides of which are thickly clothed with strong brushwood and stunted trees ; a brook flows down the bottom of the valley, difficult to get over from the bogginess of its banks. To ride through Pooton Wood is a very troublesome and a very unpleasant task — further, I scarcely ever knew a fox to leave this almost impenetrable fastness, and go fairly away : on the contrarj', the Pooton Wood foxes, if forced into the open country by the hounds, cross a field or two, and return to their strong hold. I have frequently witnessed seve- ral hours thus spent to no purpose : from the nature of the cover, foxes can tire out the hounds with little trouble to themselves. When, therefore, the word was given for Pooton Wood, it operated like a wet blanket on a part of the field, while Messrs. Peel, Aspinall, Scholes, &c. took up their position on a hill which commanded an extensive view of the wood, and I joined them. Others rode to the opposite side. The hounds soon found ; I could distinctly see them I'at- tlina: their fox backward and forward. The air felt cold, at least to a person who might be said to continue station- ar}\ The business proceeded for some time in the same way ; I therefore turned the head of my mare home- wards. I trotted away for the village of Bebbington ; I passed through it, when I could hear the hounds, at some distance, as if they were bringing the chase from the bottom of Pooton Wood. I had not pi'oceeded many yards beyond the vil- lage, when renard crossed the road ; and, as I had no doubt the hounds were on the line of him, I hallooed with all my might : — Joe Howard (the first whip) was soon up with the leading hounds. The scent, which was bad iu 220 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. the morning, had very much improved, and the hounds went away at a chpping rate, pointing for Stouvton. The run to Stourton was pretty. The fox was rat- tled through the cover, and he made his way over the lower grounds. Night was fast approaching ; but the hounds continued to run. It became dusk ; I gave it up, and was informed, the same evening, that the hounds were stopped, a few minutes afterwards, near the vil- lage of Woodchurch, after a good nm of one hour and five minutes. Beckford sa3s, one of the best view halloos he ever heard v/as given by an owl ; but I suppose these birds of night are not nu- merous in this part of the country, as a fair opportunity was offered for a similar signal. FoUovv'ing hounds at night is not quite to my taste • it then becomes a dark business, where the assistance of a candle and lantern cannot be conveni- ently applied. This was one of the very few foxes which have been known to leave Pooton AVood. On this subject, Mr. Humble made a judicious remark. He was of opinion that the fox did not belong to Pooton Wood ; but had come from Stourton when the hounds drew those covers in the morning : this idea seems to be confirmed by the manner in which he ran. It was a long, fatiguing day ; yet, although the scent was so ver}- indiffer- ent in the morning that the hounds could not run their fox, good diversion was afterwards obtained, which rendered the day satisfactoiy. On Tuesday, Dec. 11, these hounds met at Hinderton. The wind blew from the west, rain descended in the early part of the morning, but by nine o'clock appearances indicated a fine day. I had to ride a considerable distance to the place of meeting, was rather late when I started, and was not well acquainted •with the road. I had ridden, as I sup- posed, seven miles, when, upon inquiry from a female, I was told that I had still six miles to go before I reached Hinderton. I thought I must have mis- taken the way, when I observed a scar- let coat before me. I put forward, and found it to be iSIr. George Aspinall, ■who very kindly accommodated me with what a North Briton \\ould de- nominate a dram : — it came very oppor- tunely. The hounds proceeded to di-aw Raby Gorse, where they did not find : the gorse had been burnt — about two years since, I should su])pose, from its appear- ance, and had, therefore, scarcely ac- quired suflicient growth to afford the requisite retreat for foxes. We drew several smaller covers, and at length reached Shrewsbury Gorse, which did not produce a fox : this seemed strange, as Shrewsbury Gorse is a fine cover, and no country was ever better stocked with foxes than Sir Thomas Stanley's at this moment. The hounds were thrown into a plan- tation a short distance from Shrewsbury Gorse, where they found. The fox broke near the top of the cover, but re- turned into it. The plantation was nar- row, and it was therefore evident that if renard was determined to keep the cover, it would cost him his life. In less than five minutes, " ^F/ioo Whoop!" rang in my ears — ^it sounded harshly — the fox was killed in cover. The cover being small, probably had it been drawn by two or three couple of hounds, in- stead of the whole pack, it would have afforded a better chance for the fox get- ting away. Not far fi-om this jslantation we found again : and though the scent was not breast high, the hounds went pret- tily away with him : he was a ringing cur, and, in running the circle, brought us to Burton, on the banks of the Dee. He passed through the grounds of Mr. Congreve, where the run became very prett}'. Mr. Humble and several other straight forward horsemen, disdaining to pass through the gate, attempted some raspers in the lower part of these gi'ounds, and the gentleman just mentioned clear- ed the sunken fence, the double rails and all, upon his favourite horsC; Old Jerr}-. The fox seemed as if he was making for a gorse cover on the western side of an abrupt hill, near Burton, but he left it to the right, ringing over the hills in the direction of the wood where he was found. He went through the wood, and got to ground some distance beyond, after a run of nearly one hour, during a great part of which the hounds had to pick a cool scent over rocky and THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 221 unfavoural)le ground. Here he was left. The drain saved hun : the hounds were getting on better terms with him, though the scent was not quite the thing, and I have no doubt would ulti- mately have killed him. There was a good field, which is generally the case with Sir Thomas's houndi ; but, as the run did not afibrd much scope for a display of dashing and superior horsemanship, Messrs. Cockerell, Humble, Peel, Leigh, Ains- worth (from Bolton or its neighbour- hood) Congreve, junior, and others had little opportunity of distinguishing them- selves. There were some superior horses out : Sir Thomas rode a fine bay, which he changed for a beautiful black mare ; she was an old acquaintance, and yet I scarcely knew her, as, in changing mas- ters, she had changed her complexion also. Mr. C. Stanley, I suppose, was not mounted to his mind, as he did not go along with his usual vigour and spi- i-it. Mr. Haigh (from Manchester, son of Mr. Haigh, master of a pack of fox- hounds in the southj was mounted on a veiy fine hunting-like nag. Captain Dunn rode a very promising bay mare, which I could perceive he v\-ould have put along in good style had an opportu- nity offered. Sir Thomas Stanley's hounds, up to this period of the season, have had their full share of sport : they are a good pack, as I have previously observed ; they ai'e very handy, and make their own cast in a beautiful manner — I marked this excellent qualit}' in them, particularly on the preceding Friday. Sir Thomas's countiy consists of a peninsula formed by the rivers Dee and Mersey ; and, in length, extends from the ancient city of Chester to the Irish Sea ; wide at the Chester end, and nar- rowing somewhat to a point near Lea- sowe Castle. It is remai-kably well stocked with foxes, as I have before ob- served ; which, from the nature of the country, and the number of covers it contains, are apt to dodge and run in rings : circumstances very imfavourable to hounds — to say nothing of a very considerable quantity of ploughed and alsoof rock}- land. These circumstances are also unfavourable to horses, while the greater part of the fences are as awkward as possible : they consist prin- cipally of large moiddering banks with a hedge on the top of them, and a wide ditch on one side. — A stranger, there- fore, who visits these hounds, will per- haps find it advisable to keep an expe- rienced pilot in his eye. The Baronet himself is seldom far wrong ; Mr. New- ton is a steady rider, and knows the country ; Mr. John Aspinall is v,ell ac- quainted with it ; Mr. Lyon is a steady sportsman ; Mr. Peel has an excellent eye to hounds, and is generally seen well placed ; amongst the impetuous riders I should place Messrs. Cockerell, Humble, Congreve, junior. Senior, and others with whose names I am not ac- quainted. — There are some gentlemen who ride more philosojihically, for in- stance, Mr. Congreve, senior ; Mr. Ball, the writer, an elderly medical gentle- man, &c. A number of pedestrians appear on the field, one in particular, an elderly man, who contrives to shew himself every now and then, during the run, in a good place. He is well acquainted with the country, as well as with the usual running of the foxes ; yet, with these advantages in his favour, it is sur- prising that a man, at his time of life, should get over the countiy with so much persevering activity. I recollect a pedestrian, who, a few years ago, per- formed prodigies with ^Ir. Meynell's hounds ; and, as I knew him well, I purpose, at no distant period, to give a trifling biographical sketch of the man, and of his astonishing perform- ances. Sir Harry Ma'inwaring's Hounds. — On Thursday, Dec. 13, these hounds met at Duddon Heath, and found in Waverton Gorse. The general direc- tion of foxes from this celebrated gorse is for Bheeston, in which there is a queer brook to cross, that many a good sportsman, by landnig in the middle, has been convinced forms a very un- comfortable cold bath. On the present occasion, renard went away ringbig for Tarvin, when he made a sort of a twist back through Traffbrd ; and, from the pace, it was evideni; he could not stand up long before the hounds. The fox endeavoured to reach Picton, but lost 222 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. his life in the attempt : he was killed at Plymston, after an absolute race of fifty minutes ! in which the greater part of field were dead heat ! Hooton Lodge was the fixture for Sir T. Stanley's hounds on Friday, Dec. 14 ; and I was glad to see Mr. M'Dou- gal again on the field ; Mr. James Tomkinson, from Daneham, who gener- ally attends the hounds of Sir Harry Mainwaring, a good sportsman and a gentleman, made his appearance on this occasion. — The field made a gay, a bril- liant, appearance ; and I thought that the very worthy Baronet himself seemed in higher spirits than usual. We drew for half an hour perhaps, and this brought us to a fine gorse cover on the banks of the Mersey, not far from East- ham ferry, which I never recollect to have seen drawn blank. The hounds had not been in it more tlian a few se- conds, v.'hen a challenge was heard — it was good : the delightful chorus increas- ed — the fox was on foot. He seemed unwilling to leave his hiding place : he traversed the cover for a few minutes, and then went away in the face of the whole field. He did not, as foxes gen- erall}^ do, skulk off, or creep slily away ; but like an old stager, who knew liis game, and had made up his mind for his points, he would not be headed back — he faced us boldly and made olF. Mr. J. Aspinall declared he was an old ac- quaintance ; he had known him well (he said) for three years : at all events, he was a very fine dog fox, bulky, darker coloured than usual, and with a remark- ably long tag to his tail, a proof that he was no cub. The hounds flew out of cover, and were very soon on the line of him : they went away at a good pace. Tlie fox skirted Hooton Park, which he no doubt tried to enter through some loop holes, which, however, were stop- ped. He then bent his course to the right, pointing for the village of Eastham ; but, finding he could not live in the open country before his fleet pursuers, he tui'ned to the left, and came up to the western side of the park wall, the hounds at no great distance from him. Renard contrived, by a tremendous jump and a scramble up, to get over the wall, which is nine feet high ! and up came the pack : — after three desperate efforts, Brilliant got over the wall ; not one of the other hounds could manage it : a door was opened for them. The fox passed close to Hooton Hall, in a sort of semi-circle, and then set to work dodging in the numerous and extensive plantations which surround and orna- ment the beautiful park. He was re- peatedly forced out ; and it soon be- came evident, that, although the hounds could cany the scent in the open covm- try, they were uniformly brought to very cool hunting among the faded and fallen leaves, with which the plantations were thickly strewn. Several times the fox crossed a part of the park ; several times he ran for a considerable distance on the sandy shoi"e of the Mersey, and when pressed, made again for tlie plantations, as if he were perfectly conscious how to make the most of every advantage for the purpose of baffling the hounds. At one time, he was forced away in the di- rection of Chester for some distance, but returned in defiance of every obstacle. Thus the business had continued from eleven o'clock till half-past two, when the hounds run him from the Chester road, in the direction of the gorse cover where he was found, to within half a mile of it, and could carry the scent no farther. It was evident, from the work- ing of the hounds, that the fox had tried a drain, which was so far choaked up as to render his ingress impossible : — yet the hounds could not hit him off. Intelligence was brought that he had taken shelter in the garden of Archdea- con Clark ; and, if so, he must have doubled short back. Davies, the lumts- man, could not credit this • the hounds made their own cast ; the huntsman cast them : it would not do ; and, after the lapse of ten or fifteen minutes. Sir Thomas desired Davies to try the Arch- deacon's garden. The hounds no sooner entered it, than it was discovered wily re- nard had certainly sought the benefit of clergy. The fact is, he had lain down in the garden, and, by resting himself for fifteen minutes, was prepared for another burst : and one followed. The hounds took him away brilliantly. He skirted the village of Eastham, crossed the lower end of it, and went off straight across the country. From the pace of the hounds, I concluded that death must THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 223 inevitably ensue ; and so it would, had the fox kept on : but, finding himself overmatched, after going straight ahead for some time, he turned to the right, and I thought was making for Pooton Wood. However, that was not his game ; for, after forming a sort of semi- circle, he run directly for the main road, crossing it between the villages of East- ham and Bromboro'. Thence he di- rected his flight for Eastham Wood, thence to the lower grounds, gained, once more, the shore of the river, and entered the wood called the Bousten. He now set to work threading the plan- tations ; and, though he was again forced out for a short distance, he re- entered them, and Mr. Aspinall's old acquaintance was reluctantly given up for want of day light ! During the burst, a young hound (seemingly about nine or ten months old) which was quartered at a farm house, joined the pack, and proved him- self one of the right sort. Some pretty running occurred seve- ral times ; yet the day, on the whole, was rather tedious, long, and fatiguing : it had continued from eleven o'clock till dusk ! I felt the want of a little refresh- ment, which was most generously sup- plied by the kind hearted Baronet, as the road home passed close by his hos- . pitable and beautiful mansion. Mr. Cook was mounted on a fiery steed, who, on one or two occasions, nearly smothered me with dirt in riding through the woods and plantations. Mr. Scholes remarked that the horse was an arrant fool, and would never learn com- mon sense • this gentleman has, per- haps, studied phrenology, and therefore forms his opinion according to the sys- tem of mental philosophy. Be this as it may, the horse is a very fine and a very fleet animal ; but, although he was ridden through last season, still conti- nues impetuous ; I therefore think Mr. Scholes not far wrong in his notions. Mr. Cook is a good horseman ; he must possess a very good temper, and a much more than ordinary share of patience. I was happy to see the worthy and venerable Archdeacon make his ap- pearance — not mounted, as I have seen him a year or two back : he wore, how- ever, the same cheerful smile ; but Time will tell a tale. A good temjiered young man, from Frankfort on the Maine, was out ; and seemed very much to enjoy the genuine English diversion of fox hunting. His name is Betman, and he was very wisely mounted on one of the steadiest hunters in England, a very aged brown horse, lately the property of Mi*. Crossthwaite. I recollect noticing this good tempered exotic before, but as I had no convers- ation with him previously to this day, I was not aware that he had crossed the channel to visit us. As far as ap- pearances will enable a person to form an opinion, he would pass for a legiti- mate son of John Bull; and it is not till you hear his dialect, that you become aware of his foreign origin. He w'ent along, and I have no doubt will soon become a thorough English fox hunter. Mr. Ainsworth was in excellent spi- rits — he was well mounted, and rode, as usual, uncommonly well. He received a bruise on his right eye, owing to the head of his horse coming in contact wdth it : — a mere trifle, " beneath a sportsman's notice." Mr. Peel was in his place, the front: a keen and a good sportsman. On Monday, the 17th December, these hounds met at Pooton. Before I reached this place in company with Messrs. Humble, G. Aspinall, Cocke- rell, &c. I was tolerably well wet through. The quicksilver in the baro- meter had sunk considerably during the previous night, and the morning was very unpromising. The Baronet, how- ever, turned out of his phaeton, with his son Charles, and the hounds pro- ceeded to Stourton. The rain fell at intervals. A fox was found, and went away ; the scent was good ; the hounds went along in the most beautiful and brilliant style : it was a killing pace, which the fox could not long withstand. He pointed for the village of Wood- church; but, finding he could not live before the hounds unless he altered his course, he made for the lower grounds, a short distance (scarcely three hundred yards) before the hounds, and, as the brook had overflown its banks (from the heavy rain of the preceding night) he 224 THE SPORTSMAN S CABINET. traversed the water, wliich brought the hounds to a check : several minutes elapsed, when he was hit off, and ran to ground near the village of Upton. He was bolted, allowed good law ; and, as if aware of the advantage which he derived from running in the edge of the water in the low meadows, he made again for them, and completely baffled the hounds. There was every reason to believe that he had returned to the place where he was found; so it proved; as the hounds ultimately hunted up to the earth, the stopping of which he had contrived to remove, and thus secure himself in his sacred asylum. The field was not nearly so large as usual, owing to the wet and boisterous state of the weather. The banks were very slippery, and a few rolls ensued in consequence. A dirtj'-looking lad who rode a nag be- longing to a dealer navned Powell, got a complete necker: he was rightly served. He rode most outrageouslj', whether for the purpose of exhibiting his own cou- rage, or the abilities of his horse, I know not; but Mi". Powell may rest as- sured, that he must adopt another and a more decorous plan of shewing his nags, if he intends to procure customers for them. On Monday, Dec. 24, the fixture was Thurstaston. The morning was bitterly cold, with wind from the south-east, ac- companied by very heavy rain. The hounds had arrived before us, and were for a few minutes placed in a stable, while the sportsmen endeavoured with a cheering glass to keep out the cold, and which was liberally supplied by that kind, hospitable, and truly English yeoman, Mr. Johnson of Thurstaston. Several small covers on the banks of the Dee, which, it seems, generally hold foxes, were drawn blank: 'Ihese hounds are veiy steady, as I observed several rabbits get up under the very noses of tliem, and mingle with the pack, without being molested. After dodging about for upwards of an hour on as cold a morning as I ever felt, the word was given for Pensby Gorse, whither we accordingly went, and renard was al- most immediately viewed away by Mr. Charles Stanley. The country, owing to the heavy and incessant rain, was distressing beyond measure to the horses ; and the scent was very indiife- rent , yet, notwithstanding these un- toward circumstances, the first three miles of the run was pretty, very pretty, and the fox once more sought the pro- tection of the cover in which we found him. By this time the rain had nearly ceased, but it was cold hunting, and I thought the business of the day con- cluded : — renard, however, was again obliged to leave the cover, and went away, with the hounds tolerably well at him ; and, after a long run of two hours and twenty-five minutes, inier- rupted by several checks, got to earth at Upton. On Thursday, Dec. 27, Sir T. Stan- ley's hounds met at Bromboro' New Lodge ; and proceeded to draw a fine gorse cover in Mr. Mainwaring's park, which did not, on this occasion, hold a fox. The morning was remarkably fine ; the field presented a brilliant ap- pearance ; while the gallant nags, feel- ing the influence of bright weather, were more than usually aniniated : — many of them were playful : the pretty little horse rode by Mr. Ryland appeared very lively : a dim horse, on which Mr. Chilton was mounted, was ill-naturedly so : he shook his rider out of the saddle, and gave him an uglij fall — a fall cannot be called pretty, though it may perhaps be thought picturesque : I was glad to perceive that Mr. Chilton sustained no injury. I would advise him to change his nag, for the horse which he rode this day was no hunter, if an opinion is to be formed from appearances. Mr. Hughes was unlucky enough to plaister his pink with a little more dirt tlian usual. — The hounds reached Pooton Wood, the very name of which sounds chilly, very chilly. It always holds plenty of foxes, as its owner, Mr. Green, who resides close to it, though no fox hunter himself, uniformly testifies the utmost anxiety that no fox should be unfairly treated. A large dog fox (ho saj's) frequently visits his farm yard and premises — he is an old acquaint- ance ; and, on no account, will Mr. Green allow him to be molested. Sir Thomas is lucky in several excellent THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. U25 fox preservers ; and in none more than Mr. Webster, of Upton, who, like Mr. Green, no fox hvinter himself, still pi'e- serves foxes with every attention : like Mr. Green, too, he has an old acquaint- ance, which, from being regularly fed, kennels close to Mr. Webster's house, from which he is occasionally driven by the hounds — to return after he has given them a run, and beaten them hand- somely. The hounds had not been many se- conds in Pooton wood, when they fovmd Mr. Green's favourite ; he gave us a short run, and retm-ned to his im- pregnable fastnesses. The scent was good, both in cover and out of it : the hounds worked hard : two foxes wore viewed ; and very likely there might be half a dozen on foot. Another burst took place : the fox directed his flight for Stourton ; and it might have been supposed that he meant to give us a run : — he turned and gained the wood. Thus the business continued, the hounds threading the brakes and brambles with uncommon energy, till they were com- pletely jaded in the endless labyrinth, and wei"e called off late in the day. A fox is more than a match for hounds' in Pooton wood : I have seen similar places, one in particular near Hawk- stone. On the morning of the 3d of Janu- aiy, the most unequivocal manifesta- tions of frost presented themselves : on the evening of the same day, the wind blewkeenly from the north, the barometer rose, and a continuance of severe wea- ther seemed very probable. Through- out the night the frost continued severe, so that by daylight the next morning, I heard the stage coaches lightly rattle along the road ; and, on looking through the window, I perceived the fields were covered with frosty white,and the variovis plashes of water thickly incrusted with ice. I had purposed meeting Sir T. Stanley's hounds this day (the 4th Jan.) but the severity of the weather appear- ed an insuperable barrier to the opera- tions of hounds. However, abovit 9 o'clock, the wind, which on the previous evening, had blown from the north, shifted several points towards the west, the weather-glass trembled a trifle lower; and, under such circumstances' I thought it possible, and even probable, that the hounds might be enabled to go out by mid-day. At all events, as the fixture was Hooton Hall, I was well aware that I could pass a few hours very pleasantly in defiance of the wea- ther. Flinging, therefore, the bridle rein over my mare's head, I enjoyed a smart walk to the appointed spot. On passing the village of Eastham, a yeoman came up to me, mounted on a bay mare, and eagerly inquired if the hounds would be out. There was a de- gree of confident familiarity in the man's mode of address, which super- ficial observation might have set down to the score of impertinence : it was no such thing ; it was not intended as any such thiug : on the contrary, it implied a more than ordinary share of common sense, or mental capacity, and a con- scious superiority of mind to the circle in which he moved. His north of Eng- land accent could scarcely be mistaken; his countenance was intelligent, bearing also indelible impressions of what edu- cation would most likely convert into acute and strong powers of perception, but what in vulgar minds is better un- derstood as Yorkshire cunning. How- ever, he was a fox hunter, and his obser- vations were interesting. Amongst other remarks, he said, for three years foxes committed depredations amongst his poultry. A vixen deposited her cubs in a dry sough close to his house, and one day took it into her head to decapi- tate a favourite gander which for thir- teen years had strutted at the head of his flock, had reigned the undisputed paramount of his own province. A hen too, which was suffered to sit upon eggs in a hedge row, the vixen borrow- ed for the use of her rising progeny. These were weighty charges against the vixen : but the mischief did not end here. Mrs. Vixen had no sooner de- parted with her family, than a large dog fox entered upon the same premises, and was observed to make free with a duck, which, in consequence of the nails of one of its feet having been broken, could not waddle so fast as its fellows. This fox, he remarked, was mangy, and mangy foxes, on account of their incapacity to catch rabbits, rats, &c. arc uniformly more mischievous 2 F 226 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. amongst domestic poultry, than their more healthy fraternity. At length, after we had completely discussed the business, it was ascertained that, in three years, he had sustained damage by foxes to the amount of £1 17s. 6d. an extensive farmer, residing in the very heart of Sir Thomas's country. And, after all, he admitted, that, had proper attention been paid to the poultry, they would not thus have furnished a dainty for renard's dinner. He very frankly said he was remunerated for the loss of his feathered stock by the owner of the hounds ; a practice, which, however honourable it may be to the generous feelings of the remunerator, is not an example for imitation, since such a sys- tem could scarcely fail to produce con- tinual imposition. On reaching Hooton, as hunting could not be the order of the day, I accompa- nied Edward Davies, the huntsman, to the kennel, which is a quarter of a mile from the house, situated, as a kennel for hounds ought to be, in a dry, re- tired, sequestered spot, open to the south, and sheltered from the north and easterly winds. It contains the requi- site accommodations both for the fox- hounds and harriers (Sir Thomas having a pack of each) ; a spacious paved court, and every thing sweet and clean, as it ought to be. Grass court there is none, nor yet a running stream, requisites, which, however indispensable they might appear in the days of Somervile, are not regarded at present as of essential importance. Grass courts indeed are difficult to keep clean, and amount to nothing after all, where hounds receive proper airings and exercise. The huntsman (an excellent servant, I make no doubt, grown grey in the service of a good master) was inicom- monly anxious to gi-atify my curiosity ; therefore, after putting the whole pack into the lodging I'ooms, he proceeded to draw out the entry for the present season ; a lot of very fine young hounds, evidently selected with a judicious eye : I soon recognised the family likeness of my old favourite Chanticleer, the finest specimen of the whole, but unfortunate- ly having got accidentally hung by the shoulder over some shai'jj pointed wood- en palisades, it has indented the lower part of the blade bone, and though the dog does not appear postively lame, the injury has imparted a sort of semi-cir- cular motion to the leg, which, I am fearful, will for ever prevent his run- ning up to the pack. Amongst these youngest hounds, there was also a beau- tiful bitch, a little shy, but the cut, the form, and character of a complete fox- hound — next season, I have little doubt, she will frequently be seen leading the pack. Davies proceeded to draw the two years old, and so on progressively till the whole appeared in the court. The pack is composed of the best blood in the kingdom, judiciously mixed (as I have observed in previous pages). Amongst the rest, I noticed a fine young, very dark-coloured hound (from Mr. Lumley Saville's) which, like the bitch just noticed, will not fail to distin- guish himself next season. I could se- lect many others, as beautiful specimens of foxhounds, but they all sink in com- parison with Regent, a grey grizly dog, unquestionably as fine a hound either to look at in the kennel, or no- tice in the field, as any in the kingdom — a perfect foxhound. In the field he is 'seen leading; BrilHant, a bitch re- peatedly noticed in preceding pages, as her name would seem to indicate, runs brilliantly ; she will pass Regent ; but, the moment the scent becomes doubt- ful, she looks to this beautiful and true running dog to unravel the labyrinth. The season, up to this period has been remarkably wet ; the country hunt- ed by these hounds is uncommonly wet and heavy ; they have worked very hard ; and, in consequence, a few of them are rather low in flesh : generally speaking, however, they look clean, well, and healthy. The harriers passed next in review : twelve couple of very neat, pretty, ac- tive, fleet little dogs ; which, with a good scent, will soon press a hare to death. Edward Davies, the huntsman, was as anxious to gratify me in the kennel, as he is to give satisfaction in the field. Unfortunately for him, he labours under a deficiency of vision, which, by any other man would be regarded as an insur- mountable obstacle to hunting hounds. With spectacles fastened to the rim of his hat, he gets over the country in a THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 227 surprising manner : he rides well, and must ride fearlessly. On proceeding to the hunting stables, I met, in company with the Baronet, as keen a foxhunter and as good a sports- man, as any in England : with abun- dance of good sense and extensive infor- mation, frank, polished, and witty, in Sir Harry Mainwaring we behold the genuine English gentleman. Sir Tho- mas Stanley's stud of Imnters is quite sufficiently numerous for the extent of his country ; and of a superior descrip- tion. He rides excellent animals him- self, and mounts his servants well. In the second stable stood his favourite black mare, a more perfect hunter never went at a fence. She was bred by Mr. Johnson, an extensive farmer in Che- shire ; her sire Maximilian : and although this horse is not in much esteem, the mare is every thing that can be wished. By the side of this mare stood his fa- vourite in the second degree, a very neat bay gelding, that can go the pace. In the large stable, I easily recognised Davies's old favourite chesnut, as well as a powerful grey upon which I have repeatedly seen Mr. Charles Stanley, the younger ; a horse of promise. Next to him was another grey, from the Eme- rald Isle, a well-bred tine horse — the best horse, according to my judgment, in the stable. From the hunting stables, we pro- ceeded to view the racers. In the fii-st roomy box were two promising foals, both.chesnuts : one by Velocipede, dam Henry Masterton's dam ; a strong good looking animal ; older by two months than its fellow, but decidedly inferior to it in form, and those principles of ani- mal organization essential to the success- ful racer. It is by Sir Thomas's splen- did horse Battledore, dam by Phantom, out of Breeze. At this moment, it was seen under every disadvantage, it was a little amiss ; its very superior form was scarcely the less discernible on that account. Next came the two years old. A chesnut colt, by Waxy Pope, out of Henry Masterton's dam, is very promis- ing ; indeed, as far as an opinion can be formed at so early a period, I should say, this colt will meet with few equals : it shews an uncommon length of sweep behind, with a corresponding formation before, which cannot fail to give it speed and endurance. In the next stall, stood a bay colt by Filho, dam Herbert La- cey's dam : inferior to the preceding in form, yet one of the best Filhos in ap- pearance I ever saw : it is not so leggy as the Filhos are generally seen. A bay filly by Lottery, out of General Mina's dam, is sufficiently promising. But, in the next stall stood the most magnificent two years old that ever stood before me : a bay filly by Battledore, dam by Grand Duke, out of Hooton's dam : she is full fifteen three ; with bone, sinew, and muscle in proportion ; her power is im- mense, and, from her form, I can see no reason why her speed should not be su- perior also. The preceding are four as promising two years old as can be foimd in any stable in the united kingdom. Sir Thomas's usual success has not at- tended him for the last season or two ; but if he bring not up his leeway in 1833, there is an end to calculation. Another two year old, Les Gi'aces, chesnut filly, by Battledore, dam Maid of Milan, having already been seen on the coiu'se, needs no further remark in this place. In the next stable I saw Caractacus, Eugene Aram, Lawrie Todd, Miss Ly- tham, a yearling, and brother to Les Graces. The appearance of the whole stud was what it ought to be — it was highly creditable to the groom, Horsley, for some years stud gi-oom to Mr. Mytton. At Hooton Hall, I met Captain Dunn, whom I have repeatedly seen with Sir Thomas's hounds; and a son (the eldest, I believe) of Mr. Egerton, of Tatton, an elegant and an accom- plished young man. After some refreshment, in the way of lunch, rendered more agreeable from the polite affability of the owner of the mansion, I glanced over the pictures, many of which are very fine ; in some I recognised the genius of the old mas- ters ; but I shall embrace the advantage of another opportunity, and a brighter sky, for my description of thcrn : two, however, I cannot altogether pass over, the portraits of the worthy Baronet and his Lady, painted by Sir W. Bccchey : they arc bcautiiul pictures, and as far 228 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. as regards the fidelity of the likeness of Sir Thomas, I can bear witness — it is excellent correctness. I make no doubt the likeness of Lady Stanley is equally correct; but as I never had the plea- sure of seeing her ladyshiji, I cannot speak upon this point from personal knowledge. During his racing career, Sir Tho- mas Stanley has won twenty-nine gold cups : another ought to have been added to the number : I mean the cup run for on the Liverpool Aintree course, in 1829, given to Velocipede against the conviction of every jierson who saw the race : this splendid cup, which thus found its way into Yorkshire, ought to have graced the sideboard at Hooton. However, I saw the twenty-nine cups placed upon the sideboard, and I need scarcely observe, they presented a most brilliant, a most magnificent appearance. As I must postpone my description of the paintings in Hooton Hall, so also must I postpone my observations on much that is highly interesting about this elegant, this beautiful, and hospitable establishment. I shall take my leave of Sir Tho- mas's hunt for some little time ; I have, however, to observe that the Liverpool sportsmen are deeply indebted to the Baronet for affording them an opportu- nity of enjoying the most interesting and most invigorating relaxation so near at hand. The river Mersey separates the hunting ground from the busy bust- ling town of Liverpool ; and this river is now very easily crossed, by man and horse, by means of steam vessels con- stantly plying. Ball's Birkenhead ferry is the most eligible for the purpose. His vessels are good, well appointed in every respect, particularly Vv'ith stead}', care- ful, civil men : I wish I could extend these remarks. In passing over a few days ago, it was not without difficulty, I reached Ball's boat, owing to another vessel which had placed herself invi- diously in the way. Nor was this all : — I distinctly saw a ruffian cut the rope by which Ball's vessel was secured, and he succeeded in cutting it half through before he was prevented from accom- plishing his purpose. (To be continued.) The TURF. Of all the diversions of the field, there are few so well calculated for fe- males, none with which they seem so much pleased, as the truly English amusement of the race course. The most timid lady can be placed in a situa- tion, where she feels secure, confident, and at ease, and thence can view the emulous struggle of the most elegant quadrupeds in the world, as well as ob- serve and contemplate the gay and ani- mated scene which appears before her. Indeed, the race course derives the most interesting, the most fascinating, part of its brilliancy and lustre from the disjjlay of elegance and beauty which it seldom fails to manifest; and in this respect, few, if any, meetings, can claim the pre- eminence of Cliester, which, from its situation, is so well calculated to gratify the throng, and which annually exhibits a very interesting and brilliant display of the elegance, beauty, and wealth of the county and its neighbourhood. Viewed in any point, the English race course is highly important : consequent- ly, no honourable man can reflect on its present degraded system of sinister operation, without the most irksome, the most indignant, feelings. At the same time, let it not be forgotten, that, since the proceedings of the turf are of the first importance in a national point of view, it is the duty of every honest man to assist in purging them of the filthy foulness by which they are polluted. To speak generally on the subject, if we look attentively at any of the great or important stakes, we shall find, that, to use the language of a very silly cotemporary publication, " books are opened" as soon as possible : the bustle of suspicious and s]iam betting com- mences ; and thus the business proceeds, till, by means of numerous confederates and emissaries, it has been really ascer- THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 229 tained which is the best horse. Bets ai-e laid to an enormous amount, in eveiy possible form, and the favourite, the horse Avhich would win nineteen times out of twenty, is either purchased by the j'arties so basely and so deeply interested, or made safe by means still more dishonest, still more infamous ! The foul disease has been progress- ing for some time ; it has become deep- ly seated ; it has spread wide ; it has tainted not only trainers and jockies, but also judges, if not clerks of the course, to say nothing of the indus- trious machinations of numerous organ- ized bands of professed swindlers, who are to be found in swarms from one end of the kingdom to the other! Conse- quently, the fetid gangrene must be probed to the bottom, laid bare, and completely open, before the caustic can be successfully applied to this disgrace- ful, demoralizing, and virulent sore ! As the interrogative system is the best suited to this species of investiga- tion, inasmuch as it gives an opportu- nity to wipe away suspicion, before crime and infamy appear emblazoned in brass, and indelibly imprinted in mar- ble, I shall continue to pursue it. Mark Antony asserted that Brutus was an honourable man, though he slew his friend, Caesar. I know Mr. Beards- worth, and would stretch a point to be- lieve him to be an honourable, a most honourable, man ; yet has he remained silent under strange insinviations. Our pages are open to his defence and ex- oneration : we will give him a most eli- gible opportunity of emerging like a brilliant sun from behind a murky cloud, and to blaze with the refulgent and dazzling brightness of a comet ! — ^Mr. Beardsworth's horses were and are very superior animals : Birmingham was and is a magnificent horse : he possessed and possesses eveiy quality of a racer of the very first class — form, strength, action, good temper, an almost unparal- leled constitution ! No horse started more pleasantly, no horse ran more kindly, no horse answered better when called upon. Yet, with all these excel- lent qualities in perfection, no horse was ever more uncertain in his nmning ! He was superior to any horse in the kingdom, Priam alone excepted ; and, strange as it may seem, was beaten by horses of a second or third rate descrip- tion. One circumstance in the racing career of Birmingham is remarkable, very remarkable — he never lost, I think, Avith Darling on his back ! Darling is a very good jock, and, I really believe, a very honest fellow — I am soiTy I can- not extend the compliment to many of his fraternit}'. But, who rode Birming- ham when he lost his races ? I very sincerely solicit this information from Mr. Beardsworth. I will Avait patiently for it. An ill-tempered acquaintance at my elbow, desires me to ask Mr. Beards- worth, if the following be correct or otherwise. He desires me to ask him, if, at the Warwick races preceding the Doncaster, in September last, he did not invite Mr. Botterill to dine with him, and, from his representations (over the glass) of his horse, Ludlow, induce Botterill to take fifteen hundred to one four times over against Ludlow ; and whether these bets wei"e not made with Botterill by Mr. Beardsworth's intimate friends ? My ill-tempered acquaintance further states, that Botterill, immedi- ately pi"ior to the race, became awake to the tiling, (to use the phraseology of the school) and was anxious, of course, to hedge ; but the matter was blown, and hedging was out of the question. How- evei", a few minutes before starting, Botterill found one of the men who had betted him one of these fifteen hundreds to one : he insisted upon his covering, or, in other Avords, producing and placing the money in the hands of a third per- son prior to the race, AA'hich he being unable to accomplish, the bet Avas cros- sed out : — thus Botterill saved one hun- dred and lost three ! Public statements seldom fail of eliciting the truth. An honest man has nothing to fear from such an impe- rious, but impartial, scrutiny : it is thus, that the falsely accused can effectually refute the slander : it is only by the ir- resistable poAver of an honest press, that plotting race course rogues can be exhibited in their hideous deformity, and driven from that society Avhich they have much too long, and much too deeply, disgraced. In consequence of some remarks 230 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. which appeared in our last number res- pecting Mr. Samuel Griffiths' joclcey- ship of Tommy Tickle, at Heaton Park races, that gentleman called upon us on the 4th of this month (Jan.) ; but, from the indecisive and indistinct manner in which he expressed himself, the object of his visit could not be precisely ascer- tained. He was, however, orally in- formed, as he is thus through the me- dium of the press, that our pages are " open to all parties, influenced by none ;" and consequently his exculpation will be willingly, most willingly, inserted : Mr. Griffiths connot pursue a more direct, or a more eligible course. Truth is our ob- ject : our motto, " Nothing extenuate, nor set down aught in malice." In this spirit, therefore, recurring to the matter of Tommy Tickle, we ask Mr. Griffiths, whether, as he was proceeding to the weighing room, when the race was over, an individual of the disappointed party, did not eagerly meet him, and with ear- nest indignation, exclaim — " Why, you have won the race .'" and whether the reply was not — " Why, have lindeed! ! .'" as if (the thing being iine) he was not aware of the circumstance. Finally, we wish Mr. Griffiths to im- derstand, that as, according to his own expression, he is " a public man,'' his public actions are legitimate subjects of animadversion. We go to no man's fire side ; we retail no private slander ; but the proceedings of the Turf are publicly influential ; and have of late unblush- ingly manifested such a demoralizing spirit, as to bid defiance to any less pow- erful control than the irresistible engine through which we usher our pages to the woi'ld. BETTING AT TATTERS ALVS. DERBY. 8i to 1 agst Glaucus. 9 to 1 agst Revenge. 11 to 1 agst Forester (tk). 11 to 1 agst Prince Llewellyn. 17 to 1 agst Moses's dam, 20 to 1 agst Ishmael. 20 to 1 agst Emmeline. 22 to 1 agst Bravo. 22 to 1 agst Divan. 25 to 1 agst Muley Moloch. 25 to 1 agst Cock-o-hoop. 9 to 1 agst Lord Exeter's lot. 10 to 1 agst Coojier's stable. 1000 even between Bravo and Ish- mael (the backer of Bravo giving 10/. for choice) DERBY, 1834. 2000 even on Mr Greatrex's colt by Lottery, out of Trulla, and Mr. Neville, agst Mr. Ridsdale's Guardian (brother to Trustee), and Botanist, by Lottery, out of Flora. An offer was made to back the two first-named colts for 5000 to win the Derby of 1834 agst Bravo for the one ensuing, with this condition — that if Bravo won, the backer of the other two should give 4000 to be oft'! The offer was refused. THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 231 WILD SPORTS OF THE WEST. Any person acquainted witli field sports, will very soon perceive, on tak- ing lip the present work that it has not been put together by a sportsman ; it is a mere ^'' made up tlung" oi \\\-SiSSoriedi shreds and patches; and I have not the least doubt, that the highly respect- able bookseller, whose name (Bentley) appears in the title page, has been as egregiously duped, as a sportsman or a man of common sense will feel disgusted by a pei'usal of it. " Wild Sports of the JVest," is an attractive title ; but Wild Sports of the Moon woidd have been equally applicable ! The scene is laid in Ti-eland : "Wild Sports," even in the wretchedly miser- able disguise in which they appear, form but a small portion of the work (which, had it been what it professes, is charged much too high) ; it is principally com- posed of veiy common -place chit chat, old wives' tales, musty anecdote, and mar- vellous stories, a great part of which are old acquaintances, and have occasionally made the circuit of the periodical press, (as well as appeared in various other works) for the last fifty or sixty years. As far as relates absolutely to field sports, whatever appears on the subject in these volumes (which has not been before ni print) incontestably proves the gross ignorance of the writer ; it proves, in fact, that he has listened to the re- cital of a few sporting excursions, which he is not capable of placing intelligibly in black and white : he is utterly unac- quainted with the language of the chase; hence v/e have " Huntinc) for grouse," &c. &:c. and indeed, wherever the phraseology ot the field ought to ap- pear, we find, instead of it, terms which cannot fail to convince every one ac- quainted with the subject, of the gross ignorance, and consequent incapacity, of the writer. To extract any portion of " Wild Sports of the West," would be worse than a waste of time ; however, it is absolutely requisite, that, in conjunction with the present work, we should notice another, equally remarkable for igno- rance, as well as for a more culpable feeling. Tlie " Sporting Magazine," or as it is now generally called, the "Old Sport- ing Magazine," speaking of the work in question, observes : " Studious and sporting habits seldom belong to the same individual ; and it has been ob- served, that those who have written upon field sports were unknown in the world of letters. Their descriptive ta- lents have been of the humblest order ; and with the exception of the author of " Salmonia'" axid. "Stories of Waterloo,"* for many years no persons of literary reputation have employed their pens in elucidating British sports !" O Na- than ! Nathan ! thou art no prophet ! The reviewer further observes : " To say that the author understood his sub- ject is unnecessary : none but a thorough- bred sportsman could write such a book?" Bravo, Nathan! Here we have an instance of a man writing a re- view of " Wild Sports of the West," who never fired a gun, who knows not a grouse from a partridge, who never had his foot in the stirrup, who never saw a pack of hounds, and who, like the au- thor of " Wild Sports of the West," is blessed with the most profound igno- rance of the subjects which he egotisti- cally affects to illustrate. Who, but the redoubtable writers in question, ever heard of a "flock" of deer? — Or, of " beating" for grouse ; or, of the "packs of grouse basking on some sunny brow ?" " Ye scribblers all, Attend my call, I'll tell you what to say : Be sure to praise. With fulsome lays, Where int'rest points the way " The Old Sporting Magazine review- er says, " there is a happy succession of anecdote and description, ever present- ing fresh and striking objects." The best anecdote in the work is the story of the boy being let down from the top of a rock by a rope to take the nest of an eagle which was placed on a ledge below. He was armed witli a sword to defend himself from tlie old birds ; and, in making a blow at one of them, un- * The writer of " Wild Sports of Uie West." 232 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. fortunately cut the rope, by which he was suspended, nearly through. He was immediately drawn up, and it was found that his hair had become grey from fright! This is at least a fair sample (if it be not the very best,) of the anecdotes ; but, as far as regards originality or "freshness," how stands the case.' why, it appeared in BufFon's Natural History more than half a cen- tuiy ago : it has appeared in every edi- tion of Goldsmith's Animated Nature, as well as fifty other publications ! ! ! But, as a climax of anecdote, as the very apex of drivelling absui'dity, let any person read (if he have patience) the account of the eagles teaching their young to catch their prey : We will not disgrace our pages by the quotation. To re-quote the words of the review- er, " that those who have written upon Field Sports were unknown in the world of letters," if we do not exactly agree with this doctrine, we can ho- nestly and fearlessly tell him, that the greater part of those who have written (or rather affected to write) upon field sports, were, like himself, utterly unac- quainted with the subject ; that their miserably-ignorant excogitations are an outrage upon common sense, and the existence of such men, as jvriters, a stigma upon the liberality of the public ! In the winding up of his review, Nathan says : — -" We now dismiss this clever and amusing publication, with our warmest wishes for its success !" which, being translated into plain English, amounts to this, that, as we are well skilled, from long practice in the science of " making up things for sale," and as we have profited, as far at least as amounts to a good comfortable living, by the trade, we give " our warmest wishes for the success" of this literary imposture ; because it suits our interest. and because it is indispensable to our literary existence, that this species of imposition should continue. If this language should, at the first blush, seem severe, let it be recollected that public writers are legitimate subjects of animadversion. Dr. Vicesimus Knox, in his Essays, says, that a man, to be- come a writer, must devote his whole life to it ; the ti'uth of this is incontest- able : it hence results, that before a man can write instructively on field sports, he must have served an appren- ticeship to the science. That the author of" Wild Sports of the West," has not gone thi'ough this indispensable pi'oba- tion is evident in almost every page of the work ; to say nothing of its inaccu- racy, and the general slovenliness of its style. The case is still worse with his reviewer. From the manner in which his remarks appear, they must be con- sidered as coming from the ^oose-quill of the editor of the Old Sporting Maga- zine. He stands well with himself: and he gives his opinions with much complacency and self-satisfaction upon subjects, which, even if they had been accurately illustrated, he possesses not one single iota of practical knowledge ! Had he understood the business, and possessed sufficient honesty to ex- press his thoughts, instead of recom- mending " Wild Sports of the West," as a " clever and amusing publication," he would have expressed a similar opi- nion to that which appears in this ar- ticle ; and have concluded thus : — that, as far as relates to field sports, the pub- lication is a gross imposition ; that, in a literary point of view it is contempt- ible : that few sportsmen will peruse it from one end to the other ; that many will throw it from them with disgust be- fore they have read one half of its M'retchedly flimsy pages ! ANECDOTES of RAJAH SHAMSHIRE BAHADAR. By Lieutenant J. Shijjp. The town of Banda stands on that very unlike any thing celestial. Yet he clear stream of water called the Cana, in was the great counsellor, great confidant, Buldencund, in the East Indies. In this great favourite, of Rajah Shamshire Ba- town resided a being never intended hadar. Prince of the Deccan. The Ra- for this world : for he bore no semblance jah was distinguished for his partiality to any thing terrestrial, and assuredly to Europeans, and European habits and THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. ^33 manners : all the furniture of his palace was of English manufacture : his pic- tures were numerous, and of the first standing, from the monarch of England, to tlie caricature of Punch and Judy. — His pride was pictures of all the winning horses of England : he was himself a sporting character, bred and kept the first racers. He was also much at- tached to cock fighting, and of cocks he had the largest and best breed : he has been known to bet one hundred thou- sand rupees on a main : few dared to venture their money with him ; but such was his predilection for betting, that, on the day of a grand main, he would pay up all his ofticers, soldiers, and domes- tics, and invite them to his splendid cockpit, and before the match was over, many of them were eased of their wages. His insatiable thirst for this diversion sometimes made him forget his rank and dignity ; for he would deride those as cowards who v/ere afraid to bet. One day, wlien betting was rather slack, a rich shawl merchant entered. He wore a shawl worth twelve hundred rupees. Shamshire eagerly met him at the door, seated him by his side, and asked him to bet. The shawl merchant, who was of a penurious disposition, pleaded poverty. Not understanding the business, the mer- chant, seeing Shamshire's cock fall and lay as if dead, observed, " If I had bet, you would have lost your money; for your cock is dying." " True, true, so he is (said Shamshire) yet I dare bet you one thousand I'upees against your shawl." " Done ! Rajah Saib (twenty voices at the same instant vociferated) your cock is at his last gasp." " Never mind (said Shamshire) what's a thousand rupees to me. Prince of the Deccan?" During this time, Shamshire's cock laid on the ground, now and then showing fight. " Nawab Saib (said Meerza, his hander) you had better draw — your cock is dy- ing." "Never, as long as there is a feather in his carcase ; and I'll bet the thousand rupees (o the merchant's shawl." At this ci-itical moment, his cock gave a dreadful screani ; and the poor mei-chant, thinking it his last dying speech and confession, said, " Well, Nawab Saib, I will take your bet." "Done! Done!" said both; when Shamshire said, " Meerza, boy, give the bird his wing : ' ' — he did so : the cock was up in an instant, and at the very first fiy tvmibled his antagonist heels over head; for ho had pricked him to tlie heart : and as the bird lay kicking upon his back, the Rajah bellowed out, " Meerza, boy, give him his wing ! give him his wing !" The merchant, conceiving " give him his wing !" to be some magic spell, pro- tested against the fairness of the contest, and said, if the Nawab had not made use of some enchanting word, his cock never would have got up. The fairness was referred to the umpires, and one and all agreed that the shawl was fairly won. Shamshire claimed it ; and, after £ome hesitation, obtained it. He tlirew it over his own shoulders, and smiling- ly said, " You need not send me the new shawl I ordered; this will suffice." The poor mortified merchant slunk out of the tent, when Shamshire drily ob- served, "I thought it was hard if I could not outwit him who had so often imposed upon me." The Rajah laughed immoderately ; and it being an oriental custom for all present to follow his Highness's example, there was a hearty laugh at the expense of the poor mer- chant, and the sport went on men-ily. Another story of this great potentate, may not be uninteresting ; but here he had his match. He had made a match at the Cawnpoor races with a Colonel Gilbert, of the Honourable Company's sei'vice, for ten thousand rupees. Two nights previous to the running of two famous horses, I dined in company with the two gentlemen. After the bottle had gone pretty freely round with Cham- pagne, his Highness said, " Gilbert, you have no chance in our race to mor- row, between Painter and Blood Royal." " No (said the gallant Colonel, not easily thrown off his guard) I will double the bet if you choose." " No (said the Ra- jah) I should not like to win your mo- ney in such large sums ; for t fear I should make you dull during the rest of the races ; and that would never do." " Will you double the bet?" asked Gil- bert. " No," was the reply. — He whis- pered his head officer, Meerza. — " Ah (says Gilbert) I see by the shake of Meerza's hoarj' head, he does not relish the match." " No (said Meei'za) and I would advise his Highness to pay half ^2 G 234 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. forfeit." "He cannot; for it is P. P. (play or pay) but, as I should not like to beat Painter in a shameful manner, which I shall do, I will let his Highness off for five thousand rupees. " Done ! (said his Highness) it's a bargain." Here the Rajah burst into a hearty laugh, and pointing to Gilbert in a jeering manner, said, " I have outwitted you ! I have completely distanced the most knowing hand upon the turf ! for Painter is dead lame." For a time, he could not restrain his jeering, so delighted was he at his own cunning. But the gallant Colonel coolly asked his Highness what he was laughing at? The reply was, "Why at you. Colonel, for you must have won the race." " That's not so clear to me (said the Colonel) for my horse has been dead these ten hours !" Here the Rajah jumped up, violently thumped the table ; and staring wildly, desired Meerza to leave the table : — at last he said in plain English, " Colonel, you must be a devil ; I never can get the start of you. I would give ten thou- sand rupees to take you in for once ; and he quaffed copious libations of Cham- pagne. In the evening he went to see the dead horse, and laughed heartily at the joke. Being at TifFen with him one day, dvtring the races at Cawnpoor, there was a main of cocks to be fought be- tween him and Colonel Stephenson. The wine went briskly roinid, and the main commenced at three in the after- noon. It was a main of eleven cocks. He lost the first seven, intentionally it is supposed : he then took the long odds, if they would allow his last cock to fight till he was killed, or could not come to time. This was agreed to. He lost the next, making eight ; won the next four ; lost the next ; won the next three : of- fered even bets ; none would take him. Lost the next : again took the odds : he had four cocks to kill, thej only one. He told Meei-za to bring in the bobber or "Saucy Jack, "as he called him. The best cock of the opposite party was a dark red : Shamshire's was a little dap- per ginger. Both cocks crew. The dark seemed inclined to set to ; but the ginger was on the defensive. The black made the first fly : down went the little ginger : but, ere the other bird could recover himself, Ginger had both his spurs up to the hilt in his heart. The three others he served in the same way, without being once touched. He is supposed to have won twenty thou- sand rupees at this main. I cannot quit this worthy native, without one short anecdote more, as it is interesting. A Captain H had a match with this great potentate for five thousand rupees. Captain H.'s horse was a chesnut with a silver tail, which, two or three days previous to the races, died : the sum was large for a captain to stake. Captain H. had a horse very like the defunct ; but his tail was not of the right colour. One of the grooms, hearing of the loss, said, " skin the tail of the dead horse, stretch it well, and put it over the tail of the other horse ; and, when you see his Highness coming, shew his speed with your fa- mous English mare, allowing the horse to beat her." The hint was immedi- ately adopted, and the opportunity watched when his Highness approach- ed : they started just as he rounded the village close to the race course. He timed them, and when he approached, " H. (he said) I don't much like my match with old grey tail." " No (said H.) you have no chance whatever ; he can beat my English mare easily." " So T observed," said the Rajah. "Then you were taking a peep, were you?" " Yes, and I am willing to pay for peep- ing by confessing it's a bad match ; but I shall win the second with Major B — , if I don't with you ; and I am sure you will let me off for the one half. " 'This was readily assented to, provided he al- lowed him to have the one half of the race with Major B — This was granted; but at dinner that evening, he wanted to match a mare of his, called Fairy Queen, against old grey tail. He then told him that old grey tail was no more. His Highness swore he never would again pay forfeit, and a few glasses put him into a good humour. I THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 235 To the Editor of the Sportsman s Cabinet. Sir, In consequence of some observa- tions -which appeared in your last num- ber, signed, Thos. Robinson, respecting the '^safety gun" and " silver steel bar- rels" of Messrs, Wheeler and Son, of Birmingham, I feel called upon to state, that Wheeler's safety gim is precisely that of Somerville; and therefore, if there be any merit in the invention (which I think there is not, as the safe- ty part of the business amounts to no- thing) it is due to the person last men- tioned. As to silver steel, the tei'm is ridicu- lous, at least in its application to gun barrels. What, in the trade, is known by the term, " best iron" is far superior to every other preparation of metal for gun baiTels. It has always been the aim and object of respectable intelligent gun- makers to manufacture their gun bar- rels of the softest and finest iron that could be procured. Steel ought never to enter into the composition for gun barrels, as it can never be safe ; and as to silver steel, there can, strictly speak- ing, be no such thing. Silver will not mix thoroughly with steel. All gun makers know, or ought to know, that steel barrels would be dangerous in the highest degree : but there are no steel barrels ; and, as to silver steel, it is ri- diculous nonsense ! T. W. Liverpool, Jan. 7, 1833. Hunting the Wild Cat i?i North Carolina. Newbern, September, 23, 1832. Sir, We have a species of game with us, which I believe is peculiar to this section of country — at least I see no mention made of it in your magazine, where I have met with descriptions of every other variety of hunting. And yet, the wild cat will afford the hunts- man as much sport, and the hounds as much work, as any other animal that I ever followed. Indeed, it requires a staunch and numerous pack to take them, for even when run to a stand still — no easy work by the by — they are enabled from their great strength and ferocity, to keep five or six dogs at bay, without difficulty. The wild cat is much larger, and infinitely stronger than the grey fox, (the red not being an inhabitant of our woods, I know nothing of.) It is about as fleet as the common fox, but as it confines its run to very strong and thick covers, the chase lasts much longer than that of the fox. And being, in addi- tion to all this, a terrible enemy to the farmyard, taking off pigs, poultry, lambs, and sometimes even grown shcej), our sportsmen, who are all farm- ers, jmrsue them with inveterate indus- try. Invited by the flattering aj^pcar- ance of the weather last week, Mr. W. and myself, detei-mined to give our dogs a trial. We, accordingly, rode to cover on Saturday morning, with six couple of as fine dogs as ever followed deer, fox, or wild cat. It was our first turn out this season — the whole pack was, consequently, full of riot, and the young dogs in particular, were perfectly fran- tic. The moi-ning was as auspicious as we could wish — the dog fennel and pine bushes hung droopingly, overloaded with dew. It was quite cool, clear as a bell, and so perfectly calm, that the joyous notes of the dogs, as they gam- bolled in wild excitement before us, or leaped up fawningly upon our horses, were heard to re-echo over the distant Neuse. After leaving the river a little to the right, we threw off the hounds into a very promising cover, on the north side of Smith's creek. Here we had not proceeded very long, when old Drummer told us, that some prowler had been passing, during the night. The scent was very cold, and we work- ed it slowly and with difficulty, along the wiiulings of the creek ; frequently interrupted, by the outbursts of the young dogs, after rabbits, &c. By dint of whipping and scolding, we succeeded in bringing these last under some sub- 236 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. jection. The trail still appearing very cold, we made a cast on the opposite bank of the creek, but with no better success. The game had been there, but it must have been very early, on the previous evening. In the mean time, old Drummer had got back to his old ti'ail, and continued to work it with im- tiring perseverance. The drag appear- ing to grow warmer, we concluded to hark the other dogs to him. Echo and Rover soon gave tongue, Macduff and Nimrod joined in. Still our best fox dog, old Milton, refused to recognise the trail as legitimate ; we were now sure of the nature of our game ; it must be a wild cat. We continued to encourage the dogs with increased anxiety. At last, all of them, young and old, ac- knowledged the trail, and growing into a confirmed drag, it proceeds through the river swamp, deep into the marsh, far along the margin of the rivei-, and then — v/hat a crash ! you might have heard them down the wind, three miles off. And now, swelling into a louder and still a louder strain, the quarry makes directly for the spot where we had taken our stand, upon the verge of the swamp, as far in as we could well make our way. We had raised our voices in one exulting shout, when that wild burst had told us, the game was up. But in the tumultuous roar behind him, evei'y other sound was hushed; and the cat made straight for us, either not heai-ing or heeding our hallco. We were now still as statues — and the pack came rushing on — the crashing of the reeds, the rending of the undergrowth, the splashing of the mud and water, and the deep mouthed roaring of the hounds, imiting together, like the ming- ling tumults of a September gale, and seeming to give to the terrified animal, the wings of the wind. He must liave passed within ten steps of us, but owing to the thick cover, we could not catch a view. Tlie pack, however, were close upon him, for they passed us, i"unning breast high, all together — no running dog, or in line, but each emulously dashing for the lead. The cat seemed determined to try tlieir mettle, and beat them by downright game. Contrary to the usual practice of the animal, he inade a straight stretch over the high- land, along the border of Smith's old field, and at such a slashing rate, that, to lie by them, made Madge blow like a blacksmith's bellows on a frosty morn- ing. — She's a little too fat at present, and not long from grass. Finding this game could never last long, the cat en- deavoured to throw them out, by a rapid succession of ugly dodges, which bo- thered the young dogs excessively. But old Milton was wide awake — he had followed too many foxes in his day, to be out-generalled even by a wild cat. He followed him cautiously, but uner- ringly, through all his circles and angles, and the whole pack winding after him, with such close, and unremit- ting assiduity, that they only made two losses, and then, for only two minutes. After cii-cling for about half an hour, in a ver}^ thick gum swamp, where he had a great advantage over the dogs, " Mo7i- sieitr le Chat," finding himself consider- ably in advance of the hounds, thought he might try them again at long taw, so hoisting out all canvass, he made sail for Bachelor's creek. This was just what the pack wanted, the young dogs were terribly pestered in the swamp, but here again, all was plain sailing, and so the cat seemed to think too, for finding that he could not make good his retreat to Bac'ielor, he tacked ship, and stood back on his old track — but he was done up. He did indeed contrive to get back to his old place of refuge, the swamp ; but we knew, by the manner in which the old dogs were pushing for the lead, that his fate was sealed. He had been now two hours and a half on the pad, and v/e could tell, as we saw him mount a log, his eyes flashing, his hair bristling, his short tail lashing, " as doubting to return or fly" — his race of existence was run. As we raised the view halloo, his tail drooped again, which he was elevating as a signal for combat, and he dragged himself from the log, with weak and unsteady steps : scarcely had he jumped from one end of the log, when Milton and Echo mounted it at the other, followed by the rest of the pack. Animated by our cheer, and the sight of the devoted game, they seemed to gain additional THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 237 vigour, and, before we had made our way a hundred yards further in the swamp, we heard a sliarp, angry growl, then Echo's shrill yelp, as she leaped upon the prey, and then a cry from her, as if she had run afoul of a kettle of hot water. Talleyrand next gave a howl of agony, as he shrunk from the rude welcome of the wild cat. All the rest as they came u.p, seemed to ac- knowledge by their cries, that they had caught a tartar. But what can one do against twelve ? — most of them, too, young, strong, and active. Why, Jack- son and Beaufort alone, are strong enough, to pull down the strongest buck that ever stood at bay. Even a wild cat must yield to such a fearful odds ; so that when we succeeded in scramb- ling to them, we found our enemy, and a huge one he was,) dead upon the field, and the dogs limping and baying around, manifesting by their condition, the severity of the chase and combat. Yours, respectfully, A. F. G. [We must confess, we had no idea before, that there could be so much sport, in the chase of the tvild cat ; we had supposed, that tliey had no run in them — that they would immediately be- take themselves to a ti'ce, or be very quickly taken on the ground, and there killed, after a very severe resistance. We are quite svu-e, judging from his commencement, that our correspondent will have fine sport through the season j and hope to hear often, from one who has so manifestly a high relish for the delights of the chase, and a good tact in describing what he so much enjoys. — ■ How much we would rejoice, to accom- pany onr friend Topthorn, to join A. F. G. in the hunt of a North Caro- lina wild cat.] Amer. Turf Reg. COURSING the FOX. To the Editor of the Cabinet. Sir, As you were kind enough to in- sert my trifling commiuiication in the last number of your highly interesting periodical, I beg leave to hand you the following anecdote. Two years ago, I I happened to be coursing at Dunham Massey, Cheshire, on the property of that highly respected nobleman, the Earl of Stamford. I was accompanied by an acquaintance, a most inveterate pot hunter in any form : we had killed a brace of hares, and he had the dogs in the slips for the next course. In beating, we disturbed one of the finest foxes I ever saw. My acquaintance slipped the greyhounds : they reached the fox ; but, on coming to close quai'- ters, they manifested the most unequi- vocal symptoms of sui-prise : they dis- covered they had to deal with a very difierent customer than the " poor timid hare:" they run bim well ; but they did not mouth him freely: however, they contrived to tumble him over. He took to his heels again ; and again they gave him a tumble. At length renard reach- ed the fence, which consisted of a bank, upon the top of which he mounted, turned upon his nimble pursuers, shew- ed his teeth, and offered them battle : they wovdd not accept the challenge, but kept at a respectful distance — till our approach enabled us to call off" the dogs, when renard veiy quickly disap- peared. The gamekeeper was on the ground, — and very severely reprimand- ed my acquaintance for slipping the dogs at a fox. He was evidently a friend to fox hunting, and on that ac- count I give him credit for being a very honest fellow. He said that very fox had beaten Sir H. Mainwaring's hounds repeatedly ; he had no doubt would beat them again ; and that he Avould not have him unfairly killed for all the hares in Christendom ! The fox left the marks of his teeth upon both his adver- saries, but without dohig them any serious iniury. ■^ ^ S. M. Liverpool, January 4, 1833. 238 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. ON COURSING. To the Editor of the Cabinet. Sir, As the Sportsman's Cabinet pro- fesses to take all possible notice of cours- ing, the following notice of that amuse- ment, though mostly selected from well received writings on the subject, may perhaps find a place in your valuable miscellany. The diversion of coursing was one of the most favoured amuse- ments of our ancestors, and, at the pre- sent day, is a very popular and rising amusement of the gentlemen of Great Britain ; as the fact of the late Lord Rivers having disposed of his stud of greyhounds at Tattersall's, for upwards of one thousand guineas, sufficiently evinces. In former days, a gentleman was known by his horse, hawk, and greyhound ; and Canute enacted a law, that no person under the rank of a gen- tleman should keep a greyhound ; but, notwithstanding the greyhound being held in such esteem, it was not the beautiful animal such as we see at the present day. During the reign of Queen Elizabeth, the greyhound approached more in appearance to the stout deer dog, than the elegant animal which be- longs to a high bred kennel of modern times. BufFon supposes the greyhound to be the same as the Irish greyhound ; its speed and beauty (like that of the- horse) having been materially imf>roved by care and the influence of the climate. Some coursing gentlemen in breeding greyhounds care not, if the bitch be good, whether the dog be indifferent ; whilst others prefer the good sire, and pay little respect to the bitch. Both opinions ai'e wrong ; for, as in the case with half bred horses, the inferior blood, whether from the sire or dam, will shew itself in the progeny. In a thickly enclosed country, an ill bred greyhound, provided he is a good fencer, may run a good course ; but in a fair open country, the thorough-bred greyhound will always conquer in long and severe courses : blood, which in- cludes shape, is everything in a grey- hound. To breed then a perfect good whelp indeed, you must be sure to have a perfect good dog and a perfect good bitch : and, as near as j-ou can, make choice of that bitch which is the largest and deepest chested ; for thence springs both strength and wind. If a good and a bad greyhound bi-eed togethei-, not only will the breed of the former be de- teriorated, but the whelp, though it may be better than the worst of its parents, will most likely be inferior to the best. If the practice of breeding akin (or, as it is called, " in and in," that is, from the same blood) be continued for some litters, a manifest infei-iority of size and a deficiency of bone, as well as a -want of courage and bottom, will be the re- sult ; although the beauty of the form may not be diminished. Among a litter of greyhound puppies, the best are those which are lightest ; these will make the nimblest dogs as they grow up. Major Topham tells us, that Lord Orford was so anxious to possess good greyhounds, that he even had recourse to a cross with the bulldog, which, when he had re- duced it to the seventh degree, procured him the best greyhounds in the world ; but this is most probably an error, as the late Lord Rivers tried the experi- ment up to the seventh and eighth re- moves from the bulldog, but found it so inferior, that he was obliged to give it up entirely : it is on that account that there are so few good brindled grey- hounds, as they all have a spice of the bulldog in them. The following are the characteristics of a good greyhound : — a long body, a neat and elongated head, full eye, long mouth with sharp and very white teeth, small ears with thin gristles in them, a straight neck and full chest, great breadth across the loins and thighs, long straight and muscular legs, his ribs round, strong, and full of sinew, but taper about the belly, short coat, and a tail as fine as whipcord. The general food for a greyhound in high condition and at all times ready for sport during the coursing season, ought to be horse flesh broth, or other broths, incorporated with raspings, soaked biscuits, or oatmeal, which give strength and vigour without a particle of useless flesh. If there is one thing more than another that spoils good puppy greyhounds, it is the run- ning them too early ; the age to begin to run them is fifteen months old for a bitch, or eighteen months for a dog ; bu THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 239 these niles are not invariably to be ad- hered to, as a small dog comes to his strength earlier than a large one. Ano- ther great fault of coursing farmers is the running a greyhound too often : during the coursing season, a greyhound may be coursed at the utmost three times in a fortnight, or a clear four days should ahvaj's intervene between one coursing day and another. The following hints may be found useful to the uninitiated in the coursing field ; — In some places, hares will lie so close, that they will not stir till the beaters almost touch them : sportsmen are always pleased at this, as it pro- mises a good run. If a hare lies near any covert, and with her head towards it, she will always take that direction immediately on being put up. At Ash- down Park, the place where most of the hares squat is in some coarse matted grass, full two miles from the covert, to which, of necessity, the hare must di- rect her course. When a hare moves, it is proper, on most occasions, to give her about twelve score yards law or start before the greyhounds are slipped, in order that the dogs may not pick up their game too easily. The best course that 1 ever witnessed was in B**ks, a beautiful open country. A hare was found full two miles from the covert, which was on the top of an extremely steep hill ; puss, on starting, took it very easily, and seemed as if playing with the dogs : at last she made away for home, and escaped after a severe nm of at least four miles, although she must have been turned full two hundred times ! One of the greyhounds dropped at the bottom of the hill, and the other in the middle of it ; the latter was only re- covered by being immediately bled. This course lasted full ten minutes, which is an extraordinary length for a course, seeing that both the hare and the greyhounds the whole time are going their fastest pace. I remain, &c. R. G. Winners of Cups. PLACES. Aberyswith ------ Amesbury ------ Malton{T{;^gXcup - - Wensleydale - - - - - Chesterford, near Newmarket, Epsom ------- Ashdown Park ----- Swaffham ------ Cockney Club - - - - - Louth ------- Deptford - _ - _ _ I.owther ------- Drayton ------- Morfe ------- Lanarkshire _ - _ - - Aberyswith, 2nd meeting Amesbury, 2nd meeting - - Ilsley -__-_-- Brampton ------ Newmarket ----- Andoversfoi'd ----- Ashdown Park, 2nd meeting Cockney Club, 2nd meeting - Epsom, 2nd meeting - - - Coursing Season, 1831 — 2. OCTOBER. NAMES. Mr. B. Harries 's - - - - Hyacinth NOVEMBER. Mr. Brownker's - - - - Blossom Mr. Best's ------ Gabrielle Mr. Best's Butterfly Mr. Fisher's ----- Rosabella Mr. Searle's ----- Snake Mr. Pouchee's - - - - Ploughboy Mr. Shard's ----- Sandal Mr. Chute's ----- Hannibal Mr. Baily's ----- Baronet Mr. Golden's ----- Lady Mr. Goodlake's - - - - Gewgaw Mr. Fell's Lottery Mr. Reeve's ----- Ruby Mr. Bache's ----- Bracelet Mr. Geddes's - - - - Go Mr. Richardes's - - - - Nollekins Hon. Mr. Moreton's - - Mirth DECEMBER. Mr. West's ----- Venus Mr. Swallow's - - - - Solway Mr. Tharp's ----- Nelson Mr. Cook's ----- Swindon JANUARY. Mr. Lawrence's - - - - Lieutenant FEBRUARY. Mr. Elmore's - - - - Eager & Easy Mr. Ladbroke's - - - - Louisa 240 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. To the Editor of the Sportsman s Cabinet. Sir, I beg to state for the information of tlie Sporting World on both sides the Atlantic, that the dam of WindclifFe, by Catton and a bay mare by Octavius out of Melrose's dam, purchased at the late Lord Scarborough's sale, for a gentleman in South Carolina, (U. S.) both unfortunately died on their pas- sage to Charleston. I remain, Sir, Very truly, your's. The Shipper. Liverpool, Dec, 11, 1832. The SHOT WOODCOCK.— ( Plate.) The Woodcock. — The weight of the woodcock is from 11 to 14 ounces, though instances have occurred where they have weighed several ounces moi-e. The bill of this bird is three inches in length, duslvy towards the end, reddish at the base, and hollowed lengthwise with deep furrows; the upper mandible hangs over are ash coloured ; below, white. The shades of the plumage of this bird are so blended as to resemble, very strongly, the withered stalks, leaves, &c. which form the back ground of the scenery where it is generally found. The legs and toes are pale flesh coloured brown. The female woodcock may be distin- the lowei-, and torms the round point of guished from the male by a narrow the bill ; and nature has given at this exti'emity, an additional organ, appro- priated to its mode of life — the tip is rather flesh, than horn, and appears susceptible of a sort of touch, calculated for detecting its prey in the moist earth ; the tongue is slender, long, shai'p, and hard at the point ; the eyes lai'ge, and placed near the top of the head, that they may not be injured when the bird thrusts its bill into the ground. The shape of the head is remarkable, being rather triangular than round ; the ears are placed very forward, nearly on a line with the corners of the mouth ; from the bill to the eyes is a black line ; the forehead is a reddish ash colour ; the crown of the head, the hind part of the head, the back, the coverts of the wings, and the scapulars, are prettil}^ barred with a ferruginous black, red, and grey ; but on the head, the black predominates ; the under eye lid, white ; the chin, ash colour ; fore part of the neck, j^cHowt ish, marked with dusky minute dashes : the under parts of the body, dirty white, barred with numerous transverse dusky lines ; the quill feathers are dusky, marked on the outer web, with trian- gular rufous spots ; and the same on the inner web close to the shaft. The tail consists of twelve feathers, dusky or black on the one web, and marked with red on the other; the tips above stripe of white along part of the exterior web of the outermost feather of the wing ; the same part, on the outermost feather of the male, is elegantly and re- gularly spotted with black and reddish white. In the bastard wing of each sex is a small pointed naiTOW feather, very elastic, and used occasionally by paint- ers as a pencil. The woodcock, during summei*, is an inhabitant of Norway, Sweden, Lapland, and other northern countries. But when winter approaches, the severe frosts of those high latitudes, by depriving it of food, force it southward to milder cli- mates. — These birds arrive in Great Britain in flocks, sometimes as early as September, but not in great numbers till November or December. They ge- nerally take advantage of the night, being seldom seen to arrive before sun- set. The period of their arrival depends much upon the prevailing Avinds ; for, as they are unable to stniggle with the boisterous gales of the northern ocean, they wait for the advantage of a favour- able wind. When they have had bad weather to encounter on their passage, they ai'e frequently so much exhausted on their arrival as to remain on the same spot many hours, almost helpless, and much reduced in flesh, by the fatigue of their voyage. In very stormy weather, we are told, they occasionally take re- B2 © © i THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 241 fuge in the rigging of vessels at sea, and that numbers are frequently lost on their passage. Woodcocks are found much farther to the south than is generally supposed : in fact, in their periodical wanderings or migrations, these birds are actuated by hunger ; wherever their food is to be obtained, woodcocks are likely to be found, as, although they breed, for the most part, in the colder regions of the north, a warmer climate seems no way injurious to them, provided their food is to be obtained in j^lenty. The greater part of them leave this country about the latter end of February or the beginning of March. They retire to the coast ; and, if the wind be favour- able, set out immediately ; but, if con- trary, they are often detained for some time, and thus aflbrd good diversion to those sportsmen who reside near the shore. Woodcocks feed on worms and in- sects, which they search for with their long bill, in soft ground and moist woods, flying and feeding principally to- wards evening, and a' so by moonlight. Mr. Bowles has described the man- ner in which the woodcock feeds from those he saw in the Aviary at St. Ilde- phonso in Spain : '' There was (he ob- serves) a fountain perpetually flowing to keep the ground moist, and trees planted for the same purpose ; fresh sod was brought to them, the richest in worms that could be found. In vain did the worms seek concealment when the woodcock was hungry ; it discover- ed them by the smell ; stuck its bill in the ground, but never higher than the nostrils, drew them out singly, and raising its bill into the air, it extended upon it the entire length of the worm, and in this way swallowed it smoothly without any action of the jaws. " This whole operation was performed in an instant, and the motion of the woodcock was so equal and impercep- tible, that it seemed doing nothmg ; it never missed its aim ; for this reason, and because it never plunged its bill beyond the orifice of the nostrils, I con- cluded that sniell is what directs it in search of its food." But Mr. Bowles was mistaken. The subject is placed in a very clear and very correct point of view by the author of the Shooter's Companion ; whose ob- servations on the subject we shall trans- cribe : — " An erroneous notion generally prevails (says he) that the woodcock lives by suction ; which has probably arisen from the bird's being occasion- ally observed to thrust his long bill into the earth. As I am not aware (he con- tinues) that any naturalist has truly described the mode of feeding of the woodcock, I shall relate a few particu- lers from actual observation. Most writers observe, that to obtain food, the woodcock thrusts his long bill into the ground, and thus coming in contact with small worms and insects, he is enabled, by means of his semi-serrated beak, to squeeze the dirt out of his mouth, and then swallow the food. It is possible, certainly, that the woodcock may, by boring, obtain small worms and insects, and, after cleansing them from the dirt, swallow them ; but his general and regular mode of feeding is as fol- lows : having pierced the ground with his long bill, and shaken the surround- ing earth, all the worms in the imme- diate vicinity make their way to the surface, and are greedily swallowed. If a person force a stick or spade into the ground, and move it about, he will quickly perceive the worms within reach of the motion appear at the surface, manifesting great alarm and eagerness to escape from danger ; instinct, there- fore, no doubt, impels the woodcock thus to procure his food. — In a severe frost, this bird is driven to shades and protected places, where the ground still remains sufficiently soft to admit of the operation of boring. The woodcock ap- pears to crush the worm to a jelly as it passes up the bill, and either from this circumstance, or from extraordinary powers of digestion, whatever the bird swallows seems to become, almost in- stantaneously, that exquisite delicacy of the table, known by the name of the trail. If a woodcock be flushed, while feeding, in the very act of swallowing a worm, and be shot at the distance of thirty yards from the spot whence he rose, the worm will be found changed into a jelly-like substance, the trail I have just mentioned. I'he woodcock is seen to feed early in the morning, and 2 K 24g THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. at dusk in the evening ; but this must not be understood in a literal sense. The bird is on the wing at the very dawn of the morning, and feeds as soon afterwards as he can discover food ; he will then generally continue in the place where he has fed, if sheltered, or seek the protection of some cover or hedge ; and, if undisturbed, will remain in the same situation till late in the afternoon, when he feeds again, and af- terwards takes a short flight or two to his resting place for the night. The sight of the woodcock is indiffe- rent in the day time, but he sees better in the dusk of the evening and by moon- light ; and it may also be remarked that woodcocks will lie better the day following a moonlight night, than when it has been preceded by a very dark one : the reason is obvious — the bird has been enabled by the light of the moon to make a plentiful repast, and the next day is lazy and unwilling to fly ; whereas, when the darkness of the night has rendered it impossible for him to satisfy the calls of hunger, he is con- stantly uneasy, and on the alert in search of food, which he never attempts to seek in the day time, but when ne- cessity compels hira. M. Baillon says he has frequently re- marked that there are two kinds of woodcocks : — the first that arrive are the largest, their legs are grey, slightly inclined to rose colour. The others are smaller, their plumage similar to that of the large woodcock, but their legs are blue. But it would appear that there are three different sizes of woodcocks. Those which first make their appearance in this country are the largest ; they fly heavily, and their heads appear to be muffled, especially the under parts, with short feathers : and the general cast of their plumage appears lighter or more inclining to grey, than the smaller birds. The most numerous tribe, which arrive in November and December, are rather smaller, their heads less, the feathers smoother, and the bill somewhat short- er. Woodcocks that come about Can- dlemas are also small, and differ in their manner of flying; they rise more ra- pidly, take longer flights, are more dif- ficult of approach, and consequently not so easily shot. Upon the coast of Sussex, woodcocks have been seen on their first arrival, in the church yards and even in the streets of Rye, in coi>siderable numbers. At their first coming on that coast, they are commonly poor, as if wasted by their long jovirney, and are sometimes scurfy, though not so much so as before their return in the spring ; and it is re- markable that when the woodcock first arrives, the taste of its flesh is quite dif- ferent from that which it afterwards as- sumes : it is very white, short, and ten- der, and seems to have little or no blood in it; but after it has been in this country a considerable time, the flesh" becomes more tough, stringy, and fi- brous, like that of domestic fowls. If a woodcock is shot just before his de- parture, he bleeds plentifully ; whereas, at the beginning of winter, scarcely any blood flows from the wounds : hence it would seem, that, in those countries where they have their summer resi- dence, they subsist upon different nou- rishment to what they find here. By the short flights which these birds generally take when flushed in our woods or covers, they do not appear fond of using their wings long toge- ther ; yet they certainly visit us from places far distant; and first appear on the eastern coast of Scotland ; they do not arrive in Breadalbane, a central part of the kingdom, until the latter end of October, or beginning of November ; and seldom reach any part of the west- ern coast of Scotland before December : there they continue in plenty until the middle of March, or perhaps later, ac- cording to the mildness or rigour of the season. In the early part of it they continue arriving in succession for a month, and in every county in Scotland, wliere they are found, they fly regularly from east to west. In the same manner as woodcocks quit us, they retire from France, Ger- many, and Italy, making the northern and cold situations, their universal sum- mer residence. They visit Burgundy the latter end of October, but continue there only four or five weeks ; it being a dry country, they are forced away for THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 243 want of sustenance by the first frost. In the winter they are found in great plenty as far south as Smyrna and Aleppo ; during the same season, they are met with in Barbary, where they are called the ass oj the partridye. We are also told that some have appeared as far south as Egypt. On the other side, they are found in Japan. In the winter season, woodcocks abound in the neighbourhood of Athens, descending, after snow on the moun- tains, into the plains, and as suddenly retiving, if the weather be severe ; they enter the gardens of the town in great distress rather than cross the sea, and are sometimes taken up with the hand. In 1798, a woodcock was seen in In- dia : it was shot at Chittagong, by a gentleman resident at Ducca. The ex- istence of the woodcock in the East In- dies had been much doubted ; it w^as therefore exposed for the satisfaction of the curious, and was then sent to Ben- gal for the purpose of preservation. The author of the " Wild Sports of the East" observes, " Woodcocks are so ex- tremely scarce, that most of the best and oldest sportsmen doubt whether one is to be found in India. However, two or three have to my knowledge been shot. Indeed, I am greatly mistaken, if I did not one day, see several brace, as I was following the com-se of a small spring, through an extensive jvmgle of underwood, near Hazary Bang. They flitted before me for about a mile, sud- denly dropping as they got out of my reach, and taking great care to dodge in such a manner through the bushes as to destroy every possibility of taking an effectual aim. It was in the month of January, when we had as sharp a frost as ever I can remember to have expe- rienced in India." Mr. Travers of Cornwall observes, that when at a great distance from land where the feathered tribes ai-e rarely seen, a bird was perceived hovering over the ship : when first discovered, it was high in the air, but gradually descended, and, after making several circuits, at length alighted on the deck, and suffer- ed itself to be taken up by the hand — it was a woodcock. In 1779, a couple of woodcocks, in a gale of wind, alighted upon the deck of the Glorj', man of war, as she was cruis- ing in the channel. Woodcocks, like other birds, are at- tracted in their flight, by the glare of light ; and many instances have occurred, at the Eddystone, Cromer, and Bidstone lighthouses, of their being killed b}' fly- ing against them in the night. In 1796, in the lighthouse, upon the Hill of Howth, as the man who attended was trimming his lamp, he was surprised by a violent stroke against the outside of the windows, which broke a pane of plate glass cast for the place, and more than three eighths of an inch thick. On examining the balcony, which surrounds the light, he found a woodcock, Avhich had flown with such violence against the pane of glass, as to break his bill, head, breast bone, and both wings. The same person had often found birds which had killed themselves by flying against the windows, but never before knew the glass to be injured. In February, 1798, a woodcock was caught in Clenston Wood, by the game- keeper, in the rabbit nets, and pre- served alive : a brass ring was put on its left leg, and it was let fly from What- combe House. In the following season, upon the 13th of December, the same bird was shot by Mr. Pleydell, in the same wood in which it had originally been taken, A second instance occur- red in February, 1802, when a wood- cock was taken alive in the same wood; and, after a tin ring, with the date, was affixed round its leg, the bird v\^as liber- ated. Upon the 11th of the following December, the bird was shot in the same wood where it was captured the preceding February. A white woodcock was seen three successive winters in Peni-ice Wood, near the castle of that name in Glamor- ganshire. It was repeatedly flushed and shot at during that time, and was at last found dead, with several others, which had perished by the severity of the winter of 1793. Consett informs us, that the inhabit- ants of the north of Europe, to whose woods and swamps the woodcock retires in the summer, never eat these birds, regarding their flesh as unwholesome from the ch-cumstance of its having no crop ; though, from other accovmts, we 244 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. are given to understand that the eggs of the woodcock are considered as one of the greatest dainties. The neighbourhood of Torrington, in Devonshire, was formerly remarkable for woodcocks and snipes. One person has been known to send birds of that description to London to the amount of several hundred pounds in the course of a single season. It appears that the woodcock, though it has large prominent eyes, cannot sup- port a glaring light, and does not see •well but in the twilight. This is evinced by its manner of life, and by its motions, which are never so agile as in the dawn or at the close of the day; and so strong is this propensity to action at the morn- ing and evening, that woodcocks con- fined in a room have been observed to flutter regularly at these times, while, during the day or the night, they only run on the floor without attempting to fly ; and, probably, woodcocks remain still in the dark nights, but in moonlight, come abroad in quest of food. It is well known they leave their retreats on the approach of evening, and spread among the glades, always keeping the little paths, (by wliich means the nets are so destructive) ; they are then seeking the wet pasturage, ponds, or water, by the skirts of the woods, Avhere they wash their bill and feet, which are daubed with earth in searching for worms and insects. Though woodcocks in general leave this kingdom, yet they are occasionally known to remain and even to breed. Pennant notices this circumstance ; and Mr. Latham states, that on the first of May, 1769, the gamekeeper of Horace Mann, Esq. shot a couple of woodcocks in Chellenden Wood, and also a couple the preceding day ; and each of these couples had formed a nest. He likewise says that a friend of his met with a fe- male woodcock sitting on her eggs, and the male close at hand. She was so tame, as to suffer him to touch her with- out rising ; this was in a wood near Farningham in Kent. About the year 1781, a jiair of old woodcocks, with five young ones in company, lull fledged, were found. The woodcock makes an artless nest on the ground, composed of a few dried fibres and leaves, generally against an old stump or root of a tree ; the eggs, four or five in number, are larger than those of a pigeon, of a rufous grey, marked with dusky blotches ; the young run as soon as they are hatched, but as they cannot immediately provide for themselves, the old birds accompany them for some time. Woodcocks have bred occasionally in various parts of England ; but whether this arose from the old birds being wounded and unable to accompany their fellows when they quit this country in the spring, or otherwise, will perhaps never be satisfactorily ascertained. Young woodcocks have been found in the High Woods near Colchester ; and in the year 1801, a gentleman shooting in a wood of Mr. Wennive, of Bretten- ham, in Suffolk, flushed a woodcock, which he shot at and missed ; the bird returned again to the spot ; and a nest, with three eggs, was discovered : the nest was carefully watched, and two days after the eggs were hatched, and the young safely taken off by the old ones. A young woodcock was found the same year in Bewdley Park, War- wickshire ; and also a nest, with three young woodcocks, a few miles beyond Dartford in Kent. In Birchwood, near Sharford House, in Hampshire, a wood- cock's nest was found with four eggs which were hatched, notwithstanding the visits of the curious frequently dis- turbed the parent bird. The Duke of Gordon's gamekeeper, on the 15th November, 1797, shot a woodcock, the quill feathers of which wei-e perfectly white ; their coverts both greater and lesser, upon the upper side of the wing, of the same colour ; on the lower side the coverts were also white, except the three outermost feathers, which, together with those upon the rest of its body, were of the usual colour. In March, 1798, the gamekeeper of Sir John Lade, shot a woodcock com- pletely white, in a wood in the parish of Selehurst, in Sussex ; and in Novem- ber of the same year, Mr. Goodyear, of Box, Somersetshire, killed one with white wings. In November, 1804, Mr. Powell, of Okeover Hall, Derbyshire, killed a wood- THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 245 cock, whose plumage was a bright ches- nut, faintly mottled, except the neck and breast, which, as well as the legs and feet, were neai-ly white. The wing feathers were beautifully mottled with chesnut, upon a fawn-coloured ground. The head and eyes were larger than usual, the bill thicker, and of a fine brown colour. Many other instances of the seeming sport of nature in this bird might be enumei'ated. FLINT and PERCUSSION GUNS. To the Editor of the Cabinet. Sir, Permit me to express the satis- faction I have derived from perusing the first three numbers of the Cabi- net, and to congratulate sporting men, of all descriptions, on the appearance of a work that fully deserves its title, and bids fair to become a necessary appen- dage to the reading table of all real sportsmen, as well as to that of those, who only pretend to be such, without undergoing the dangers of flood and field necessary to fully sustain that cha- racter. However, I should not have thus early troubled you with my praise, did I not wish to set one of your correspon- dents a little to rights, who modestly enough signs himself " A Shooter," but whether he has been employing his talents in that way in the citadel of Antwerp, or in the trenches before it does not appear, but I am inclined to suspect it must have been in some such place, as he seems evidently much more conversant with gunpowder than fowl- ing-pieces, or he would not have luade the monstrous mistake he has done with regard to the advantages of percussion priming, and have mentioned that as a chief advantage, which the experience of every game- shooter must tell him is the weakest point of the percussion gun. He says, the advantages of percussion priming are more instantaneous ignition of the charge attended with greater force, though a much less quantity than the usual load is sufiicient to produce it ; and then proceeds to shew the why and the wherefore, and probably the reasons he gives might have been con- sulered quite suffieient to account for it, if a truism, but every day practice has convinced me, and I believe every other game shooter, that the same force, i. e. the same power to kill at long distances, is not possessed by fowling pieces fired by percussion, as by those fired by the old tinder box fashion of flint and steel. 1 believe the shooter would find no dif- ficulty in obtaining half a dozen pretty theories to account for the practical re- sult, if he felt inclined to do so, by con- sulting the first half dozen gunmakers chance may throw in his way : however, it is not my present business to discuss the merits of the many theories I have heard on the subject, but merely to state what, I believe, comes nearest to the true cause of this difference ; and if what I hear stated with regard to Smith's new fashioned nipples is true, I think it must be allowed, I am not very far out in my calculations, and as he (no mean authority,) seems to have taken nearly the same view of it with myself, I am in hopes my statement may not be wholly uninteresting to yom- readers. The " Shooter" truly observes, "In the flintlock fowling pieces, the ignitions take place from sparks driven off" the hammer, which falling in the pan, kin- dle the priming." But it should also be observed, that those sparks, at the time of falling, are particles of steel in a state of fusion ; consequently, as far as the priming is concerned, the ignition is quicker than the percussion, b)' as much as the intensity of heat in melting steel is greater than that in the flames pro« duced by detonating compounds ; some of which produce much hotter fire* than others : but none can be compared to the heated steel, from a flint lock, or * The best caps are those primed with the common, not the anti-corrosive, percussion powder : and they are only two-thirds the price. With the common (not the P^rench cap) a miss-fire rarely happens : with Joyce's caps, it is a fre- quent occurrence, particularly if the gun has been fired ten or twelve times. 246 THE SPORTSMAN"S CABINET. tlie flame of gunpowder. — This may be easily tested, by strewing a few grains of gunpowder by the side of the nipple in any gun, and firing a cap, which, instead of igniting it, will blow it away like dust. He then observes, " a part of the force is lost through the touch hole of the flint locks," in which he is perfectly correct ; and goes on to shew that the percussion priming throws a stream of fire into the centre of the charge, which, he says, becomes ignited with incon- ceivable quickness and i-apidity. If this were so, there could be no doubt on the subject ; but I am prepared to deny the power of this stream of flame (which possesses no substantial heat) to ignite gunpowder with rapidity, though I am quite prepared to acknowledge the force and rapidity of its own movement ; and by this very rapidity it is, that it defeats itself ; for, by this flame i-ushing forcibly through the powder witViout sufficient heat to ignite it, the shot is driven for- ward in the barrel before the whole charge of powder is thrown into a state of combustion ; consequently, it acts gradually instead of simultaneously,and probably the whole of the powder is not exploded, till the shot has travelled a considerable distance in the barrel. In this case, the effect produced is the same as when the wadding is not put close on the powder ; or, in a bullet gun, when the ball is not rammed home ; where, it is evident to the meanest capa- city, that, by as much as the snace left between the powder and ball is greater, so much the weaker or powerless will be the flight of the ball. Now, in a flint lock gun, no force whatever is thrown into the charge, but the fire communi- cates from grain to grain, so that it is necessary, by means of rather a nar- row and long tube in the centre of the breech, to give it an acquired force, which enables it to reach the front sur- face at the same time that it reaches the sides of the charge : by this means, the whole charge is burnt at once, and acts simultaneously on the shot : this is the perfection of a flint gun, and to this I believe they have been brought ; and, although the percussion gun is infinitely superior as a whole, it is, or was, de- cidedly inferior in this particular. — I say " or was," because I understand Smith, of Prince's Street, professes to have re- moved this inferiority by his new fa- shioned nipple, which is constructed so as to considerably reduce the force with which the detonating stream enters the gun : it also brings a much larger quan- tity of gunpowder in immediate contact with the detonating flame as soon as it is pi'oduced, which neutralizes its force, and increases its heat sufficiently to burn the whole charge of powder in the space in which it would lay unignited. I have had no opportunity, from my own experience, of judging whether this is the fact ; but I have seen many capital game shooters who have used this kind of nipple, and entertain a very high opinion of its merits. But whether this inferiority is, or remains to be, re- moved, permit me to give it as my de- cided opinion, that no percussion gun will be found superior to a flint lock gun for killing at long distances, unless it is accomplished by the detonating compound being improved, so as to jiro- duce a much more considerable heat than any now in use does, or by reduc- ing very materially the foi-ce by which it is thrown into the charge. If you can find a corner in your next number for this, I shall feel highly gra- tified ; and, perhaps, you will permit me to add, that, though I am sensible percussion guns are inferior in point of killing when game is vei-y wild, yet I am equally sensible to their many very great advantages, which are too well known by game shooters to render it ne- cessary to increase the length of this letter by dilating on them. I am. Sir, Your's, &c. A Game Shooter. *.jit* We insert the foregoing letter with much pleasure, as we believe the writer to be a pi'actical sportsman ; and, though we do not exactly agree with him respecting the merits of the flint and percussion guns, nor cannot see any improvement in the nipple made by Smith, further than its being less liable to break than those in general use, we shall, at all times, be happy to give pub- licity to his opinions on this most interest- ing subject. — Ed. THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 247 The EAGLE and CONDOR. 2o the Editor of the Cabinet. Sir, I have frequently been surprised at the accounts which naturalists give us of the eagle ; and although some of these accounts are stamped with the at- testation of names of the greatest res- pectability, yet I am often inclined to think, that they partake a little too much of the marvellous. Mr. Bruce in- forms us, that on the highest point of the mountain of Lamalmon, not far from Gondar, the capital of Abyssinia, as he and his servants were refreshing them- selves after the fatigues of the toilsome rugged ascent, and enjoying the plea- sure of a most delightful climate, eating their dinner in the open air, with seve- ral large dishes of boiled goat's flesh be- fore them, an enormous bird suddenly made his appearance : he did not stoop rapidly from a height, but came flying slowly along the ground, and sat down close to the meat, within the ring which the men formed around it. " A great shout or rather cry of distress (adds Mr. Bruce) called me to the place. I saw the eagle stand for a minute as if to re- collect himself, while the servants ran for their lances and shields. I walked up as nearly as I had time to do. His attention was fully fixed upon the flesh : I saw him put his foot into the pan, where there was a large piece in water prepared for boiling ; but finding the smart, which he had not expected, he withdrew it, and forsook the piece which he held. There were two large pieces, a leg and a shoulder, lying upon a wooden platter : into these he thrust both his claws and carried them off." However, as Mr. Bruce's attendants as- sured him the bird would pay them ano- ther visit, that gentleman prepared for his reception. In a few minutes the eagle again made his appearance ; and in the mean time Mr. Bruce had loaded a rifle gun, with which he drove a ball through the middle of his body, about two inches below the wing, so that he lay down upon the grass without a single flutter. This bird, which the people of the country called Father Loiujheard (from a tuft of featiiers growing beneath its bill) measured, from the extent of one wing to the extent of the other, eight feet four inches ; and from the tip of its tail to the point of its beak, four feet, se- ven inches. This account I most " potently and powerfully believe," for notwithstanding Munchausen was dedicated to this cele- brated Abyssinian traveller, there is every reason to believe Mr. Bruce faith- fully described whatever fell under his observation, as the reports of posterior travellers (particularly Lord Valentia and Mr. Salt) have strongly tended to confirm his veracity. This bearded eagle, however, is a di- minutive creature compared to the con- dor, which is found in South America. P. Fenille gives the following account of this enoi-mous and even dreadful bird. " In the valley of Ilo in Peru (says he) I discovered a condor perched on a high rock before me ; I approached within gun-shot and fired ; but as my piece was only charged with swan shot, the lead was not able suflficiently to pierce the bird's feathers. I perceived, how- ever, by its manner of flying that it was wounded; and it was with a good deal of difficulty that it flew to another rock about five hundred yards distant, on the sea shore. I therefore charged again with ball, and hit the bii'd under the throat, which made it mine. I accord- ingly ran up to seize it; but even in death it was terrible, and defended itself upon its back with its claws extended against me, so that I scarcely knew how to lay hold of it. Had it not been mor- tally wounded, I should have found it no easy matter to take it ; but I at last dragged it down from the rock ; and, with the assistance of one of the sea- men, I carried it to my tent." The wings of this bird, it seems, were twelve feet, three inches, from tip to tip. The great feathers which were of a shining black, were two feet, four inches long. The thickness of the bill was in proportion to the size of the body, and four inches long ; the point hooked down- wards, white at its extremity, and the other part of a jet black. A short down, of a brown colour covered the head ; the eyes were black and surrounded with a circle of reddish brown. The feathers on the breast, neck, and wings, 248 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. were of a light brown; those on the back were rather darker. Its thighs were covered with brown feathers to the knee. The thigh bone was ten inches long ; the leg five inches; the toes were three before and one behind; that be- hind was an inch and a half, and the claw with which it was armed black, and thi'ee quarters of an inch long. The other claws were in due proportion, and the legs were covered with black scales as also the toes. The account further states, that these birds usually keep in the mountains in the deserts of Pacha- mar, where men seldom venture to travel. Those wild regions are very suf- ficient of themselves to inspire a secret horror : — broken precipices, prowling panthers, forests only vocal with the hissing of serpents — rendered still more terrible by the condor, the only bird that ventures to make its residence in those deserted situations. Condamine asserts that he has fre- quently seen the condor in several parts of the mountains of Quito, and observed them hovering over a flock of sheep ; and he thinks they would, at a certain time, have attempted to carry one off, had they not been scared away by the shep- herds. Mr. Strong, the master of a ship, as he was sailing along the coast of Chili, in the thirty-third degree of south lati- tude, observed a bird sitting upon a high cliff near the shore, which some of the ship's company sliot with a leaden bul- let, and killed. They were much sur- prised when they beheld its magnitude ; for, when the wings were extended, tliey measured thirteen feet from one tip to the other. One of the quills was two feet, four inches long ; and the barrel or hollow part was six inches and three quarters, and an inch and a half in cir- cumference. The writers who have given us ac- counts of these enormous birds, have generally remarked that they are not very numerous, which perhaps is the reason why they liave never been exhi- bited as a spectacle of entertainment in this country. And indeed, tin's is the best reason perhaps that can be given, why, in those countries where they breed, their surprising powers are not converted to some useful purpose, or at least to the amusements of the field. If taken young, I should suppose they might be taught to fly at game after the manner of the falcon. The condoi-, for instance, might be trained to fly at the wild horses of South America, or to en- counter the panther ; the bearded eagle of Abyssinia might be taught to seize the hyena, immense numbers of which infest that country ; while the lammer- geyer might be very amusingly employ- ed in chasing the goats which abound in the Alps; and, if taught to fly at the wild bulls of Spain, would, in all proba- bility, afford much higher gratification than is now derived from the Spanish bull fights. I have before observed, that I place implicit credit in the account which Bruce has given of the bearded eagle of Abyssinia ; but I must confess I have some difficulty in be ieving to the full extent what has been related of the con- dor or the lammer-geyer, though I am very willing to admit that bii'ds of this kind have been met with, and of an enormous size also, but not quite to the extent which wonder-relating travellers describe. If we come nearer home, we shall find that the nest of an eagle was found in the Peak of Derbyshire, which Willoughby thus descrioes : — " It was made of great sticks, resting one end on the edge of a rock, and the other on two birch trees. Upon these was a lay- er of rushes, and over them a layer of heath, and upon the heath rushes again ; upon which laj' one young one and an addleegg; and by them a lamb, a hare, and three heath poults. The nest was about two yards wide, and had no fol- low in it. The young eagle was of the shape of a goshawk, of almost the weight of a goose, rough footed, or fea- thered down to the foot, having a white ring about the tail." There is one remarkable singulai'ity, however, that distinguishes all birds of prey, viz. the males are about a third less and weaker than the females ; and hence the male has been called by fal- coners a tiercel ; that is, a tierce or third less than the other. The female is not only larger, but more fierce also, as well as more beautiful for shape and colour ; which we know to be in direct opposi- tion to the general order of nature. B. P. THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 249 [Continued from p. 200.) head."* The real thoroiioh bred setter has by no means so capa- cious a head as the pohiter ; yet, from the number of crosses * " It is a very well-known fact, that the sense of smell varies very much in dogs ; or, to speak as a sportsman, some of them possess better noses than others. In dogs witli broad heads, the os cethmohles, or sive bone, is much larger than in narrow headed dogs ; the lamincc crihose, or the sive itself, is therefore more capa- cious, and contains more openings ; so that the olfactory nerves which pass through it are more numerous, and are divided more minutely ; and thus that ex- quisite acuteness of smell is produced, which is found to obtain in the old English bloodhound, and in all dogs with broad heads: this excellence or superiority of the olfactory organs is further assisted by the largeness and flexibility of the lips and skin about the nose, which thus admit of a much greater expansion of the olfactory nerves, and render them more susceptible of external impressions. Tlie olfactory nerves resemble a bunch of small white cords, one end of which is con- nected with the brain, while the other, descending the head, spreads into nume- rous i-amifications, reaching to the edges of the lips, as well as to the extremity of the nose. " Hence the inferiority of the greyhound's sense of smell will be easily per- ceived : his head is narrow, while his lips are thin and compressed, and in conse- quence of the inflexibility and the contracted structure of the liead, that breadth and extension of nerve are inadmissible ; and to make up, as it might seem, for this defect, nature has endowed him with a celerity which is not to be met with in any other species of the dog. " All dogs therefore with broad heads nuist possess superior organs of smell ; but it does not appear that a narrow or sharp nose presents any obstacle, as the main bulk of the olfactory organs is situated in the head ; but I think it is abundantly evident, that a very long nose (like the greyhound,) must always be detrimental, since the impression of scent, externally caught, must have farther to travel to the brain. The wolf and the fox have both sharp noses ; but their heads are remark- ably broad and capacious : — their olfactory organs are unquestionably exquisite. Experience, in fact, fully verifies these conjectures : the dogs most remarkable for exquisite sense of smell are equally distinguished for broad heads : and the gra- dations ai'e easily to be traced • the talbot, the original of all our modern hounds, exhibits the outward characteristics of superior olfactory nerves in a very obvious and striking manner • by crossing the talbot with something of the greyhound breed, the stag hound was produced : — the speed of the talbot was thus increased ; but, as the head became more compressed, the sense of smell suffered accordingly. The fox hound is a still farther remove, and his olfactory organs are inferior to those of the stag hound ; and the reason, in fact, why well bred stag hounds dis- tinguish the blown or hunted deer from the herd is entirely owing to their prox- imity to the talbot ; while the fox hound, by being farther removed, is unable to distinguish the hunted or blown fox, where another fox happens to come in the way during the chase. " I have frequently thought that the size of the ears," and also the voice, as far as relates to hounds (pointers and setters inclusively, as they arc evidentl}- of the hound tribe) a criterion of the quality of the nose. The tal1)ot has the deepest and most powerful voice of any dog ; the progressions are obvious ; and thus we may form perhaps a tolerabl}' accurate " criterion of the sense of smell :" The talbot has amazing large ears ; the stag hound's are smaller ; the fox hound's the smallest of the three. " The pointer is remarkable for a broad capacious head, as well as for large pendant cars ; and those setters, distinguished for the goodness of their olfactory 2i 250 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. which this animal has undergone, directed perhaps rather by fancy than reflection, setters are to be seen of ahnost every form, but all much inferior to the improved pointer. I have already re- marked, that I was much attached to the setter, from the beauty of his form as well as from his British appearance; I reluctantly abandoned him for reasons already given, and have since shot over what I call an improved breed of pointers, and from which I have derived much more pleasure, and much more satisfaction, than I was ever able to obtain from the best setters of which I was ever possessed. The Spanish pointer, the stock, I suppose, whence have sprung those now used in Great Britain, in all their various shades, is a very heavy slow animal, with an amazing large head, and ex- quisite sense of smell; but from his weight, as well as broadly- spreading spongy feet, he is not calculated to endure much fatigue. This dog is remarkable for steadiness ; but is generally very ill- tempered ; the object therefore was to place, if possible, his capa- cious head upon a body better formed for motion, as well as capable of enduring more fatigue. In this object I succeeded, after a variety of experimental crosses, and my pointers possess all those qualities so valuable in their progenitor, with the speed and endu- rance of the setter. Two of these animals I deemed sufficient for my excursion through the Highlands of Scotland, where I had every reason to believe grouse were to be met with in abun- dance. It must be recollected that my object was not prodigious slaughter. I felt a great inclination to visit a country which ap- peared so interesting ; yet, at the same time, to enjoy the delightful re- creation of grouse shooting as chances might offer and circumstances allow ; taking it for granted that birds were as plentiful as hun- dred tongued rumour had proclaimed ; so that I felt confident a few hours any day would be quite sufficient to kill as many birds as I wished for that day to procure ; one of my anxieties was to take a brace of as good pointers as possible, and as one which I proposed should accompany me was young, I had, during the preceding- powers, will be found to possess a veiy considerable expansion of the head, though their noses may taper more than the nose of the pointei'. Thus, at first glance, a ]ki11 dog will be supposed to excel in this respect,- but on examination, it will be found that his head is rather chubby than broad, while the skin about the mouth is comparatively inflexible and compressed, his imder jaw projected, and his nos- trils thrown so far back as to prevent that immediate contact with external ob- jects, which is seen to obtain in the dogs before mentioned : yet, notwithstanding all these objections, the bull dog's sense of smell is of the superior order, which arises, no doubt, from the capaciousness of his head. " The sense of smell, like most other qualities, is improved by practice. Dogs which are kept in towns and but little exercised will always be inferior to such as are quartered in the country."^ — See the Sporfsman's Cijdopediu. THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 251 spring, completed her education, and I regarded her as the most perfect of her kind. By the latter end of the month of June, my determination was not only fixed to visit the Highlands of Scotland, but I had care- fully examined my favourite gun, cleaned it thoroughly, and indeed made every requisite preparation. Business called me from home on Saturday, the 26th of June, and on this very day, a malignant neighbour shot mtj favourite young pointer hitch ! In the neighbourhood of my residence there is a considerable number of sportsmen, who live in the presence of each other in the utmost harmony : but it unfortunately happened, that a stranger came amongst us, and it was still more unfortunate per- haps that he was not a sportsman. We were disposed^ neverthe- less, to receive him into our society ; but he kept aloof. We soon perceived that there was something uncommon in his manner and habits : he was frequently seen in the lanes pacing backward and forward with a hurried step, and swinging his arms in a most ex- traordinary manner; at times he was observed to gnash his teeth, or strike his breast, and mutter as if some crime lay heavy on his conscience. Instead of returning our customary salute, when he was met by any of the neighbours, he raised his eyes, and with his mouth half open, stared vacantly for a ^e,\N seconds and passed on. At times he was seen to play other strange anticks : — he would hide his face in a large cloak which he frequently wore across his shoulders, peep from under it and grin ; and from these and a number of similar circumstances, he excited our pity, and many were disposed to think that he was rather deficient in his intellects, though not absolutely a changeling. What motive the man could have for playing off such ridiculous vagaries has never been precisely ascertained ; but it was apparent in a little time, that whatever folly might be interwoven in his composition, there was much designing knavery lurking beneath a very ridiculous exterior. It will be necessary to remark, that he possessed a com- fortable property of five or six hundred a year (in what manner obtained I know not) and having purchased a house and appurte- nances, he built high walls round the whole in such a manner tjiat no person without could see what was transacting within this sulky inclosure or semi-fortification. So far from joining in the sports of the field, he soon evinced a most decided antipathy to every thing relating to them. He testified a petulant hostility against our harriers, and made himself so extremely unpleasant on several occasions, that, at length, it fell to my lot to call him to order. Months passed away in gloomy silence, and on the day I have mentioned above, he shot my fiivourite young pointer through one of the loop holes of his wall. She was in the lane not more than one hundred yards from her own kennel ; the report of the gun and the cries of the animal brought several of my family to the 252 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. door, when they saw the smoke of the discharge, but the vile mis- creant was hidden from their view by the walls through which he pointed his deadly venom. The bitch was not killed, though she was unable to stand : bleeding from a countless number of wounds, she was laid on some clean straw ; and, strange as it may seem, she recovered. Several days elapsed before she was able to stand; fifty shots were extracted, principally from her fore legs, and many others still remain ; yet she completely recovered, and accompanied me in my excursion. I have already remarked that all hopes of my friend Freeman accompanying me had vanished ; but my loss, in this respect, was compensated by an ingenious young artist, in whom 1 experienced a very interesting companion. He arrived at my residence the day preceding our departure, and towards the evening we rambled across the fields to the house of Mr. Freeman. Sportsmen are generally remarkable for good fellowship, and so is Freeman ; but in addition to this quality, he unites the frankness of an English yeoman, and when any of his friends pay him a visit, he is never in a hurry to part with their company. A few hours soon passed in pleasant conversation, and I pro- posed to retire, which was vehemently opposed by my honest neighbour, who, in his arm-chair, and breathing immense volumes of tobacco smoke, appeared as happy as the exhilarating glass and good company could make him. The clock struck twelve, v/hen Freeman reluctantly consented that we should depart. The night was fine, but a solemn stillness reigned around, which, added to the deep shade of various trees, gave a very great degree of gloominess to the scene. As we proceeded, from some incident, w'hich I do not recollect, I happened to remark, that at a spot near which we should pass in our w^ay, an unfortunate man had been murdered three years before. The story of which I thereupon commenced to explain. On the approach of harvest, great numbers of Irish labourers make their way to this country, and as they principally arrive at Liverpool, they spread themselves immediately all over the adja- cent parts, and many of them continue during the summer, and assist not only in getting in the crops of corn, but also in digging up the potatoes immediately after the harvest. Mr. S — gene- rally employs a number of these people, and on the occasion in question had paid them, and they had returned to their own coun- try. Three weeks afterwards, v/lien one of his servants happened to pass a small pit, which had been formed for wetting clay, in the process of brick-making upon an estate in Melling, he observed a hat floating upon the surface of the water : on approaching still nearer, he was struck with horror at the sight of a dead body also, which, on examination, he recognized as one of the Irishmen who had worked for his master the preceding summer and autumn, THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 253 and who was one of the last to quit the place. Upon consideration, it was ascertained that the unfortunate man, in company with another, his companion, had been the last settled with, and had each received seven pounds in the presence of the other. They had both left their potatoe forks near the place where the murder was committed; and after having received the sums just mention- ed, they quitted Mr. B — 's house for Liverpool, intending to call for the forks in their way. They were seen to proceed towards the fatal spot ; and, upon reaching it, there is little doubt that one of them had murdered his companion and robbed him, as the marks of the prongs of a potatoe fork were horridly visible on the unfortunate man's forehead, while the seven pounds which he was known to have received, was not to be found about him. It is ge- nerally supposed that the assassin had first knocked him down, and then despatched him by savagely thrusting the fork through his head ! I had just finished the relation of this horrible transaction, when we arrived opposite the spot where the bloody deed was per- petrated. The recital of such a transaction generally produces a sympathetic affection which it is not easy to describe — a thrilling- horror runs through the frame, and produces a most unpleasant vibration on the feelings, which any person will easily understand, who has ever listened to the description of one of these deeds of blood, particularly at midnight, and near the spot too of the hor- rid perpetration ! I am perfectly well aware that the idea of ghosts and supernatural appearances has long been abandoned as absurd by men of sense and reflection ; but yet phantoms, visions of the " heat oppressed brain," will float before the imagination on occasions such as I have been describing! — and the mind rejoices, as it were, in conjuring up terrific and appalling images to the fancy ! Thus, as I passed a building a little farther on, I suddenly observed, by the pale light of the midnight moon, two human fi- gures, and, in spite of my philosophy, I started with momentciry ap- prehension. The gentleman who accompanied me, instantly asked, " What's the matter ?" and I was almost as instantly myself again. My mind had been prepared, by previous conversation, to receive alarming impressions, or 1 should not, in all probability, have started at the sight of rustic courtship ; as it proved neither more nor less than a young shoemaker in the neighbourhood taking leave of his sweetheart, and who joined us immediately afterwards. The next morning at six o'clock, we stepped into the stage coach, after the dogs and luggage were properly secured, and were whirled along at the rate of nine miles per hour. The weather was fine, and on reaching Preston, I obtained a seat outside, and was placed directly opposite to a genteel young Hibernian, who was going to visit the Lakes in Cumberland, but who would not allow 254 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. any view as we passed along to be half as beautiful as tlie scenes which are constantly presented to the eye in his own native island. If I could not agree with him in opinion, I did not think worse of him for the partiality which he manifested for Ireland.* At Lan- caster, when I again got into the coach, I found myself in coii^ipany with two quaJceresses ov female friends, pleasant and pretty women ; and in their company I passed through Burton, in Kent Dale, and reached the town of Kendall at half past two o'clock, where we sat down to a very indifferent dinner : but it happened to be the races ; the town was in a great measure deserted at the time, and this may account perhaps for our meagre fare. The quakeresses left us at Kendall,i and a black-eyed, good- looking female, accompanied by her " papa," entered the coach. She was well, though rather vulgarly, dressed ; and though, per- haps, rather too much inclined to compel others to listen to her remarks, yet there was a frankness and a candour in her manner that almost overbalanced what I have just mentioned, and rendered her company agreeable. Her " papa," as far as I am able to judge, had formerly been a Guinea captain. In this profession he had perhaps made a handsome property; as, if he had not the appearance of a gentleman, his apparel, his watch, and his rings, bespoke wealth, as well as his daughter's fancy ; while she was dressed still more costly, if not in the first style of elegance. As we passed over Shap Fells, it rained most heavily, and in de- scending one of the hills, the coach going, I should imagine, ten miles an hour, the lady uttered a loud scream ! I started, and earnestly inquired the cause of her alarm ; she was all trepidation till we reached the valley below, when she told me that her alarm had arisen from the velocity with which the coach had proceeded, aided by the recollection of the many dreadful accidents which had occcurred in passing these mountains ; the roads over which, are now much improved, but must be still dangerous, particularly in winter. After having passed the Fells, we came to a very clean looking * That beautiful apostrophe of Scott, " Breathes there a man with soul so dead, Who uever to himself has said, This is my own, my native land ! Whose heart has ne'er within him burned. As home his footsteps he hath turned, From wandering on a foreign strand." was before me in my imagination. I admired the amor patriae of this child of Erin, and forgot his prejudice. f Kendall takes its name from the small river Kent, which runs close by it. The Dale, through which the river runs, is called Kent Dale, and as Burton stands in or near this Dale, so it has received the name of Burton in Kent Dale. THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 255 public-house by the road-side, where the coachman and guard dismounted and took some refreshment, with however the least possible loss of time. On the right of the house, but adjoining it, there was a small garden in which several females appeared; and, &s it generally happens, their attention was attracted by the coach, and they came to the garden-gate to gaze more nearly at the vehicle as well as at the burden which it conveyed. One of them struck me with astonishment, and I could have gazed on her till my eye-strings cracked. 1 am getting in love again, gentle reader. She appeared about sixteen years of age, that period, when between the tender plant, childhood, and the full-blown Hower, woman ; which is so intensely interesting ! She v/as tall, and her form had evidently been cast in nature's finest mould. The features of her face were regular and expressive, and received additional animation from a fine large blue eye, which beamed with divine lustre, while her beautiful light-coloured locks played in lovely ringlets over her fair forehead, and were gathered in the most simple, but graceful, taste on the crown of her head. I never recollect to have seen a more perfect or a more interesting beauty than this mountain nymph ; when the coach moved on, I could not help regretting, that so lovely a picture should so soon vanish from my contemplation ! But I have beheld her in my dreams. In this part of England the country presents a barren appear- ance. We passed through Penrith, and reached Carlisle at 9 o'clock. Here the coach remained for the night, and here, of course, I and my travelling friend stopped also. The accommo- dations were not of the first order, nor were the people of the house overburthened with civility. At four in the morning, I willingly started from the Bush Inn, Carlisle, after having been insulted by a saucy boot-cleaner for not giving him more than sixpence. The country and the inhabitants also now began to present a different appearance. We passed the Esk river over a very hand- some bridge ; shortly afterwards we crossed the muddy Sai k, and arrived at Gretna. We arrived at Annan, and reached Dumfries, where we sat down to a good breakfast. Dumfries is a neat, pretty, small town, and as far as relates to appearance, may be considered as di flattering earnest of Scotland. One of the waiters at the inn where the coach stopped, and where, as I before observed, we sat down to a good breakfast, was remarkable, and at first view seem- ed very ill calculated for his office, which he nevertheless per- formed in a manner much superior to what appearances indicated. In stature he was taller than the generality of men ; but his supe- rior altitude lost its efiect in the obese and globular rotundity of his form. At the first glance, he reminded me of my old acquaint- ance, Daniel Lambert ; but, on a closer examination of his coun- 256 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. tenance, although the hkeness of the features was evident, (as well as the smiilarity of the whole form) yet there was a vacant dullness in the eye of the waiter which formed a striking contrast to the sparkling luminary in the head of my countryman Daniel. The advantages, however, when duly weighed, were fairly on the side of the North Briton; he was possessed, as far as I was able to judge, of one of the most obliging dispositions in the world, which could not be said of the celebrated Lambert; and although the progressive motion of the bulky waiter must have necessarily been attended with infinitely more than ordinary exei'tion, yet he moved much quicker than might reasonably have been expected, and that too with much less apparent exertion than those deeply skilled in the uncertain science of physiology would have demon- strated. In truth, he was a good-tempered fellow, and I have little doubt is the biggest waiter, and the most bulky subject, that Scotland contains. A person who visits Scotland for the first time, will, on cross- ing the border, perceive a difference in the manners and habits of the people ; he will, in all jarobabihty, be surprised at the bare legs and feet of the females ; and, in passing along, will be occa- sionally more surprised at seeing a well-dressed woman carrying her shoes and stockings in her hand along the road, and putting them upon her legs and feet immediately prior to entering a town or village. On crossing the border, the diffei^ence is remarkable, even in the stage coachmen : their habiliments are of a meaner description ; their whips, instead of the beautifully elastic instru- ment used by the English drivers, are clumsy things tied to the end of a long stick ; and their manners, as far at least as they fell under my observation in the Lowlands, are precisely on a parallel with their accoutrements. To Carlisle we had been driven by skil- ful civil coachmen, at the rate of nine miles an hour; when we left that town, the Scotch drivers laboured hard to maintain the same speed ; but their horses were not so good, nor were they so dex- trous in the management of them ; na}^, the awkwardness of the man who drove from Carlisle to Dumfries, kept the passengers in continual alarm, though the road was excellent. It appeared to me that the borderers on each side the boun- dary, both English and Scots, were avaricious, keen, and over- reaching; and on remarking this circumstance to a well-informed Highlander whom I afterwards met in Inverness, he told me I must recollect how and from whom these borderers were de- scended, and I should easily discover the reason of those ungra- cious qualities or dispositions which I had just mentioned. This remark, I thought, as keen and as severe as the air of the Highlander's native mountains ; but I endeavoured to convince him that he was mistaken, and viewed the circumstance much too harshly ; but he continued inflexible, and insisted that THE SPORTSiMAN'S CABINET. 257 the borderers inherited the qualities above-mentioned from their progenitors. It is very well known, that the ancient borderers were little better than professed thieves ; that they were in the constant habit of making maraudin"- excursions into the territories of either kmgdom, and ot driving away the cattle, and plundering the property, of each other. For the pursuit of the depredator, a large dog was used, called a slough-hound,'^ whose olfactory or- gans were so exquisite, that he was able to pursue the felon through the sloughs, bogs, and morasses, which ai'e frequently »net with on the borders of England and Scotland : the thieves, it would appear, generally retreated through these swampy places to holds and fastnesses, which they possessed in the wild parts of each country. Hence, I apprehend, may be traced the origin of the term Moss Trooper. The slough-hound was unquestionably something of the talbot breed, and is not yet absolutely extinct : I saw several in the neighbourhood of Penrith, a few years ago, and I found they were still in existence in the Highlands of Scot- land, under the name of the slow-hound, degenerated, I have no doubt, from the original breed. These animals are used at pre- sent in the Highlands to pursue the fox, attended by dogs of a more active description ; such are able to reach the fox upon catching view, and to worry him upon the spot : if the hunters are not thus successful, renard is traced to his retreat by the slow- hound, and if he be not inaccessibly secure, he is desti'oyed imme- diately. But to return : — We left Dumfries, and in a short time came in sight of the noble mansion of the Duhe of Buccleugh, plea- santly situated on the banks of the small river Nith, in Nithsdale. Much pains have evidently been taken to improve the situation : it is ornamented by numerous plantations, principally of Scotch fir, which add much to the beauty of the prospect, while the scene is enlivened by herds of red deer; and, on the whole, it may be re- garded as a romantic, delightful spot. There is nothing remark- able in the appearance of the house, though a North Briton, who got into the coach at Dumfries, very energetically remarked, that it contained ** as many windows as there were weeks in the year, and as many doors as days !"j- It is called Drumlanrig ; and the * Sir Walter Scott, in his Lay of tlie Last Minstrel, spells it sleugh hound. It has been spelt so by others, but the spelling in the text is correct, nevertheless, t He must have been thinking of Salisbury Cathedral, as the ancient legend of that unrivalled monastic piece of church architecture says, As many days as in one year there be, So many windows in one church you see ; As many pillars there appear. As there are hours throughout the fleeting year ; As many gates as moons one year do view, Strange tale to tell ; yet not more strange than true. 2 K 258 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. river Nith, which runs down the valley, is at this place a black stream of no great extent, but abundantly supplied, it seems, with both salmon and trout : — in fact, 1 afterwards found that there is scarcely a loch or stream in Scotland which is not well stocked with fish. The neighbourhood of Nithsdale is very mountainous (and in- deed so is the greater part even of the Lowlands of Scotland) and these mountains abound with red and black grouse. The game, however, is not preserved without considerable attention, as two coaches run daily through the valley, and afford an excellent ac- commodation to the poacher. A considerable quantity of game finds its way from this place to the Manchester and London mar- kets ; to Liverpool, and indeed to most of the large towns in the county of Lancaster. As we passed through the villages (Thornhill, I think in par- ticular) I saw numbers of boys and old men who were busily occu- pied in knitting stockings. I have already remarked that an ener- getic North Briton entered the coach at Dumfries. He was soon after joined by a man with whom he appeared well acquainted, and who got into the coach, if I mistake not, at a village called Thornhill. The one seemed to be a tradesman of Dumfries, and the other a respectable farmer. It v/as the tradesman who pointed out to me the peculiarities of the Buccleugh mansion : and I soon afterwards perceived that much of his energy, or force of expres- sion, arose from the powerful influence of that most delicious cor- dial, whiskey. The farmer was less rapidly eloquent than his friend, though somewhat inspired too by the irresistible power just mentioned. They raised a most prodigious chatter, vociferating *' mouth honour," sans intermission, in the coach, in the midst of which we passed the spot selected by Robert Burns as his burial place, and which lies at no great distance from the farm which he occupied in Ayrshire. It is a secluded, sequestered dell, over which hang projecting and craggy rocks, from amongst which occasion- ally sprout forth shrubs and stunted trees ; indeed, the character of the place altogether impresses the mind very forcibly of its fit- ness to the purpose for which it was selected. But what might be called the Poet's posthumous request was not complied with : his re- mains were deposited elsewhere. From the general character of his countrymen, I could very easily suppose, that such a proceeding as the Poet pointed out, would have been considered profane — an outra- geous violation of that almost ridiculous seriousness, which parti- cularly pervades the country parts of Scotland, and which owed much of its uncompromising character unquestionably to that bold and persevering reformer, John Knox, a man who was never sur- passed in vehemence, and whose evident fanaticism and persecu- ting disposition was bounded only by the spirit of the times : I could never help regarding John Knox as one of those bigots, THE SPOllTSMAN'S CABINET. 259 whose intolerance, if not cruelty, was at least equal to that of those persons of whom he so loudly and so vehemently complained.* This violent religious reformer took advantage of the commotions which at that period agitated his unhappy country, not only to promote his own interested views, but to insult most grossly his unfortunate sovereign, the beauteous, and much to be pitied, Mary. But 1 digress again. We sat down to a very good dinner at Kilmarnock ; that is, I and the gentleman who accompanied me ; as my chattering travel- ling companions, as well as the rest of the passengers, declined this comfortable meal ; comfortable it certainly was as plenty could make it so, and that good of its kind, but not quite so neatly and cleanly served up as we see a dinner at an English inn. There was some excellent soup, called by the Scots, hodge podge, of which I principally made my dinner ; but before I had swal- lowed the last morsel, the guard announced that the coach was ready to start, and only waited for us. The fact is, there were two coaches, and the only two on the road, which run very strongly in opposition to each other. They were called the New Times and the Independent ; and they contrived, though at the imminent risk of the passengers, to make good almost nine miles per hour, stoppages included : this sufficiently accounts for the haste just mentioned ; but had I been left to choose for myself, there are many parts of the road, particularly in Nithsdale, where I should have preferred proceeding at a slower rate; not that the roads were bad ; quite the contrary, but they were formed by the side of the mountain, and it was not entirely without apprehension, that I occasionally looked down on the yawning chasms below. We arrived safely at Glasgow at half past six o'clock ; and as the coach drove to the Bull Inn, Argyle Street, we determined on taking up our abode at that house for the short time we intended to remain in " the gude town." We might have determined better, as the Bull Inn is by no means so comfortable as we ex- pected : yet, whatever the traveller may have to complain of on the score of attendance and accommodation, he will find, on settling his account, that every attention had been paid to the bill! The next morning, after a sort of scrambling desultory break- fast, we strolled about the streets of Glasgow, which is unquestion- ably one of the finest towns in "Great Britain, though the stone of which the houses are built, being of a dingy grey colour, gives it a dirty, if not a gloomy, appearance. We visited the Hunterian Museum, amongst other places, and bad not time to examine a tenth part of it, before one of the attendants informed us that it * Query, — ^Would not the same remarks apply to Luther, Calvin, and many other religious reformers .' 260 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. was time to close the doors. We were therefore under the neces- sity of strolHng hastily through the apartments, and left the place in the most unsatisfactory manner imaginable. We had time just to glance at the vast variety of highly interesting anatomical pre- parations presented by the late celebrated John Hunter, as well as at the collection of stuffed specimens of birds, and a number of other curiosities, over which we would willingly have spent a much longer period. It was in vain that we pleaded being strangers, that is, being Englishmen, and having travelled some distance, were entitled to a few minutes indulgence, the attendant or door- keeper was inexorable ; yet, a fine healthy rattle snake having ar- rested my attention, I resolved to contemplate this extraordinary reptile for a few short minutes in spite of the grumbling sohcita- tions of this worse than Cerberean janitor. The rattle snake was secured in a wire cage, the bottom of which was stuffed and covered with green baize, upon which it lay coiled up, and exhibited as malignant an aspect as ever fell under human observation. The rattles in its tail (eight in number) were plainly perceptible ; the head rested on the inner folds of its body, the fangs hanging from the upper passed by the side of the lower jaw, its eyes, malignantly sparkling from under projecting brows, glared at the spectator in the most deadly manner. On the whole, there was something in the appearance of the snake altogether cal- culated to make one shudder ; but, it must be admitted, that it is not the appearance merely of these creatures that creates the sen- sation I have just described, or at least that causes it to be so powerfully felt ; as, however hideous or disgusting these reptiles may appear, an association of ideas immediately rushes into the mind, and we instinctively feel all the prejudices against them which have been implanted in our infancy or early nature, by his- tory and the evidence of travellers ; therefore, if we admit that the repugnant sensation is created at the first sight, we must allow that it is much strengthened and increased by the train of ideas that follow it with incalculable rapidity. I touched the monster with a small cane, and he shook his rattles ; but manifested nothing of that fascination or preparation to strike, which I have reason to believe these reptiles frequently practise, though many intelligent persons deny them any such power or faculty. THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 261 CHAPTER VL Canal Voyage to Edinburgh. — Loudon. — Sir John Sinclair. — Edinburgh. — Alarm in the Night. — The Hackney Coach- man. — 2 'he Brilliant Steam Packet. — Cargo of the Brilliant. — The Cook. — The Marquis of Tweedales Dogs. — On Breed- ing. — The Gull Shooters. — The Naval Officer. — The Sleepers. — Arrive at Cromarty. We intended to have stopped another night at the Bull Inn, Argyle Street, but were so dissatisfied with our accommodations, that in the afternoon, we determined to proceed by the canal to Edinburgh. We therefore went on board the packet, and at seven o'clock she started for Edinburgh. The cabin of the boat was neat and comfortable, and the female who attended it, very civil and obliging. Here we procured tea and supper, and passed a pleasant evening in company with a military officer, who had seen service in various quarters of tlie globe. As soon as we felt our eyelids become heavy, we wrapped ourselves in blankets, and slept very comfortably for several hours. We rose early of course. It was a beautiful morning ; the surrounding country, and its sce- nery, though not rich in that luxuriance so frequently observable in England, was still interesting and sometimes beautiful. Amongst other objects pointed out to my observation by the officer before- mentioned (who appeared well acquainted with the country) was Loudon, the property of the Marquis of Hastings, which he gained by his wife (when he was Earl Moira) the Countess of Loudon: one circumstance connected, at least in my mind, with the mention of this distinguished nobleman, immediately rushed into my thoughts : it brought to my recollection the happiest period of my juvenile life, that part of my boyhood which I passed prin- cipally in the company of the late Earl of Huntingdon. Hans Francis Hastings, the nobleman just mentioned, was one of the sons of the late Colonel Hastings, and was cousin to the Marquis. Colonel Hastings had three children, Henry, Ferdinand, and the Earl of Huntingdon just mentioned, and it was very well known in the neighbourhood, that this family was nearly I'elated to the old Earl of that name as well as to Lord Moira, who some time prior to the death of the old Earl, had resided with him at Donington Park, Leicestershire. The Earl of Huntingdon died, and al- though it was generally supposed Colonel Hastings's elder brother, the Rev. T. Hastings, was the next heir. Earl Moira took posses- sion of the Huntingdon estates, and presented the Rev. T. Hast- ings with the rectory of Great and Little Leke, in the county mentioned above. Colonel Hastings was unfortunately labouring 262 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. under mental derangement in consequence of a fall from his horse. Lord Moira procured, in the early part of the revolutionary war, subaltern's commissions for Henry and Ferdinand, in regiments destined for the West Indies, where they both unfortunately died. Hans Francis (the late Earl of Huntingdon,) being some years younger, was placed in the navy by the same influence, and in the squadron which cruised off the French coast under the command of Sir John Borlase Warren ; he fought and bled many times in the service of his country, and at the conclusion of the general peace, he returned crowned with well earned laurels. His uncle, father, and elder brothers being dead, he conceived that he was entitled to the Earldom of Huntingdon, and the estates attached to that splendid title. The matter was investigated, and he was called to take his oath and seat as a British peer. In the mean- time, the greater part of the Huntingdon estates had been sold by Lord Moira ; and in consequence, Hans Francis Hastings became possessed of a brilliant title, but without that almost indispensable appendage to exalted rank, wealth. The sight of Loudon, I re- peat, brought these circumstances most forcibly to my recollection, and I could not help regretting the singular situation of my old schoolfellow ; who died in the year 1830 in Ireland. We reached Edinburgh at ten o'clock in the morning, and on leaving the boat, requested the porter who conveyed our lug- gage, to take us to the nearest comfortable inn. In consequence, he led us to what is called the Canal Inn, kept by H. Gilchrist ; and though the place was not exactly what we intended, the people were obliging, and rendered us very comfortable. In the course of the morning, we embraced the opportunity of waiting on that venerable and disinterested patriot, that true friend to his country, Sir John Sinclair, Bart, by whom we were received with that polite attention which has always distinguished his cha- racter. Sir John informed us, that the influx of sportsmen had this season been great beyond all precedent; he had been informed (he said) that upwards of 1,000 had already (August 7,) passed through Edinburgh on their way to the Highlands ; I have no he- sitation, hovvever, in supposing that the statement was very much exaggerated. Sir John Sinclair is no sportsman ; but with an af- fection for his native country equalled by few and surpassed by none, is incessantly occupied in the most laudable pursuits for promoting the true interests and commercial prosperity of Scot- land. He remarked, speaking on the subject of shooting in the Highlands, that two sportsmen, who had the season before ob- tained permission from his lately deceased relative, Lord Mac- donald, to shoot for a few days in the Isle of Skye, had killed upwards of nine hundred brace! This circumstance, while it shews the prodigious quantity of game in the place just mentioned, exhibits, at the same time, a wanton destruction of it, disgraceful THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 263 to the character of a sportsman. On parting, Su* John presented me with a Httle book, the title of which runs thus, " Prospectus of a work, to be entitled, ' Analysis of the Statistical Account of Scotland, with Observations on the General State of that Country, and Discussions on some Important Branches of Political Eco- nomy.' " From the well known ability of the author, as well as from his intimate acquaintance with the subject, little doubt can be entertained, that the proposed work will be found highly inte- resting and useful. I knew the Right Honourable Baronet, when President of the Board of Agriculture, and on the present occa- sion, when taking leave of him, I could scarcely help regretting that so amiable a man, and so valuable a member of society, should become old. Edinburgh presents a novel appearance to an Englishman. The new town, the pride of Scotsmen, is the most beautiful I ever saw ; and though the old town is remarkable neither for cleanli- ness nor regularity, it is nevertheless interesting. It is for the most part situated on a hill of considerable length, and the height of the houses, of which mention is so frequently made, arises from the circumstance of their being built on the swell of the accli- vity ; and thus, while, on one side, they rise to the height of eight or ten stories, on the other, they will be found of the ordinary altitude. The Castle may be said to form one extremity of the town, as the hill called Arthur's Seat does the other. The former is situated on the top of a high rock, presenting a highly pictu- resque appearance, and appearing, as I believe it is, inaccessible, except in one quarter. I am not a military man ; but I neverthe- Jess felt an inclination to view the interior of the fortification. In [this wish my companion shared, and we therefore approached the [gates, and were permitted, very readily, not only to enter, but {also to examine the works. The Castle is of considerable extent, it completely commands, [as it seemed to me, both the Old and New Towns of Edinburgh; land from the situation, and the manner in which it is fortified, I [should regard it as a place of uncommon strength, if not impreg- [nable; but having been tuken by that decisive general, Oliver j Cromwell, it cannot fairly lay claim to the latter denomination; still it must be recollected, that the Scots were panic struck after I Cromwell had defeated their very able General Leslie, and did not afterwards make that resolute defence, which has at other times marked their character. We met several soldiers as we passed through the fortifications, all were civil, like the centinel whom we had encountered at the gate. The guns of this fortress appeared of immense size and weight, but yet they were princi- pally twelve pounders — some few only, carrying twenty-four pound shot. I was much better pleased with Edinburgh than with Glasgow : 264 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. the latter appeared to me like the Manchester of Scotland, while the former bore a much nearer resemblance to London. Our accommodations at the Canal Inn, though the place con- sisted of only an extensive suite of chambers,* were far superior to,, and much more comfortable than, those we experienced at the Bull Inn, Glasgow. When bed-time arrived, I was shewn into a very commodious room, extremely well fitted up, and where I, of course, expected to pass a very comfortable night. I was sleepy, and had not been in bed many minutes before I was fast locked in the em- braces of soft slumber. After some time, I awoke confusedly, without exactly knowing the cause, though I felt perfectly con- vinced that my sleep had been disturbed by something more than ordinary. I got out of bed, and by feeling the fingers of my watch, with some difficulty ascertained that it was about two o'clock. All was remarkably still, and I again placed my head on the pillow. Still I could not help thinking, there had been some confusion in the bed-room. Under such circumstances, therefore, I felt difficulty in again composing myself; and after a considerable time, when I had succeeded in procuring anew the comfort of re- freshing sleep, I was roused by a very ill-defined uproar, and sprung from the bed in considerable alarm. I felt an inclination to dress myself, and call up the people of the house ; but a little consideration induced me to abandon such an idea — my courage might thus be called in question — my friend F — too, might have the laugh against me. I endeavoured to open the window-shutters, but found difficulty in the operation ; I succeeded at length, and from the dim light of approaching day, I was afforded an indis- tinct view of my apartment. I perceived nothing to excite my ap- prehension, except that the hearth-stone was thickly sprinkled with pieces of dry mortar, as well as some tolerable sized pieces of brick. The building was new, a fire had not yet been made in the room ; and although thei'e had evidently been some distur- bance in the chimney, no soot could be expected to fall. A num- ber of ideas rushed upon my mind, and though I was not able to account for the disturbance, my predominant suspicion was, that some person might have been endeavouring to make his way from the story above into my apartment. Many persons are apt to sus- pect very improbable things when they are frightened, and 1 must honestly confess that I was not entirely free from alarm. My luggage had been placed in the bed-room ; I therefore opened my gun-case, put the gun together, and loaded it. I placed it close * The buildings in Edinburgh are frequently large and extensive : but it often happens that a number of families reside under the same roof, each occupying all the rooms upon one floor or story. The " Canal Inn," at which we stopped, con- sisted of a set of spacious rooms on the first floor of a large building near the head of the canal. THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 265 to the head of the bed, and again laid myself down : — but my cheek had scarcely touched the pillow, when an unfortunate bird flew directly against the window, and by its chirping, I was imme- diately convinced that I had been alarmed by a sparrow, which was, in all probability, more frightened than myself. With some trouble I caught the little noisy intruder; but I did not put him to death, though he bit me very fiercely : the bird's breast heaved with terror ; I felt its little heart beat most tumultuously : I opened the window, set it free, and it vanished in a moment. I then lay down, and slept soundly till 7 o'clock.* We breakfasted at half past eight, and as it was Sunday, we did not go out. In the course of the morning, my friend F took up a flute which happened to be lying upon one of the tables ; but he had scarcely touched half a dozen notes, when the landlady rushed into the room in breathless anxiety, and hastily exclaimed, " I doot you ha' forgotten the day, Sir!" This re- buke, given in as delicate a manner as the nature of the case would admit, kept us in good order for the remainder of the day ; that is, though we might think there was no great crime in play- ing upon the flute on the Sabbath, yet, we carefully abstained from what might be deemed improper by those under whose roof we had taken up our temporary abode. On the following morning we rose very early, intending to go on board the steam-packet Brilliant, which was advertised to sail from Newhaven to Aberdeen and Cromarty. We procured a hackney coach to convey us from the Canal Inn to Newhaven, distant nearly two miles. On alighting from the crazy vehicle, we were astonished at the exorbitant demand of seven shillings! My friend F stared at Coachee, and attempted to expostulate ; but the latter, aware that we were strangers, that the packet was on the point of sailing, and that consequently we were unable to stop to contest his unreasonable demand, returned the gaze with an arch leer. We were under the necessity of submitting to the fla- grant imposition, and hastened on board. Great numbers crowded the deck (nearly 200 bipeds, besides a great many dogs), as well as the carriage of Sir Richard Sutton, and the cabriolet of Sir Robert Sheffield. The captain, a stout elderly Scot, viewed his * I merely mention this apparently trivial circumstance to shew what weak beings we are on particular occasions, and when our minds ai'e at all alive to anxiety. The " shai-p recoil of fancies overcharged" is not a light one, and " trifles light as air" will often startle those who would have dared real dangers " even in the cannon's mouth." " j\Ian but a rush against Othello's breast," says he Avho had encountered accidents by flood and field, and I am nought : the flutter of the sparrow reduced me to an equivalency of nothingness. 2l 266 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. cargo with vast and undisguised satisfaction : he I'ubbed his hands together, and endeavouring to force a sort of outrageous smile upon his countenance, exhibited one of those extravagant broad grins which are so forcibly depicted in some of Cruikshank's caricatures. It was a motley assemblage which constituted the cargo of the Brilliant, but yet it contained persons of distinction ; for instance, the Marquis of Tweedale, Sir R. Sheffield and his lady, and Sir R. Sutton and his lady. The morning was foggy, and very con- siderable bustle prevailed till we got fairly under weigh ; when the weather cleared and became remarkably fine. The vessel was favoured by the wind ; and as she carried a large sail, and had the advantage of wind and steam, she moved swiftly through the water. A packet is a subject v»hich holds much for contempla- tion. I endeavoured to occupy what little fund of thought I possessed. The first object which forcibly attracted my attention was the cook, one of the dirtiest men I ever saw. Curiosity led me to a casual inspection of his larder : it did not boast of the perfumes of Arabia! This man was busily employed in prepara- tions for breakfast ; and when at length it was announced, I was not able to touch it trom the repulsive idea of the crote cuisiner : while, therefore, the major part of the passengers were discussing his smoking viands, I walked the deck, and amused myself in viewing the coast of Scotland. The dogs, and mine among the rest, vv^ere tied up in the fore- castle, where the accommodations were very indifferent, only that the animals were favoured by fine weather. They were, for the most part, a very indifferent assemblage, principally setters. The Marquis of Tweedak- had six of this kind, strong dogs in appear- ance, but certainly not such as I should choose : some of them had evidently a cross of the water spaniel, which uniformly gives the setter an uncouth appearance, is detrimental to his range, and renders him still more intractable. The Marquis's dogs were under the care of a very civil gamekeeper, a man possessed of much more intelligence than is generally found in persons in similar situations of life. He remarked, that the pointer was too tender for the movmtains of Scotland, particularly at the latter end of September, and the month of October, Mhen the weather became cold, and the heath always loaded with wet. The setter never gave way, he said, on such occasions, while the pointer was unable to endure the united rigour of wet and cold. There was good sense in this remark ; but yet it was clear, the man had never witnessed the performance of well-bred pointers, such as I have already described (page 200.) Breeding of pointers has been inconsiderately pursued, and many are in consequence to be met with so finely bred, as to be unable to endure a smart shower of rain. Nothing tends more to produce this delicate and degene- THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 267 rate race, than breeding in and in as it is called ; that is, suffering animals of the same family to unite. In order to keep up a good breed of dogs, recourse must be had to continual crossing ; but, the offspring of kindred animals immediately degenerates ; and if this system is pursued, the progeny will become not only diseased and dull, but exhibit a vast inferiority in regard to sagacity. In all cases, therefore, the dog and bitch from which it is intended to breed, should be of very distinct families, and if from very diffe- rent or widely separated parts of the country, the better. Nor is this principle confined to dogs ; but will, I feel persuaded, be equally applicable to most, if not all, the orders in nature. It is well known, that the celebrated horse, Sir Peter Teazle, the pro- perty of the Earl of Derby, was one of the best coursers that ever appeared on the turf: the noble Earl was partial to him, and continued to breed in the same family till he had not a horse that was fit to start even for a plate. Of course Lord Derby became convinced of the impropriety of such a system from the sterling evidence of incontrovertible facts : he altered it ; and for some years back has appeared on the turf with much, if not with all his former, eclat. To look further into this matter, do we not find the grazier, convinced from experience of the impro- priety of continuing the same strain, uniformly parting with his bull at stated periods, whatever his excellence may be ? — Even in the vegetable kingdom, we shall find a principle very nearly allied to that of which I have been speaking : for instance, if wheat be sown in the ground upon which it gi-ew, twice or thrice in succes- sion, the crop would scarcely pay t!ie expence of reaping, though the ground should be put in the best possible condition for the purpose of receiving the seed. If we look at simple nature, we shall perceive that the injuri- ous effects of the continued union of consanguinity is avoided most completely, though the subject has not hitherto excited that attention which it M'ould appear to deserve: The partridge, if un- molested, is seen to live in the same family in the greatest har- mony till the approach of the following spring, when the old hen* begins to attack the young birds, and never ceases her hostility till they are driven from her immediate vicinity : they are scattered in consequence, and meeting with others under similar circum- stances, each finds a mate among strangers. But to return to the keeper and his dogs on board the Bril- liant. The man, as I have already observed, possessed good sense ; bis father was a gamekeeper, he had been in the same call- * Naturalists assert that on the approach of spring, when the hirds feel the access of desire, the young cocks view each other with jealousy, and desperate battles are the consequence. This is a mistake. 268 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. ing all his life ; and I have no doubt the Marquis finds him a valuable servant. Breakfast being over, the deck of the vessel was again throng- ed ; nor was it destitute of beauty, as Ladies Sheffield and Sutton are very handsome women. Yet, although the weather was fine, company gay, and women pretty, I found the voyage tedious ; and that the same sort of feeling was experienced by others was tole- rably evident ; as half a score of the younger sort of sportsmen commenced the barren amusement of gull shooting. One amongst the number, (certainly not the least raw in years) as a sportsman might be said to have been in his swaddling clothes. He was about the middle size, and had grown grey, most likely behind some counter in Edinburgh : he was one of the last who came on board, and his motions, at once capricious and extraordinary, could not fail to excite attention, if they did not command respect. He strutted about with great self importance ; but his gait and manner, though evidently studied, displayed neither the pedantic air of a dancing master, nor the easy elegance of polished life. He assumed various appearances, if not forms : he came on board, wrapped in a cloak, with a travelling cap on his head; in a short time he laid the cloak aside, and appeared in a good suit ; but, on commencing gull shooter, he decked himself out as a sportsman, not exactly in the manner of a sportsman calculated for business, but with a degree of dapper smartness, which is generally regarded as inconsistent with the real business of the field : — in one respect, however, he shone conspicuous : — there appeared a star, not upon his breast, but dangling from the button hole of his jacket ! I was for some time at a loss to conceive for what purpose this special ornament was intended ; but I ultimately discovered that it consisted of copper caps which had been made to assume the form of a star, and thus became superlatively ornamental as well as useful. The owners of the Brilliant, in their great solicitude for the passengers, had provided musicians for their entertainment, by whom we vvere occasionally enlivened with the dulcet strains of a flute, and also by the creaking notes of a cracked or indifferent violin. I cannot say that I am very partial to the wretched apo- logies for music which are thus forced on the ear: the wandering musician in the streets is a preferable character, you are not com- pelled to listen to him ; but, pent up in a packet, there is no re- source — agreeable conversation is interrupted by these grinders of notes, and you are expected to pay for what you neither solicit or even approve. We remained for some time off Aberdeen, (if I recollect aright) where we lost the most valuable part of our cargo. Ladies Sutton and Sheffield : their lords of course accompanied them. For two hours we remained stationary, and the delay was princi- THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 269 pally occasioned in removing the two carriages, before mentioned, from the Brilliant into the boats. I never savi^ any thing more clumsily managed: nor was I the only person who noticed the superlative awkwardness of the proceeding, as a gentleman (Mr. Donald Home, if I be not mistaken) attempted to expostulate, and thus, perhaps, saved the cabriolet of Sir Robert Sheffield from serious injury ; but Mr. Home was assailed in return by a torrent of abuse from the captain, assisted by a pert little fellow in black, whom I was given to understand, was a relative of the principal owner of the vessel. When the hour of dinner arrived, three o'clock, my appetite had become so keen (sharpened by the sea breeze) that I could no longer refrain from eating, though the idea of the dirty cook pre- sented itself with every morsel, and on this account I made but a very indifferent meal. A naval officer, who happened to be on board, sat down to neither breakfast nor dinner; in fact, he ab- stained from eating altogether till the next day at noon, when he landed at Cromarty : and frankly acknowledged that his absti- nence arose entirely from the sight of the procurateur of roast and boiled. At length evening came, and the music was not only hushed, but every thing became comparatively still, except the working of the engine, which under such circumstances seemed more noisy than usual, and consequently more unpleasant. That the appli- cation of steam to inland navigation and coasting, is a very great improvement, I think, cannot be denied ; but the peculiar thump- ing noise of the engine, attended by continual hissing, is by no means pleasing, particularly during the stillness of night. I spent the greater part of the hours of sleep on deck, not being much inclined to repose on a sailor's pillow ; and, in fact, all the berths were occupied, and the seats also, with snorers. The night was tolerably fine, though dark ; but the furnace of the engine formed a glaring contrast ; the idea of the infernal regions might, with a little stretch of imagination, have been figured to the mind, while the grim and dark looking beings that attended it, and who occasionally popped up from below, appeared like so many demons or spirits of darkness ! The cabin was tolerably well fitted up ; but crowded all the night with sleepers. At half past one, I descended to take a peep into the steerage, a gloomy dirty place ; the faint glimmer of a very thin candle, which stood upon one of tlie tables, enabled me to discover the slumberers, who lay promiscuously on the seats and also on the floor. The greater part was folded or covered with great coats, so that I was not able to see their faces dis- tinctly : on my right, however, reclined a tall man, decently dressed ; he was stretched flat on his back, and exhibited a coun- tenance which reminded me of Bardolph, vulgarly red and car- 270 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. bunded over with protuberances about the size of a pea ; his nose, remarkable for its size, partook also of the ruby hue, but mingled with a kind of blue or purple, like the rose with heaven's shadow upon it. On the left, I recognised the cook: he was seated in a wretched apology for a chair, the upper stave of which reaching exactly to the back of his neck, his head hung over on the other side. If an opinion were to be formed from external appearance, this fellow of steaks and cutlets must have been re- markably happy, though his face was as dingy as Cinderella's, and as filthy as a coal waggon : there appeared no influence of soap and water about him. But he snored aloud, a noble snore, at which " the dale and thicket rung," that is, v/ould have rung, had there been any thing but the brave sky and the beauteous water about us : however, that snore disturbed a black-looking disciple who was stretched on the table. I thought it impossible for this state of things to continue ; nor indeed had I contemplated the cook many seconds, when the red faced man raised himself, and gave him a mosi ill-natured tweak by the nose ! The good-tem- pered fellow, far from resenting such an indignity, merely altered his situation: — he squat upon the floor, and placing his back against one of the seats, was fast asleep again in the space of half a minute. I returned upon deck, where I met a decently dressed female, whom I did not recollect to have seen before : she very good naturedly asked me if I would take a little whiskey, presenting at the same time a small bottle to me. The woman appeared to be unhappy ; and I thought she seemed anxious to communicate her grief, or at least to tell me the cause of it : her tale was not much out of the common way : — she had been a widow seventeen years ; her only child had enlisted for a soldier, and she had been at Edinburgh to see him. Daylight brought many of the slumberers from below, and the deck resumed some degree of animation. The wind, which had been favourable the day before, was now against us, and the vessel was in consequence much retarded in her progress. In due course breakfiist was prepared, of which I partook. — The vessel •was less crowded, in consequence of leaving passengers at Aber- deen, and various other places ; and comfort might be said to have increased in the same ratio. As soon as breakfast was over, or at least in a very short time afterwards, two persons came to collect the passage money, one of whom had the keenest, if not the most cunning, countenance I ever saw : he was clean and smart in his appeai'ance, with a piercing eye which fixed no longer than a few seconds on any one object ; he was one of those men, neverthe- less, who could not endure the gaze of another ; but the instant his eye came in contact with that of the person upon whom he looked, he moved his face in a different direction. I have seen THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 271 several such men at various times, and I must confess I always suspected them. Let no such men be trusted. At length we crossed the Murray Firth, and passing a narrow, but deep, channel, entered an uncommonly fine bay, at the left corner of which is situated the small town of Cromarty. The vessel dropped her anchor, and we prepared to land. I approach- ed the side of the vessel, followed by my two dogs, and was about to descend into the boat, when the vulture-eyed fellow I have just mentioned, demanded twenty shillings for the passage of my canine companions ! I looked at him with surprise — he hung down his head — I thought of the hackney coachman who brought us from Edinburgh to Newhaven — and I thought too, that, as expostulation would be useless, I had better pay this exorbitant demand, without ceremony or further hesitation. From this, it would appear at first sight, to argue something like accommoda- tions for the dogs, since if a high price is charged, it is natural to expect it: — the dogs on board the Brilliant, v/eve fastened in the forecastle, had the bare deck on which to repose, and were com- pletely exposed to the weather, which, luckily, happened to be fine. I procured food for my dogs from the cook, whom I have had occasion to mention before ; and in parting, I must do him the justice to say, that, notwithstanding his dirty appearance, he possessed by far the best disposition of the whole crew. The vessel had no sooner anchored than the utmost anxiety was manifested to get rid of the passengers ; even the smug bulky old Captain was more than ordinarily active on this occasion, aware, no doubt, that nothing more was to be screwed out of them ; and I certainly manifested no reluctance in quitting a place, where, for more than twenty-four hours I had been rendered superlatively uncomfortable. CHAPTER VII. CromartTf. — Tain. — TJtiirso. — The Moors of Caithness. — Grouse Shootinrr. — Golden Plover, Dotferell. — Errors of Natura- lists. — D'lrlet. — Tiie Hishland CotlasGS. — Mr. Gunn and his Family. — Braivl. — Highland Castles. — 2^he Gardens at Brawl. — The Royston Crow. — The Osprey. — Pictish House. — Shore Shooting. — Seal Hunting. \Ye landed at Cromarty about twelve o'clock. It is a small town ; but I thought I discovered a different cast of countenance in the inhabitants from that which I had hitherto noticed : it was 272 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. more frank, though not less expressive ; more generous, and mdeed every way preferable. The fact is, I had hitherto been amongst the Lowlanders ; I now entered what might be called a Highland town for the first time. At Cromarty, we met with two obliging young Scotsmen who were going to Tain, the capital of Ross-shire, to which place we accompanied them, and from whom we received every possible at- tention. In company with these, we crossed the Firth of Cro- marty, soon after one o'clock ; and after proceeding two or three miles, I and my friend F^ — — , in company with Messrs. Ross and Robertson, entered a Highland cottage, where we obtained most excellent whiskey, milk, and oat bread ; and, what was still better, it was produced in a manner truly simple, but at the same time, so willingly and so generously. We walked through a country at once picturesque and ro- mantic; but presenting a very different appearance from any thing ■which is met with in England. The day was very warm; and it was six o'clock before we reached Tain, distant from Cromarty fourteen miles. By the direction of our newly acquired friends, we repaired to the George and Dragon, where we experienced every attention, and met with very comfortable accommodations. The next morning, my friend and travelling companion, Mr. F , embraced the opportunity of sketching the antique church of Tain, which appears in the present number. As to the order or orders of architecture to which the building is referable, 1 leave that to those who are better skilled in the subject than myself; but I can bear witness to the fidelity of the likeness. After breakfast, we left Tain, accompanied by our friends be- fore mentioned ; but as Mr. Ross was an inhabitant of the place, he returned, after walking a mile or two, and we proceeded for- ward with Mr. Robertson, who resided at Brora, which place lay directly in our way. We experienced some difficulty in forward- ing our luggage, which was done by hiring carts : we lamented very much that we had not brought a gig, as the main roads are excellent. At the distance of a few miles from Tain, we crossed the Firth of Dornoch, at the Muckle Ferry, and proceeded directly for Clashmore Inn, Sutherlandshire. A mail coach, drawn by two horses, which runs from Inverness to Thurso in Caithness, passed this place at six o'clock in the evening ; and by means of this conveyance we reached Thurso at ten o'clock the next morning, after leaving Mr. Robertson at Brora, through which the coach passed. On reaching Thurso, we repaired to the Castle, the residence of George Sinclair, Esq. (the eldest son of Sir J. Sinclair, Bart.) (To be continued. ) THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 273 ( Continued from p. 2)6. J manege, which position, under any circumstances, is calculated to produce rupture. A horse used for hunting is generally a spirited animal, being well bred, and also well fed, and as eager for the diversion as his rider : under no other circumstances will a horse go so freely and so willingly as after hounds. Jn consequence, when meeting at the fixture, he is all anxiety while the hounds are drawing, par- ticularly the first cover. Some horses are very restless, and even troublesome, on such occasions — the best hunter I ever rode was one of this description. A hunter anxiously listens for a challenge, which no sooner reaches his ears than his impatience increases ; a second hound gives tongue, a third, a fourth, and so on — the horse is all agitation : — At length renard goes away, the hounds get to- gether, and the start may be considered as a sort of scramble. It generally happens that uncouth persons attend the find, without either being sufficiently well m.ounted, or having the inclination, or possessing the capacity, to ride to the hounds. These persons fre- quently create confusion by placing themselves in the way of the true sportsman ; and if it so happen that there are gates, gaps, &c. by which they can get over a field or two, they are sometimes very troublesome. If the hounds, however, can run with their heads up, these gentry soon disappear. The first ten minutes of the run may be regarded as the most arduous part of it, unless it become sufficiently long and severe to distress the horse, when the latter part is rendered more difficult than the commencement. Generally speaking, however, after the run has continued about ten minutes, the business becomes more smooth and regular : the fox, the hounds, and the horses slacken their pace for the purpose of getting wind : — a trifling check is very likely to occur, when the superior performers become well placed. All goes on more steadily ; the horses do not pull quite so hard, and take the fences more pleasantly. In this way, if things go right, the hounds will generally kill their fox in about an hour. I must hark back. — Having already described the position, &c. I must observe in this place, that at the commencement of the run, the rider will most likely experience some little trouble in re- straining the impetuosity of his steed. He will perhaps, find it most convenient, after taking the reins into his hand, to take hold of the bridoon rein with his right hand and stand in the stirrups, but grasping firmly with his knees at the same time. There are few horses but pull hard at first, and in this position you will find you have a powerful hold of the horse. You must take your place, and, if possible, keep it. On approaching the first fence, seat yourself in the saddle, as the horse springs, loose the bridle with your right hand (in which you of course carry your whip) which will give the horse more freedom, and he will clear the jnmp 2 M 274 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. better — you must lean your body well and freely back — be sure to do this — you may elevate your whip hand, if you choose: — See Plate, " Flying Leap," No. 2. If the jump be trifling, no preparation is necessary, as the horse will almost take it in his stroke. Let the horse have the free use of his head, without the rein, however, quivering in the wind — bear him lightly in hand. I have heard ignorant boasters talk of riding with a slack rein, and the horse taking all his leaps in his stroke: — it is ridiculous nonsense ! Always restrain the impetuosity of your horse at the com- mencement of a run, or his eagerness will soon blow him, and you will be no where at the finish. After you have crossed a few fields, you will perceive your horse take his fences more steadily, as I have previously observed ; he will still, however, pull, or take a strong support from the hand. Take a hedge in preference to timber or walls, where the choice is presented. If you come to heavy soft ground — a soft fallow, for instance, hold your horse well together with both hands, go slowly over it, and if you perceive any part of the field sounder or more firm than the other, which is generally the case with the hedge-side, make choice of it, if you can : if the horse can place only one fore foot and one hind foot upon a sound part, it will ease him very much ; you will thus bring your horse well through distress- ing ground ; and though others may have gone faster through it, you will easily reach them again, as your horse will be much better able to go along as soon as you come upon sound land. Upon all heavy ground, the horse should be held well together ; and on this account, I strongly recommend the double bridle : no horse can be properly supported with the snaffle bridle over heavy ground ; and if he be not so supported, and held together, he will soon be blown and distressed, wifl be unable to clear his jumps, and must stand stfll or fall. It is highly dangerous to put a blown or distressed horse at a jump, as he cannot do it — he must fall, and will perhaps roll on his rider. As the run continues, you will perceive the horse weaker — he wfll require more support from the hand, particularly at his jumps, over which he should be skilfully lifted. — See the article on leap- ing, page 138. When a horse flags, the s/ee/ mercifully and judi- ciously applied, will very much assist the hands in lifting him along. When the horse gives it up, do not attempt to press him any further : if he be one of tlie right sort, he will not give up till nature has denied him the power of performance, and it is cruel to urge him beyond this point. Wait a few minutes, and he will be able to proceed to a stable — to his own most hkely : — and if he appear much overmarked, bleed him. THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 275 We will suppose, however, that you live well to the finish of the run, which ends with the death of the fox. If you are well up towards the finish, you may perceive when the fox is near his end, by the old hounds erecting their hair, and testifying symp- toms of ferocious anger. When the fox is nearly done, he will resort to many shifts, and in particular, he will thread the hedge if possible — his last dying effort is, to turn and face the first hound that reaches him: — the contest is short, and he dies without com- plaint — in silence. I never heard a fox make the least noise when the hounds were killing him. I have seen a fox taken up by the huntsman or whipper-in when he had only been mouthed by one of the hounds — when, in fact, it would appear that he had re- ceived only one gripe or bite ; but this was sufficient, the fox was completely disabled, if not dead. I feel convinced, that, when a fox has been mouthed by a hound (an old hound at least) he is never able to run afterwards. While the huntsman and his assistants are going through the ceremony consequent upon the death of the fox, you will of course dismount, for the purpose of relieving your horse: keep him moving gently, by which he will be soon refreshed. The ceremony at the death of a fox is a very different busi- ness from what it was formerly. In the first place, there is no scrambling for the brush. As the fox is generally killed under some bush, in a ditch, or some such place, the huntsman, or one of the whips, takes him from the hounds, and carries him to a clear open place — " Whoo whoop !" and the horn is blown — as a signal of death, and for the purpose of letting in stragglers — strag- gling hounds as well as straggUng sportsmen. The hounds bay the fox, but are not suffered to touch him. The huntsman or whip cuts off" his brush, his head, and generally the pads ; and if no one manifests an inclination for either brush or pad, they are pocketed by the huntsman and his assistants. The head is strapped to the horse of the first whiyj. The hounds, by this time, have got their mouths together : the remains of the fox is thrown to them, and thus the business concludes. If it be early in the day, and neither hounds nor horses appear distressed, the nearest convenient cover is tried for another fox. In returning home, I give my horse a little chilled water, in which some flour or oatmeal is mixed at the first public-house or convenient place : it is very refreshing to the animal, as may easily be imagined, and he proceeds on his journey with more vigour and ease. Some prefer flour to oatmeal, because they say the latter scours, or operates as a trifling purge, which, in my opinion, is the reason that it should be preferred, as the horse, vuider such cir- cumstances, will derive benefit rather than injui'y from it. I am of opinion that men about five feet eight inches in height are the best calculated for riding ; they have sufficient length of 276 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. fork to grasp the horse deeply and well, and are thus enabled to sit very close, and appear to advantage. Too great length of leg and thigh is supposed to be distressing to the horse in severe work. Huntsmen and whippers-in are generally short men, but for the most part ride well ; by continual practice they acquire the cor- respondijig motion^ which is the essence of horsemanship. In riding to hounds, never be anxious to get too near them ; as long as you can see them work, you must be well placed. If the scent be good, and the hounds get well away with their fox, you will not very easily get too near with the fox hounds of the present day. How often have I seen the impatience of gentlemen when the fox has broke, not only head him back, but when he has gone away, they have ridden over the scent, before the hounds, created much vexatious confusion, and caused sometimes the loss of the fox ; for if the hounds cannot run well up to the fox at the commencement, they find it difficult to get upon good terms with him afterwards ; the business is apt to be lengthened out in pick- ing a cold scent, and to end in disappointment^no account being given of the fox. I once met the York and Ainsty fox hounds at Skelton Springs, when, in drawing the second wood, a fox was beautifully found, which, however, hung as long as he could to the cover, and happening at last to go away on the side where the great bulk of the field was stationed, the hounds were so ill used, and the scent so ridden over, that, though the latter was evidently very good, the hounds could never get on good terms with him. What made matters worse, the huntsman was slow (an unpardon- able fault in a huntsman to fox hounds) and thus the business was prolonged till dusk, and ended with being run out of scent, com- pletely beaten, and the business of course finished unsatisfactorily. A short time afterwards, I met the Badsworth fox hounds at Acton Pasture, where, from the indications which I observed, on the fox being found, I expected a similar result; but the hunts- man, Richards, knew his business well ; and although we had some scrambling at first, the hounds were got well away with him — they run him well : some parts of the run were brilliantly beautiful ; but unfortunately happening to change at Stapleton Park, we were beaten, after a very long run, which, of course became very tedious -tovv^ards the conclusion. Changing foxes is a very unfortunate circumstance, particularly after having run the first fox for something like an hour: — an ani- mal then goes away, fresh and vigorous, pursued by half-tired, (or perhaps distressed) hounds and horses : in consequence, the fox, finding he can over-rate his pursuers, listens to their approach, and regulates his pace accordingly : he goes at his ease, and ulti- mately brings both horses and hounds to a stand-still. Fox hounds are often very unfairly treated by the field, when it happens that they cannot carry a good head : — if they are, from THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 277 the state of the atmosphere, or other causes, compelled to potter about and pick a cold scent, the field is apt to press upon them, and every would-be sportsman is enabled to come up and create confusion. Never meet hounds in the face, particularly when they are running. Should it so happen (in a lane, for instance) that the hounds are coming towards you, and you cannot get out of their way, turn your horse, so that his head points in the direction that the hounds are running, stand still, and let them pass.* A gentleman who keeps a proper distance, should have an eye if possible to the leading hounds, as he will by this method, mark the difi^'erent turnings and windings of the run, and thus leaning accordingly to right or left, he will very much ease his horse, maintain a good place, and enjoy the indescribable pleasure of observing the eagerness of the brilliant running hounds — some- times overshooting the scent, and immediately leaning to the hne hunting dogs to put them right again : witness the sagacious stea- diness of the line hunters, which will not come on, except on the line of the fox : and at a check he will be enabled to mark the eager flinging of the hounds for the recovery of the scent. I consider the start, generally speaking, as one of the difficul- ties presented in hunting. Yet, however good the scent may be, it very rarely happens that a trifling pause or check does not occur in ten minutes, so that, if during this period the horse is held sufficiently well together, as to keep the puff' in him, he will easily come up on such an occasion. I am well aware that Mr. * A huntsman, from the very nature of his employment, must feel more than ordinarily anxious, jiarticularly in finding and getting away with his fox; when his feelings hecome excited in the highest degree : is it therefore, surprising, if on such occasions, gentlemen treat his hounds unfairly, that he should vent his anger in no very respectful or measured terms ? Some years ago, the Cheshire hounds ran a fox up to a farm-yard, and on the hounds reaching the spot, a gentleman told the huntsman (Will. Head) that he saw the fox go forward. But the hounds could not acknowledge the scent in the direction pointed out; and, after they had been cast round the premises, ineffectually, the huntsman became convinced that the fox was still about the premises, particularly as the run had been long and se- vere. The gentleman rated the huntsman for not casting his hounds forward — ■ the latter very unceremoniously replied, that he " would believe his hounds before any man in the world!" In a few seconds, renard was discovered, lying amongst the pigs in the yard ! The huntsman should be left as much to himself as possi- ble ; and, above all, gentlemen should keep at a proper distance from, and out of the way of, the hounds. Let it be well recollected, that, when gentlemen interfere with the huntsman, or interrupt his hounds, they spoil "their own sport. Sir Bel- lingham Graham used to hunt his own hounds ; and would allow no person what- ever to interfere in the most remote degree : — I never saw interference so com- pletely repressed by any huntsman, as by the worthy Baronet just mentioned. Opportunities are sometimes presented where a gentleman may be serviceable in stopping a hound, pointing the huntsman's attention to the line of the fox, &c. but it requires experience before the judgment can be properly exercised upon such occasions. 278 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. Cleg, Lord Wilton, Messrs. Tomkinson, Mr. White, Sir Harry Goodricke, Sir John Kaye, Lord Alvanley, and many others, whose superior performances I have witnessed, would not follow my advice ; but it is not the less correct on that account. The impetuous energy of these accomplished horsemen, when animated with the almost maddening ecstacy of a good find, would not allow them to listen to my prudential and cautious counsel. Further, as they have generally more than one horse in the field, so it may be said that taking the pufF out of the first horse amounts to little — if the second horse be at hand — which is not always the case. Two or three horses in the field may be all very well, particularly with welter weights ; but I must confess, when- ever 1 have exhausted one horse, I have been sufficiently fatigued myself: I never recollect observing Lord Delamere have a second horse out, nor yet of noticing a more steady or a better rider to hounds. In the year 1828, I happened to be out with the Cheshire hounds, when a fox was found in that rarely-failing cover, Radnor Gorse, near Nantwich — in fact, two or three foxes were found ; and, after some little hurry-scurry, the hounds were got upon the line of one of them with which they went well away : and a bril- liant run followed, in the course of which I noticed Lord Wilton, Lord Robert Grosvenor, and Mr. Boyd from Manchester, take three gates in rapid sucession : the huntsman was riding on the same line, and very wisely preferred the fence (close to the gate) which was much easier for the horse. The hounds ultimately killed their fox, after a capital run of an hour and a few minutes. Out of a field of one hundred and twenty, fourteen were up at the death, amongst which were the noblemen above mentioned, and Mr. Boyd. This gentleman and I were stopping at Sandiway Head, and we therefore joined company to return. However, Mr. Boyd's mare had not gone far before she shewed symptoms of distress, and he was at length compelled to dismount, and lead her for several of the latter miles. My horse, on the contrary, brought me home very gaily. It might be fairly supposed that jumping the three gates unnecessarily had done the mischief. Some horses manifest reluctance at jumping water ; such horses, if forced at places like Whissendine Brook, or a brook, which runs near Waverton Gorse, Cheshire, and many other streams, will be tolerably certain to land in the middle. Large brooks and streams are aften deceptive, the distance is greater than it appears on a superficial observation ; but that is not the worst: the banks are fi'equently hollowed by the action of the water, or boggy, or the jump awkward to go at. Some horses jump water remarkably well, and I think wherever it is requisite to jump a brook of any considerable width, the horse should be put smartly at it. THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 279 Four or five years since, Sir Harry Mainwaring's hounds found a fox in Filo Gorse, and he went oft' pointing towards Page's Wood, and crossed Page's Brook. Tlie brook itself is narrow, and consequently practicable enough under ordinary circum- stances ; but as much rain had fallen the previous day, the stream had overflown its banks, and the meadows on each side were, for the most part, covered with water. It was not easy, therefore, for the horses to perceive whence to spring, or where to land, and the consequence was, half the field got more or less of a ducking — three or four I saw who fell completely into the water. Head, the huntsman, was the first to charge it, and he and his horse went in head foremost. Howard, the first whip, got safe over, followed by Mr. John Leigh, and by several other gentlemen, who all landed well. For five or six yards, a hedge presented itself on the near verge of the stream, and this was the place which Howard judiciously selected. The hedge formed an excel- lent guide for the horse, and the business was easily accomplished. Horses which cut their jumps very fine, by measuring their dis- tance to an inch, are seldom pleasant brook jumpers, nor am I particularly fond of them under any circumstances, as the edges of ditches are apt to give way with their hind feet, and they may perhaps fall backwards upon their riders. I have already expressed my opinion, that hedges are safer to take than timber ; but, as it is occasionally requisite to take a gate, the horse should be put smartly at it ; lest, if he be suffered to take his own time, he may hesitate, supposing perhaps you intend to open it ; the latter I unhesitatingly advise where it can be done with propriety. When a horse is distressed or blown, he should never be put at timber, walls, or any thing with a stiff* top : — it is a thousand to one that he cannot reach it, and the consequences may be unpleasant, or perhaps fatal, to the rider. I do not like to put a horse to timber even when he is quite fresh, unless I know him to be a good timber jumper. When you approach a gate for the purpose of opening it, do it in a slow pace, that the horse may be av/are of your intention. There are some horses fond of jumping timber, and which do it remarkably well. I have at this time a black horse, the best timber jumper lever saw. Three years ago I met Lord Anson's hounds at the village of Kirby in Leicestershire, mounted upon the black horse in question. We had a tolerable good run of thirty-seven minutes to Tooley Park, where the hounds came to a check. Several minutes elapsed, while the hounds were cast, by which the horses got their wind. We were close to the house, and I moved down a road which led from the yard to the open grounds, at the bottom was a gate, up to which I (juietly walked the horse ; but while I was stooping for the purpose of opening it, he rose, and went over it : — I suppose one of my spurs touched his side. 280 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. Some horses go slowly at their jumps ; others very swiftly. — Radical, a celebrated hunter in Leicestershire, (at present, the property of Mr. White) which, a few years ago, was beaten in a steeple-chase by Clinker, went at his jumps with all possible speed ; he is a superior horse to Clinker, and would no doubt have been the winner, had Captain Douglas, his rider, been acquainted with the horse's peculiar mode of going at his jumps. On the occasion alluded to, Radical fell at his first jump (a gate). Although the horse in question would go at his jumps at the very top of his speed, yet he was not a very hard pulling horse. When a horse becomes blown, on approaching a fence, you should pause for a second, and turn him round : it will greatly re- lieve him, and you stand a much better chance of getting over : and indeed it is generally preferable to turn the horse round at a rasper, or large jump. In November, 1830, I met Sir T. Stanley's hounds at East- ham, and after a short run from a neighbouring gorse, a second fox was found, which went away over a very heavy country ; the hounds well at him, and the scent breast high. Three or four of the first fields were extremely heavy, and on reaching the third fence, I perceived three in the ditch, owing entirely to the horses having been allowed to exhaust themselves in the previous heavy ground. When a horse is blown, he is rendered utterly incapable of any thing like extraordinary exertion : when he falls, he does it heavily, and is not able to rise for a short time. In the case in question, during the remainder of an excellent run, and death at the end of it, I saw no more of the three persons above noticed : they lost the sport by their own injudicious conduct. In some countries creeping is a valuable quality in a horse. When large banks and wide ditches occur, which cannot be taken in a fly-jump, nor yet very well at a standing leap, a good creeper will get over it without distressing himself, and much better too than it could be accomplished in any other form. In many parts of Cheshire, creeping is found very convenient. In Leicestershire, Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, and the midland counties, screwing is practised. Many of the fences in these parts consist of quick- sets, or white thorns, which are frequently found so high as to render jumping them impossible — screwing is then called into ope- ration. Some thin weak place is found, where there is sufficient room between the strong stems of the thorns for the horse to pass : as he presses forward, the small branches give way, and the object is accomplished. Yet screwing is not attended with that cruelty and torture %o feelingly , and &o foolishly described by that silly and egotistical babbler, Mr. John Lawrence. It is abundantly evident, that he never witnessed what is called screwing, and yet he presumes to describe it under the term creeping ! ! ! In the same vain and conceited spirit, he affects to give instructions for riding to hounds, and yet never saw a run in his life ! 4 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 281 Leicestershire is allowed to be the finest hunting country of which we can boast ; here the flyingjump is much required. Some parts of Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire are very fine, the same may be said of Sir H. Mainwaring's Nantwich country : and also of many parts of Yorkshire and Durham : the parts to which I allude, are principally grass lands, where the scent consequently lies well. But, of all scenting countries, Lincolnshire and Hol- derness stand pre-eminent. If a country be well known to the sportsman, he will make his way over it much easier than a stranger : hence, when any person visits a country with which he is unacquainted, he will do well to select some steady fair-going sportsman for his guide — he need not exactly follow^ him so as to seem to be hunting him, but he may keep him in view with pro- priety, and without giving offence. I have known several good sportsmen testify displeasure at being followed; but it has oc- cured when they have been improperly followed. Superior horse- men generally take their own line of country. It must also be borne in mind that hunting has assumed a very different character from that by which it v/as formerly distinguish- ed, and we very rarely hear, in our modern days, of runs lasting four or five hours ; it might appear as if the improvement in horses had led the way for the improvement in hounds, as the blood horse has superseded the old English hunter, while the active fleet fox hound of the present day, has almost obliterated the slow heavy southern blood. Formerly, the fox was run down by persevering for hours, the hounds possessing exquisite sense of smell ; the modern fox hound runs up to his game and kills it in about one hour ; if he cannot run well up to it, he is beaten, as his olfactory organs are mucli inferior to those of his slow-going heavy predecessor. The fleetest and most beautiful pack which ever fell under my observation, was Mr. Osbaldeston's bitches ; the Duke of Rut- land's hounds are very fleet and very beautiful also ; and a similar observation may be applied to Sir H. Mainwaring's ; Mr. Mey- nell's are rather small, but fleet and handsome. The Yorkshire dogs appeared to me a degree slower : the Badsworth are a good pack, and well hunted ; fleeter than those of Lord Harewood, and much superior to the York and Ainsty. The difference of these packs, however, at least in point of speed, arose, in all probabihty more from the quality of the huntsmen, than the quality of the hounds. Richards, who hunted the Badsworth, though by no means a feather weight, was very active in getting away with his fox, and keeping his hounds forward. Payne, who hunted Lord Harewood's pack, evinced neither the activity nor judgment of Richards ; and a similar remark will apply to Naylor, Avho hunted the York and Ainsty. The fox hunter is no longer seen with a hammer and saw at 2n 282 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. the end of his whip ; since neither the speed of the hounds, nor the temper of the sportsman, allow time for the use of such im- plements. The modern fox hunter appears in the field with a light handsome whip with a buckhorn hook at the end of it ; some merely use the stock without the thong. The introduction of two or three horses on the same day is a modern fashion, and I believe was first adopted by Lord Sefton, when he had the management of the Quorndon hounds. I prefer horses highly bred for hunting. If thorough-bred, with sufficient power, it may be regarded as perfection; but I would have such as have never been trained for the course ; if they have been trained, their action is seldom sufficiently lofty for hunting : — the racer is thrown forward and extended for the pur- pose of speed, he therefore goes close to the ground, or becomes what is called a daisy cuUer, and is liable to fall in going over rough uneven ground : yet, it must be admitted, that the horse has as great an aversion to coming down as his rider ; and after a few tumbles, these daisy cutters will generally learn to lift their feet higher. The action of the hunter should be lofty and united, but yet he should be capable of extending himself and going at great speed upon sound ground. The advantage of blood is always seen in going over a heavy country — no horse goes through dirt like a thorough-bred horse ; and when the run happens to be long and distressing, the thorough- bred horse uniformly manifests his decided superiority. Horses which are not thorough-bred, but what are called well-bred may perhaps (at least a 'iew of them) go as fast as full-blood, but it will be for a very short distance only — they cannot struggle five minutes against a thorough-bred horse. To get horses with blood and bone is a common expression with sportsmen ; it is meant to infer that it is difficult to get a thorough-bred horse with sufficient power. Let it, however, be steadily kept in mind, that the bones of a full-bred horse are less porous than the horse of the lower grade: — they are in fact, al- most as solid as ivory ; and although a thorough-bred horse, from his fine thin coat and skin, his extreme solidity of bone, his very firm and very elastic tendon and muscle, may appear less bulky and weaker than a half-bred horse ; yet, on close examination, it will be found that his bone is larger, and that on the score of strength he is far superior. Small bone and large tendon is a maxim held forth by some, as the best calculated for giving strength to the horse, and no doubt the elastic form of the animal must be derived from the tendon and muscle ; yet I am not aware that ever this precise con- formation has come under my notice, nor is it likely often to hap- pen, if it can occur at all. Where there is large tendon it is accompanied by much bone, particularly of the joints : the I THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 283 sinew or tendon is supported by the bone, and therefore large tendon and small bone would appear inconsistent — as indeed a malformation of these parts, more calculated to produce weak- ness than strength, since the tendon could not operate to its ut- most power unless supported by the requisite and due proportion of bone. My observations hitherto, under this head have related entirely to fox hounds : but I cannot dismiss the subject, without noticing harriers : the two branches ai'e essentially different : the fox hound is large, powerful, and fleet ; full of dash, that will bear hfting on all judicious occasions : — his game is a wily calculating animal, swift, and stout — goes from one point to another, and puts the mettle of the hounds, the horses, and their riders, to the test : — a huntsman to a pack of fox hounds should be quick in all his movements, actively pressing forwards. Harriers are smaller than fox hounds, they are slower, they should follow their game through all its windings and labyrinths ; they should be left to themselves as much as possible, and never be lifted if it can be avoided. The huntsman to harriers should be patient, and when he comes to a check, cast back. It hence results that those who are not anxious to ride hard may generally continue to witness the run without any very violent exertions. Sometimes a hare will go away, not in circles, but like a fox, when hard riding becomes requisite in order to enjoy the sport. I have witnessed many pretty things with harriers ; still no comparison can be made between them and fox hounds. It has been the fashion for some years to ride in a hat instead of the neat hunting cap : the short narrow coat too has superseded the frock. The disuse of the cap I regret, as it was more conve- nient, particularly in woodlands and covers ; I have always con- sidered the hat, fastened by a riband and button, as a very indiffe- rent substitute far the cap : at the same time, I prefer the modern hunting coat to the old fashioned frock. It frequently happens in hunting that you have to turn to one hand or the other rather abruptly, when the horse is going fast: — on such occasions, keep the horse's head outward, inclining your body a little more forward than usual, and you will get round such places more pleasantly, and the horse will be much less liable to fall. Whenever a horse becomes distressed, you must support him well with the hands, assisted mercifully by the spur, as I have before observed ; but never put a horse at any jump when the puiF is out of him — he must fall in it. Spare your horse up hill and on heavy ground. The stirrups are of essential service in hunting, for which they should be used a little shorter perhaps than for the road. The position of the rider too for the attainment of case or relief in a long run may be varied, sometimes standing in the stirrup, sometimes seated in the saddle. 284 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. The use of the hunting truss and belt I strongly recommend, and also the drop stirrup and spring bar at the saddle. Further, I prefer a large saddle for hunting. RACE RIDING. The stirrup again. — Who ever saw a jockey ride in long stir- rups ? There is no such thing in the racing system ; for the fol- lowing reason: — because those men are well convinced, that short stirrups (I mean compared to the military or the manege stirrup) gives them a firmer seat, more strength, and much greater power to support and assist the horse. A jockey could neither take a proper pull at his horse, lift him, nor set to, with long stirrups. Those who ride races are persons who are brought up to it from the earliest periods of their lives ; and it must be admitted that in this kingdom, race riding has attained an uncommon de- gree of perfection. The racing position, it is well known, is to stand in the stirrups, the body inclined forward, the hands low ; while, in the management of the hoi"se during the race, the rider is guided by the animal's temper, mode of going, and a variety of other circumstances ; and the most difficult part of the art of race riding is, to bring what, in the language of the turf, may be called, a beaten horse home ; that is, to win the race, in the run in, against a superior horse, your own perhaps very much distressed at the moment of the struggle, which of course must be accomplished by superior skill and management : and this is not a very unfre- quent occurrence. The operation of the hands in race riding must be judgmati- cally and skilfully performed. If you yield your hand too much, you abandon your horse; and in pulHng him together, if it be overdone, you check and impede him. A steady support must be given, neither more nor less than the horse requires. The horse and the rider depend on each other ; the rider's strength should hold out and be equal with that of the horse. If the horse goes coolly and steadily, the support from the rider must correspond ; but if he be eager and hot, he must be restrained, and the hand must prevent him from exhausting his strength improperly. At the run in, the most desperate exertions are called into action : the horse is suffered to extend himself to the utmost, and is assisted by the rider with the pull, the hustle, the whip, the spur, &c. according to the temper of the horse, his mode of going, &c. In regard to the use of the whip and spur, it may be justly observed, that when a horse is at the extent of his speed, the application of either of these must rather retard him than otherwise, since a horse, thus extended, if struck or spurred. THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 285 will raise his fore feet high, which must retard his progressive motion. Yet, it must be admitted, that the English jockeys, in general, seem to understand very well the precise time to apply these powerful aids ; and how often have I seen two horses, run- ning neck and neck, in all appearance a dead heat, when one single nicely-tirned stroke of the whip, has caused one of them to extend himself, and his very last stride has given him the race by half a head ! A horse will continue to pull as long as he can ; and when he is no longer able to pull, it is manifest that he is completely ex- hausted. Those who are anxious to obtain a superior knowledge of race riding, cannot do better than (after having acquired the art of horsemanship in a general sense,) observe the motions and me- thods of our jockeys. In the first place, they will find them a race of beings diminutive in size, ignorant as far as relates to in- tellectual acquirements, but nevertheless admirably adapted by nature for the profession, and deeply skilled in all its manoeuvres and trickeries. Though, generally speaking, they present a great similarity on horseback, yet, on close observation, it will be found, that many of them have peculiarities which sufficiently distinguish them from the rest of their fraternity. Racing jockeys have a very clean neat appearance when mounted, particularly those of the south : — at Epsom spring meeting, this is strikingly exempli- fied. It is unfortunate where a jockey happens to be tall, as in the case of Whitehouse ; v/ho is 5 feet, 7 inches high, and who is compelled to reduce himself so much, in order to come to the re- quired weight, that his strength suifers very materially ; and the consequence is, that he frequently becomes exhausted before his horse. Nicholson presents a striking contrast : he is very short in stature but very compact, presenting a somewhat similar figure to Peirse in his younger days ; but he has neither the stea- diness of position, nor the judgment which distinguished the riding of Peirse. Nicholson is a bold rider, and seldom fails to get a good start. Nelson, the King's jock is a good fair rider, but can- not lay claim to superiority, nor can he be compared with such men as Wheatley, Robinson, H. Edwards, Chifney, Conolly, Pavis, Darling, &c. He is equal (though in a different style) to Johnson, the successful rider of Dr. Syntax ; and a shade superior to Arthur, Templeman, and a long list of those who may be placed in the middling class, men, who if they happen to be put on the best horses, may manage to win. I noticed two or three times, during the year 1831, the riding of a man, named Jacques, who, though but little known as a jock, appeared to me to ride remarkably well. No person can become a regular public jockey, who does not commence the business vei y early in life. He must not be allowed ^86 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. to attain the ordinary bulk of human nature, or his weight forma an insuperable bar to his riding on the course ; he must, by sweat- ing and physic, keep himself within a certain weight — he must oppose the progress of nature, and thus qualify himself for the profession. There is another class of riders who appear on the race course in what are called cock-tail, welter stakes, &c. There are but few gentlemen who exhibit in this way, that appear to advantage ; their performances prove, that a man, to excel as a rider on the race course, must make the subject the business of his life. The action of race horses is smooth and pleasant ; but if a man, a fair rider on the road, mount a racer on the course, and put him to a good rate, he would most likely become unable to see, turn giddy, and would fall. In the foremost rank of what may be called gentleman jocTieys may be placed Mr. Kent and Mr. White ; but these gentlemen, particularly the former, have devoted much more than ordinary attention to it : — indeed, it may be justly remarked that Mr. Kent has made it a sort of regular profession : and I think him the best gentleman jockey that I have seen. Kent is a finished rider; and the same observation will apply, in a great degree, to Mr. White. Lord Wilton rides well ; and the same may be said of a few others : yet the generality of gentlemen jockeys make but an indifferent figure on the race course. RIDING A TROTTING RACE. The general method of riding a trotting race is to sit down as close to the saddle as possible, pressing your thighs, and knees to the horse, your body inclined a little backward, your legs forward, your position as still as possible — the stirrup the usual length, the foot either home in it, or the ball of the toot pressing upon it — I pi'efer the foot home in all riding. By thus placing yourself on the back of a trotter, it is supposed, that you ai*e better enabled to bring out his best speed, than if you rose in the stirrup ; of which, however, lam doubtful ; and in fact the position just described, has arisen from the motion of extraordinary fast trotting horses. The best pace of a fast trotter is a sort of run, and the action which thence results is better met by the close firm seat than by rising in the stirrups ; or, in other words, the close seat will be found to correspond much better with the action, and is consequently easier for both horse and rider, than when the system of rising in the stirrup is adopted. But, if the horse trot boldly out, I am decidedly of opinion, that to rise, inasmuch as it corresponds exactly with the action of the horse, is therefore calculated to THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 287 produce his best pace in trotting. — Hence it results, that the close seat is the best calculated for trotters ; to the bold fair trotter it is not applicable : and as the runners are generally employed in trotting races and matches, I think we may easily perceive whence arose the notion expressed at the commencement of this article. The celebrated American trotters, whose appearance in this country must be fresh in the recollection of every person, asto- nished all those who were fond of, or paid attention to, trotters ; I confess when I first saw one of them (Rattler) go, I was imme- diately convinced that I had never witnessed any thing like it — I ■vvas abundantly satisfied, no horse in this country could go with him. Nor, if we consider the subject, was such a circumstance likely : — these American trotters had been trained to trotting from the moment they were first handled ; they were constantly used to it, and never allowed to gallop : in consequence, they had no idea of galloping ; and however they might be aided, animated, and pressed forward, they could not be induced to break. The horses of these kingdoms, being accustomed to various paces, are no sooner pressed on in the trot beyond a certain point, than they strike into the gallop. And after all, these American horses rather ran than trotted; and this indeed must be the case with all horses whose speed in trotting is increased much beyond the ordinary de- gree ; which is clearly proved by its requiring a very different correspondence in the rider. In riding a trotting race or match, the temper, trim, and habits of the horse ought to be previously known to the rider, and he should act accordingly ; a man will ride a trotter to more advan- tage after he has been a little used to him. The hands should be held low, the horse encouraged to extend himself to the utmost, and the judgment of the rider must be exercised so as to be aware when he is upon the point of over-rating himself so as to cause him to gallop : — the horse should trot as fast as he pos- sibly can, but never strike into the gallop. This requires skill. If you perceive he is on the point of galloping, increase your pull, but keep your hands down : if you raise your hands to increase your power, you will cause the horse to gallop : keep your legs steady, and do not press them to his sides. A horse is liable to gallop at times, w hen he is by no means at speed in the trot ; when, for instance, his haunches are too much under him, and his eagerness to get on will not allow the haunches to slacken that the shoulders may take the lead. The generality of trotters, when they settle themselves, take a steady support, which must be al- lowed them, keeping the hands low, steady, and firm. The horse will occasionally refresh his mouth, by yielding his nose, or moving his head, and then take a support again : he should be allowed whatever is accommodating to him, so that it has no tendency to 288 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. make him gallop or slacken his trot. All the operations of the hand must be low to keep the horse down. I cannot say that I admire battering a horse's feet to pieces in a trotting match over miles of hard road. Why not let the horse perform upon turf? The manege. Adams, a professed teacher of the manege system of horse- manship, describes it in the following words : — " The airs of the manege are certain figures, actions, graces, attitudes, and exer- tions, drawn from the horse by the art and ingenuity of the master, and may fitly be compared to the figures, steps, graces, attitudes, and exertions of the stage dancers." Which means, in plain English, that the natural paces of the most elegant quadruped in nature are set aside or supplanted for artificial positions and gro- tesque anticks, which strain his tendons and his loins, destroy his speed, and render him incapable of all the useful and superior purposes of life. The manege system of riding is completely use- less ; yet the professed teachers of the art would have us believe that the positions of the horse and rider are ornamental and graceful in the highest degree : now, any thing so constrained as the airs of the manege, can never be consistent with the true and sublime beauty of nature. I have many times endeavoured, but always unsuccessfully, to discover something that would bear the test of examination in it ; and I am free to confess, that the anticks of a monkey are to me much more interesting, and quite as nearly allied to the sublime and the beautiful, as the cruelly painful and unnatural positions of the horse in the airs of the manege. However, let it not be supposed, that 1 am utterly insensible to gracefulness and beauty in the paces of the horse ; on the con- trary, what can be so light and elegant as that deer-like action which has been derived in the superlative degree from their Ara- bian progenitors, by our superior horses. The stiff and neai'ly perpendicular position, so much and "So strongly recommended by riding masters is precisely that which is adapted for the manege, but utterly unfit for the ordinary pur- poses of life, for the hunting field, or the race course. In the manege the horse is continually straining unnaturally on his haunches and loins — the weight is all thrown upon these parts : — let us look at the pesade, (a manege air) in which the horse gathers his haunches so far under him, that he raises his fore feet and sits or balances himself upon his hocks and hind feet. The rider's position must correspond; and here the toe in a long (To be coniintied. ) THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET, AND Toivn and Country Magazine. Vol. I. MARCH, 1833. No. 5. Summary of the Season, with Illustrative Observations. March 1. — " The poor timid hare" ought at this period, to feed in security, and woo his mate in peace ; but custom has ordered it otherwise ; and a March hare is deemed an indispensable sacri- fice, ere the courser and the hare himter cease their interesting operations. Ex- cellent runs frequently occur in March with both greyhounds and harriers, as also in the latter end of February : — the best run I ever witnessed with har- riers occurred a few years ago at the close of the season : it took place with a small jack hare, who, having rambled some distance to pay his respects to the sisterhood, on being moved, directed his course home without making one double. Under such circumstances, a hare has little, if any, chance of escape. The hare in question ran about six miles with- out a check, and was, of course, killed. — From the mildness of the winter, leve- rets will be found earlier than usual. Fox hounds will continue their opera- tions unremittingly, and the month of March generally produces some extra- ordinary runs : indeed, this month might be considered the best period of the season, if the heavy vixen could be ren- dered secure. Feathered game — that is, grouse, par- tridges, and pheasants, are busily occu- pied in preparations for a future pro- geny ; and, should the breeding season prove favourable, abundance of these birds may be confidently anticipated ; for, although more of them have been killed than usual, owing to the open marketable commodity which they have become, yet abundance are left from which to produce a very numerous stock the ensuing season. In saying that more of these birds have been killed than usual, a few explanatory observa- tions appear indispensable, as many of the newspapers have stated the contrary : the fact is, that genuine sportsmen have killed leas than usual, while the average quantity has been more than supplied by the professed poacher (to whom the market is open in the most unqualified manner) and those who have been le- gally authorized to supply the public demand. One of the greatest obstacles experienced by the nocturnal depreda- tor has been removed by the late enact- ment : he can now dispose of his ill- acquired goods without the least difii- culty. The market has been literally glutted with game during the whole season — much has been thrown away which covdd not find customers at any price ! In speaking of the quantity of feather- ed game which has survived the deadly tube of the genuine sportsman, and the wiles of the professed poacher, as far as relates to the partridge and pheasant, we have embraced the opportunity of extensive personal observation, particu- larly in the counties of Rutland, Nor- thampton, Leicester, Derby, Stafford, Warwick, Salop, Chester, Lancaster, &c. &c. and therefore sj^eak confidently on the subject. Woodcocks. — In mild winters, these birds are never found numerous in these latitudes,^ as the weather has not been sufficiently severe to impel them so far south in search of food : they are slug- gish birds, forced into activity only by the imperious calls of hunger, and there- fore visit these islands from constraint alone. Woodcocks return in the month of March ; and as they linger on the coast for a few days, to prepare for their 2o 290 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. long journey, sportsmen who reside near the sea shore in the northern and north- western parts of the kingdom, may pick up a few of them. In the midland counties, one woodcock only fell under my observation : in Cheshire I saw thirteen ; and upon inquiry, I found these birds had been more numerous in the county of Chester than in any other parts which I had visited, particularly in the neighbourhood of Nantwich and Combermere. In the middle of Janu- ary, (when I made the inquiry) a keep- er of Mr. Tomkinson, of Dorfold Hall, (near Nantwich,) had killed 29. R. Watt, Jun. Esq. of Speke Hall, informed me he had killed 23 up to the same period. Snipes have not presented themselves in the usual numbers, the same cause operating to prevent their arrival in this country as that which governs the mi- gration of the woodcock. Those birds which come under the description of wildfoid, like the snipe and the woodcock, have been scarce throughout the winter ; for the same reason. I have not seen a wild swan, nor a wild goose, throughout the win- ter : very few of the duck tribe. The rook constitutes a legitimate ob- ject of the sportsman ; it is not one of those birds denominated game, yet af- fords an apology for diversion at a pe- riod when the pursuit of those animals called game is legally forbidden, and indeed, rendered impossible. Rook's are among the first of the feathered tribes to prepare for the important busi- ness of continuing their species. In the early part of February, (the 4th,) I observed these birds trimming up their old nests ; while the young or yearling birds were occupied in examining vari- ous situations upon which to form the indispensable convenience for the recep- tion of their eggs, and ultimately a nur- seiy for their young. Those who are partial to rook shooting would find plenty of diversion in the Peak of Der- byshire, as, in no part of these king- doms which I have visited, have I ob- served these birds any thing like so nu- merous. The month of March is the period for training pointers and setters. Birds being paired, will not easily take wing ; on the contrary, they will run for a very considerable distance, and thus afford the young dogs a good opportunity of acquiring that admirable quality oi foot- ing. It is an advisable plan to put muzzle pegs on the dogs, to prevent them chopping leverets. Dogs should not be taken out after this month, for reasons too obvious to need enumera- tion. Many persons ai-e of opinion that dogs trained or broken on the moors are superior to those broken on inclosed ground. I entertain a different notion ; nor have I ever seen a superior dog in the inclosui'es, which has not been equally conspicuous on the moors. INDIAN MODE of 19th Nov. 1831. In the distance of five miles we forded Mehen-in creek ; about eight miles further, we came to Sturgeon creek, so called from the dex- terity an Occa-wee-chy Indian shewed there in catching one of those royal fish, which was performed after the fol- lowing manner : In the summer time, it is no vmusual thing for sturgeons to sleep on the sur- face of the water, and one of them having wandered up into this creek in the spring, was floating in that drowsy condition. The Indian above mentioned ran up to the neck into the creek, a little below where he discovered the fish, expecting the stream Avould soon bring his game down to him. He judged the matter laMng STURGEON. right, and as soon as the fish came close to him he whipt a running noose over his jowl. This waked the sturgeon, which being strong in its own element, darted immediately under water and dragged the Indian after him. The man made it a point of honour to keep his hold ; which he did to the apparent danger of being drowned. Sometimes both the Indian and the fish disappeared for a quarter of a minute, and then rose at some distance from where they dived. At this rate, they continued floundering about, sometimes above and some- times under water, for a considerable time, till at last the hero suffocated his adversary and hauled his body ashore in triumph. — Amcr. Turf Beg. THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 29 J. FOX HOUNDS and FOX HUNTING. {Continued from p. 228.) On the 3d of January, unequivocal symptoms of severe frost damped the expectations and the ardour of the fox hunter. On the following day, a thick crust of ice appeared upon the still -waters ; the road had become very hard, and imparted to the motion of the coach wheels, that peculiar rattle, or road music, w'hich is uniformly sent forth in hard frost. If, however, the operations of hounds were suspended, regular shooters took the field in eager anticipation, while numerous hedge- poppers placed the passing traveller in some degree of alarm and danger. The frost gradually disappeai-ed ; and on Tuesday, the 8th of January, the ground was quite soft, the atmosphere mild. I proceeded towards Chester: my road lay through Sir Thomas Stanley's coun- try; and, after I had proceeded six miles, I heard the Baronet's hounds run- ning their fox with a brilliant scent. I obsei'ved a scarlet coat approaching — it was Mr. Etherington, who informed me the hounds had chopped one fox, that the second fox had brought them some miles at a rattling pace, and had turned short back again, pointing to- wards the banks of the Dee. In Chester I happened to meet my worthy friend, Mr. Thomas Acton, and I did not leave this fine old city till Thursday morning (Jan. 10). Sir Ri- chard Puleston's fox hounds were ad- vertised to meet at Duckington, distant twelve miles. It had frozen severely during the night; and, although I felt a perfect conviction that hounds could not go out, yet I trotted towards the fix- ture. The weather was bitterly cold ; a keenly cutting wind blew in my face, so that as I passed the splendid and beautiful seat of Mr. Walmsley, I could scarcely distinguish Bolesworth Castle. I passed on to Barnhill, and in a few minutes observed the approach of the hounds : but hunting was out of the question ; the hounds therefore return- ed home. I remained for an hour at the Egerton Arms, Barnhill, a very comfortable inn ; and hearing that Mr. Leche, of Garden, had got together a pack of fox hounds, and that his resi- dence and kennels were distant only one mile, I embraced the opportunity of going to see them : fox hounds are highly interesting in the kennel ; in the field their operations impart a degree of enthusiastic animation which it is not possible to derive from any other source. In Mr. Leche's kennel I found twenty couple of fox hounds, eighteen couple of which were fine handsome dogs ; but, unfortunately, for want of a coun- try, they have scarcely any thing to do. Garden has hitherto formed a part of Sir R. Puleston's country ; and, although Mr. Leche may draw the covers situated upon his own property, they can afford but little work for foxhounds. In an adjoining kennel I was shewn sixteen couple of harriers, which I think must afford veiy pretty sport in Mr. Leche's country. But what most inte- rested me was the sight of two wolves, the finest specimens of the wolf tribe which ever fell under my observation. These animals were confined in a com- modious apartment, and were not able to reach the outer door, strong iron bars being fixed for the purpose of prevent- ing them, the intermediate space af- fording the spectator a place of safety for viewing these ferocious creatures. On the outer door being opened, the v/olves sprung against the iron bars in a terrific manner, owing perliaps to the sudden appearance of a stranger : they growled most horribly, and exhibited an activity and strength which I could scarcely have credited from the report of another person. The apartment which contained them was about fifteen feet in height, to the top of which they (the female in particular) repeatedly sprung with the dexterity and strength of the most powerful of the feline tribe ! — they placed their feet against the very top of the side wall, and rebound- ed after the manner of the cat. The classification of the wolf is unquestion- ably the dog ti'ibe; and from what I witnessed, I should imagine the large brown wolf, in a state of unlimited free- dom, imites the progressive ileetncss of the greyhound to the bounding dexter- ity of the leopard or the panther. 292 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. Mr. Leche's wolves were received when cubs ; and have scarcely finished their growth now that they have attained their fourth year. They appeared to be about twenty-eight or twenty-nine inches in height ; and to their uncom- monly dextrous activity, added incredi- ble muscular power. I have seen many wolves in various exhibitions, not one of Avhich, however, would bear compa- rison with the animals in question : — fox hounds would make but an indiffe- rent figure with such creatures as these. The weather continuing unfavourable for hounds, on Friday (Jan 11), I pro- ceeded to Emral, the residence of Sir Ri- chard Puleston, where his kennels are situated. In Sir Richard's kennel, I foiuid twenty-five couple and a half, many of which might be regarded as good specimens of fox hounds ; but they were not in prime condition, and on this account, several (of the bitches in particular) appeared rather weedy. Sir Richard appears to have a fine, but thickly-inclosed countr)', and goes out five days in the fortnight. Saturday, the 12th, no hunting; I therefore determined to visit Beteley. The frost, although not very severe, had been sufficiently so to prevent hounds going out : yet I percived the road be- come soft as I proceeded, and I was quite willing to hope that the frost would disappear in a few hours. J cannot help considering frost as very unhealthy weather ; if a person " catch cold," he finds much difficulty in rid- ding himself of the troublesome hectic intruder till a milder atmosphere enables him to expel it. The same observa- tions will apply to the horse, the dog, and to the brute creation generally ; while the painful and almost fatal influence of frost upon indifferent and diseased lungs is too well and too extensively known to need particular detail in this place. I therefore despise the old hacknied obser- vations of frost " bracing the nerves" &c. &c. the offspring of unreflecting ig- norance. Frost is directly opposed not only to vegetable, but also to animal, life, as very trifling observation and re- flection will incontrovertibly demon- strate. On reaching Beteley, I was sorry to find Mr. Wicksted had been labouring under ill health, from which, however, he is progressively recovering. He ac- companied me to the kennels. A pe- riod of five or six years has elapsed since I saw this gentleman's hounds; and though report had repeatedly whispered their high character into my eai-, yet my anticipated notions were much be- low the mark. I expected to see very fine hounds, but never for one moment, suspected that the most beautiful pack in the world was about to pass in review before me ! They had been fed about an hour before, and they consequently presented themselves under considerable disadvantage. When, however, the door was opened, I was very much surprised indeed — -I was astonished: pleasingly so certainly, for I had never seen a pack the coup cVoeil of which threw such uni- form beauty on the eye ! If the tout ensemble was thus surprisingly interest- ing, the individual detail was more so. They are not the tallest hounds I have seen ; they are about five and twenty inches in height, remarkable for bone, strength, and beautiful symmetry. The bitches appear as high as the dogs, and in consequence they exhibit a levelness which I never witnessed in any other pack. Beyond all question, I never saw hounds in such fine, such healthy, such perfect, condition ! These hounds unite the best blood in the kingdom, and their breeding and getting together have evidently been directed by the most acute perception, the most consummate judgment. The Rutland blor>d is a great "favourite with Mr. Wicksted. 1 could not perceive any thing like a middling or indifferently-formed hound — they were a collection of perfect beauties! — Joker, a splendid dog, five years old, has received an injury upon his near thigh, which has wasted the limb, and incapacitated him from going out with the pack : yet, as a stallion, he is in- valuable. His four two-years old daugh- ters, (Carnage, Crafty, Crazy, and Cruel,) out of Countess, (all at the same litter) are, taken either sepai-ately, or collect- ively, very superior hounds, very beau- tiful, perfect ! Mr. Wicksted was kind enough to indulge my curiosity for a considerable length of time, and drew out the hounds in various ways. At length I asked him if he could draw an THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 293 indifferent hound — ^Iie smiled. They are shoi't-legged hounds, possessing un- common strength, as well as uncommon beauty. I never before felt so much gratification from a view of hounds in the kennel : twenty-three couple and a half Mr. Wicksted, like Sir Richard Puleston, goes out five days in the fort- night. His country (Staftbrdshire,) ap- pears to be of considerable extent, and although I am not altogether a stranger to it, I was not aware that it contained woodlands of one thousand, and fifteen hundred acres; and these woodlands, which ought to produce many cubs yearly, I was sorry to find, seldom held a single litter. Fox stealers abound in these parts ; and Mr. Wicksted remark- ed, that if snow should fall, so as to enable the fox stealers to trace, all the foxes in these (the remoter) parts of his country, Avould be taken. Who are the purchasers of these foxes.' " If there were no receivers of stolen goods, there would be no thieves." This gentleman informed me, that hitherto he considered the season, on the score of scent, as the best he had ever known, and that, consequently, his sport had been superior also. On his kennel door I observed a mask or face which must have belonged to a fox far above the ordinary size. He had not been long killed, and he gave them, it seems, a capital run. He was not only an uncommonly lai-ge, but a very gal- lant fox : he stood up till nature foi'sook him, but contrived to get to groimd ; on digging to him, he was found dead from complete exhaustion ! On entering Mr. Wicksted's stables, it was evident that he was no advocate for the system of keeping horses in an atmosphere of 60 degrees, so much in favour in Leicestershire and other parts. On the contraiy, his stables Avere re- markable for the coolness of the air which his horses breathed : in conse- quence they were not so fine in their coats, but appeared healthy and in good condition. 1 recognised an old acquaint- ance — Mercury, a horse once belonging to Mr. Bretherton, and while in his possession won a variety of cock-tail stakes ; which is not to be wondered at, as the horse is, no doubt, as thoi'oughly a full bred horse as any in the kingdom. He is a powerful animal, and makes a superior hunter. There were several superior horses in the stables, and the whole presented a very characteristic appearance. On walking through the grounds im- mediately adjoining Mr. Wicksted's re- sidence, on the beautiful piece of water*, I observed some wild fowl (several mal- lards and ducks) which, I was fearful, portended a continuance of hard wea- ther ; but that gentleman informed me, that wild fowl were very numerous on this water up to the last and the pre- sent winters, dui'ing which there have been comparatively few. Cold and chilly as was the weather, the water presented a pretty and an animating appearance. A couple of swans floated gracefully on its bosom, a flock of Ca- nada geese gave an interest to the scene, which was further animated by the fluttering of a gi'eat number of coots and water hens which had taken alarm at our presence, as well as by the mal- lards and ducks already noticed. The water is well stocked with fish, particularly trout, and therefore aflbrds good fly fishing; but is more interesting for a cover or two which fringe its mar- gin, in one of which cubs are annually laid up. Two seasons ago Mr. Wick- sted's hounds run a fox up to this water. Some of the female part of the family happening to be at the window, ob- served renard approach and plunge in : it was jiartially covered with ice which prevented the fox from reaching the opposite side, and making good his point. The approach of the hounds was heard: the fox made desperate eflbrts to get upon the ice, when he found he could not make his Avaj^ through it to any purpose : he turned and swam back, and no sooner reached the bank, than he came in contact with his luisparing pursuers, and died M'ithout a murmur. I took leave of Mr. Wicksted and his hospitable mansion, and returned highly gratified with my visit, and par- ticularly with the frank and polite at- tention of that gentleman. For nearly a week, the weather has been in that state of uncertainty so as to lead the follower of hounds to hope on going to bed, that in four and twenty 294 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. hours the atmosphere would become propitious. Hitherto the weather has not been remarkable for severity ; on the contrary, I heard sufficient indica- tions ten days ago of the influence of an open season as left no doubt on my mind that two foxes would frequently be found togther ; the scream of the vixen, in answer to the bark of her mate, may be nightly heard in the im- mediate vicinity of extensive covers. Besotted ignorance. — In the Globe of the 12th inst. (Jan.) a paragraph appears, copied from the Whitehaven Herald, which states that " a silver cup has been presented to Richard Postle- thwaite,Esq. of Broughton in Furness,for destroying all the foxes in an extensive district on the borders of Cumberland and Lancashire. About twelve months ago, the neighbourhood was overrun with these ravenous animals. Tliey de- voured the lambs, strangled the poultrg, and worried the rams ! ! ! It really seems unaccountable, that any man, possessing even but a very ordinary share of common sense, should seriously promulgate such gross falsehood : if he be ignorant of the subject, he must be an arrant fool to attempt to write upon it : if his knowledge be sufficient to enable him to form correct ideas, how stands he? in the situation of something worse than a fool. Let the editor of the Whitehaven Herald choose one of these caps to ornament his own pate — his right and title to one or the other is un- questionable. Foxes tvorrying rains in- deed ! Faugh ! — We refer the reader to our last number but one, where he will find some observations upon the subject. Having enjoyed the extraordinary treat of a deliberate view of Mr. Wick- sted's hounds in the kennel, I became very anxious to witness their perform- ance in the field, not that I entertained the least doubt of their fully answering the highest possible anticipations. There must be a cause for eveiy effect : supe- rior speed can only result from superior animal organization ; and having been convinced from ocular demonstration, that these hounds exhibited the peculiar conformation (mechanical principles) whence imcommon power of progress- ive motion could not fail to result, I was satisfied on the score ot speed ; while the clear developement of their immense, but well proportioned, bone, their well defined sinew and muscle, manifested extraordinary powers of con- tinuance, or lasting perseverance. Fur- ther, from the size of their heads (large) it was evident that their olfactory or- gans, or powers of smell, must be of the first order. In fact, it appeared to me that Mr. Wicksted had been eminently successful in what was never before ac- complished, viz. he had succeeded in imiting uncommon powers of smell, with remarkable strength, and superior beauty of form ! On Tuesday, Jan. 15, the fixture for these hounds was Wistaston, the re- sidence of Mr. Hammond, distant from Nantwich two miles. The frost had entirely disappeared from the ground, though ice remained on some of the pools and still waters : the morning was veiy fine, while appearances altogether seemed highly favourable for hunting. In a few minutes after I reached Wis- taston, the hounds came up ; and as the venerable huntsman (Wells) doffed his cap, in answer to my salutation, the satisfactory smile which played upon his countenance clearly shewed how proud he felt of the variously-coloured family which surrovmded him. The field was not so numerous as I expect- ed to have found it : I recognised seve- ral well known faces. The hounds proceeded to a cover at a short distance from the residence of Mr. Hammond; and, upon taking a survey of the country, the position in which the field placed themselves, and also of the manner in which the huntsman commenced drawing the cover, I felt satisfied as to the direction which the fox would take. I placed myself ac- cordingly, if possible to view him away without heading him back, or infrin- ging in the least upon the well under- stood customs and conduct of the chase. I had scarcely taken my station, when a delightful note reached my ear : — it was the musical voice of Hasty, (a four years old bitch) yet it sovmded very like a signal of death ! other voices were soon heard — the animating chorus swelled on the gentle breeze : — I ob- served renard making off: it was a very fine young vixen : she shaped her THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 295 course across the fields for the main road, quickly leaning to the right as if she intended to hang to the grounds and covers about the house : however, on reaching the fence next the road, she altered her course, she turned short to the left, run close to the hedge for about twenty yards, and crossed the road. In the mean time, the hounds had left the cover, and were coming along upon the line of the fox in such a manner as convinced me death was at no very great distance. In consequence of the frost, the hounds had been idle for a week, a little wildn ess might therefore have been expected : — no such thing ; they came along close and steadily, at a killing pace, and on reaching the spot, where the fox had turned short, and ran for twenty yards by the side of the hedge, they turned instantly, in the most beau- tiful manner — not a single hound over- shot the scent one inch ! They crossed the road — the scent was as good as pos- sible — the hounds went brilliantly ; and before they reached the bottom of the next field, they turned to the right, in the direction for Crewe, over a difficult and heavy country : in a few minutes, the hounds leaned to the left, and went straight for a short space, when they bent again to the right, the chase evi- dently making away for Crewe. The pace was such that no fox could long withstand ; and the business closed in 23 minutes from the first tolling of the death bell by Hasty. The fox could not reach the covers at Crewe, but entered a shallow drain, a short distance from the park gates, completely exhausted : when bolted she could not run. The hounds had worked well for her, they had won her fairly, and of course the business finished in the usual way. The hounds were thrown into a wood on the border of Crewe park, through which a "main road passes to the mansion, intersected also with con- venient bridle roads. I heard a hound express a doubtful opinion, of which, no confirmation was obtained, for the wood produced no fox. But in a smaller cover, at a short distance, the hounds were successful. Here again, if I mis- take not. Hasty distinguished herself: she spoke to him confidently. The first fox was found in beautiful style : the find, in this instance, was more so. He was an old stager, who understood his business, knew his points, and was determined to make them good. He broke away across the upper part of this fine undulated park in the most gallant style possible, the hounds went away on the wings of the wind ! — it was racing speed ! I never witnessed awy thing more beautiful ! The fox made for a cover which bordered the opposite side of the park, close to the main road, passed through it, and was followed by the hounds in a way that left little doubt on my mind as to the result, though it was evident they had a fox before them that would not easily give up. On reaching the main road, something was wrong — ^some mischief had been done (no uncommon occur- rence with the impetuosity of youth,) the hounds were puzzled: — they flew eagerly, but could not make him off". The fox had either been headed, or the scent ridden over, or both — most likely both; and what was still more vexatious, bad was made worse (as it afterwards appeared) as the fox, after having been headed, run the plantation by the side of the road, still directing his face for his original point. — The hounds were thought to be wrong — (supposed to be running heel) and were stopped. They tried back ; several casts were made ; and, as it at length became certain that he had not doubled back for his old quarters, he must have gone in some other direction. After trotting on for half a mile or more, one of the hounds feathered : — " There's the scent," said Mr. Wicksted to his huntsman. He was correct : but, unfortimately, fifteen mi- nutes had elapsed, and consequently there could be little chance of getting upon terms with him. The fox, finding himself no longer pressed, would pro- ceed at his ease, and reach his point with the least possible exertion. He would perhaps stop when he reached the cover, but w'ould most likely be on the qui clve, suspiciously listening for his enemies, whose near approach he would not allow. I could perceive that the master of the hounds was conscious of the direc- 296 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. tion which the fox ought to take : — to the right, in the distance, a2)|)careil some woodlands, and towards these the hounds picked a cold scent, till at length they began to get upon something like terms with him. They came away from the woods or wooded grounds bending to the right, when they described a sort of half ring, and went off at a good pace over an awkward country. It was clear the business would not very soon be over, though the hounds worked as well as possible. I came to several fields of wheat, across which the course lay, and I saw a scarlet coat or two moving over the second, considerably ahead of me : — I also observed a bulky subject who appeared to be the occupier of the land, whose menacing aspect brought me to a pause. In person he appeared above the ordinary altitude, with a plump rotundity of corps, which clearly indicated, if not the best temper, that he fared well, and enjoyed a full share of the good things of this life. I had not been one single yard upon his growing crop, and therefore concluded I had nothing to feai', though something indescribably forbidding, repulsive, and even hideous, was depicted upon the vulgar and frightful animation of his covmtenance ! That organ of intelli- gence, the eye, in him did not exhibit the fierce glare of the wolf, the uncon- trollable malignity of the tiger, the fixed savageness of the buffalo ; but appeared like an equal compound of the three ; whilst his thick and grizly beard (which for the ten previous days had not felt the influence of a razor) by no means diminished the impleasant and irksome feeling which cannot fail to arise from the contemplation of such a specimen of human nature as now stood before me. He wished with all his heart, he said, that I and the whole of us might break our necks ! I made my escape with all possible expedition. To return. — The run had continued for a considerable time : it still proceed- ed, and brought us to Beteley (or Bet- ley perhaps, I frequently find some dif- ficulty in obtaining correct orthography in such cases as these;) whence the hounds leaned to the right in the direc- tion for Heeley Castle. Under circum- stances like the present, the chances are ten to one in favour of the fox. When a fox can regulate his pace, and keep his pursuers at slow hunting, he must be a fool indeed, if he allow them to reach him — he has it all his own vray. This fox, by his running, was evi- dently well acquainted with the coun- try, and moved from one point to ano- ther with all the craftiness of his kind. Ultimately the hounds reached what is called Heeley Castle, and no sooner had I an opportunity of viewing it than I felt a conviction here the business would finish. Heeley Castle (no great dis- tance from Newcastle) presents to the eye of the spectatoi-, mouldering ruins situated on the apex of a hill of con- siderable extent, one side of which is high and abrupt, in some parts appa- rently rocky, planted v/ith firs, and the whole so covered with brushwood and stunted trees furnished at the same time with numerous ci'evices, that a fox, which had stood up before hounds over a great extent of country, at his own pace, could not fail to find a secure asylum in the cover of Heeley Castle. Moreover, a very polite gentleman, who had rode with me the latter part of the day, i-emarked, that he thought there were earths in it, which on this occasion would be open. If an opinion is to be formed from appearances, I should think Heeley Castle an awkward place to get away with a fox at any time. It reminded me of Gracedieu Park, on the borders of Charnwood Forest, in Leicestershire, but more for- midable. The fox was found at Crewe a few minutes before twelve o'clock : the bu- siness was given up at Heeley Castle a few minutes before three ; and, although the most satisfactory account possible was not ultimately obtained of the fox, after three hours of skilful and master- ly perseverance, yet was it an excellent day's sport, and proved to demonstra- tion the superior excellence of Mr. Wicksted's hounds. The fox proved himself not only a veiy stout animal, but a verj' cunning tactician also : how- ever, had it not been for the unfortunate delay at the commencement, matters would have taken a different turn : in about an hour renard would have been THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 9,97 turned up ; as it is, he will very probably afford another good run. In the mean time, let him make his will ; for he must have very extraordinary luck in- deed if he beat his superlative pursuers when next they strive together. I am sure, it rarely happens with these hounds but they either kill, or give a good account of, their fox. Mr. Wicksted, from severe indispo- sition, does not, as he was wont, per- form altogether the active duty of huntsman; but he directs the opera- tions of the chase with uncommon per- ception, and great skill ; — he has stu- died hunting as a science, and reduced his principles or theory to practice with the soundest judgment. He is the greatest master of the art I ever sav/. It has been the practice to laud Mr, Osbaldeston to the skies for his consum- mate knowledge of the management of fox hounds in the field. I have wit- nessed his exertions as huntsman, and I intend not to give that gentleman the slightest offence, when I say, that in this respect, he is very far inferior to Mr. Wicksted. Of gentlemen huntsmen I have seen several, and I unh2sitating- ly place Mr. Wicksted at the top, Mr. Osbaldeston at the bottom, of the list. I have further no hesitation in saying, that the vulgar and nauseous manner in which Mr. Osbaldeston has been praised as a huntsman must have been extremely offensive to him, knowing as he did, that the i-idiculous emanations were written by men who knew fox hunting merely by name, who never even saw fox hounds in the whole course of their lives ! Having mentioned my retico7itre vthh a Cheshire or Staffordshire farmer (I know not which, being upon the border of each county) respecting his wheat, it may be very justly remarked, that no person following hounds would willingly ride over wheat, since wheat fields are iraiformly very heavy, and must conse- quently take much out of the horse ; so far, the distress to the horse caused by riding over wheat operates as a sort of guarantee against this species of tres- pass : it can therefore only occur, when the choice is left of either being thrown out, or crossing the forbidden ground. And after all, does the young wheat sustain injury from being ridden over ? — I think not. We have many record- ed, well authenticated instances which prove the contrary to demonstration. Further, in the month of February, 1832, I allowed a cow and some young cattle free access to a small piece of wheat (about one acre) : I suffered them to eat and trample it for three weeks ; and although from the quantity of foot marks, the field was rendered as rough as possible, I allowed it to continue in that state without employ- ing the roller : yet the wheat became healthy and vigorous ; it was cut in the latter end of the following August : I never had a better crop. The Cheshire or Staffordshire farmer, already mentioned, was a very brute in appearance and manner : — he had firm- ly secured all his gates by chains ; had his gates been found as gates generally ar?, his wheat would not have been crossed. On Wednesday, (Jan. 16,) the Che- shire hounds met at Shavington (eight miles from Nantwich,) obtained good sport and killed. On Tliursday, (Jan. 1 7,) these houndis met at Dorfold Hall, the residence of Mr. James Tomkinson (scarcely a mile from Nantwich,) where a brilliant field assembled. Whenever hounds meet in the vicinity of a populous town, pedes- trians are sure to be numerous : on this occasion, they deployed in the park in great strength, and the scene was gaily animated — it was highly interesting — ■ eager expectation was pleasingly Im- pressed upon every countenance ! The covers in the park did not hold a fox, and the hounds proceeded to Ravens- moor, which I have seldom seen pro- duce more than a woodcock ; the covers appear too wet, and too much exposed; a fox prefers a more retired, a more snug, retreat: one of them was drawn blank, when the wor-d was given for Baddiley Gorse : a fox stole away be- fore the hounds had well entered the cover. He went off in the direction of Wrenbury, and in about twenty minutes contrived to baffle the hounds. He ap- peared to be fond of his own coimtry ; he would not leave it : after approaching Wrenbury, he turned, making for his old quarters, which the hounds Teached, 2 p 298 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. and which they again tried very anxious- ly : it would not do: he had given them the slip very neatly, without any very extraordinary trouble to himself. He must, I think, have got to ground. The hounds moved away, passing thro' Wrenbury village, and came at length to Marley Moss, a low swampy cover, which appeared to the eye of a superficial observer, not the most eligi- ble situation for a fox ; but as external appearances do not imiformly present a true index, so, in the present instance, they afforded a fallacious criterion upon which to form a judgment. A fox went away immediately, pointing for Marbury or Combermere. Getting away from this cover was awkward : at the first fence, Mr. Ireland Blackburne's horse fell, and it Avas not without some trouble that the horse was extricated from the wet and boggy ditch : neither horse nor rider received the least in- jury. Several gentlemen were thrown out. My mare, from some gravel having insinuated itself luider the shoe of the near hind foot, and worked to the quick, was completely lame, and therefore I was unable to proceed. The fox stole away as soon as the hounds were thrown into the cover: the hounds slipped away after him with less noise and bustle than usual, their tone and manner bespeak- ing death ! — I returned with my cripple to Nantwich. The daj was remarkably fine ; the field exhibited a brilliant dis- l^lay of scarlet, with a more than ordi- nary mixture of the sombre hue which distinguishes the sons of the church. Having remarked that the fox point- ed for Combermere, if he thus sought the protection of tiie illustrious Duke (Wellington,) who was on a visit to his old and distinguished companion in arms, Lord Combermere, it would scarcely save him. He was pursued by a fleet, merciless, killing pack, pressed forwai-dby a killing (though not a noisy) huntsman. Renard, however, beat his pursuers, as Sir H. Mainwaring aftei-- wards informed me. On Friday, Jan. IS, Mr. Wicksted's hounds met at Adderley; and after a short bafliling run with one fox, they drew Buerton Gorsc, (which, it seems, is noted for holding stout foxes) and found. The scent was good, and after an extraordinary run, the approach of night saved him : the hounds were stopped. For this information I am obliged to Mr. James Tomkinson, Avho is of opinion (and I make no doubt correctly so) that the foxes found in Mr. Wicksted's country, generally speak- ing, are stouter than connnon. Major Tomkinson, brother of the gentleman just mentioned, received a contusion on the head from the bough of a tree, from which, however, no serious consequences are likely to result. The Major is not a man to make much of trifles : he has seen hard service, and gained unfading laurels in the immortal field of Waterloo. Diu'ing the weak, or at least from the 15th to the 19th, inclusively, the wea- ther has been reiuarkably fine ; yet I was surjirised to learn this morning (Jan. 19) that on the Peover side of Cheshire, the frost was very severe. The fixture for Sir H. Mainwaring's hounds was Highway Side, distant from Nantwich seven miles ; from Chester something more : it is a fixture which generally proves attractive to the citi- zens or residents of that interesting and ancient place, and on this occasion, they appeared in considerable numbers, amongst whom appeared, as a matter of course, Mr. Britton. In the earlier part of the season, owing to the excite- ment of the general election, the atten- dance on fox hounds was but thin ; since the close of this highly imjiortant business, I have perceived a consider- able increase, a resumption of the usual appearance in the field. As I approach- ed Highway Side, I perceived the pack in the opposite direction, so that we soon came in contact. It consisted principally of bitches, with a few of the smaller dogs, in fine condition, present- ing altogether a level, and a very ele- gant appearance. Amongst the nume- rous assemblage, I was glad to observe Lord Delamere, looking as sportsman- like as ever. That polite and accom- plished sportsman. Sir R. Brooke, who, a few 3'ears ago, was compelled to aban- don the severe exercise of hunting for a time, appeared in good health and spirits. Many elegant young men ap- peared on the field, whose gaily ani- mated countenances were evidences of the pleasing interest which they felt in THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 299 the anticipated sport of the day. Un- fortunately for myself, I was under the necessity of returning, and must there- fore suspend further notices of the ope- rations of these splendid hounds till a future opportunity, which I purpose shall occur in the month of March. This day closed what may be called the Nantwich week. When the Che- shire hounds hunt the Nantwich side of their countr}', (which is considered the best part of it) they move to their ken- nels at Wrenbury for a week : they go out Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday. On such occasions, Mr. Wicksted's hounds meet in the neigh- bourhood of Nantwich on Tuesday and Friday ; so that hounds are within reach of the town just mentioned, and its vicinity, every day during that period. The hunt week creates a little bustle iu the generally still town of Nantwich ; w^here, however, good stabling and ac- commodations are easily procured, par- ticularly at the Crown Inn. (To he continued.) The TURF. We have received several letters on this subject, which shall experience our timely and best attention : we feel much obliged for the hints and information which they contain : one of the writers, after stating that there are more swind- ling transactions take place in races where what are denominated " gentle- men riders" exhibit, than in any other department of the turf, asks, if we can inform him, " What is the correct mean- ing oi gentlemen riders ; and if the term is to be understood in its obvious and general acceptation, how far it will ap- ply to the practice of the present day ?" — This is a very fair question ; to Avhich, however", no direct answer can be given : it must be gathered from a little illustrative observation. I am not aware of the exact period when " gentlemen riders" first appeared on the turf, nor is this of much conse- quence to the present inquiry. I have heard jjersons express an opinion that gentlemen becoming jockeys were quite out of place : yet, we must not forget, that the heroes of old contended on the course, and their performances and ri- valry have been immortalized by the most celebrated poets of antiquity : hence, on the first blush of the case, it may be said that " gentlenien riders" of the present day are following the ex- ample of the monarchs and mighty men who existed in the earliest ages of which we possess any authenticated records. So far, all seems right enough ; but I am fearful if wo come to draw compari- sons, the "gentlemen riders" of modern time will appear to disadvantage. The heroes of old, if we are to believe what has been handed down to us, were ac- tuated by honourable rivalry ; and I am firmly of opinion, that, were the list of "gentlemen riders" purged of the swind- lers, by which it has, for some time, been disgraced, the motives of our mo- dern equestrians if not so lofty, would be equally free from every thing dis- honourable or dishonest. There are men of title, rank and dis- tinction who appear to delight in the emulation of race riding ; and, although it is well known that a glittering coro- net has not uniformly proved the em- blem of spotless integrity, yet there is much less reason to suspect such men than those who from lack of scrutiny, into their I'eal characters, have con- trived to become "gentlemen riders," whose existence depends upon the " lucky hits they can make," the "good stakes they can rim into," and all the adventitious circumstances of a life of studied and unhesitating fraud ! I have heard inquiries made, when at the scales, by gentlemen of wealth and honour (particularly by Sir John Gerard,) if the person about to ride against them were a gentleman ? It is too late, when in the weighing room, to make such an inquiry ; v.hich thus be- comes answered generally with the un- qualified monosyllable yes, and there the matter ends. Further, having once ap- peared on the course as a " gentleman 300 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. jock" the title to ride in this character in future is understood to be incontes- tibly established. I am not an admirer of the system of " gentlemen riders ;" for, although it may be highly gratifying to themselves, it seldom gives much satisfaction to others : it creates much trouble in the weighing room, occasions delay ; and, after all the proci'astinated bustle of preparation, few of the genimie " gentle- men riders" prove themselves able or skilful workmen. But, till such time as the list of " gentlemen riders'" is puri- fied from the deep pollution of systema- tic swindlers, who are to be seen in all parts of the country, the business can- not be Viewed in any other light than that of the most jealous and indignant suspicion ! We shall continue to give our opinion, monthly, upon the turf and its abuses ; but, when the racing season commences, a much wider field of investigation will be opened than that which presents it- self during the winter nionths : we shall not fail to watch the proceedings of the turf, and shall undisguisedly ex- pose every species of dishonesty that may fall under our own observation, or which we can ascertain by scrutinizing and satisfactory inquiry. Sir, To the Editor of the I was much surprised, on my return from the country, to find in your last publication a paragraph animadvert- ing most severely on my character and conduct at the late Heaton Park races. Although, in my private capacity, I might consider so bare-faced a calum- ny unworthy of my notice, yet, my pub- lic character, as Clerk of the Liverpool Meeting, demands from me this avowal of my detestation and abhorrence of conduct, so foul and unjustifiable as that imputed to me. It is insinuated in the article alluded to, that I concerted, with Messi's. Rich- ardson and Wagstaft', to lose a i-ace in which I was about to ride. In answer to this, I beg to observe, without the fear of contradiction, that, although per- sonally known to Messrs. Richardson and WagstafF (the latter of whom was not at Heaton Park at all) I never did, directly or indirectly, communicate with them, or any other person, on the sub- ject of the race spoken of ; and further, I most solemnly protest, that I never did, in the whole course of my life, by intention or concert with any party, sacrifice a race. My ambition has ever been to win ; and if you will i-efer to the Racing Ca- lendar, you will find that I have not been altogether unsuccessful. ' In conclusion, Mr. Editor, allow me to observe, that your profession of friend- ly feeling would have been more mani- fest, had -ou taken the trouble to com- Sportstnans Cabinet. municate with me before you gave pub- licity to so gross a libel. I am. Sir, your obedient servant, S. Griffiths, Talbot Hotel, Liverpool, Jan. 24, 1833. P. S. Not supposing that the Sports- man's Cabinet would make its appear- ance before the 1st of February, the foregoing letter was too late for insertion. This circumstance has, however, given me an opportunity of answering a further charge, or, as you qualify it, " interrogator)'. " I most distinctly deny having been addressed by any person immediately after the race (as is imput- ed) in terms of " earnest indignation." To the best of my recollection, the only persons to whom I spoke at that time, or before I heard the decision of the judge, were Mr. White and the owner of the horse which I rode ; the former of whom gave me to understand, that he thought it was a dead heat, and the latter congratulated me on my success. May I be permitted. Sir, for a mo- ment, in assuming your position of In- terrogator, to ask you seriously, whether you believe that your " ill-tempei-ed ac- quaintance," from whom all these dark imputations seem to emanate, would, unmaslced, be credited, even on his oath, by any one of your numerous readers? Talbot Hotel, February Itli, 1833. *#* Our observations on the forego- ing letter will appear in our next number. THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. SOI BETTING AT TATTERS ALL'S. DERBY. 8 to 1 agst Glaucus. 9 to 1 agst Revenge. 10 to 1 agst Prince Llewellyn. 12 to 1 agst Forester. 17 to 1 agst Moses's dam, 20 to 1 agst Bravo. 22 to 1 agst Enimeline. 25 to 1 agst Divan. 25 to 1 agst Cock-a-hoop. 25 to 1 agst Cactus. 2000 to 50 agst Mount Eagle (Ina), (tk). 2000 to 30 agst Fashion (Sister to OAKS. 8 to 1 agst Weeper. Sir Heixules), (tk). 2000 to 30 agst Brother to Gr (tk). 11 to 1 agst Octave. •ampus BETTING IN THE COUNTRY. CHESTER TRADE CUP, p. p. 8 to 1 agst Pickpocket. 8 to 1 agst Speculator. 9 to 1 agst Cohvick. 10 to 1 agst Belshazzar. 12 to 1 agst Muley Moloch. 9 to 1 agst Chester. 10 to 1 agst Birdcatcher, 10 to 1 agst Perseverance. ST. LEGER. 16 to 1 agst Frankenstein. 12 to 1 agst Dodsworth's two. To the Editor of the Sportstnans Cabinet. >IR, As a sportsman, I read your little work, and perhaps might have thought more highly of it, had it not been for the brilliant comet, which, for some time back has blazed with reful- gent lustre in the literary atmosphere of field sports, and positively eclipsed the minor twinkling stars ; it has even thrown the sparkling brightness of the great dog Sirius into the shade ; but which must, from its ill-defined, but impetuous movements, shatter itself to pieces ! You will easily perceive, Mr. Editor, that I allude to that combina- tion q{ sprigldly wit, of extent, depth, and profundity of knowledge, of discursive and awful sublimity of genius, the New Sporting Magazine? But, amongst the pearly gems which so thickly stud the pages of this most amazing periodical, the efiusions of " Jolm Jorrocks" shine pre-eminently conspicuous ! — these are really wonderfvil productions! On the score of satire, Churchill, hide your di- minished head ! in regard to genuine tvit, they beggar desci-iption ! They are the overflowings of astounding genius ! they are unequalled ! they have no pa- rallel ! — They proclaim their own indis- putable originality ! ! ! — And yet, Mr, Editor, a friend is ill-tempered enough to say, that he can see neither Avit nor point in them ; that, on the contrary, he considers them as the senseless dri- vellings of an egregiously self-conceited scribbler ; a silly, irameaning babbler ; a literary bufibon ! ! ! Tickler. 302 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. To the Editor of the Sir, In consequence of some remarks which appeared in your last number, sign- ed "A Game Shooter," I beg to trouble you with a few more words on the sub- ject oi Flint and Percussion Gims. In the first place, I beg leave to assure my facetious antagonist that my observations were not made from experiments before the citadel of Antwerp, but from genuine practice atgame,as well as from numerous trials at objects fixed for the purpose. But I can forgive him this refreshing joke ; and, although I differ in opinion, I felt much pleasure in perusing his sensible remarks. The " Game shooter" admits my theory to be correct ; but, from prac- tical results, has formed a very different opinion. The " Game Shooter," there- fore, is a plain matter of fact man ; fol- lowing his example, then, I will put the- ory out of the question, and speak to the question, and speak to the point. It is an incontestible fact, that the quicker the shot flies, the more forcibly it must take effect : the " Game Shooter" ad- mits that the percussion gun fires quick- er, but not so strongly, as the flint lock gun ! To come to the point, I am in- clined to think, that our difference of opinion arises from the difference of the copper cap. The anti-corrosive copper caps (Joyce's, for instance) when struck by the cock or hammer, emit a very feebld fire ; in consequence the ignition of the S2iortsmans Cabinet. powder in the barrel is very incomplete^ and the gun discharges the shot with diminished force accordingly. Now, if the " Game Shooter" will take the trou- ble to prejjare a few copper caps, com- l^osed of one half oxy muriate of potass, and one half of pulverized antimony, made into paste with spirit of wine, and try the experiment with them, he will obtain similar results to those which I have mentioned in my former letter. He will find too, that the more forcibly the cap is struck, the quicker, (and con- sequently the more powerfully) the shot will be discharged. As to Joyce's cop- per cans, I despise them altogether : to puff about anti- corrosion may answer the purpose of sale ; but, judging fi-om experiments I have made with them, I have no hesitation in saying, that the sportsman will experience disappoint- ment, as my worthy opponent, the " Game Shooter" has done. if, how- ever, he will tiy the caps, above des- cribed, he will find a forcible and effect- ive stream of fire driven into the pow- der in the barrel ; the ignition of which will be indescribably instantaneous, the combustion as complete as possible, and the shot driven with much greater ra- pidity and force than by the old fashion- ed flint lock, or indeed by any other means. A Shooter. AMERICAN DEER-HUNTING. Smithville, N. C. Jan. 1, 1833. Sir, You have frequently requested your subscribers to communicate to you the results of their sporting excursions ; and although I am not given to much scrib- bling, having neither talent nor taste that way, yet I shall endeavour to place before you, and your readers, the results of a day's sport in this neighbourhood ; which, if it be not equal in description to some others which are to be found in your entertaining journal, had the effect of producing, among our party, much pleasure and gratification. Our hunting excursions are generally confined to a small district of country, not extending beyond four miles from the garrison. It is to Captains S****s and F***»r, who were formerly stationed here, that we are indebted for the pack of hounds which we now have, and which for speed and endurance are considered to be equal to any in this vicinity. The groiuid on which Ave generally met is known by the name of Bald Head or Cape Island. It is situated at the mouth of the Cape Fear river, and is washed by the Atlantic on the south and east side, and by the river on the north and west. Its breadth is about two and a half miles, and its length about eight miles. It is covered with a very thick growth of live oak, cedar, and palmetto ; THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 303 and deep ravines extend quite across it. There are several creeks, which extend from the river quite to the sea beach, on the east, and divide the island into what is called the main island, the middle island, and the small or scattering islands. The main and middle islands are those on which we used to hunt, and it is a hunt on the first named, which took place three years since, that I shall en- deavour to describe to you. The party assembled at the sound of the horn, at an early hour in the morning, and consisted of Dr. C. and Capt. B. of the army, Mr. J. H. H. and Mr. J. B. It was a fine morning in the month of January- — ^the thermometer ranging to about 45, when we left the wharf and proceeded toOak Island, where we took into our boat the huntsmen or driver, Mr. S. with the dogs, who we shortly after landed at the light-house on Bald Head. We pulled up the ci'eek about two miles, and landed and took our stands at the distance of about two hundred yards apart, in a line extending from the creek to the sea. We an- ticipated fine sport. There was a light breeze from the east, which was favour- able to the drive, as deer when roused generally go to the windward, which was the position we occupied from the commencement of the drive. Every one of us was on the alert, and anxious to catch the first challenge which should be made by the dogs ; and we were not long kept in suspense : for Old Brutus' voice was heard, and it was certain that a deer was on foot. A few seconds brought down the deep-toned soprano of Old Indian, and he was soon followed by Bravo and Jackson, who, with Young Jackson and Rouser in alto, and Cora and Swan in full chorus, made the woods ring with melody. The manner in which the chase run, soon indicated who he was, and what we had to expect. He was an old acquaintance of the dogs ; for he had been before them some eight or ten times previously, and had always escaped to the sea by working his way through the line of standers, unseen and unhurt. Now the dogs are bringing him in a line with my stand, and all my efforts are directed to keeping down the violent palpitations of mj' heart, which seem determined upon drowning the cry^of the dogs. They continued to approach, and I feel that the old hero, who has so often been victorious, must at last yield and be conquered. A change in the direction of the cry shows me that the chase knows what he is about ; for now the cry grows more faint, and by degrees it dies away on the gentle breeze. Hark ! now they come again : — such a crash ; — it seems as though all the dogs in creation are after that deer. Old Brutus, who was as true to the trail as the needle to the pole, was never half so eloquent ; and as for Bravo and Jackson, "the cry is, still they come." Young Jackson, Cora, Rouser, and Swan, are in the midst of them ; and Old Indian, too, is not far behind. At him, my good dogs, and let him see to-day that you do not for- get an old friend. Keep close to him, boys, and you will make him show him- self yet. Now he comes again, and my friend Mr. J. B. will certainly have a shot. Heavens ! what a noise ! — Mr. B. (I spoke in a whisper,) wliere are is like the long roll of one dog to be heard -all are in "harmonious But why does not Mr. B. fire ! — The deer has passed — the cry gi-ows more faint, and is lost entirely. — The sound of the horn proclaims the chase at an end, and we all assemble again. The deer was only seen by the huntsman, and he confirmed my suspi- cions, as to its being an old acquaintance. We therefore sat down to await the return of the dogs, who, we felt con- fident would again drive the old fellow into his bathing-tub ; and in this we calculated rightly : for in about an hour they all came back very wet, by which we knew that the chase had taken the sea for safety. We shall wait upon you, to-day, my larky ; and after you have refreshed yourself in your bath, we hope to meet with you again on terra firma. Half an hour from the return of the dogs found us stationed along the sand hills, which rise above the sea-beach, and about two miles from our fii-st stand, which was a blind path, and west of our present position. The huntsman kept the woods, and about a mile above the upper station of one of the party, struck you '.• — The cry the drum — not above the other- accents joined." 304 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. the trail of the old buck again, and away went the dogs at a telling pace and in full cry. The chase reconnoitered our positions with great care and circum- spection ; and, after dodging about our stands for neai-ly three-quarters of an hour, we had the mortification to find that he was leading the dogs off to the leeward, and down to where he was first roused. We followed on, and took up again in the path which we at first oc- cupied, and soon had the pleasure of hearing the chase approach us. He must have come very near one of our party this time, as when the dogs came up on the trail, one of them was within about fifty yards of the stand. 1 he deer, however, was not seen, and the dogs were again heard going to leeward, though inclining to the sea-beach. A dead silence soon ensued ; and, after a short time, the huntsman, who had fol- lowed the dogs up to the stand which the deer approached, came in, and set olF directly to the point where the dogs were last heard. He found them coming in, and again wet. His first impulse took him to the beach, where he found the tracks of the deer, who had again taken the water. He cast his eyes over the still smooth surface, and saw no deer; and he said, from that circumstance, he judged "the plaguy varmint was at his old tricks again ; but he would show him this day, as there was yet plenty of time, who had the most wit." He now commenced reconnoitering, and in about twenty minutes struck the trail three hundred or four hundred yards to the leeward of where the deer had entered the water. The dogs were again laid on, and they took the trail in high style, and in twenty minutes, as nearly as we could judge, had the deer in the water again, where he was taken up by the crew of the boat, which I had previously sent out to sea for the purpose, in the event of his again making an attempt at escape that v/ay. Thus fell a noble animal, whose superior instinct had enabled him to escape, luiseen and unhurt, until this day. He deserved a different fate, and my mind misgives me, even now, when I reflect that he was deprived by my arrangement of dying "Jon the field of his glory." But with the death of the deer the sport of that day's hunt did not terminate. A few days since, my friend Mr. J. B. (who I thought at the time the deer Jirst passed our stands, should have seen him,3 declared to me that he fell asleep, and was awoke by the cry of the dogs, within a few feet of him ; and on getting wide awake, and looking about him, found the track of the deer within ten feet of where he was sitting. He kept the secret so long, thgjt we have only de- termined, that at allour future hunts he shall be provided with a comfortable feather bed or easy chair, and with a pair of leather spectacles, with the im.- pression of a deer next each eye, so that he may be the better able to see when he sleeps again. Natty Bumpo. A REMARKABLE FOX, A correspondent, residing near Han- oTer Court House, Virginia, relating the incidents of a day's sport in which three brushes were taken, thus describes one of the foxes. " He is the lightest grey fox I ever saw, his two fore legs perfectly ivhite, and his hind legs nearly so, his head also perfectly white, except a black streak around his mouth ; his ears white except the long hair in them, which is red. Struck with his uncom- mon marks we all rode hard to get him alive if possible — we got him in the field, made him squat, we all surrounded him, and one of the partj' drew oflT his coat to throw over him to catch him alive, when he broke by us and met one of the dogs, who soon overhauled him, but we got him without being much torn by the dogs. I have taken the pains to stuff" him myself, and shall send him to the Museum, Richmond." — American Turf Register. THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 305 COURSING— Its Antiquity, Sfc. lo the Editor of the Cabinet. Sir, It is very well known that that particular department of the chase, dis- tinguished by the appellation of Cours- ing, is of very remote origin, though in all probability it may be dated long pos- terior to the time Avhen hiuiting was in general practice. But when the name of greyliound was first applied, or for what, there is no record to inform us ; thoaigh little doubt can be entertained that it is merely a corruption of the word gazehound. Arrian, who flourished A. D. 150, treats on coursing ; nor is it a little re- markable, that the ancient Gauls follow- ed this diversion almost in the same manner as it is practised at the present day. The most opulent amongst these people used to send out good liare find- ers early in the morning to those places where it was likely to find hares sitting ; they returned to their employers with an account of the number of hares found, who then mounted their horses, and took out their greyhounds to course them. Two dogs only were to be run at once, and those were not to be laid in too close to the hare ; for although the animal is swift, yet, when first start- ed, she is so terrified by the hallooing, and by the closeness and speed of the dogs, that her heart is overcome with fear, and in the confusion vei-y often the best sporting hares were killed without shewing any diversion : she was there- fore allowed to run some distance from her seat, before the dogs were suffered to pursue. The best hares were those found in open and exposed places ; they did not immediately try to avoid the danger by running to woods, but whilst contending in speed with the dogs, mo- derated their own swiftness according to the manner in which they were pur- sued : if overmatched in speed b}' the dogs, they then tried to gain ground by frequent turns, which threw the dogs beyond them, making, at the same time, the shortest way to the covers, or near- est shelter. The true sportsman, even in Arrian's time, did not takeout his dogs to destroy the hares, but for the sake of wit- nessing the contest between them, and re- joiced if the hare escaped, which was ne- ver prevented by disturbing any brake in which she might have taken shelter after beating the greyhounds. It was the custom to speak to their greyhounds in the field, considering it a kind of en- couragement for them to know that their master was a witness of their perform- ance ; but this speaking was recom- mended to be chiefly confined to the first course, lest, after being weakened by a second or third, they might, by such encouragement, exert themselves beyond their strength and hurt their in- sides, which was thought to be the des- truction of many good dogs. Those who had not the accommoda- tion of hare finders generally went out in a company on horseback, when they beat the likely grounds, and, on starting a hare, the greyhounds were let loose after her : those who were more keen after the sport, used to go on foot ; and, if any one accompanied them on horse- back, it was his business to folio vv the dogs during the course. The company were drav^-n up in a straight rank, either horse or footmen, and proceeded, at cer- tain distances from each other, in a di- rect line to a given point, and wheeling round that they might not go over the same track, they beat the ground regu- larly back.* A person was appointed to take the command of the sport ; if there were many dogs out, he gave or- ders that such and such dogs should be slipped according as the hare took to the right or left, and these orders were punctually obeyed. Sometimes ^M^ersf were mixed and used with the greyhounds ; and while these were looking for the hare, the greyhounds were led by the hand at a small distance, taking care, however, to lead them where the hare was most likely to come. But this method of coursing was deemed irregular, as the stoutest hares were so alarmed at the cries of the finders, that if they did not start a very considerable way before, they were sure to be killed. * This is precisely the practice of the present day. \ Something like our beagles perhaps. 2 Q 306 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. A young hare, when found sitting, was not disturbed, as it was considered imfair to run the greyhounds at her ; but with i\\e finders, (which are said to have been very eager through hunger, and so desirous of eating up what they caught, that it was difficult to get them off, even by beating them with sticks) the exercise of this clemency was impos- sible. In England, in the tenth and ele- venth centuries, the price of a grey- hound and of a hawk appears to have been the same as that of a man ; and the taking of the nest of a hawk was deemed equally criminal with the slaugh- ter of a human being. During the reign of King John, greyhounds were received by him as payment in lieu of money, for the renewal of grants, fines, and forfeitures belonging to the crown. This monarch was extremely partial to the greyhound, as will appear from the following: — a fine paid in 1203 men- tions five hundred marks, ten horses, and ten leashes of greyhounds ; another, in 1210, one swift running horse and six greyhounds. In ancient times, three several ani- mals were coursed by greyhounds — the deer, the fox, and the hare. The cours- ing of deer was formerly a recreation in high esteem, and was divided into two sorts — the^jafZf/ocA', and i\\e forest ovpitr- lieu. For the paddock coursing, besides the greyhounds, which never exceeded two, and for the most part consisted of one, brace, there was the teazer or mon- grel greyhound, whose business it was to drive the deer forward before the real greyhounds were slipped. The paddock was a piece of ground generally taken out of a park, and fenced with pales or a wall : it was a mile in length, and about a quarter of a mile in breadth ; but the farther end was always broader than that from which the dogs started, the better to accommodate the company, as well as more easily to ascertain which dog won the match. In coursing deer in the forest or pur- lieu, two ways were used — the one cours- ing from wood to wood, and the other upon the lawns by the keepers' lodges. In the first, some hounds were thrown into the cover to drive out the deer. while the greyhounds were held ready to be slipped where the deer was expect- ed to break : if the deer was not of a proper age and size, the dogs were not loosed ; and, if on the other hand, he broke at too great a distance, or was otherwise deemed an overmatch for one brace of greyhounds, it was allowable to way lay him with another brace. For coursing upon the lawn, the keeper had notice given him, and he took care to lodge a deer fit for the pur- pose ; and, by sinking the wind of him, there was' no danger of not getting near enough to slip the greyhounds and hav- ing a fair course. Queen Elizabeth was partial to this amusement. In coursing the fox, no other art was necessary but to get the wind and stand close on the outside of the wood where he was expected to come out, and give him lav/ enough, or he instantly return- ed back to the cover : the slowest grey- hounds were swift enough to overtake him ; and all the hazard was the fox spoiling the dog, which sometimes hap- pened ; though the greyhounds used for this species of coursing were hard bitten dogs that would seize any thing ; some- thing similar most probably to the rough wire haired greyhounds of the present day, which, in the hilly parts of the north of England, and also in Scot- land,* are still used for the same pur- pose. At a period less remote, however, the description of what should form a complete greyhound is equally applica- ble at the present day : — * In Scotland, hunting the fox is left intirely to the frugal swains of that country, " upon whose flocks sly rey- nard watches his opportunity to commit depredations. Whenever a fox there- fore has been observed to enter a hole, or by any other means is ascertained to be in such a situation, the place is watched night and day till lumger forces him from his retreat, when he is set upon and destroyed by a variety of dogs, amongst which a strong rough grey- hound is always to be found, not so much for the purpose of worrying the fox, as for overtaking and seizing him, should he break away." THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. SOT " Head like a snake, Neck'd like a drake, Back'd like a beam, Sided like a bream, Tailed like a rat, And footed like a cat." The greyhound in ancient times was considered as a very valuable present, especially by the ladies, with whom it appears to have been a very great fa- vourite : in a very old metrical romance, called " Sir Eglamore," a princess tells the knight, that if he were inclined to luuit, she would, as an especial mark of her favour, give him an excellent grey- hound, so swift that no deer could es- cape from his pursuit. The wife of Ro- bert Bruce, when a pi-isoner to Edward I. 1304, "had three men and three wo- men servants, three greyhounds, plenty of game and fish, and the fairest house in the manor." Formerly, in choosing a whelp, the choice was governed by the weight, and that which was the lightest was gener- ally thought to prove the nimblest and the best runner. The raw-boned, lean, loose-made, and unseemly whelps in every point, it was supposed, would grow up well shaped dogs ; Avhile those that, after three or four months, appeared round, close trussed, and well built in every part, were not worth the rearing, seldom proving swift or comely. It was also an observation in ancient times, that bitches were commonly more speedy than dogs : — ^many will be found who entertain this opinion at the present day. The time to first try and train them to their game was at twelve months old. In the breeding of greyhounds, it was recommended to have both sire and dam good, and not to exceed four years old ; if any inequality in their age, it was deemed better to be on the bitch's side, so that the dog was young ; yet, in the quality, it was thought better to breed from a bitch of undoubted repute and an indifferent dog, than the contrary. But, notwithstanding this care in breeding the greyhound, they might be soon spoiled from improper keeping. The keeping of a greyhound proper- ly did not consist solely in the meat given him, but also in his exercise, air- ing, and kenneling. If in full flesh, he was to have the chippings of bread in fresh broth. Milk and bread, butter- milk, or soft bones, morning and even- ing, which would keep him healthy : if he was unwell, or in low condition, sheeps' heads or feet with the wool on, chopped in small pieces and made into broth, with sweet herbs and oatmeal, was to be his daily food at morn and eve, until he recovered his health and flesh. The diet for greyhounds engaged to run was bread made in the following manner: — half a peck of oatmeal, a peck of wheat, both ground and forced through a fine sieve ; aniseeds beaten and liquo- rice were to be scattered amongst it ; and it was then, with the whites of eggs and new ale, to be kneaded up into small loaves, which were to be well baked. This bread, soaked in beef or other broths, was to be given, after having aired and walked them out morning and evening. The airing was attended with some particularities, for the dog was first to be rubbed with a hair or cloth in his kennel, he was then to be led out in a leash half an hour af- ter sun rising, to some place where thei'e was neither cattle nor sheep, where he was to be suffered to frisk about and empty himself, when he was led back ; the same method was to be observed in the evening ; and in winter, he was per- mitted once a day to enjoy the benefit of fire : it was also recommended to keep him always in kennel, not only as a matter of safety, but as it was consi- dered to increase his spirit and nimble- ness. The exercise of greyhounds consist- ed in coursing them ; if the courses were long, they were to be run twice a week ; otherwise every other day, and they were to be I'ewavded with the blood of the hare. When they were first en- tered, it was allowable to give them the advantage over tiieir game, by finding a young hare and giving her no law ; but this was never done by a sportsman after the first getting blood : the hare afterwards had fair law allowed her, by which was discerned the ability and wind of the dog. At two years old, the dogs were taken out regularly for coursing ; and in the morning of the day when they were 308 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. intended to run, a toast of butter or oil was given them : if the greyliound kill- ed the hare he was not suffered to break her, but the hare was taken from him, and his mouth cleansed of the wool; he had afterwards the heart, liver, and lights given him. After a hard course, his feet were to be washed with water and salt ;* and after being in his kennel for half an hour, he was to be fed. The laws of coursing were established in the reign of Queen Elizabeth ; they were drawn up by the Duke of Norfolk, * As the practice of washing of dog's feet with salt and water is still very pre- valent, and too often perniciously ap- plied, I will quote the remarks of Gene- ral Hanger upon the subject, which place it in a very clear point of view. — " It has been a constant custom with me (says General Hanger) to wash my pointers' feet with strong salt and water, after the day's sport. I have found my error, and am convinced that it is a wrong practice. I never altered my method until three years ago. A game- keeper in Suffolk seeing that a boy was washing my dog's feet with strong salt and water (his name was Cooper) said to me :— ' Sir, I think you do wrong to wash your dog's feet in salt water at this early period of the shooting season (it was the first week in SeptemT ber) at this time. Sir, when the ground is uncommonly dry, and as hard as a rock. If you will feel their feet, you will find thei-e is a considei-able degree of feverish heat in the dog's feet, from having hunted all day on hard and diy ground. A dog, Sir, in such weather, should have his feet suppled and com- forted. As long as the ground is dry and hard, I always wash my dog's feet with warm soap and water, and clean them well, particularly between the toes and balls of the feet : this comforts his feet^ allays the heat, and promotes the circulation in the feet. In the more ad- vanced period of the season, wlien the ground is veiy wet, then salt and water may be proper.' I approved much of the reasons he gave ; they shewed the sense of his practice, and the folly of mine : since that period I liave taken his advice." agreed to by the nobility and gentry who then followed the diversion, and have ever since been regarded as au- thentic : — they are as follow : — The fewterer, or person that lets loose the greyhounds, was to receive those that were matched to run toge- ther into his leash, as soon as he came into the field, and to follow next to the hare finder, or him that was to start the hare, until he came to the form, and no horse or footmen were to go before, or on either side, but directly behind, for the space of about forty yards. A hare was not to be coursed with more than a brace of greyhounds. The hare finder was to give the hare three solios before he put her from her form, to give notice to the dogs that they might attend her starting. The hare to have twelve score yards law before the dogs were loosed, unless the small distance from cover would not admit it, without danger of immediately losing her. The dog that gave the first turn, if, during the course, their was neither cote, slip, nor wrench, won. A cote is when a greyhound goes endways by his fellow, and gives the hare a turn. A cote served for two turns ; and two trippings or jerkings for a cote ; if the hare did not turn quite about, she only jurenched, and two wrenches stand for a turn. If there were no cotes given between a brace of greyhounds, but that one of them served the other at turning, then he that gave the hare most turns was deemed the winner ; and if one gave as many turns as the other, then he that bore the hare won. If one doff iP'ave the first turn and another bore the hare, he that bore the hare was deemed the winner. A go-hy, or bearing the hare, was equivalent to two turns. If neither dog turned the hare, he that led last to the cover, won. If one dog turned the hare, served himself, and turned lier again, it was as much as a cote ; for a cote was esteem- ed two turns. If all the course was equal, the dog that bore the hare, won ; if the hare was not borne the course was adjudged dead. THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 309 If a dog fell in a course and yet per- formed his part, he might challenge the advantage of a turn more than he gave. If a dog turned the hare, served himself, and gave divers cotes, and 3et in the end stood still in the field, the other dog, if he ran home to the cover, although he gave no turn, was adjudged the winner. If by accident, a dog was rode over in his course, the course was void, and he that did the mischief was to make reparation for the damage. If a dog gave the first and last turn, and there was no other advantage be- twixt them, he was adjudged the win- ner. Coursing is an amusement very much in vogue at present, uncommon pains have been taken to improve the breed of greyhounds, and the diversion may be said to have reached the acme of per- fection. There is, however, some di- versity of opinion respecting the mode of feeding and training the greyhound. At Newmarket, it is insisted that the training of the greyhound may be brought to an equal certainty with that of the race horse ; but it must be al- lowed that as far as experience will car- ry us on this point, there is nothing to support such a position ; as after all jios- sible pains have been bestowed upon a greyhound in a systematic course of training, the dog has failed in his run- ning ; when shortly afterwards, the same dog, with a much less degree of care, has shewed itself far superior, and beat with ease the same competitor, when no systematic training has been adopted. Yet, it is abundantly evident, that greyhounds, to run well, should never be overburthened with flesh. Per- haps it will generally be found, that those greyhounds which are never con- fined in a kennel, but are left intirely at large, will run the swiftest as well as the greatest uimiber of courses. For- merly, it was a received opinion that greyhounds bred where the ground was chiefly arable, and in deep open vallies, outnui those bred on the downs : this opinion is now changed. The present high state of coursing is much indebted to the exertions of the late Lord Orford, who spared neither pains nor expense in improving the breed of greyhounds, as well as in every thing else connected with this depart- ment of field sports, to which his Lord- ship was slavishly attached. Various periodical meetings are held for the pur- pose of enjoying this diversion, amongst the first, both in point of time and num- bers, was the society established in the year 1776, at S waff ham in Norfolk, by the nobleman Avho has just been men- tioned. The number of members is confined to the number of letters in the alphabet, and each member's dogs are named with the initial letters he bears the club. When a member dies, or m wishes to retire, his place is, by the rules of the society, always filled up by ballot. Upon the decease of their wor- thy founder, the members of the club agreed to purchase a silver cup, of the value of 25 guineas, to be nin for annu- ally ; and it was first intended to pass the cup like the whip at Newmarket ; but it was afterwards agreed, that a new cup should be purchased by the society, and ran for in November every year, conceiving that such an alteration would best diffuse that respect they were anx- ious to shew to the memory of their founder, by gracing the sideboard of the difierent winners in various parts of the kingdom. The greyhound is perhaps the swift- est of all quadrupeds : — on this subject the following questions were submitted to a gentleman well versed in coursing, and whose greyhounds were known to be equal to any in the kingdom. — Whe- ther the speed of a greyhound is equal to that of a first-rate race horse for the distance of a mile, or for a greater or a smaller distance? and, whether the speed of the hare is equal to that of the grey- hound, and to what distance, within that of a mile, the hare could exert the superiority of speed, supposing the hare to be the fleeter animal of the two ? His opinion was, that, upon a flat, a first rate horse would be superior to the grey- hoimd ; but that, in a hilly country, a good o-rcyhound would have the advan- tage. On the second point, it was his opinion, that, although he had seen nrany hares go away from greyhounds, laid close in with them, without a turn, yet he believed a capital greyhound, so laid in, would not suffer a hare to run 310 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. from him without turning her. It is highly probahle, that these opinions are tolerably correct, though it may be fur- ther remarked, that a hare seldom fails to manifest a decided superiority in go- ing up a hill, particularly a steep one, Avhich is easily accounted for by the pe- culiarity of her form, her hind legs be- ing so much longer than her fore legs. A hare generally gains the most upon the dogs by the quickness of her turn- ing ; it is true, a hare will sometimes run completely away, without ever being turned by the dogs, but on these occa- sions she has the advantage of the start. The hare, compared to the greyhound in size and weight, is undoubtedly much the swifter of the two ; but, putting this comparison out of the question, the greyhound may be regarded as superior in speed. The swiftness of the greyhound and the race horse, it is generally supposed, was fairly put to the trial, by an inci- dent which occurred at Doncaster in November, 1800. A match was to have been run over Doncaster Course for one hundred guineas, but one of the horses having been drawn, a mare started alone to make good the bet, and having gone the distance of a mile, a greyhound bitch started from the side of the course, and ran with her the other three miles, keeping nearly head to head, which pro- duced a singular race ; and when they arrived at the distance post, five to four were betted on the greyhound : when they cam.e to the stand it was even bet- ting, and the mare won by about a head. But this circumstance can never be justly regarded as putting fairly to the test the speed of the race horse and the greyhound, since it is very much to be doubted, whether the bitch which thus accidentally started against the mare, used her best exertions in the race — it is very probable she did not : nor indeed do we perceive any mode in which the fleetness of the two animals in question could be fairly placed in com- petition. The velocity and ardour of greyhounds when pursuing the hare have occasion- ally caused their destruction. Many years since, an instance of this sort hap- pened to a famous dog belonging to the Rev. Mr. Corsellis, who was wind bound A hare in the neighbour- at Dover. hood had beat all her pursuers luitil this time, when the dog in question proved so supei'ior to her in speed, and pressed her so closely, that she ran for the cliff as the only chance of escaping ; but the greyhound struck at and caught her on the edge of the precipice, and went with the hare in his mouth to the bottom, where they were both dashed to pieces. A brace of greyhounds in Lincoln- shire ran a hare the distance of four miles, measuring straight, in the short space of twelve minvites, and during the course a great number of turns took place, which, in all probability, nearly doubled the distance : the hare ran herself dead before the greyhounds touched her. — Another, which was started close to the town of Bottisham in Cambridgeshire, after a very long run, was found dead (within fifty paces of a cover) a few yards before the greyhounds, who, un- able to move, were obliged to be bled on the spot to recover them ; and of twenty horses which started, one only could make a gallop at the conclusion of the course. In November, 1792, as Lord Egre- mont's gamekeeper was leading a brace of greyhounds coupled together, a hare crossed the road, when the dogs broke away after her, fastened as they were to each other. The pursuit afforded an uncommon, as well as an entertaming sight to sevei'al spectators. The dogs were very much embai'rassed In chang- ing their direction, and of course the hare had a decided advantage in every turn ; notwithstanding which the grey- hounds succeeded in killing her, after a course of between three and four miles. In October, 1796, a similar occurrence took place in Scotland, where a brace of greyhounds, coupled together, coursed a hare a mile and killed her. In December, 1794, a company of gentlemen were coursing at Finching- field in Essex, when a hare was started, and a brace of greyhounds, in running at her, ran against each other, and were both killed on the spot. The following is the description of coursing in the island of Cyprus : — " In this place (says the author) I had the pleasure of seeing a Cyprian hunting or THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 311 coursing match, and that at which I was present, was none of the least brilliant, as it was the Governor's. Havins: ar- rived at a spacious plain, interspersed with clumjjs of mulberry trees, some ruins, and thick bushes, the sportsmen began to form a ring in order to inclose the game. The barrier consisted of guards on horseback, with dogs placed in the intervals. The ladies of the great- est distinction in Nicosia, with a multi- tude of other people, stood upon a little hill, which I ascended also. The Go- vernor and his suit wei-e posted in dif- ferent parts of the plain, and as soon as the appointed moment arrived, the hunt was opened with the sound of musical instruments ; part of the dogs were then let loose, which, ranging through the bushes and underwood, sprung a great number of rails, partridges, and wood- cocks. The Governor began the sport by bringing down one of these birds, his suite followed his example, and the winged tribe, into whatever quarter they flew, were sure of meeting with instant death. I was stnick with the tranquil- ity of the stationary dogs ; for, notwith- standing the instinct by which they were spurred on, not one of them quitted his post ; but the rest ran about in pursuit of the game. The scene was now changed ; a hare started up from a bush, the dogs pursued, and while she made a thousand turnings in order to escape, she every where met an opponent : she, however, often defeated the greyhounds, and I admired, in such cases, the sa- gacity of these animals, which, dis- daining the assistance of those that were young and inexperienced, consequently liable to be deceived, waited until some of the cunning old ones opened the way for them ; and then the whole plain was in motion. When the poor animal was just ready to become a prey to its ene- mies, the Governor rushed forward, and throwing a stick which he held in his hand before the greyhounds, they all stopped, and not one of them ventured to pass this signal. One of the swift greyhounds being then let loose, pursued the hare, and having come up with it, carried it back, and jumping upon the neck of the Governor's horse, placed it before him. The Governor took it in his arms, and delivering it to one of his officers, gave him orders, if it continued alive, to shut it up in his park, where he maintains a great many prisoners of the same kind, I admired above all the discipline of the greyhovmds, and the humanity of the Governor, who thought it his duty to preserve an animal that had afforded him so much pleasure." In February, 1798, a brace of grey- hounds, the property of James Courtall, Esq. of Carlisle, coursed a hare from the Swift, near that city, and after anin of seven miles, killed her at Clemmell. Both the dogs were so much exhausted, that it was with the utmost difficulty, by bleeding and medical aid, that their lives were saved. Upwards of two hun- dred gentlemen were present, and many bets were depending xipon the course. The hare had very often been run before, and of course had always beat her pur- suers : she was allowed two hundred yards law, and, when killed, weighed eight pounds, eleven ounces, thus re- futing a received opinion that large hares never run well. A Courser. AMERICAN FOX HUNTING. Sir, Having just arrived from Charles- town, I received an invitation from my friends, H. and J. Young, to come and spend the night with them, and take a foxchase the ensuing morning. I there- fore took my dogs, and set out for their house that afternoon — the distance being five miles. I got there early in the even- ing : my horse and dogs were fed and ta- ken care of; while I partook of that liberal cheer for which the family of the Youngs are so well chai'acterized. After supper we drew our chairs around a cheerful fire, and cracked many a mirthful joke. The ladies told us of so many geese being destroyed at one time by the fell destroyer ; and, at another, so many turkeys, chickens, &c. &c. — we promis- ing them that he should be taken the next morning, if there be any truth in Old Fife, Rattler, Rolla, Ringwood, &c. 312 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. &c. We then retired to rest, agreeing to start an hour before day, to get a warm drag. Accordingly, at the ap- pointed hour, we were up and ready for the field. The morning was clear : tlie moun- tains were undisturbed by winds : a fine dew lay on the ground, which was bare- ly frozen. The dogs were all in fine running order, and knew well the task that lay before them. Our horses, of the first blood, high mettle, and as anx- ious as we were for the chase, came neighing from the stable. We gave a blast — the horn sounded, and the whole pack of thirteen couple responded ea- gerly. We then set out for Ernest's old field, at the foot of Paris's mountain, where H. Y. said we would be sure to get a drag. We had not yet got there, when Old Fife and Ringwood opened, loud, long, and deep. " That's a fox!" we simultaneously exclaimed. " The drag is a hot one," said Ham- bleton. " Then (said I) he will be up be- fore the sun, and killed before 10." " The latter part of your prediction (said H.) is easier said than done. It is the old mountain fox (said he) and if it is him, he will run up the mountain and double around the bald rock, and then sweep down by this place ; and then make for Piny Mountain ; — iim round that, and then make back for the plain, where he will finish the chase, unless you push him. If you do that, he will again make for the bald rock, and there lose the dogs towards even- ing." By this time the drag grew warmer, while we, with repeated cheers and loud halloos, encouraged the dogs, and made the hollow of the mountains echo and re-echo again. " He's up," said H. Now comes the tug of war. Sly reynard now like lightning flew, and made the very course predicted by H. which as- sured us that it v/as the " old one" al- luded to. He took immediately up for the bald rock ; while we stood on the plain, and heard the pack pressing to the right of the mountain : — ■ "The woods and hills the sound retort, and music fills the sky. Thg pack soon brought him down, and he then took the plain, making for Piny Mountain. We then kept in close with the pack, in spite of all impedi- ments. Presently we brought him with a full cry back towards the place where we first started him ; but had rot got more than one half of the way, when our hounds were interrupted by several large curs, which beat off most of our dogs, except Old Fife and Rolla. They still stuck to the track, and we soon had the good fortune, by a little encourage- ment, of getting all the dogs back to the chase. By this time the fox had got a long way ahead of lis. This was a matter of little moment, as all of our dogs were in fine running order. Our course then lay towards the plains, which are about four or five miles from the mountains. The plains, as their name implies, is a very level country, extend- ing for several miles, which rendered the chase equally fair for the fox, dogs, and horses, and renders it much more interesting and amusing. The public road which leads from Kentucky, Ten- nessee, and North Carolina, passes im- mediately through the centre of the plain. This road was crossed every ten or twenty minutes by the fox, dogs. Young, and myself. It being early in the spring, and there being many travel- lers on that road, who, hearing the heart-cheering music of a noble pack, he must have been more than deaf, and less than a man, who could have passed on an idle spectator of such an animated and hard contested chase ; especially as the dogs were never out of heai"ing, and would cross the road, every now and then, in the distance of half a mile. The star of day had by this time mount- ed high in the arch of Heaven : the dogs ran all steady — very much toge- ther, and never losing the track once. Need I tell you, Mr. Editor, that every passenger would stop to listen to the chase ? Judge for yourself, what you would have done on such an occasion. The road was crowded with spectators. By this time renard's brush was carried in such a mannei-, as to indicate that his strength and wind were too far THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 313 spent for him ever again to reach the mountains. His destiny was near at hand ; for Old Fife, Kolla, Mount, and Ringwood, were but a i'ew hundred yards behind him. Our horses by this time were so much blown, that it was with difficulty we kept up with the dogs. Tliere were a number of medical stu- dents just returning from Lexington, to whom this was a treat. I had been at South Carolina college with many of them. I was immediately recognized by them ; but was too busy then to stop even for a moment. Whenever I would cross the road, it, for a great distance up and down, would resound with one loud shout. The dogs, at least two of them, (Rolla and Mount) now were within a few yards of the hero of the mountain, and I but a few yards behind them, urging them both on by encour- agements. Crossing the road at this time, (^the fox's tail dragging on the ground, and Mount and Rolla within a few feet of him,) a low bricklayer, who, standing in the road, saw that he would be taken in a second or so, and think- ing he should like the honour of getting the brush, took after the fox and dogs, foot to foot. I then checked my horse and sprang from him, and took it afoot a few yards behind the intruder — he having the start of me. The fox crossed the road, which is very wide, in a dia- gonal direction, rendering it more inter- esting to the spectators, who were all enlisted in my favour. The fox had scarcely got out of the road when he attempted to ascend a small sapling ; but liis strength being too far spent, he fell back into the jaws of Mount and Rolla. I then saw that Newly was about to tail him ; I, being a few steps behind, sang out with a loud voice, " Do not touch, or you will be bit." This stayed him for a moment. I was up — seized him by the tail— swung him around my head — gave a loud halloo, and threw him among the pack. I re- ceived a loud cheer from the whole com- pany. Thus, Mr. Editor, ended one of the most pleasant and hardest contested chases I was ever in, and thus died the " old mountain fox," before mid-day. We then returned to Young's house, with renard tied behind us, and there again partook of the generous hospita- lity of the Youngs, and returned home that afternoon. And now, Sir, if you will accept this account, narrated in my plain sylvan style, you are at liberty to insert it in your most excellent publica- tion. I am afraid, though, you will say, " That fellow had better had his quill in his head than in his hand." If you ap- prove of this, I can give you many such, both of deer, fox, &c. A Subscriber. The HALLOO. A term or shout frequently used in the chase. In coursing, where a hare is started, the dogs are excited to pur- sue by the vociferation of Halloo ! Hal- loo ! — In hunting, its meaning will re- quire a more verbose explanation ; hal- loos may be called the language of the chase : they are used to encourage the hounds, as well as for the purpose of reprehension ; there is also the view halloo : the meaning of which will be very intelligibly explained by a few words from Beckford. — " I have a friend (says he) who hunts his own hounds, who has the strangest voice, and the oddest halloo, I ever heard. He has, however, this advantage : no dog can possibly mistake his halloo for another. Singularity constitutes an essential part of a huntsman's halloo: — it is for that reason alone, I prefer the horn, to which, I observe, hounds fly more rea- dily than to the huntsman's voice. Good voices certainly are pleasing : yet it miglit be as well, perhaps, if those who have them, were less fond of show- ing them. When a fox is hallooed, those who undei-stand the business, and got forward, may halloo him again; yet, let them be told if the hounds go the contrary way, or do not seem to come on, upon the line of him, to hal- loo no more. With regard to its being the hunted fox, the fox which every man halloos is the hunted fox in liis own opinion, though he seldom has a 2 R S14 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. better reason for it than because he saw •him. Such halloos as serve to keep the hounds together, and to get on the tail hounds, are always of use ; it is the halloos of encouragement to the leading hounds, when injudiciously given, that spoil your sport. I am sorry to say, view halloos frequently do more harm than good. They are pleasing to sports- men, but prejudicial to hounds. If a strong cover he full of foxes and they are often hallooed, hounds take little pains in hunting them : hence arises that coldness and indifference whiclvmay sometimes be observed in fox hounds when pursuing their game." Hounds should never be taken off to a halloo, if they are running vv'ith a good scent ; but if otherwise, and the halloo can be depended on, it may be advisable to lift or take the hounds to the spot, par- ticularly if the fox is a great way before them, or persists in running his foil ; as such foxes are difficult to kill, unless you get nearer to them by some means or other. Hounds may be hallooed too much If they are often used to a hal- loo, tliv^y will expect it, and may trust perhaps to their ears and eyes more than to their noses. While hounds can get on with the scent, it cannot be right to take them off from it: but when they are stopped for want of it, it cannot then be wrong to give them every ad- vantage in your power. A huntsman should nevertheless be cautious of soinsf to a distant halloo. The halloo itself must, in a great measure, direct him ; and though it affords no certain rule, yet you may frequently guess by it whether any reliance can be placed on it. However, if it is resolved to go to a halloo, the sooner the hounds reach it the better. Huntsmen who are slow at getting to a halloo are void of com- mon sense. They frequently commit another fault by being in too great a hurry when they are there. " It is hardly credible (says Beckford) how much oiu* eagerness is apt, at such a time, to mislead our judgment ; for in- stance, when we get to the halloo, the first questions are natural enough : — Did you see the fox? — which way did he go ? — The man points with his finger perhaps, and then away you all ride as fast as you can ; and in such a hurry, that not one wiU stay to hear the answer v/hich you were all so desirous of know- ing : the general consequence of which is, you mistake the place, and are obliged to return to the man for better informa- tion." — In hunting the stag and the hare, halloos are used in a somewhat similar manner; though they should not be nearly so often resorted to with harriers as with fox hounds. — The Eng- lish halloo is unquestionably derived from a similar term used by French sportsmen in wolf hunting, " auLoup .'" (to wolf!) the sound of which, as every one acquainted with the French lan- guage will instantly recognise, is pre- cisely similar. It will be necessary here to remark, that though the language of the chase, or rather the language used to hounds, is comprised under the general denomi- nation of Halloo ! yet the word itself, that is, halloo, is made use of in scarce- ly any other instance than when a hare starts before greyhounds : on this occa- sion, a cry of Halloo ! Halloo ! is raised by the sportsmen, in order to induce the greyhounds to look out for their game and pursue it. As to the language of huntsmen to their hounds, though, as before observed, it is comprehended under the general term Halloo, yet it is branched out into a variety of sounds, all of which are of course understood by the hounds. It seldom happens in- deed that two hvuitsmen have precisely the same tone, which, however, is of no consequence so long as the meaning is understood or correctly intei-preted by the hounds : indeed, any peculiarity in the voice of a huntsman may be said to be advantageous to the hounds, as, under such circumstances, they can never mistake his voice for that of ano- ther. It is frequently difficult, in the general halloos of huntsmen, to discover any definite word, but the corruption of a well-defined expression may be most- ly traced : Yoic is the word (or halloo) from which many of the corruptions or deviations may be traced. Here, hoy ! is also tortured into a variety of formi, (if the expression may be allowed) ; and indeed so many of these ill-defined deviations present themselves, that it is not possible to image them to the mind by any form of words on paper : at the ( I THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 115 same time, it may be justly remarked, that some of the terms (halloos) which seem to admit of no deviation, the most prominent of which, are talhjho and tvhoo-ivhooj), the former appears to have been derived from the French an tailli, to cover ; though it is used in a sense somewhat different by EngHsh sports- men. Talhjho ! is the term for a fox breaking "cover or going away, and in- deed every time he is viewed : tvhoo- whoop is used at the death, and consti- tutes of course what we call the death halloo. — Whoo-whoop is most likely derived from the same language as tally- ho ; and it is highly probable that most, if not all, our terms of the chase sprung from the same souixe, and were origi- nally introduced by the Normans. — Johnson's Sportsman's Cyclopedia. FISHES, their SIGHT, HEARING, ^ c. To the Editor of the Cabinet. Sir, It must be allowed that the na- tural history of fishes is very imperfect, and that such must ever be the case is evident, inasmuch as the element in which they reside is not only of such vast dimensions, but enables many of them to withdraw themselves altogether from human investigation ; neverthe- less,some skilful ichthyologists maintain, that there are to be found, in the diffe- rent collection of fishes about London, six hundred kinds which are not enu- merated by Linnaeus ! — what numbers then must remain in the unexplored and unfathomable abyss of the ocean ! Although fishes seem admirably adapted for the element in which they reside, yet, compared with either quad- rupeds or birds, they exhibit a very in- ferior conformation, and are clearly a much lower link in the chain of nature than the two classes just mentioned. When indeed the senses and faculties of this part of the animal kingdom are examined, we find that nature having intended them for less perfect beings, in her endowments has been proportion- ably sparing. The brain, the seat of sensation, is much smaller in fishes than in other animals. Their sense of touch is, in all probability, far from being delicate, being obstructed by those strong teguments which surround them. The external organs of smell, and the nerves supplying them, are perceptible in the greater part of fishes ; but as air is the only medium with which we are acquainted for the distribution of odoui's, it cannot be supposed, that, residing in the water, they possess any capacity of being affected by them. The sense of taste also, if it arises from the softness of the organ, must be very imperfect indeed, as the whole mouth of most fishes is covered with a hard bony sub- stance, by which they are deprived of almost all power of discriminating dif- ferent bodies by the palate,insomuch that salt water fishes have been known to swallow the fisherman's plummet instead of his bait. The greediness which sea fish discover is prodigious : the lines of the fishermen who go off to sea are coarse and clumsy, their baits are seldom more than the piece of a fish, or the flesh of some quadruped, stuck on the hook in a bungling manner : on the banks of Newfoundland, the moment the hook, which is only hid by the entrai's of the animal last taken, is dropped into the water, the cod seizes it at once, and the fishermen have but to pull up as fast as they throw down. In fresh water, however, the case is far otherwise : the lines must be drawn to a hair-like fine- ness, be tinctured of the peculiar colour of the stream, the bait must be selected with care, or formed with the nicest art, and yet the fishes approach with suspicion, and often swim round with- out attempting to seize it. As to hearing, some are of opinion, that fishes are altogether destitute of this facult)^, since all, except the ceta- ceous, are deprived not only of exter- nal ears, but also of the auditory nerves and canal ; hence it is generally agreed by naturalists, that all the spinous fish- es (so called from their bones reseBab- ling the sharpness of thorns) have no faculty of hearing. But the late cele- brated anatomist, Mr. John Hunter, 316 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. states that, previous to his quitting his anatomical pursuits, and going with the army to Belleisle, he had discovered the organ of hearing in fishes, and had the parts exposed and preserved in spirits. This organ in fishes is placed on the sides of the skull or cavity which contains the brain ; but the skull makes no part of the organ as it does in the quadruped or the bird, the organ itself being dis- tinct and detached. It varies in size in different fishes, but in all consists of three curved tubes which unite with one another : this union forms in some only one canal, as in the cod, salmon, ling, &:c. and in others a pretty large cavity, as in the ray kind. In the pike, there is an oblong bag, or blind process, which is an addition to these canals, and which communicates with them at their union. In the cod, &c. this union of the three tubes stands upon an oval cavity, and in the pike there are two; the additional cavities in them appear to answer the same purpose with the cavity in the ray or cartilaginous fishes, which is the union of the same canals. The s'lriht of fishes is evidently the most perfect of all their organs or senses, and yet, even this is far inferior to that of most other animals : the eye, in al- most all fish, is covered with the same transparent skin that surrounds the rest of the head, and which probably defends it in the water, as they are destitute of eye lids ; the globe is more depressed in front, and is furnished behind with a muscle which serves to lengthen or flat- ten it according to the animal's necessi- ties. The chrystalline humour, which in quadrupeds is flat, and of the shape of a button mould, in fishes is round as a pea, or sometimes oblong like an egg. There is no evidence of fishes seeing at a considerable distance, and the conduct of many of them, that are deceived by different baits, gives reason to suppose that objects are not very distinctly per- ceived by them, even when near. But whatever may be the inferiority of the different senses in fishes, their in- cessant voracity distinguishes them from every other tribe of animated beings. Every aquatic animal that has life, falls a victim to the indiscriminate voracity of one or other of the fishes. Insects, worms, or the spawn of other tenants of the water, sustain the smaller tribes, which, in their turn, are pursued by millions larger and more rapacious. A few feed upon aquatic plants or the grains of corn, but the far greater num- bers subsist upon animal food alone, and of this they are so ravenous as to spare not even those of their own kind. Charr, kept in a pond, if scantily sup- plied, frequently devour their own young ; other fish that are larger, go in quest of more bulky prey ; it matters not of what sort, whether of their own, or another species. If we turn our at- tention in this argument to sea fish, those with the most capacious mouths pursiie almost every thing that exists, and often meet each other in fierce op- position, when the fish which has the widest throat becomes victorious, and swallows his antagonist. Innumerable shoals of one species pursue those of another through vast tracks of ocean, from the vicinity of the pole to the equa- tor. — The cod pursues the whiting from the banks of Newfoundland to the south- ern coasts of Spain. The cachalot drives whole armies of herrings from the re- gions of the north, devouring, at every instant, thousands in the rear. Hence the life of every fish, from the smallest to the largest, is but a ccntinued scene of rapine, and every quarter of the im- mense deep presents one uniform pic- ture of hostility, violence, and invasion. Yet, notwithstanding the incessant vo- racity manifested by fishes, they possess the power, nevertheless, to sustain them' selves upon a given quantity of food, and even to endure abstinence for an uncommon length of time. A pike can be habituated to subsist on very little aliment indeed, while, if fully dieted, it acquires the power of devouring forty roaches a day. Of the economy of na- ture we are in fact only capable of ob- serving a few of the visible effects, and the phenomena resulting from them in certain circumstances. That herrings obtain their subsistence from the water in which they swim, seems confirmed by many facts respecting the habits of this singular fish. Herrings are alwaj's found in shoals ; and, on some occasions, are crowded so close together as to fill the sea, at least so far as our implements will reach, from toj) to bottom. Ships THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 317 are said to have been retarded in their course in passing through these shoals, and instances are recorded where these fishes have been left by the ebbing of the tide in heaps three feet deep upon the shores for miles in extent. It is uniformly believed by those conversant in the fishery, that no other fish will go into the middle of a shoal of lieriings. The cachalot, to whom they are a favour- ite repast, who gulps hundreds at a swal - low, never ventures into the shoal, but constantly follows it, and devours those in the rear. The dog fish, which, in vast troops, attend the herrings where- ever they go, carefully keeps aloof from the great mass of them : so it is with the other fishes who delight in the her- ring as a prey, but, as a body, seem to dread their multitudes. Hence it is to- lerably evident that herrings obtain their subsistence directly from the water in which they swim, as, let the progress of the shoal be ever so long continued, the herrings appear in good condition, and the foremost, in this respect, no better than those which follow ; which, had they fed on small fry, or drawn their subsistence from any other solid substances floating on the water, must have been the case, as their nutriment then must have been quickly consumed — no known circumstance, however, gives the smallest indication that ever the quantity of food has been diminish- ed by the numbers or long abode of this singular fish in one station. And what is perhaps still more extraordinaiy, whenever the stomach of a herring has been examined, whether the fish has been fat and in good health, or other- wise, nothing has ever been found that gives the smallest indication that it was either of animal or vegetable origin. The only contents of the stomach is a very small quantity of a mucous matter, siii generis, and that has no known pa- rallel ; all these facts seem to decide that the herring is capable of drawing its sub- sistence from the water itself, by an in- lierent power in its animal functions, in converting sea water, or the particles of which it is composed, into its own sus- tenance, and which nutrimental matter it always finds in plenty, wherever that water is to be met with. Nevertheless, it is an indisputable fact, that many other fishes, although for ever prowling, are yet capable of enduring hunger for a length of time, which must appear incredible, were not the circumstance too well and too gener- ally known to admit of contradiction. The pike, (to which an allusion has been already made) one of the most gluttonous of the finny tribe, will live, and even thrive, in a pond where there is no other inhabitant ; while the gold and silver fishes, confined in glass vases, subsist frequently for years without any visible support but water : hence it would ap- pear, that, in certain situations, fishes are as remarkable for their abstinence, as in others they are distinguished for their voracity ; and that nature, in com- passion to the want which they must often suffer, has indulged them with a power of accommodating their appetite to scarcity, as well as to abundance of food. The spontaneous production of fishes is a natural phenomenon for which it is difficult, or perhaps impossible, to ac- count ; yet, it is an incontrovertible fact, that in the stagnant pools occasioned by the rains in Bombay, which have no com- munication with any river or the cea, fishes are generated, of which many have eaten, and which, upon the dryivjg up of these ponds, die, and become cor- rupted. The scales of fishes are formed witli surprising beauty and regularity, and exhibit an almost endless variety of figure and contexture, not only in those taken from distinct sorts, but even in those of the same fish. The scales upon the back, the belly, the sides, head, and all the other parts, being very different from each other. These scales, it is supposed, are not shed every year, nor indeed during the whole life of the fish, but have an annual addition of a new scale growing over and extending everj' way beyond the edges of the former, in proportion to the growth of the fish, something in the same manner as the Avood of trees, enlarges yearly by the increase of a new circle next the bark ; and as the age of a tree may be known by the amount of the ringlets of which its trunk is composed, so in fishes, the number of plates composing their scales may be regarded as evidences of their 318 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. age. Leuvvenhoeck supposed each scale to consist of an infinity of scales, laid one over the other ; or, of an infinity of strata, of which those next to the body of the fish are the largest. He took some scales from an extraordinary large carp, which were as broad as a dollar. These he macerated in warm water to make them cut the easier ; and then cutting obliquely through one of them, beginning with the first formed, and very little scale in the centre, he, with the assistance of his microscope, plainly distinguished forty lamella oi scales, glued, as it were, over one another ; whence he concluded that the fish was forty years old. At Peterhead, in Scotland, Mr. Ar- buthnot excavated many large basins out of the granite rock, which can be filled with sea water at high-tide, and emptied at the low ebb at pleasure. These are meant as receptacles for sea fish which are caught in great abun- dance by the fishermen, to be therein fed, and occasionally forwarded to the London markets. As the water is clear and free from agitation in these reser- voirs, all tlie movements of the fish which they contained would be easily noticed ; and fi-om these observations, one singular fact has been ascertained respecting the remai'kable docility of the haddock when compared with other fishes. The haddock is so acute in its perception, as to become tame almost immediately ; so that, being fed for a day or two, it begins to know its bene- factor, darts towards him the moment he appears, and follows him, so far as the element which it inhabits, will per- mit. Thinking the above particulars may amuse some of your readers has been my principal motive for putting them together ; the insertion of which will oblige your constant reader. An Angler. TROLLING for SALMON in AMERICA. Sir, Being on a visit of business to the town of Williamsport, on the west branch of the Susquehannah, last Octo- ber twelve months, I was invited to ac- company a friend or two on the river, to troll for salmon ; and being ever ready to join a fishing party, I accepted the invitation with alacrity, and prepared to expect much amusement from the des- cription I had of this mode of fishing — besides being anxious, both to see and taste, the far famed delicacy of that noble river. Having procured a twine line of about foiu* hundred feet long, and attached two hooks of a proper size to one of its extremities, and then two others about an inch and a half above those that were first fastened on, with the points of all four set in opposite di- rections, and obtained a few small eels of a peculiar species, about three inches issued from their fountains, expanding and deepening, denoted a favrurite haunt of the fish we were in pursuit of. Eager as we were to engage in the amusement before us, we could not but pause to gaze on the beautiful land- scape, which opened upon us as we glided towards the spot just alluded to. On the left of the river, a long extent of level and fertile land, in high culti- vation, was visible ; while from the op- posite bank ascended a range of lofty mountains, densely covered with forest trees, exhibiting the rich and gorgeous tints which so pre-eminently distinguish our autumnal fohage, and which were reflected in all their brightness from the glassy surface of the river, as it stretched far before us with its numerous islets. A i-riving at the place where we proposed to fish, the courtesy of my friends awarded to me theopportunity of trying in length, which are found in the mud my fortune first ; and instructing me in the use of the line, I took my station in the stern of the boat. After attaching two of the little eels to the hooks, I began to unwind and throw off my line; one of the party being at the oars, and along the mai'gin of the river, we pushed from the shore in a small row boat, and directed our coui'se to a point a mile or two below the town, where the bright and transparent waters of the river, seemingly as pure as when they gently and with as little noise as possible. THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 319 propelling the boat, so as merely to keep the line upon the stretch, without al- lowing the bait to drag on the bottom. The whole extent of the line being at length unwound, and the regular propulsion of the boat continued, the bait was played by alternately drawing the line towards me with a quick motion, and then leaving it stationary for a few moments, until the progress of the boat brought it again on the sti-etch, when the same movement was repeated. But a few minutes elapsed before I felt tb.e shock of a hite : when instantly jerking, and arresting the pi'ogress of the boat, I paused a moment to satisfy myself that the fish was hooked. The successive stretching and relaxation of the line con- firmed my hopes, and I immediately began, with due circumspection, to draw in : and now arose the high excitement which I found so particularly to cha- racterize this sport, as expectations of a prize v/orth taking, and of success in securing it — mingled with apprehensions of losing it through mismanagement, occupied my thoughts ; and which the reiterated cheers or admonitions of my companions, as I exhibited skill or awkwardness, only tended to heighten. The struggle for liberty and life on the one hand, and for victory and its consequence, the bouquet, on the other, now commenced in earnest ; and like a wary politician, who often concedes a triiling advantage to secure a greater, it became necessary occasionally to allow him a few yards of line, and to watch favourable opportunities to recover it, with more. The resistance made by my captive was not, howevei", very vehement at first ; for after making an unsuccessful effort to disengage himself in one direc- tion, he would permit himself to be drawn passively for a fev/ feet towards the boat, before he would repeat his at- tempt, and then, as though he had paused to collect his strength, he would shoot off laterally with the utmost velocity, until his career would again be arrested. At one moment he might be seen strug- gling on the surface, and then, in an instant, darting towards the bottom, where he would remain quiet for a little time, as if anxious to secrete himself, imtil the stretching of the line would re- awaken all his fears, and rouse him to renewed exertions. On nearing the boat, and as soon as we became visible, his eflbrts were redoubled and unceasing ; darting about in every direction, and sometimes with such impetus as to make the line whistle as it cut the water. Having brought him within a few yards of the boat, the utmost caution in playing him was now indispensable, lest his vio- lent and unceasing efforts should tear out the hold of the hooks, and enable him to escape. Exhausted at last in some degree, by his exertions, I seized a favourable moment when near the surface, and as he was dashing by, to vary a little his course, and aided by his own impulse, to hoist him into the boat ; having the gratification to find my prize to be a fine salmon, of a large size. Again baiting our hooks, we con- tinued our amusement for several hours, pursuing the same method, and with fine success, carrying with us to town a number of these delicious fish, which were served befoi'e us next day at dinner, and whose exquisite flavour was height- ened by all the appliances that skilful cooker}', and the most piquant sauces, could confer. In conclusion, I must add my testi- mony to that of many epicures, in pro- nouncing the salmon of the Susquehan- nah one of the greatest luxuries of the fi.sh kind, equalling, if not surpassing in richness and delicacy, even the trout of the lakes. C. GROUSE, and the PERFORATED BULLET. To the Editor of the Cabinet. Sir, I saw a remark some time ago, that when grouse are wild, a perforated to lie. This assertion was followed up with the idea, that the whizzing of the bullet alarmed the birds, who, suppo- sing themselves in the immediate vici- bullct fired over them, will induce them nity of their mortal enemy, a hawk, lay 320 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. close in consequence. It would be a dangerous practice, to say the least of it : how far it might operate in the manner just described, I am too young a grouse shooter to determine ; or, at least, I have never ti'ied the exjieri- ment ; and, what is more, I never in- tend to try it ; for I would sooner luu- sue the grouse for a fortnight unavail- ingly, than run the risk of killing or wounding a fellow creature by firing a random ball. Grouse shooting is an amusement to which I am much attached, and on the approach of the 12th of August, feel all that anxiet}', which has so often been noticed by writers on Field Sports. In my excursions to the moors, I have al- ways been forcibly struck with that whizzing which attends the discharge of the gun, and which is no doubt caused by the passage of the shot through the atmospheric air, and as far as whizzing might cause the birds to lie, I should suppose woidd be fully as effective as the whizzing of a perforated bullet. It must be remarked, however, that the mooi-s which I have hitherto visit- ed, have been remarkably mountainous. In partridge shooting, in an open plain country, I have never perceived the whizzing which I have just described ; and therefore on moors not altogether mountainous, in all probability, the dis- charge is unattended with the above- described eftects. On the tops of the hills no whizzing is perceivable ; but you no sooner descend than it is heard ; and it ajipears to increase in proportion as your situation is confined by sur- rounding heights. There is one circumstance attending these mountainous moors very vexatious to the sportsman: — I do not mean the labour and difficulty of travelling, (which by the bye, is ii'ksome enough,) but the rain, which is almost incessant- ly falling, and which renders shooting very unpleasant at least, if not imprac- ticable. Rain will frequently be seen falling fast on the tops of the moun- tains, and the humidity will extend per- haps a considercible distance down their sides, when nothing of the kind is per- ceptible in the vallies. Fogs too are not unfrequent, and so dense, that a stranger without a guide cannot possibly find his way. Grouse shooting is certainly charm- ing diversion, when the weather is fine ; but the frequent rain and dense fogs Avhicli so often attend it, are not trifling drawbacks upon the pleasure and satis- faction otherwise to be derived from it. I remain, your's, &c. A Tyro. Sir. To the Editor of the Sportsman s Cabinet. successful than myself in the interpre- tation of the articles in question'; since, if you have, I must suppose that my powers of perception have become ob- tuse. Are they intended as specimens of sublime conception, elegance of dic- tion, or witty ebidlitions of um-estrained Although I have long been dis- pleased, and oftentimes disgusted, with the wretched trash which appears in the Old and New Sporting Magazines, (the greater part of which is evidently huddled together by persons utterly un- acquainted with field sports) yet I con- tinue to read these publications, as well as evei-y other relative to the chase : the New Sporting Magazine, however, I shall be compelled to give up, as 1 cannot comprehend the meaning of some of the articles which it contains, particularly several in the last mnnber, I allude to those signed, " John Jor- RocKs," " A YoRKsiiiREMAN," and " Peter Flam," You have, no doubt, Mr. Editor, perused these very singular productions ; and I could wish to be in- foriined whether vou have been more genius ? — I can discover none of those qualities in them: on the contrary, they ajjpear to me more like the incoherent ravings of one of the wretched inhabit- ants of St. Luke's, than the excogita- tions of a sane mind. A Constant Reader, N.B. We are sorry to inform our " Constant Reader," that after pei'U- sing the articles to which he alludes, we are not able to give him the desired information. THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 321 ( Continued fro7n p. 272. J by whom we were received with an easy, frank, and generous afFa- bility, w'hich could not fail to produce the most favourable impres- sions. Mr. Sinclair being no sportsman, and perceiving we were anxious for diversion, immediately gave us a letter to John S. Gunn, Esq. and with the most attentive politeness, assisted us in procuring a guide and attendant, as Mr. Gunn resided, at some distance from Thurso, in the Highlands of Caithness ; the road to which lies over extensive moorlands. We left Thurso, and met with a few grouse on our way to Dale, where we found the hospitable mansion to which we were bound. It was about six o'clock p. m ; we were received by Mr. Gunn himself in the kindest manner imaginable : he introduced us to his numerous and amiable family, and we immediately found ourselves at home. The evening passed most agreeably; and though I felt fatigued, nevertheless became so much interested in the conversation of Mr. Gunn and his family, that I did not retire to rest till near twelve o'clock. The next morning soon after nine, we sat down to breakfast ; at half past ten, sallied forth, accompa- nied by two sons of our kind host, for the purpose of shooting a few brace of grouse. John, the elder, was a young man about two and twenty years of age, and a professed sportsman; and as we were preparing to leave the house, I remarked to him, that, if his dogs were not very steady, I should prefer shooting over my own. I knew my pointers were remarkable, not only for steadi- ness, but for excellency of nose, and every other requisite quality ; indeed, their appearance was much in their favour, and he seemed to feel this so much, that he most willingly assented to my proposal. Mr. Gunn's house is situated on the banks of the Thurso, which, like most of the rivers in Scotland, is well stocked with fish, particularly salmon, and surrounded by very extensive moorlands, bounded principally by hills, those on the eastern side being very high. We had walked perhaps more than a mile from the house before we met with game, at which Mr. Gunn seemed surprised : at length my pointers drew, and stood. I was convinced they had game before them — eight grouse rose : Young Mr. Gunn brought down his bird — I hit mine, but it went away — with the other barrel I hit a second, and it fell. In a few minutes, the dogs drew again, and footed a bird for a very considerable distance — they stood motionless — and after the lapse of some seconds, I saw a fine cock grouse lying immediately under the nose of the first dog. A sight of this sort does not often happen, and I continued to regard the bird for some time : my new sporting friend was astonished at the steadiness of my pointers ; but I had no doubts on this head • — they were well bred, understood their business thoroughly, and had been shot over, the one two seasons, the other three. At length, we I'ose the bird from his skulking place, and although we 2 s 322 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. were so near him, that in rising he almost touched our faces, yet he flew awav unhurt — we both fired at him, and did not break a single feather ! It was not long before the dogs drew again, and continued drawing for some minutes, during which I repeatedly saw the birds rimning before them. Such an occurrence is not frequent on the moors in England, or at least on those upon which I have sported ; it is true a bird may be sometimes seen before the dogs, but here I witnessed it several times in the course of an hour. This of course argues abundance — I never saw half as many grouse on a similar space ; and in consequence, in about two hours, we had killed as many as one of our attendants could conveniently carry. They were fine well grown birds, and from an examination of many of them, as well as some others in the course of my excur- sion, I am inclined to think there are tv.'o varieties of red grouse in Scotland, if not in the mountains of England ; and which, for the sake of distinction, I should call the dark-coloured, (the larger of the two), and the spm^glcd, or rather speckled. I am not aware that this distinction has been made by those who have written on the subject, and I give the hint merely for the purpose of inducing some of our naturalists to investigate the subject. It may not be amiss to remark, that the history of the grouse seems to be but imperfectly understood ; in all probability, our historians possessed little practical knov^dedge on the subject, and gleaned their accounts principally from the oral descriptions of ignorant shepherds. — Speaking of the red or common grouse, Bingley observes, (and he has no doubt copied the account from a prior writer,) — " They keep near the summits of the heathy hills, seldom descending to the lower grounds. Here they feed on the mountain berries and on the tender tops of the heath." This in- formation is rather scanty certainly, and yet it may be said to amount to worse than nothing. With respect to grouse "keeping near the summits of the heathy hills, seldom descending to the lower grounds," it is very well known to sportsmen, that they ai'e much oftener found on the sides and the bottoms of the hills than in any other situations ; further, they are seldom met with on the " summits of the hills," but very often in the vallies. That they feed on " the tender tops of the heath," the smell and flavour of their flesh seem to indicate ; but their favourite, and I am inclined to think their principal, food is a seed which grov/s upon a long coarse grass found in the vallies and the lower parts of the moun- tains in what is called by some the " ivhite grot/nd." These seeds may be generally found in the crop of this bird ; and that such is the state of the case is further proved by the disti'ess which grouse experience in winter, particularly when snow covers the ground. It seldom happens, under any circumstances that the heath is completely covered; and therefore, if these birds fed for the most THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 32S part on the tops of it, tijey vvoukl experience little inconvenience; whereas, on such occasions, it is very wellknewn that they approach the human habitation in order to procure that sustenance which is denied them in their native retreats. Nor indeed is this all ; as I am much inclined to suppose, that grouse, like all other birds of the poultry kind, devour vast quantities of insects : the young, for some days after they are hatched, I have little doubt, feed entirely on insects ; and it is more than probable, that, when we hear accounts of the season beinsr too dry for breeding and that the young grouse have perished from want of water, if we were to in- vestigate the subject, the cause of the destruction of the young birds would be any thing rather than a want of water — I should be much more inclined to attribute it to a scarcity of insects. During our excursion, we heard occasionally, the golden plover pipe forth its soft but melancholy note : my friend F was anxious for a specimen : I therefore shot a brace. On pick- ing up each of the golden plovers, I was surprising at observing a number of small flies creeping from beneath their feathers ; but, on inquiry, 1 found the circumstance was common at this period of the year : it appears to be something similar to the small insects with which young rooks are infested. These birds are very deli- cious when served up to table ; their history, however, hitherto has been very imperfectly described. As we were retiring towards the house of Mr. Gunn, one of my pointers became motionless with her head turned on one side in a very beautiful and highly picturesque attitude. We stood over her for some time, and at length I saw a hare sitting in a bunch of heath, immediately under the bitch's nose : it sprung into her mouth : the temptation was too great ; for though the bitch was remarkably steady, yet she caught the hare in her mouth, and held it, though she did not attempt to kill it — it was taken from her and killed by Mr. John Gunn. Dotterels are very numerous in Caitliness, and in some parts of Sutherlandshire, as well as in other portions of the Highlands of Scotland. It may not be amiss to correct an error or two respect- ing this bird, which through the medium of the press have been very wildly disseminated:—" These birds are migratory (say those who have written on the subject) appearing in flocks of eight or ten, about the end of April; and staying all May and June, when they become very fat, and are much esteemed for the table. They are found in tolerable plenty in Cambridgeshire, Lincolnshire, and Derbyshire ; but in other parts of the kingdom they are scarcely known." So far from this being the case, they are by no means uncommon on the wilds and moorlands of Yorkshire, Westmor- land, Cumberland, and Durham, though they are seldom met with amongst the heath. There are fre(juently found on many if not all moors, considerable spaces which are destitute of heath, and 324 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. which are covered with very short grass, similar to tlie common land in England where geese are generally seen feeding, and to these places the dotterels resort : 1 have found them on stony ground also, as well as on the Wolds of Yorkshire. There are extensive tracts of such ground in the Highlands of Scotland, par- ticularly in Caithness, where dotterels, as observed above, are very abundant. — Further, " The dotterel is in its manners (say naturalists) a very singular bird, and may be taken by the most simple artifice. The country people are said sometimes to go in quest of it in the night, with a lighted torch or candle : and the bird, on those occasions will mimic the actions of the fowler with great archness. When he stretches out an arm, it stretches out its wing ; if he moves a foot, it moves one also ; and every other motion it endeavours to imitate. This is the opportunity that the fowler takes of entangling it in his net." Willoughby cites the following case : — " Six or seven persons usually went out to catch dotterels. When they found the bird, they set their net in an advantageous place ; and each of them, holding a stone in either hand, got behind it, and striking the stones often one against the other, roused it from its natural sluggishness ; and, by degrees, drove it into the nets." It might be difficult in many cases, to account for the origin of error ; but it not unfrequently happens, that a story, however absurd, when it has been generally received, passes from one to another without exciting the least attention. Thus the above ridiculous accounts of the manners of the dotterel having found their way into print, have passed from one book to another without comment or examination. The dotterel is a pretty bird, scarcely so large as a snipe, more resembling a purre in every respect, but by no means remarkable for stupidity. They are easily seen on the ground, and will generally suffer the approach of the sportsman ; if much disturbed, however, they fly completely away. Caithness contains a number of ruins, and, amongst others, the mouldering remains of the Castle of Dii'let, of which the accom- panying sketch is a faithful representation. The sketch of this ruin was taken by Mr. F , while I, and Mr. John Gunn were busy amongst the grouse. It was completed in a very short time, for Mr. F has not only the happy gift of drawing with fide- lity, but possesses very great facility of execution.* We returned * This small fovtalice was erected on a rock surrounded by two branebes of the river Thurso (Halkirk parish.) It was built by Alexander Sutherland, Laird of Dirlet (commonly called the Red Knight,) about the middle of the loth cen- tury. This Alexander Sutherland was descended from the Sutherlands of Berry- dale, a branch of the Earls of Sutherland. He was a lawless freebooter, and maintained a band of his kinsmen, who plundered the neighbouring districts. He, with his associates, murdered Alexander Dunbar, brother of Sir James Dun- ▼ TP- ^aCCW © THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 325 to Mr. Gunn's to dinner; and in the afternoon, Mr. F at- tempted to sketch a Highland cottage, situated near Mr. Gunn's house, in which, however, he was not able to succeed till after several attempts. The cottages in the Highlands of Scotland are very different in appearance from the cottages of England ; so much so indeed, that I should never have suspected many that I passed to have been the residences of human beings, but for the smoke which I saw issuing from a hole in the roof, (chimneys there are none) or some other indication equally incontestible. The Highland Cottages are in general very low clumsy build- ings ; the walls are composed of stone, and are very thick ; and as they appear to have no mortar, or scarcely any thing in the way of cement, amongst the stones there is a sort of moss introduced which renders them impervious to the wind. The roofs describe an ill-formed semicircle, rounding to the top, instead of the trian- gular or ridge-like form of those in England ; and are covered either with thin turf cut for the purpose, or thatched with oat or barley straw. The walls of the cottages are seldom more than five feet high, generally not so much ; in consequence the entrance is low, and a man of the middle size must stoop considerably in entering them. The interior of a Highland cottage appears ex- traordinary to an Englishman. The fire, which is made of peat, is placed in the middle of the floor, and the smoke issues through an aperture in the roof; and while this hole suffers the smoke to escape, it answers the purpose of a window also. Under such circumstances, it may be supposed, the cottages are not remark- ably light ; Mr. Gunn's second son William (who spoke Gaelic,) having made the people of the cottage acquainted with Mr. F — 's object, they very willingly opened the door, and afforded him every possible assistance. It will be seen by the plate, that one end of the dwelling is occupied by the cattle belonging to the cot- tager. Such is the case in a great number of the Highland cots, particularly of the poorer sort ; while in others the cattle are se- parated from the family by a wall, and the cottage contains a very small window. But, it may be easily conceived, from what has bar, of Cumnock, at Midgarty, on the coast of Sutherland ; for whicli he was out- lawed, and his lands of Dirlet, &c. promised to any person who would apprehend him and his associates, and deliver them up to the laws of their country. His maternal uncle, Y. Roy Mackay, of Strathnaver, stimulated by the proffered re- ward, apprehended the Laii'd of Dirlet, and ten of his associates, and presented them to the king at Stirling, where they were executed ; and James IV. King of Scotland, granted a charter to the said Y. Roy Mackay, over the lands of Dirlet, &c. for that service in 1499. Y. Roy Mackay gave the lands of Dirlet, and the lands of Strathy, in Lord Reay's country, to one of his sons ; and the Mackays possessed Dirlet until 1670, when Patrick Sinclair, of inbster, married the daughter of John Mackay of Dirlet ; and thereafter the lands of Dirlet became the property of the Ulbster family, and are now a part of the Ulbster estate. 326 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET, already been said respecting the fire place, and the hole which is substituted for a chimney, that the cottages are generally filled with smoke ; in consequence of which, the females become blear eyed, their countenances suffer, and they frequently appear old at a comparatively early period of life. The men, by being princi- pally in the open air, are very little affected by what I have just mentioned. The summer of 1824 was remarkable for vast quan- tities of flies, yet I do not recollect being annoyed with them in any of the Highland cottages : and though I frequently took up my abode in these places during the night, yet I was never bitten by a flea, or troubled with vermin of any description. This, I thought, might arise from the circumstance of the place being generally filled with smoke. From the above description, it may be easily perceived that the Highland cottages cannot be remarkable for cleanliness ; but from the people who inhabit them, we uniformly received the most obliging civility. Under the roof of John Sinclair Gunn, Esq. we experienced that genuine hospitality for which the Highlands of Scotland have always been celebrated. We passed another very pleasant even- ing in the company of this amiable family, and in the morning again strolled over the moorlands and killed a few grouse. The part of Caithness, of which I am now speaking, may be considered as a very extensive plain, the most northern part bound- ed by very lofty mountains. The red grouse are found pi'inci- pally upon the plain, which constitutes a part of the pleasantest moors to shoot over I ever met with. Those, therefore, who are anxious to enjoy the supreme diversion of grouse shooting with as little fatigue as possible, I would advise to visit the neighbourhood of Dale, near Thurso, in Caithness, where they will meet with none of these awkward fatiguing steeps, nor with much unpleasant broken groimd,^ but with abundance of game. Further, of all the various kinds of feathered game, none is perhaps so well calculated for the young practitioner as grouse. This bird generally rises at a proper distance from the sportsman, with very little noise ; and, as they frequently get up with their faces towards the shooter, they have to turn about before they can make off, thus affording considerable time for preparation, unaccompanied with that whirring noise and confusion, which gen- * Brolcen ground is a very appropriate and a very forcible term. A portion of all moorlands will be found to consist of ground where, in wet weather, the water lodges, but not so high as to cover the tops of the heath. In these situations, the water becomes stationary, and the heath and vegetation, by growing up, form hillocks, round the bottoms of which the water continues till it is completely ex- haled. In dry weather, game resort much to such places ; but though tlie ground may be completely dry, yet the walking over them is extremely fatiguing, as the sportsman must step from one hillock to another. s r-i THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 327 erally attends the springing of partridges, while the object is con- siderably larger. It is the sudden start and the noise attending it that render the young shooter incapable of levelling his piece; and indeed / scarcely ever advance to the first point on the 12th of August without trembling. It muU be said snipes make little or no noise in springing ; but then they are by no means a large object, and their flight is very unsteady for some time after rising. There are plenty of snipes in Caithness, and generally speaking, they are to be met with in all parts of the Highlands. In this part of Caithness there is no black game, though some little may be met with near Berry dale, and other places on the borders of Sutherlandshire : and even a stag is sometimes seen in the parts just mentioned. On the grey tops of the high mountains of Caithness, there are what are called white hares (and ptarmi- gan) ; of these animals I shall have occasion to speak hereafter. On the moors of Caithness there are also lakes, to which there resort, particularly in winter, abundance of v;ild fowl, such as ducks, geese, and swans. Golden plovers congregate on the borders of these lakes, where also the dotterel is frequently found. On taking leave of Mr. Gunn and his family, I must confess I could not help feeling regret at quitting a place, where, though strangers, we had been so kindly received, so hospitably enter- tained, and where, in fact, we had met with the utmost possible attention. My worthy friend and companion, Mr. F — appeared to feel still more at this separation ; and the amiable, frank, and candid Miss Gnnnwas uppermost in his thoughts for several weeks after, and may be so still, for aught I know. I do not wonder at this ; for the lady in question was a very interesting female about seventeen or eighteen years of age ; she was tall and well formed ; and her countenance was not only very handsome, but highly ex- pressive of cheerfulness and good temper ; while the elegant sim- plicity and frankness of her manners possessed a degree of fasci- nation which it is not easy to describe. On quitting Mr. Gunn's, we crossed the moors in the direction of Brawl, where, independent of the gardens, stand the ruins of a castle, built by Malesius, Earl of Caithness, Orkney, and Strath- ern, about the beginning of the fourteenth century, upon the north bank of the river Thurso, having spacious subterranean vaults at- tached to it, excavated in the bank of the river, which vaults are stiil entire. Tradition says that the castle was not finished by Malesius, owing to a famine in the land ; but there are several Feii'^' Charters extant, granted by the Earls of Caithness to their * Feude is defined by civilians to be a grant of lands, honours, or fees, either to a man during the will of liis lord or sovereign, or for the feudatory's own life ; or to him and his heirs for ever, upon condition that he and his heirs so acknow- ledge the donor and his heirs to be their lord and sovereign, and shall bear faith 328 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. vassals in the sixteenth century, which charters are dated at the Castle of Brawl. The said Earl Malesius gave the Earldom of Caithness, with his daughter, to the Earl of Ross, which disposition of Malesius was not confirmed by King David Bruce until the year 1362. Malesius was forefaulted and attainted by King David in 1345 for giving his title of the Earldom of Strathern to the Earl of War- ren, an Englishman, enemy to King David ; and the King gave the Earldom of Strathern to Sir Maurice Murray, as narrated in his charter dated at Scone, Oct. 31, 1345.* It has been remarked, " on the ancient castles of a country, that they are the painful records of a nation's decay, contrasting also the transcience of man and his fame with the eternal freshness of nature. This is a view on the dark side of the picture : nor is it often a just one. If they mark the fugacity of his life, they are the memorials of his heroism. Neither is the contrast just ; for, like the leaves of the forest in Homer's simile, man, as well as in- animate nature, is ever renewed ; the same being, with the same principles, but under aspects as diflferent as those which nature herself, at different stages of society, assumes under his education. If, too, they mark a nation's decay, much oftener they are the mute record of its improvement ; the proofs of its advancement in every thing that constitutes civilization. If they are registers of the heroism, so are they of the barbarism, of ancient times and man- ners ; illustrating, in language that cannot be mistaken, that of which we have often but little other evidence. " The Highland castles are rarely marked by architectural or- nament or elegance of design ; still less are they accompanied by and allegiance to him and his for the said tenure, and do such service for the same as is covenanted between them, and as is proper to a feude. — (See Johnson's DiCT.) * " Upon the opposite side of the river are the church and mansion of Hal- kirke, where, in 11G8, stood the summer residence of John, Bishop of Caithness. At that time, Herald Chisohne was Tliane of Caithness, who was offended at Bi- shop John for defending the liberty of his church. He apprehended the Bishop, pulled out his tongue and both his eyes, and then killed him most cruelly at his own house in Halkirke. " King William of Scotland hearing of this cruel and barbarous act, pursued Herald Chisolme, with most of his accomplices, even into Duncan's Bay, in Caith- ness, and apprehended them. He commanded exact justice to be done. Herald had first his eyes pulled out, then he was castrated, and lastly he was publicly hanged. All his whole family were, in like mannncr, mutilated, and their blood utterly extinguished, least any succession should spring from so detestible a seed. In memory whereof, the place where they were castrated is, at this day, called the Stmiy Hill, tliat the exemplary punishment of so odious a deed might re- main to all posterity. The rest of the oifenders, his followers, were all deservedly jjunished for the terror of others ; all of both, chieftain and servants, had a com- petent and ignominious death, deservedly drawn on by their demerit." — Sir R. Gordon's Hist. p. 27. THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 320 those irregular, though picturesque arrangements and appendages, whicli render tliose of Wales so interesting, and which are so often susceptible of the finest eflects in painting. They are seldom more than castellated mansions, adapted only for a small family, and destitute of all those provisions for luxury, defence, or garri- son, which at the same time confer on such buildings both their historical and picturesque interest. Considered as mansions, if they do not always prove the poverty of their ancient owners, they indicate their barbai'ism and their insensibility alike to comfort and convenience ; while they no less mark a low state of the arts, as well of design as of all those that conduce to the enjoyments and decencies of life. In a military point of view they shew that gar- risons were rarely maintained, and that the species of siege to which they must have been exposed, could seldom have been more than a casual assault or a short investment : as they are seldom provided with any means, either of protracted or destructive defence. " Though there is considerable diversity in the aspect of many of the Highland castles, the general principles of construction are very similar, and confined to two principal or prevailing varieties. The most simple and common plan is that of a single square and narrow tower, of rude but solid masonry, divided into three or four stories, and the lowest being commonly vaulted. This provi- sion is sometimes extended further up ; while the windows are narrow as is the door ; the whole interior being often dark and incommodious. " Generally, I know not if universally, these castles are built with laid stone work ; the walls being thick, and the workmanship, though rude, substantial. The vaultings are strong, but appa- rently designed by guess, or by what workmen call rule of thumb ; but it is remarkable that I have sometimes traced in them an approach to the arch of equilibration : the result of chance, it must be supposed. Thei'e is no adherence to a Gothic pattern in the designs of the windows and doorways; which are pointed, or square, or round headed, just as caprice seems to have dictated. Generally the lower windows are grated with iron ; and sometimes the whole. Of the door ways we can only assert, that they never appear to have been double, nor defended from the sides ; nor have I ever seen the traces of a portcullis. I have found an oven in some of them. The fire places are generally wide in the ancient manner. In no castle of any style have I ever observed any pro- vision for a chapel or oratory ; an arrangement which is never wanting in those of England and Wales. The dungeon, which, on the contrary, was never forgotten, can now rarely be discover- ed ; being filled with rubbish where it has been sunk or else ob- scured in the general ruin, when above ground. Few have any 2t 330 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. well or provision for water, a proof that blockade was as little fashionable as siege. " Want of regular defences proves that the methods of attack were equally imperfect and barbarous. Every action was a cam- paign in itself; and the business of a siege was as little likely to suit the temper, as the talents, of those who were accustomed to beat or be beaten with as little loss of time as possible, and whose prowess and abilities lay alike in the sword arm. " The Highland chief was a wolf in his den ; and his castle was the strong hold whence he issued, like the petty barons of Germany in ancient days, to conduct a feud against a rival, or to roam the seas as a pirate, or to plunder the lands of his defence- less neighbours. The history of their ancient manners illustrates that of their residences ; and these, in turn, confirm what little we know of the other." — See Maculloclis History of the High- lands. The gardens of Brawl situated close to the castle are highly interesting ; since trees of even bushes are so rarely met with in this part of Caithness. The extent of these gardens may be about a statute acre, and they contain a great number of gooseberry trees, and apple trees,which are principally trained against the walls, and hardy vegetables of various kinds ; but the chilling influence of the climate is strikingly evident even on the gooseberry trees ; vt'hile the berries which they produce are small, and possess an in- different, or rather, very kttle, flavour. From the garden we were admitted into a grove of forest trees, covering an extent of two acres. The trees were very slender, principally ash, if I re- collect right, and they had attained an altitude, which, judging from surrounding objects, might have been thought impossible, A few rooks had made their nests in the trees, forming in fact a rookery, a very rare sigiit in the Highlands of Scotland. But if rooks are scarce in these parts, the Royston crow* is common enough, and is a very mischievous bird, particularly destructive to the eggs and young of the grouse. After sauntering over the grove and gardens for some time, we seated ourselves in a kind of harbour, in which was a rude table of stone with seats formed of the same material and in the same character. The old gardener immediately placed some gooseberries before us, and in a short * Naturalists describe the Royston crow, or hooded crow, as a bird of passage, visiting this kingdom in the beginning of winter and leaving it in spring. It is occasionally seen in various parts of England at the latter end of the year; but in the Highlands of Scotland, it is very common ; here it breeds, and here it may be seen all tlie year. Its manners, habits, and voice, are pi'ecisely like those of the carrion crow ; it is the same in size and differs only in its plumage ; the breast, belly, back, and upper part of the neck, being of a pale ash celour ; the liead and wings glossed over with a fine blue. THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 331 time we retired to his cottage, where we obtained some very good milk, excellent whiskey, and oat bread and butter. The gardener and his wife had resided in this place all their lives, and it was with the utmost pleasure that I listened to the terms of affection in which they spoke of their landlord, Sir John Sinclair, Bart. The gardens of Brawl as well as the Old Castle, I found had always been favourites with the worthy Baronet ; and much more than ordinary pains must have been bestowed to bring the gardens to their present state ; but as to the castle, though the walls are remarkably thick, yet they are not proof against the ravages of time ; they are slowly mouldering away, and the resi- dence of the potent Malesius now affords an asylum to a few wild pigeons! — An engraving of the Ruins of Brawl Castle will appear in the next number. For those who are partial to shore or wild fowl shooting, the coast of Caithness will furnish ample and varied amusements. On leaving Brawl, I proceeded towards the town of Thurso, along the banks of the river of that name ; leaving Mr. F to finish his sketches of the Castle, &c. One of my pointers was at some dis- tance before me, and I observed her drinking at the side of the river. A large bird immediately approached and hovered above, with the intention, as I conceived, of pouncing upon her. I was somewhat alarmed for the safety of a favourite, and hastened to- wards her. The bird perceiving my appi'oach, wheeled round, and was making off. 1 fired at him nevertheless ; but I suppose the distance was too great, as he sailed away very unconcernedly. The osprey (which I thought the bird in question to be,) we are told, is about two feet long, and somewhat more than five feet broad ; and its wings when closed reaching beyond the end of the tail. The upper parts of the body and tail are brown ; and the belly is white. It is a singular circumstance in the osprey, that the outer toe turns easily backward, so as on occasion to have toes two forward and two backward, and has a much larger claw than the inner one. This and the peculiar roughness of the foot under- neath, are well adapted to secure the fish, their slippery prey. At a short distance from Brawl stand the remains of a Pictish house. There are many similar remains to be met with, interest- ing only inasmuch as they serve to indicate to the mind the image of an age long passed away. Mr. George Sinclair informed me, that, in all these places, a little below the surface of the earth, human bones are to be found. They are regarded with supersti- tious reverence by the inhabitants, who are very unwilling that the inquirer should injure them ; but they are anxious above all, that the human bones which they contain should remain undisturbed. The shores of Caithness abound with wild fowl of various descriptions ; and they are often found in such flocks that thirteen or fourteen may be killed at a shot. Cormorants are very nume- 332 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. rous ; and are of two kinds, the larger and the smaller ; ihe latter of which are distinguished by the name oi scarf s or scarts. Few of these shore birds are fit for the table, if we except the rock pigeon, of which there are great numbers found amongst the rocks (where they breed) of Caithness as well as many other parts of the Scotch coast. This bird is similar both in appearance and taste to the common blue pigeon ; and though it takes up its abode amongst the crags on the sea shore, it feeds, as in this country, on the labours of the husbandman, and does considerable mischief among the crops of grain. Seal hunting is also an amusement with the sportsmen of these parts ; but pursued perhaps more as a source of profit than pleasure, the time for this diversion is generally on the approach of winter, when the sportsmen provide themselves with torches and blud- geons, and enter the mouths of the caverns about midnight, as the tide is coming in. They row into the caverns, and then land % the seals very quickly take the alarm, and hasten as fast as possible towards the sea. The young ones generally fall victims, being- knocked down with the bludgeons and despatched. These objects of pursuit it seems, are only to be found in those caverns at this period of the year; but hunting them is always attended with danger, not from the animals themselves, though they will bite very fiercely, but from the rushing of the tide into the gloomy re- cesses wherein they are found. «<^vi'^rfv/>^vt^>/>^al should not be rendered a sort of pet by continual caresses , or he will be more difficult to manage afterwards : The foal should be treated with all possible mildness, but never played with. The head of the halter which is placed upon the foal, should be formed of web, which will be easier than cord. He may be led a little in it, but the halter should not be taken off, or at least the head of it, but so secured as to be perfectly easy, and no way to incommode the animal. — As soon as he leads pleasantly, I would remove the halter from his head. When the foal becomes a year old, he may be bitted and ridden by di feather ; (that is, a very light lad ;) but not ridden violently, and if he afterwards takes occasional exercise of this sort, he will give much less trouble in completing his education. In general, however, young horses are not broke till they are two years old ; and at this period they ougjit not to be put to severe exertion. I am avvare it is the custom to work them at this age, and hence arises splints, curbs, &c. so that comparatively few horses are met with whose legs are perfect. When it is deemed necessary to break the colt, a cavison must be placed on his head. The cavison should have an iron nose band, having a joint in the centre, and a loop to which the rein is buckled. The edges of the band, on each side the joint, are THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 353 turned in and a little serrated, and operates severely if the horse makes resistance : two otlier joints, one on each side, from which the iron part is continued smooth and flat from three to four inches, according to the size of the cavison, at the termination of which there are eyes for the purpose of fixing a leather strap on the near side, and a buckle on the off side, which buckles under the jaw: two other eyes- are made in the iron strap, close to the joint for fixing the head stall. A rein, twelve or fifteen feet in length, is fastened by a buckle to the nose band. Proceed to put on the cavison with all the coaxing and gentle- ness already mentioned for the halter ; and in order that you may not disgust the colt, and cause him to take a dislike to you, do not plague or teaze h^n too long at a time. When the cavison is properly adjusted, if the colt should en- deavour to disengage himself, you can hold him securely by the cavison rein ; but, avoid if possible, inducing him to make any such attempt. You may lead him, holding the rein short in your right hand, which should be done by coaxing rather than compul- sion, and you should often stop and caress him. But, should he endeavour to disengage himself, you must be prepared to hold him fiist, and sufficiently short that he cannot turn his hind quarters towards you, lest you should not be able to hold him. Keep his side towards you, and he cannot disengage himself. Avoid irrita- ting or 1 rovoking him ; and in a short time, he will run round you at the extremity of the longeing rein. Use him with all gentle- ness, and when he proceeds pleasantly load him with caresses. Never provoke him to resistance ; and should his temper become ruffled, seem to take no notice of it, and his irritation will soon subside. Thus continue, letting him work round you for a few days ; but be careful of fatiguing him too much. He will soon become sufficiently familiar to allov*' you to put on the longeing tackle without much difficulty. Placing the crupper under the dock requires great caution. Place yourself forward, raise the dock with your right hand, and pass the crupper under the tail, letting the tail down gently, lest he commence kicking. Buckle the crupper that it may not be removed, and adjust it properly. The longeing tackle* should not be drawn too tight at first ; and should be frequently moved and adjusted (though it may be quite correct) for the purpose of accustoming the colt to it, and rendering him steady. Work him in circles in the slow trot, and urge him not beyond his own inchnation. Work him to both hands, and for this pur- * The longeing tackle consists of the bridle and running reins, the roller and crupper. 2 Y 354 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. pose, stop him frequently, and on these occasions, sooth and caress him. Young horses are generally longed in the open air — a school or building with a clay floor is preferable, if such a place can be conveniently obtained ; otherwise good level elastic turf."* When the colt has become accustomed to his tackle, the reins should be shortened by degrees till the head becomes properly placed ; that is, his nose should not be brought to his chest, nor yet carried poking out — common sense must be used on these oc- casions. Attention must be paid to the form of the animal, and also to his mode of going. If the colt's shoulders are placed well back, possess the true declining position, his neck long and arched, he can scarcely avoid carrying his head in a correct and beautiful position. If the shoulder be too upright, the forehand will be low ; if the neck be short and straight, the nose will be carried high : consequently, the more awkward the form, the more judg- ment will it require to place the head properly. Let it be well remembered, however, that nature points out the situation in which every horse should carry his head ; and therefore the restraints or alterations imposed by art should never counteract her efforts, nor indeed exercise even a preponderating influence. Let nature and art go hand in hand. The head cannot be properly elevated in the longe, but it may be too much drawn down, which should be cautiously avoided. The cross-tree is a useful instrument, inasmuch as it enables the breaker to place the head of the animal with the greatest ease and the greatest nicety : — it is much more effective than the common me- thod. However, it ought never to be forgotten, as I have already observed, that nature and art should go hand in hand. The head should be brought into place gradually ; and where the animal happens to be thick in the upper part of the throat (uhere the head and neck join) nature should be accommodated accordingly — his nose should not be too much drawn in, lest roaring (and per- haps other disease) be the consequence. Where a horse happens to be thick in the part just noticed, he must be suffered to carry his head accordingly. Be mindful to keep him in a true and regular trot, letting him extend his pace by degrees, and invite him to raise his head by occasionally shaking the longeing reins, particularly if you observe that he lolls his head down, bearing on the bit. Let the lash of the whip follow him to press him on, but not to urge him to the * If horses go too near the ground, and be thus liable to come down, longe- ing them upon a rough ploughed field will induce them to raise their feet and go safer. But this is not recommended in breaking a colt, as it would be too fa- tiguing ; he would be also liable to strike the inner fore feet against the outer, and cause splents, &c. THE SPORTSiMAN'S CABINET. 355 gallop. When you throw the lash at his hind quarterSj let it be done lightly ; and if he kicks at it, give him the lash smartly to make him sensible of having done wrong. The precise time for mounting a colt cannot be described, as this will mainly depend on the disposition of the animal ; but as soon as he becomes familiar to handle, and works freely in the longe, he may be mounted. But for a few days previously, he should be longed with the saddle on his back, that he may be ac- customed to it. When you stop or halt for the purpose of chan- ging or altering the reins, &c. embrace the opportunity of patting the saddle, pulling the stirrup leathers, &c. and as soon as he appears reconciled to the saddle, and the dangling of the stirrups, he may be mounted. Prepare to mount by taking the reins and a lock of the mane in your hand, and handling the stirrup. If he moves, coax him with all gentleness till you induce him to stand quiet. If you pro- ceed in a proper manner, he will, by degrees, allow you to place your foot in the stirrup, and to stand upright in it, for which you must not fail to caress him. Repeat this till he seems perfectly reconciled to it ; when he may be completely mounted. For this purpose you will require assistance ; and commence by longeing the colt, and continue till he works cool and steady. Let the as- sistant place himself before the head of the colt, having the longe- ing whip in his left hand, and the cavison rein coiled in it also ; and let him sooth and caress him while the person is mounting. He who mounts must proceed with all possible gentleness, and accomplish the object by degrees. Raise yourself repeatedly in the stirrup before you attempt to carry your leg over ; and when you actually cross your leg over, be careful not to touch any part of his hind quarters, the cantle of the saddle, 8cc. but place your- self lightly in the saddle. Separate the reins, taking one in each hand. Let not your legs touch, nor your thighs press, but sit loose and motionless, waiting to observe the temper and disposi- tion of the animal. Should he cringe his tail, and set up his back, you may expect that he is about to plunge : but avoid taking firm hold with your knees and legs till you find yourself compelled to do so, lest the colt should be prompted to it. The assistant should speak kindly to him, and caress him, which may divert him from his purpose, and in a short time, the assistant may invite him to move, leading him in a circle to the left (being the easiest) holding him short by the cavison rein, and watching him, particu- larly the expression of his eye. If he blows in his nostrils, if his tail be up, and he moves gently, they are signs of good disposi- tion; and the man at his head may gradually lengthen the rein, and the rider may collect his reins gently, and feel his mouth as lightly as possible. If there be a suspicion that the colt will plunge, of which those 356 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. that have attended him will be able to form an opinion, it will be advisable to have the reins received through the rings fixed to the head stall of the bridle, which will assist in keeping his head up, v/ithout the rider's hands being raised. He will first attempt to force your hands, in which if he succeed, and your hands are high, your body will be drawn forward, and you will be in danger of a fall. Should the colt get his head down, he will most likely begin to plunge; to prevent which as much as possible, the assistant should have the cavison rein short in his hand, and check him with it : and if he can lay hold of the cheek of the bit with his right hand, he can shake his head up, and prevent his violent plunging. When a horse plunges he holds his breath all the time (as pre- viously noticed) swelling himself out to break the girths, crupper, 8ic. and he will, if possible, continue to plunge till he is under the necessity of standing still to breathe ? and vhen this occurs, let him remain a minute, but neither sooth nor caress him. Should he renew the combat, be prepared to check the violence of it ; but by no means provoke it by menace of any kind or angry words. He will not continue the battle long ; when over he must be led in circle, and as he will continue out of temper for a little time, be prepared for another trial. Mild treatment, however, v.'ill gradu- ally dissipate his ill humour, when you may relax the strictness with which you hold him, and allow him liberty in proportion to his behaviour. Always finish the lesson in good humour with each other. The colt will give up the contest after a trial of two or three days, and you will perceive him relax in his efforts each time. — He must be continued in this way till he goes steadily at the full length of the longeing rein, and can be turned and directed quiet- ly: — when this is the case, finish the lesson by taking away the cavison rein, and riding him v^ithout his being led. The colt will be awkward for some time, and he must be treated with mildness and patience. Animate and aid him gently with the voice, and a slight pressure of the legs, which may be gradually increased, together with slight applications of the whip : but the spurs should not be used till he is reconciled to be ridden. In fact, spurs had better not be worn in the first instance, it will be soon enough to place them on the heel when it becomes necessary to use them. The colt will go with an unequal step, which a little practice will correct. He should be ridden in a moderate trot, the opera- tion of the hand being delicate, feeling every advance, and thus endeavouring to bring the colt's mouth to correspond in a correct appui. Colts in general require the application of the leg fre- quently in order to urge them into the hand for the purpose of forming the mouth. Colts with low and heavy forehands are in- clined to be heavy on the hand, and dead in the mouth : to remedy THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 357 which the bit should be frequently moved by the opening and shut- ting of the fingers, and also by raising the hand a little to induce them to raise the head, the legs applied at the same time. Longe- ing will be discontinued. Horses which have been placed in improper hands, after having been ridden for some time, for years perhaps, are again placed in the hands of a breaker, for the purpose of finishing their education ; and, as it frequently happens in these cases, that the instructions which they had received were rudimentally incorrect, they require some trouble to divest them of bad habits. — It is advisable to longe them ; and when a horse of this description has been sufficiently extended, suppled, and bent by the action of the trot, he may be put to the gallop in the longe, finishing his lesson by riding at large to prevent his head being habitually drawn down. Should it be wished to make a horse to gallop with the right foot to which the left has become habitual : he should be particu- larly bent and worked in the trot to the left, in order to retain the left shoulder and extend the right ; and when he is sufficiently suppled, put him to the gallop to the right without bending him : and, with a little practice, he will freely take the right foot. It is seldom, however, that all this is requisite for the purpose of indu- cing a horse to alter his foot, as, by drawing his head a little, and pressing the leg behind the girth to the opposite side, when you put him to the gallop, will ansvv'er the purpose. Practice will render it familiar to the horse, and he will not require drawing to one side. As to making a horse s mouth, it may be done by riding him in a quick or extended trot, and stopping him suddenly by pulling him together sharply, by which the horse is liable to sprain his houghs or fetlocks, if it be not skilfully managed ; and therefore the rider should first ascertain the force which the horse opposes to the hand, that he may not apply too much strength in pulling him together. Let him be reined a step backward before he ad- vances again. I have seldom met with a horse, however, whose mouth could not be rendered pleasant by the judicious operation of the hands without resorting lo so violent an expedient as that just described. Hard mouthed horses should be ridden with a sharp tv<'isted bit to the bridoon rein ; the curb should be so placed (by means of the curb chain) that a slight feel of the hand has a povi'erful operation, when, by the light, lively, and judicious ope- ration of the hands, the mouth may be brought to the requisite feeling or sensibility. Hard mouthed horses should be put on the bit in the stable : for which purpose a common bit, v»'rapped round with flannel or wool, thus making it tolerably large, will answer the purpose. See page 211. 358 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. Uniting a horse, after the manner directed by manege riders, is cripphng the horse by throwing all the weight possible upon the hind quarters, by compelling him to place his haunches and feet as far as he can under him — placing him, in fact, in a situation the very reverse of that which nature intended. If it be desirable to make a horse raise his fore feet in his paces, riding over a rough ploughed field or uneven ground, will very well answer the pur- pose. Or, if the rider wish to carry this business farther, let him trot the horse out ; and then keeping up the action by the pres- sure of the legs, the hand must retain the horse and shorten his step. TEACHING THE HORSE to LEAP. It is a remark common enough among sportsmen, that all horses will leap [ovjtimp, to use the modern phraseology of the field) and so they will, yet some of them are much apter scholars than others ; and I have seen some which appeared awkward at first, and afterwards became excellent performers. I have not unfrequently heard it remarked also, that thorough- bred horses seldom leap so well as those which possess a portion of inferior blood : such an idea has arisen from observation, I have not the least doubt, and the notion has been hastily impressed upon the mind, without endeavouring to ascertain the cause. Some few years since, I saw the horse. Mercury, several times ridden by Mr. Wicksted with his own and also with Sir H. Mainwaring's hounds, and he certainly could not be distinguished as a leaper. Now, this same Mercury had been for several years a successful runner of what are called cocktail stakes, and w^as consequently named as not thorough-bred ; I feel well convinced that this was a gross falsehood, though a cunningly fabricated pedigree supported the nomination. Similar observations will apply to the celebrated cocktail, Tawpy ; after being on the turf for some years, he was purchased by Lord Robert Grosvenor (then the Hon. Mr. Gros- venor), but did not become remarkable as a hunter, particularly in that essential quality, leaping. But this is not surprising. These horses had been trained for the course from the earhest period of their lives, they had conti- nued to race for some years : and the mode of going on the course, being ill-calculated for the hunting field, the horses appeared in the latter under great disadvantage. On the race course, the horse is thrown forward, and extended to the utmost, for the pur- pose of acquiring the greatest possible speed, and this mode of ac- tion is not calculated for the chase : — the racer should be a daisy cutter. — Something very different to this is required in the hunter j his aotion should be more lofty and more united : — there- THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 359 fore, to enable the thorough-bred hoi'se to shew his powers to the greatest advantage in the field, he should be trained to it, and not allowed to race ; and, under such circumstances, I have not the least doubt, he would manifest his superior power or ability as a leaper. A leaping bar is so well known, that any minute or very parti- cular description would appear ridiculous. I would not, how- ever, have the bar so fixed that if touched by the horse, it would fall ; since, as soon as the horse has discovered this circumstance, he will not be anxious to clear it : — he will rather try to knock it down. Some persons wrap gorse or hay round the bar, for which I am of opinion there is not the least occasion : the gorse is in- tended to act as a stimulus to make the horse clear his leap, but it is inconvenient when first teaching a horse to leap. The hay is for the purpose of preventing the horse rubbing the hair oft' his knees or other parts : — 1 do not recollect ever observing a horse rub the hair oft' his knees in the act of leaping the bar, nor do I think the hay necessary — if hay or other soit material is to be wrapped round the bar, let it be covered with strong leather stuf- fed. Boards, which are sometimes seen under the bars, are not requisite — they are injurious rather than otherwise. I would re- commend a plain simple bar, eight or nine feet long, and that would not fall when leaned against or touched by the horse. In teaching a horse to leap, let it be recollected that no horse ever leaps willingly at the bar: those well practised to it, approach it reluctantly ; and, although the leaping bar is absolutely neces- sary in the riding school, a horse may be taught to leap much bet- ter in the field than in the school, as will be shewn hereafter. However, I will describe the mode of teaching a horse to leap the bar. In the first place, let the bar be fixed very low ; and let the horse be coaxed, rather than compelled, to leap — in every thing relative to this beautiful and generous quadruped, never resort to severity till every milder method has been repeatedly tried in vain. Horses unaccustomed to the sight of the bar approach it -with suspicion, and some are so alarmed, that it is not without trouble they can be got near it. In such cases, it is advisable to remove the bar, and walk the alarmed animal through the pillai's till his fears completely subside. — Then lay the bar on the ground be- tween the pillars, instead of placing it in them, and coax him to walk over it. After he has passed over it repeatedly, fix the bar in the lowest hole, and walk him to it : if he steps over it, instead of jumping, there is nothing wrong ; but if, in this trifling opera- tion, you stop when you are over, and turn to look at him, he will be very likely to stop also : therefore walk on till he becomes quite reconciled to this probationary step. In teaching the horse to leap, an assistant is requisite. When 360 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. the bar is raised so high that he cannot walk over it, he must be coaxed or invited to rise at it. The person who leads the horse over must take tolerably short hold of the reins with his right hand, and endeavour to prevent him from coming too near the bar. The operation of the hand is intended to draw the nose in ; if you raise your hand under the idea of inducing him to rise, you will cause him to raise his nose, in which position he cannot unite, or bring himself together for the purpose of rising. Therefore, if he presses too close to the bar, let the operation be downward and rather back : thus coax him to rise, in which continue the support of the hand, as he should not be suffered to spring with his hind legs till his fore feet are considerably raised. An assist- ant should be behind him with the longeing whip, holding it up, or throwing the lash towards him. When the horse rises, ease your right hand, in order to give him liberty to clear his leap. The person who uses the whip must be mild ; he must not hurry the horse, lest he move from one end of the bar to the other and endeavour to avoid it. The cluck of the tongue should be tried before the whip is used, and even the v^hip in the first in- stance, should be held out rather than applied. The stimulus must be increased according to circumstances ; and if the horse obstinately refuse, severity must be ultimately resorted to, and he must be compelled to perform that which he refused to entreaty and solicitation. He will most likely not leap well, but make an awkward, blundering business of it, yet he should be caressed ra- ther than corrected, in order to encourage him to better perform- ance. However, if a horse that has been in the habit of leaping well, blunders over the bar through reluctance or heedlessness, moderate correction, instantly applied, will be serviceable. There are horses which leap so sluggishly as not to clear their hind legs ; but if the whip be apphed a second or so before he springs, it will make him clear his hind legs. If a horse is very impatient and eager to leap, the person Avho leads him over must prevent him leaping till he rises sufficiently before, as the horse, under these circumstances, intends to break or carry away every obstacle before him. But on no account, hurry a timid horse. I have seen many good tempered, though high spirited, horses approach the bar in a timid fearful manner, which have put their heads down over the bar, and smelt at the ground, accompanied by blowing in the nostrils and snorting. You cannot caress such a horse too much. Let him satisfy himself completely, and he will not give much trouble afterwards. Horses will be met with which will endeavour to break away from you in defiance of the whip behind them, and of every thing (To be continued,) THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET, AND Town and Country Magazine. Vol. I. APRIL, 1833. No. G. Summary of the Season, with Illustrative Observations. April 1. — As the pursuit of the hare ceased in the early part of iNIarch, fox Imnting will be discontinued at the commencement of the present month : field sports indeed become altogether suspended, except in some parts of Haivpshire, and perhaps a few other places, where it is the custom to kill a May fox, which can only be accom- plished where the nature of the country, and the state of its cultivation, will admit of hiniting till such an advanced period of the spring. Also, to the general suspension of field sports, we may ex- cept otter hunting, a diversion at pre- sent little in fashion, and which, like falconry, promises to become extinct at no distant period. With the exception of a few hard frosty days at the close of the last, and the commencement of the present J'ear, hunting has been pursued throughout the season. The anxious bustle of the general election thinned the hunting fields in the early part of the season, since which, however, the attendance has been numerous in almost every part of the kingdom. That capricious fluid, or animal exudation, called scent, gene- rally speaking, has been unfavourable to hounds ; consequently, fewer foxes have been killed than usual, as well as fewer exti'aordinary runs taken place during the season. The fieldfare and the i-edwing, which, on the approach of winter, visit us to feed on the hardy benies of our hedges, congregated and flew high and wildly, in the middle of February, evidently preparing to take their departure for the more northern regions, where they nestle and bring up their young. Indications of spring were observable at an early period of the year in the renovation of vegetable life ; and also in the chirping and sprightly notes of the feathered creation. — The crossbow and the air gun may be bnished up, as the following month will afford employ- ment for them at young rooks. Trout will now take a bait more freely at the bottom than at any other season, and the March brown will be found a killing fly till the appeai'ance of the yellow May fly or green drake. Perch are on the rove and will bite freely, and the various kinds of fish be- gin to leave their winter quarters. Tench and carp will not afford the angler much diversion before next month, whilst pike, though they will seize the bait with eagerness and vora- city (having just spawned) are too weak and poor to shew any sport, and when taken are unfit for the table. Gudgeons may be caught in abundance with a small red worm — they will bite all day. FOX HOUNDS and FOX HUNTING, HARRIERS, S^c. {Continued from p. 299.) Mr. James Tomkinson, of Dorfold were, generally speaking, remarkably Hall, having remarked, on Saturday stout, and in consequence atforded su- (Jan. 19) that Mr. Wickstcd's foxes pcrior runs, it led mc to inquire how it 2 z 362 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. happened that the foxes in question were stouter than those of the neigh- bouring hunts. Some days prior to this, Mr. Wicksted informed me, that his hounds had experienced very indifferent success in cub hunting. Now, if we look at the nature or quahty of Mr. Wicksted's country, we shall perceive that his cubs are principally produced in hilly situations and rocky fastnesses which bid defiance to the exertions of hounds. Cubs, it is well known, will uniformly hang to the covers ; and, if the covers are of that nature as to af- ford them security, they are enabled to avoid a fair contest with hounds. If we look at the cover of Heleigh Castle, any person acquainted with the busi- ness, will easily perceive, that cubs will not leave such a secure protection. T should imagine that an old fox is not easily got away from Heleigh Castle, and old foxes fly much sooner than cubs, owing to their superior knowledge of the surrounding country and confidence in their own strength. Many of the abrupt Staffordshire hills, like Heleigh Castle, afford security to cubs ; and as cubs will not ramble from home the first season, they may be said to attain their full strength, before they can be induced to fly before hounds. Further, according to the classification of naturalists, there are three varieties of the fox found in this country, viz. the greyhound, the mastiff, and the cur fox. The fox commonly met with is denominated the cur fox ; the fox found in hilly countries is called the greyhound fox ; and here the distinction might stop. Sometimes in the flat countries, a larger and heavier fox than common is met with ; but it ought not to consti- tute a distinct ramification, as, on exa- mination, it will be found nothing more than an overgrown cur fox, uniformly a male. The greyhound fox of the hills appears to be a longer legged animal than the cur fox. I have seen them occasionally — once in particular. Eight years since, 1 visited the establishment of Mr. Bradshaw, of Halton Hall, near Lancaster, who, at that period, kept a pack of fox hounds. Two days prior to my arrival, that gentleman's hounds had ran a fox to ground, which was dug out and bagged, to afford sjiort another day, as foxes were not numerous in the country. On the morning when he was run again by the hounds, he was turned into a hanging wood, a short distance from Lancaster, from which he soon broke, making away for the mountains of Westmorland. I happened to be so placed, that I viewed him away for a considerable distance : I never saw so fine a fox : — after a lam of more than twenty miles, he saved himself in the impenetrable crevices of a rock, called Farlton Knots, not far from Kendal. Whether Mr. Wicksted's foxes be principally of the greyhound vai'iety, I have not ascertained ; but, be this as it may, his hounds are equal to the task of killing them. Much as I admire the Duke of Rutland's, Sir Harry Main- waring's, Sir T. Stanley's, Mr. Mey- nell's, the Earl of Lonsdale's, and many others, I never yet have seen any pack so level, so powerful, so well-headed, and so complete : moreover, I found the master of them not only a gentleman, but a most intelligent sportsman, who could trace, with astonishing powers of recollection, the pedigrees of his hounds. The term " well-headed," I use in refe- rence principally to the size of the head, which is large, but well formed. I am well aware that many persons re- gard ajine (that is, a small) head as a beauty in a hound; but notions of beauty are frequently very arbitrary, and will not endure the touchstone of reason : however, of this I feel well as- sured, that those who prefer what are called fine headed hounds must be con- tent with very inferior powers of smell. Bitches always present a more slender form of head than dogs ; and if we look through animated nature, we shall find it characteristic of the sex. Reverting to foxes ; if those of Staf- fordshire are remarkable for stoutness, they are different from those found in Leicestershire when Mr. Osbaldeston hunted that country. This gentleman, when master of the Quorndon establish- ment, kept nearly one hundred couple of hunting hounds. He went out every day during the season, Sunday alone excepted ; occasionally he made use of two packs on the same day : the coun- try, therefore, was imequal to the sup- ply of the requisite number of foxes. THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 26S To make up the deficienc}', cubs were imported from France, which were turn- ed into the covers in Leicestershire, and regularly fed till such time as indubi hound. I was afterwards shewn some bitclies, not in a ttate to go out, two of which, I thought, as handsome and as business-like as any which I had ever table manifestations appeared of their seen. In the whole there were forty- capacity to provide for themselves, eight couple of very superior fox hounds, When the season arrived, these foxes in which the powers of progressive mo- could not stand long before hounds, pai'- tion or speed were evidently the predo- ticularly such hounds as Mr. Osbaldes- minating feature. Their condition was ton's, which were remarkably fleet. I excellent. have not seen this gentleman's hounds On going into the stables, the first since he left Quorndon. idea which struck me was that, in their On the evening of the 20th of Janu ary, it froze severely, so that on the fol ei-ection, sufficient space had not been left behind; the passenger, in conse- lowing morning the ground had become quence, is placed too near the heels of the horses : in every other respect they appeared very well calculated for the purpose. The temperature was com- fortably warm, without, however, reach- ing that degree of heat which is gene- rally found in the stables of Leicester- shire. The horses looked well, wei"e in so hard as to suspend hunting. I left Nantwieh on the morning of the 21st. hoping that the weather might alter in a few hours, and alFord me an opportu- nity of seeing the Shropshire hounds. On this day, their fixture was Atcham Bridge, a few miles from Shrewsbury, but disappointment ensued ; which was good condition, and presented altogether the more to be lamented, as several of the indications of the requisite capacity, the softer sex intended to witness the There were two by Hit or Miss (both first movements of the hounds. The ridden by the huntsman, thirteen stone frost continued. The setting sun of on horseback) one of which, though Monday afternoon (Jan. 21) presented blind of an eye, particularly excited my a bright ruddy aspect ; the frost was se- attention : he evidently united speed vere throughout the night ; and on the and power, the essential qualities of a morning of the following day (Tuesday, modern hunter. A powerful black horse Jan. 22) there appeared every indica- stood next the two by Hit or Miss, a tion of its continuance for some time. serviceable animal perhaps, but not suf- Wednesday, Jan. 23, I visited the ficiently manifesting the form or animal kennels of the Shropshire hounds, which organization for speed to live with the are situated on the Market Drayton Shropshire hounds. He was ticklish ; road, one mile from the town of Shrews- or, at least he seemed very uneasy bury. I found the huntsman (W. under the operation of dressing, which Staples) very civil, and he seemed happened to be performing at this mo- pleased with the ojjportunity of shewing ment : probably, I might not have had me his hounds. He first drew the the too contracted space behind the smaller pack, which consisted for the horses so forcibly impressed on my most part of bitches, among which I mind had it not been for the pi'oofs which easily recognised many beautiful speci- this horse gave of his capacity for ex- mens of the fox hound ; they were al- tending his heels across it. together superior animals, with one ex- The kennels, stables, and their appur- ception only, which appeared too deli- tenanccs were formed upon the plan of cate for the persevering exertions indis- Sir Bellingham Graham, for whom they pensably necessaiy to the successful pur- were erected; they are well and com- suit of the fox ; and this slender bitch, modiously calculated for the purpose, the huntsman informed me, was con- The hounds go out four times a week, demncd — not to the halter — to be draft- On leaving the kennels, I proceeded ed. The larger pack were brought out, a short distance on the road, attracted and at the first blush presented an ele- by the appearance of some picturesque gant toute ensemble : when individually hills on my right : on reaching the turn- •xamined, I could not perceive what pike, a branch road afl'orded me an op- could be fairly called an indifferentportunity of approaching them. I soon 364 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. came in sight of a splendid mansion on the left — SundoVne Castle, the residence of Mrs. Corbet, whose husband hunted the Warwickshire coinitry some years ago. Ir front of the house was a beau- tiful sheet of water, the face of which (I was sorry to perceive) was frozen suffi- ciently hard to bear the weight of many scores of wild fowl which were silently congregated upon it. On returning towards the town of Shrewsbury, an elegant young man trot- ted past me, who appeared very much like a fox hunter ; he reined in his corky little mare, and allowed me to reach him. After a few remarks on the weather, fox hunting naturally enough came uppermost : — I found I had the pleasure of addressing Captain Hill, brother of Sir Rowland, and nephew to our amiable and highly- distinguished Commander in Chief. An hour or two afterwards I received a polite invitation from Mr. Wynne, under whose hospi- table I'oof 1 found Captain Hill, Mr. Corbet, of Sundorne, and his brother, an officer in the Horse Guards Blue ; from whom I experienced the most po- lite attention. Mr. Wynne accompanied me to his stables; in the first of which I found two highly promising young things and a hack precisely of the right stamp and form. In the second I experienced a real treat. A chesnut horse, sixteen hands one inch, the most powerful tho- rough-bred horse I ever saw ! He pre- sented the very cut, character, and fi- gure of a hunter : the strength of his hind quarters was immense. Mr. Wynne (who rides sixteen stone) is no feather on his back : he is, it seems, as light to handle as a pony. I must see this ex- traordinaiy horse again. In the next stall stood a fine powerful black horse, of which I should have thought more, had not the impression of his splendid chesnut companion so fully occupied my mind. In consequence of the frost, (which had commenced on the 21st January) I started for London on the morning of the 25th (Jan.) by the Wonder coach. I had frequently heard of the regular and surprising pei'forriiances of this coach, and the present occasion gave me an opportunity of witnessing its operations. It starts from the Lion Inn, Shrewsbury, at a quarter before five each morning. 1 reached the inn yard a few minutes before the appointed time, and found the coachman on the box, ready to let go the moment the chimes from a neighbouring church clock announced " time .'" We were clear of the inn yard before the chimes had fully announced three quarters past four. The road lay through Watling-street, and we therefore rolled along the very pavement over which the eagle of impe- rial Rome had floated many centuries ago. But this circumstance, though an interesting subject for reflection, was quickly superseded by the prospect of hundreds of fires, which, on every side, emitted streaming flames, and by their light the astonished passenger is enabled to discern the dark and murky atnro- sphere by which he is surrounded. In this neighbourhood, iron ore is procured in abundance ; and such is the admirable dispensation of Providence, that, on the very spot where this most valuable mineral is ibund, coal is equal- ly abundant. Hence, there are nume- rous buildings for the extraction of the iron from the dross, called hlasi houses, the flames from which, as well as from the fires at the numerous shafts (aper- tures or openings by which the ore and coal are conveyed from the mines below to the surface of the earth) render this country for many miles a complete Ter- ra del Fuego. When daylight enabled me to discern objects with more preci- sion, [ observed that many of the cotta- ges and other buildings exhibited cracks, one part separating from the other, owing to the partial sinking of the ground caused by the subterranean ex- cavations : others had ci'umbled to pieces. But my attention was called, by an intelligent gentleman who sat by me, to a sort of smothered fire, which, from the smoke continually issuing, was evidently burning near the sui-face of the earth, which lie called wild fire, and which, he remarked, only required the admission of air, to blaze with un- quenchable fury. I reached the Angel Inn, Islington, at half past nine o'clock, the journey thus averaging about ten miles per ( THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 365 hour. At the Angel Inn, Islington, I found indifferent accommodations, and I decamped the next morning : one item of the bill was somethiug out of the common way : — " Sitting room, 45. Qd !" I occupied it one hour and a half! Tlie frost continued for some days after my arrival in London, wlien the weather became favourable for the sports of the field. I returned to Shrewsbuiy on the 5th of February, and on the following day met the Shropshire hounds at Chetwynd Park, the resi- dence of Mr. Burrows. — The fixture was little short of twenty miles from Shrews- bury, and by taking a wrong direction (turning towards Harlescot) a mile or two more was added to the distance. However, I reached my destination in very good time : in fact, although half past ten o'clock was the specified time, the word was not given till some half hour later, when the hounds proceeded to draw a kind of rough garden below the house, which did not appear a like- ly residence for renard : it was drawn blank. The park was next tried : a few hares moved awa}^, but no fox was found : I was surprised at the dis- appointment, as the park ought to have held several : or at least that part of it which was drawn, which consists of a picturesque ridge of hills, covered with trees, with very fine dry lying amongst the fern below. I could not help admiring the extensive and beau- tiful scenery presented to the view from these heights. The trees are sufficient- ly separated from each other so as to admit of riding amongst them without inconvenience : the field was tolerably numerous ; pedestrians in abundance ; thus the trying of the hounds, the eager movements of the horse and foot upon the sides and the crest of the woody hill, rendered the scene very in- teresting, graced as it was by several of the most lovely part of animated natux-e. We now proceeded to some wood- lands, consisting chiefly of fir trees, with very little bottom cover; and there- fore, after drawing Chetwynd Park blank, 1 was not surprised to observe the hounds remain silent as they ran through these woods. " Huntsman, (said I, as Staples popped out of the cor- ner of the wood witli his well-looking family) you are short of foxes in this neighbourhood." — " We shall find. Sir, (said he) in the next cover." He trot- ted away to a fine gorse, where, from appearances, I placed the fullest re- liance on the huntsman's prediction. The hounds expected him : they drew the cover busily and well, but in si- lence and disappointment! Some wood- lands on the opposite side the main road were tried : a hound spoke — it was good — Hark ! — Gone away to the left ! No, back to the right ! — the delightful chorus swelled on the gale — all was ani- mated eagerness ! The weather was un- commonly fine, yet the scent was indif- ferent ; the hounds could pick it only for some minutes, when they mended their pace, and run him to the banks of a small river, evidently getting on bet- ter terms with him every moment. Part of the pack dashed across ; part of the field passed over a bridge which very conveniently presented itself: one of the whips took hold of the hounds which had crossed the water, and cast them forward to a cover at a short dis- tance. But it would not do. — The fox had not crossed the river. In conse- quence of the previous rain, the banks of it were overflown ; and I am of opi- nion the fox, on reaching it, instead of crossing, had run up the side for some score yards up to his belly in water, and thus bafiled the hounds. I saw a simi- lar thing in Sir T. Stanley's country. — A delay of ten or fifteen minutes was the consequence, which I felt convinced, imder the circumstance of an indifferent scent, would enable the fox to go his own pace, and beat us without much trouble to himself. Staples cast his hounds like a man of good sense, re- covered the scent, and went tolerably for some time; but the hounds never got upon any thing like terms with him, and were of course ultimately beaten. Foxes are not numerous in this part of the Shropshire country, and from some observations which I heard, I have no doubt they are very unfairly treated. There does not indeed appear much game of any description. 1 saw a few hares, and two or three pheasants. Sir Edward Smythe, the master of 366 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. the hounds, was amongst the number of sportsmen. I here met again Cajj- tain Philip Hill, mounted, not upon his little favourite corky Strephon mare, but upon a fine bay, which looked very like a splendid hunter ; also, Captain Vincent Corbet, M'ho rode a very pro- mising young brown horse. Another gentleman attracted my attention, mounted upoa a very light grey, which lie put conspicuously along, like an ac- complished fearless workman : he had all the air of a military man : I had never seen him before, yet his features, the expression of his countenance, were not strange : he must be a member of the Hill family : it was Captain Cle- ment Hill ; a year or two back I had rejjeatedly seen his brother Frederick, (now, I understand, with his regiment in Gibraltar) in Cheshire with Sir Tho- mas Stanley's hounds : the family like- ness of the brothers could not be mis- taken — two finer men cannot be found in the king's dominions ! On Friday, Feb. 8, I met the Shrop- shire hounds, for the second time, at the fifth mile stone on the Baschurch road, a very convenient distance from the town of Shrewsbury. I had not trotted far on the road, before I observed Mr. Wynne's extraordinai'y horse proceeding to the appointed spot. I had seen him before in the stable. He is thorough- bred, sire Jupiter; the most powerful thorough-bred horse I ever saw : — if, from his bulk, he does not present ex- actly the appearance of full blood, his action is as light and true as possible. That genuine sportsman, his master, may well be proud of such an animal : it is as it should be; the horse carries sixteen stone as easily as most horses would carry twelve ! The road became thronged with sportsmen as I approach- ed the fixture : — indeed, they might be observed emerging from all points of the compass. I overtook the hounds a short distance before they reached the rendez- Tous : they looked remarkably well, the atmosphere seemed favourable, and I confidently anticipated good sport. The hounds moved off the main road into an adjoining field, which, in a few mi- nutes might be said to be covered with sportsmen. I observed Captain Philip Hill come up on a grey ; he had ridden him twenty five miles, and exchanged him for his Strephon mare. The hounds were thrown into a fine gorse (called, I believe, Fltz gorse) and soon found. The fox, however, was unwilling to leave the cover ; and when, at length, forced away, crossed the road, and entered Leaton covers, which she (it was a vixen) continued to thread for some time ; and, although she re- peatedly shewed herself, and crossed a few fields, she uniformly sought again the protection of the covers. Leaton covers fringe the banks of the river for a considerable distance, affording a strong hold for foxes : under ordinary circumstances, a fox could hang to them for some time, in defiance of the exer- tions of hounds ; on the present occa- sion, the scent was so bad, that the hounds could carry it neither in nor out of cover ; therefore, finding her advan- tage, although she came out sevei-al times, she was enabled to return at her ease. In this way the business conti- nued for three quarters of an hour, when rain came on heavily, continued for some time, and in consequence all the neighbouring buildings were placed in a state of requisition. In half an hour, the horizon bright- ened : the hounds left the vixen in quiet possession of her well- sheltered territories, and proceeded to another cover, calling on the way at a welcome house, where pork pie, &c. and a glass of good home brewed, were generously dispensed with an unsparing hand : — the master of the family and his son, with other assistants, were busily occu- pied in lianding the good cheer to the hungry hunters: being a stranger, I was by no means neglected : on the contrary, I received marked and polite attention. This refreshment was the more accept- able, as it was offered at the moment of need ; and unquestionably prevented " catarrah or tooth ache," which might have resulted, not from " thin- soled shoes," but from the wetting we had just experienced. Some woodland belts were tried un- successfully, and the hounds were taken back past the fifth mile stone, turning to the right for some fine covers about a mile distant. At this period the ho- rizon assumed a veiy threatening ap- THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 367 pearance : the wind blew hard, sound- ing harshly and wild : the Welsh moun- tains in the distance appeared to smoke, and as we approached the covers, the atorm burst upon us with tremendous violence : — or, I ought rather to say, it reached us — the wind blew a hurricane : fierce, sleety rain was driven laterally with such violence, that the horses turn- ed their hind quarters to the storm, being unable to endure its "pitiless pelting" in any other position. The shelter of the wood was sought, but such was the violence of the weather, that a stout and sturdy oak, against which I placed my shoulder, could not prevent a wetting to the skin. As soon as the storm subsided a fox was found, a lucky circumstance, as it prevented any luipleasant sensations or feeling from wet clothes. He went away in the direction for Fitz, and afforded a pretty little burst of some twelve or fif- teen minutes, when the hounds were brought to a check ; and though they tried hard, and picked a cold scent for a few minutes, they were unable to make him off. They returned to the place where he was found, drew two woods blank, but on entering a third, they spoke to him in a few seconds. He went away. The scent appeared better. Renard crossed a few fields, entered a wood, through which the hounds appeared to be i-attling him, but when he had reached the opposite side, he turned short again, the hounds working well at him, and, finding it dangerous to run the cover any longer, he came upon an adjoining common, skulked amongst the gorse bushes, lay down, and allowed the hounds to chop him — a fine dog fox, two )'ears old. On this occasion (and I have seve- ral times observed similar circumstan- ces) 1 noticed two hounds wliich mani- fested no inclination to taste him ; which would induce a supposition that the death only of the fox is indispensable to render hounds eager in the pursuit, and that devouring him, though it may give an appropriate finish to the busi- ness, is luniecessary. A stag hound is not allowed to taste the venison he pur- sues. The pointer is satisfied with the game being killed to him — he is not suffered to eat it, yet pursues his busi- ness with the utmost possible persever- ance. However, a good pointer will not work for a bad shot ; a fox hound would beconie slack if he constantly lost his foxes ; but in all probability there are few, if any, fox hounds that would eat the fox if he were not given to them immediately, and under a state of the greatest possible excitement. Some low woodlands (called, I be- lieve, Merrington covers) were tried without success ; also Middle Park ; and in succession Harmer Hill, and Harmer Hill Moss ; and ultimately Pim Hill : — no find. The rocky cover of Harmer Hill does not seem to afford snug lying for foxes ; the Moss just mentioned is considered a sure find ; and Pim Hill, I was told, often produces a fox : but I was told something worse than this, namely, that a brace of foxes had lately been found dead in Pim Hill — trapped. — Therefore, drawing these covers blank seems accounted for in a great degree. A country lad said he saw a fox leave Pim Hill about an hour before the ar- rival of the hounds, and make off over the lower grounds : this account ap- peared to be correct, as the hounds feebly acknowledged a scent in crossing the line of him. The field was numerous and bril- liant : amongst whom I noticed Captains Philip and Clement Hill, their brother the Rev. Mr. Hill; Mr. Wynne, Sir Henry Edwards, Mr. Smithyman Ed- wards, Mr. Corbet, his brother Captain Corbet; Mr. J. A. Lloyd and his bro- ther Charles ; Lord Corrie, Captain Powis, Rev. Mr. Fielding, Mr. S.Owen, Mr. W. Lloyd of Aston ; another, a ve- teran, Mr. Stephen Denston of Stan- waredine, a most gallant sportsman, highly respected by the gentlemen of the hunt, who, some time since, request- ed him to sit for his porti'ait, which they wished to preserve as a memento of their esteem for a worthy man and an invincible fox hunter. On the following day, Saturda)', the 9th of February, the Shropshire hounds met at Stoke Heath, found a good fox, and killed him in gallant style, after a brilliant run of one hour and ten mi- nutes. On this day, Mr. Corbet's harriers S68 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. met at the village of Upton, three miles from Shrewsbury. I overtook them before they reached the village, and fomid them to be old acquaintances : they had been procured in Lancashire, from the neighbourhood of Bury, Roch- dale, &c. and when I call them old ac- quaintances, I mean that the family of these hounds has frequently fallen un- der my observation : they are a remove frcm the southern hound, deep flewed, charmingly musical, very tender noses, or, in other words, exquisite sense of smell : they are what harriers ought to be. Prior to the present season, Mr. Corbet's harriers were much lighter ; his present pack being made up intirely of draughts, cannot be expected to be perfect ; but he has a number of very promising young hounds ; and, in about two years, may calculate upon being in possession of a very superior pack. Mr. Corbet is a thorough sportsman : he goes out regularly with the fox hounds, and hunts with his harriers the interme- diate days : he is a strict preserver of foxes, and in consequence, when the hounds draw his covers, they are seldom long in finding. On reaching Upton, some fallows to the right of the village were tried. I rode over them, and observed indications which convinced me that hares were plentiful ; though the fallows did not produce one. However, in a few minutes, pussy moved away, and afforded a very pretty burst of fifteen minutes — it was very quick : the hounds surprised me ; I had no idea they could go so fast : — a brown dog I noticed in particular, frequently stretching away at the head of the pack. The hare made oft' in the direction of the Park (a range of picturesque and beautiful hills) but doubled and was very prettily hunted throvigh her mazes : she came back to her old quarters ; and, after a little work- ing, went straight away to the Park ; the hounds were stopped at the foot of the hills, owing to the numerous stock of hares which the Park contained. On our retxn"n towards our first ground, Mr. Corbet called at a farm house, when out came an elderly man ; not " the lean and slippered Pantaloon ;" but more resembling the fat justice, with "capon crammed." The " 'Squire," and he seemed to be on a familiar friendly footing (the kind-hearted Mr. Corbet can have no enemy; ) but I could scarce- ly understand the old yeoman : he spoke fluently and fast, if not in tropes and figures — if not in the streaming and beautiful eloquence of Cicero, or the pithy and impassioned periods of De- mosthenes — yet there was something mysterious in his rapid and unqualified oracles ! And who, Gentle Reader, should this loquacious old man be, but a physician ! Smith, the compounder of Plowden's Drops ; which, like Solo- mon's Balm of Gilead, are represented as an all powerful panacea : at all events, these Drops, like the Balm of Gilead, have answered the intended purpose : — if they have not proved a sovereign and universal remedy, they have filled the purse of the learned and loquacious compounder. It is no wonder Plowden's Drops are a favourite medicine, since the proprietor strongly recommends good cheer as a requisite accompaniment ; and, if an opinion is to be foi-med from appearances, the pro- prietor may be taken as a fair sample of the effects of the latter: yet, like many doctors, probably takes very little of his own physic. We tasted his tap : — ■ it had not the genuine Shropshire fla- vour. We quitted the Temple of Escula- pius, and in a few minutes were run- ning a second hare, who saved herself by pushing another from her form. Se- veral were on foot : — the hounds had no chance : hares were continually crossing the line of each other ; and, after trying for some time, Mr. Corbet returned to the village of Upton, where we found very opportunely — not a hare — but a comfortable, elegant repast, generally called a Lunch : the most interesting part, however, was the manner of it : — I was received by INIiss Pigot (Mr. Corbet's aunt) not only with the utmost polite- ness and affability, but with a kind- hearted frankness that infinitely in- creased the zest of the entertainment. The residence of Miss Pigot is very picturesque, elegantly so : she com- plained, veiy good naturedly, of the de- predations which the hares committed in her flower garden, particularly upon her pinks ; in consequence of which. THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 369 the hounds were thrown off in the ad- joining field. A hare was soon found, whicli the hounds followed very pi"ettily for some minutes, and I make no doubt would have killed, had not their atten- tion been directed by the rising of other hares, which might be seen moving in all directions. We had plenty of run- ning ; but hares were so abundant that there was no chance of killing. From the quantity of hares, it might have been supposed that no poachers existed in this part of the world ; yet Mr. Cor- bet informed me that it was only the preceding week that the implements used by the infamous fraternity had been found in one of his woodlands. This gentleman, however, finds the best possible jH'otection for the game on his estates in the affectionate good will of his tenantry, who share with him the pleasures of the chase. The neighbour- hood of Upton, where we this day hunt- ed, contains many fields of great extent, the fences are not difficult, and altogether it is the finest country for harriers I ever saw. Monday, Feb. 11, the fixture for the Shropshire fox hounds was Acton Bui*- nell, the residence of Sir Edward Smythe, the master of them ; distant eight or nine miles from Shrewsbury. Hitherto I had been unfortunate in meeting these hounds, as the sport had been meagre ; I anticipated better do- ings. But the morning wore a very for- bidding aspect. Threatening clouds rose successively in the horizon, and moved rapidly to various parts of the heavens, frequently letting fall their un- welcome contents. A considerable quan- tity of rain had descended during the night, and gave to the serpentine and " sandy bottomed" Severn i woln and angry appearance. At nine o clock the hounds passed through the town of Shrewsbury on their way to Acton Bur- nell, and I embraced the opportunity of accompanying them. At the end of the town we passed the beautiful column erected in honour of that highly distinguished Salopian, Lord Hill, whose humanity as a man, is equal to his valoiu' and genius as a soldier. This well merited monument of esteem was raised by the voluntary subscriptions of the nobility, gentry, and inhabitants of the town and county of Salop : it stands upon an elevated spot, at the entrance of the town from the London road ; a plain, but very fine, column (about GO feet high, I believe) surmounted by an heroic martial figure: it is equally creditable to the high de- serts which called it forth, as to the generous feeling which spontaneously produced it. The huntsman informed me that he had killed three and thirty brace of foxes ; and though some capital runs had been obtained, the season, on the whole, had been unfavoui'able to scent : hence it would appear, that scent has been very varia])le in parts adjacent to each othei". Mr. Wicksted, a short time prior to this period, told me that he had never known scent so good as during the pre- sent season. The rain descended very freely ; the clouds smoked round the top of the Wrekin* on the left, as well as on some smaller and more conically-foiined hills on the right. We approached Pitch- ford, the seat of Lord Liverpool, where the Duchess of Kent and the Princess Victoria took up their residence for a short period during their late tour, and embraced the opportunity of witnessing a run with the fox hounds. A morning was fixed for the occa- sion ; the weather was propitious ; the Royal Visitors proceeded in a can-iage to a spot chosen for the piu'pose, which, it was supposed, would afford these il- lustrious females the best view of the business. The station was some elevated ground, a short distance from Pitchford, surrounded, as it were, by small covers. A fox was found ; he hung to the co- vers ; and, after a little ringing and short nmning, was killed in view of the Duchess and her Royal Daughter. To use the words of Staples, the huntsman, " the fox run as if he had been guided by a string, and was scarcely ever out of sight of the royal carriage." The brush was presented to the Duchess by the master of the hounds ; and so highly pleased was this illustrious lady, that she gave the huntsman ten pounds. * Immortalized in that beautiful and characteristic ballad, " The Death of Tom Moody. 3 A 370 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. buildings In consequence of the unfavourable state of the weather, the assemblage was not so numerous as usual : amongst the number were Sir Henry Edwards, the Rev. Mr. Wade, Captain Hanmer, bro- ther of Sir John Hanmer, Mr. Smith Owen, the Rev. Mr. Corbet of Longnor, Mr. Hope of Netley, Captain Walter Williams, Mr. Kenyon, &c. &c. The hounds were put into one of the while the master of them dispensed his generous hospitality, of which he made me a partaker. A few minutes after eleven, the word was given, and the hounds proceeded to draw the Park, which contained a suc- cession or range of CO vers, which fringed the sides and the crests of abrupt hills, and which .judging from appearances, could scarcely fail to hold several brace of foxe they are regarded a sure find, yet we drew them blank. The view from these woodland hills (which attain a considerable altitude) is extremely beautiful, rich in the most picturesque and even romantic scenery. From one part of them is seen the elegant man- sion of Sir Edward Smythe, at the ex- tremity of the park, the intermediate space below the hills interestingly ani- mated with herds of fallow deer, and ornamented with fine sheets of water. Serpentine or winding roads are formed for the purpose of reaching the summits of these elevated grounds, and these, though situated on the sides of steep hills, where it might be supposed the wet would drain off, were very heavy : much rain had lately fallen, and the stiff clay, of which the surface of these hills appears to be composed, completely retains the wet. On taking a view of the country on the further side of the hills, I felt satisfied as to the direction of the fox : I therefore took my station for the [>urpose of viewing him away. I anxiously listened for a challenge — and listened in vain : no music reached my ears : the hounds descended to the lower ground without uttering even a doubtful note. Deer are inquisitive, capricious ani- mals, as I have many times noticed : they appear to possess the audacity of the goat without his courage and saga- city. On proceeding through the park, the hounds manifested no disposition to disturb the deer ; but the latter were bent on interfering with the former : the hounds, with the most philosophical en- durance, bore the most outrageous in- sults : a dark-coloured doe, at length, contrived to get among the pack, and to knock down one of the hounds : — this was too much — the dog shewed his teeth, and made a sort of unwilling snap at the reckless intruder, and there the matter ended : these hounds are re- markably steady. Stephen's Hills, Golding, Pitchford, Light Green Copj^, Cantlock Wood, Ber- ringtou Moss, and Eaton Mascott, to the surprize of every one, were drawn blank ! No doubt, the country held many foxes, but held them underground : the previous night had been very stormy, and the foxes had been stopped in their earths. But, if we found no fox, we met with plenty of good cheer. Sir Edward Smythe, and the facetious and witty Sir Henry Edwards, appeared to be quite adepts at finding houses of call ; but nothing is easier than this in Shropshire, where all is open-hearted and generous hospitality. We had taken refreshment several times eiijjas sunt ; and when, at a few minutes past four o'clock, a blank day was pro- nounced, T accompanied the two very worthy Baronets just mentioned to the house of Mr. Ellesmere. This highly respectable yeoman was prepared for our reception : I very much enjoyed Mr. Ellesmere's hospitality, enlivened as it was by the colloquial racy jokes of the two Baronets just mentioned. I never recollect riding through a heavier country : it is true, a great quantity of rain had fallen during the previous week. The covei', called, if I mistake not, Stephen's Hills, I found an awkward place: it is formed by what may be called (for want of a better ex- pression) a crooked, abrupt, and ill de- fined ravine, the sides covered with trees and strong brushwood, with a brook running down the valley. It appeared to me a sti'ong hold for foxes, from which they would not be easily got away ; but, it seems, such a notion is quite erro- neous : they quickly fly from it, and generally afford good runs. Fox hunters seldom return home quite satisfied, however brilliant the run, un- THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 371 less a good account can be given of the fox: a blank daj' is worse; but certainly rendered more palatable in bhropshire than any other country which I have hitherto visited; since, if a fox cannot be found, good cheer is always at hand, dispensed with cheerful generositJ^ Tuesday, Feb 12, I rode to Sundorne Castle at an early period of the morning, for the purpose of taking a peep at Mr. Corbet's kennels, &c. The name of Corbet sounds like an old acquaintance; it reminds me of the days of my boyhood, when the father of this gentleman hunt- ed Warwickshire ; and, when with eager anxiety, I have impatiently expected his hounds on the Leicestershire side of the country, where his memory is still cherished, and frequently calls forth a sigh as remembrance sickens at days which can never return ! I found Mr.Corbet in the stable j^ard, and I soon found myself in the very ken- nels which formerly contained in summer the fox hounds of his highly respected father. They are reduced in size, as harriers do not require that spacious and extensive accommodation which is indispensable to the well being of a large pack of fox hounds. Grass courts seem to be no longer considered requisite ; and accordingly the grass court of the late Mr. Corbet has been converted into an orchard. The present contracted kennels are conveniently laid out, and afford ample, and indeed excel- lent, accommodations for Mr. Corbet's harriers : I therefore felt surprised when this gentleman informed me that some of his hounds had been troubled with shoidder lameness. Let it be recollect- ed, however, that these harriers were hastily collected from Lancashire not long ago ; and I cannot help thinking that the foundation of the disease was laid before they came to Sundorne Castle. Shoulder lameness unquestion- ably arises from damp lodging rooms : and as those in Mr. Corbet's kennels are remarkably dry, with well adapted ventilation, they could never have ori- ginated this bane of the kennel. The stabling is commodious, spacious, and well laid out. On the previous Sa- turday, Mr. Corbet rode a pretty dark grey, which could go, and which he rat- tled along : I had no difficulty in recog- nising this animal. A lighter grey at- tracted my attention, a very neat power- ful horse, which was purchased not long ago from Mr. Wynne: this hci'se must be a favourite with his owner, as he is good tempered, steady, and goes well — much faster than I had supposed, as I afterwards witnessed : there were seve- ral very good horses, in fine healthy condition ; and indeed every thing ap- peared well calculated for Mr. Corbet's establishment. I was shewn two chargers belonging to Captain Corbet, superior horses ; the condition of one of them, a dark brown, or brown black, appeared pei'fect. But the tem])erature of the stables is by no means remarkable for a high degree of heat : the horses inhale as pure an at- mospheric air as possible, where no thermometer is used, but the degree of warmth regulated by human perception. In the saddle room, before the fire, lay the largest dog I ever saw — the largest in England, I have no doubt — an immense mastiff. He rose, and the dog and I were friends immediately. Some thirty years ago, a gentleman of Lancashire (Mr. Bibby of Ormskirk) had a very large dog, which he gave to Mr. Scarisbrick of Scarisbi-ick Hall, in the same county : he was bred between the greyhound and the mastiff, and in regard to size, was next in degree to Mr. Corbet's dog. The latter, I am in- clined to think, is not a thorough-bred English mastiff: he is much larger than any mastiff I ever saw, and evidently more active : he is a dog of immense power, and reminds one of those men- tioned by Elian, as having been exhibit- ed to Alexander the Great in India, whose strength and courage were said to be such that they despised any mean- er antagonist than a lion; and which would allow their heads to be severed from their bodies rather than abandon their persevering, tenacious gripe. The account may be found in several natu- ral histories, and, amongst the rest, in Oliver Goldsmith's History of the Earth and Animated Nature ; those who are fond of the marvellous will be highly entertained with the perusal of it. If Mr. Corbet's dog be not equal to the monarch of the forest, he would prove a formidable antagonist for one of Mr. 372 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. I/eche's powerful wolves; which, I un- derstand, are to be turned out before his fox hounds, deprived of their teeth ! Sundorne Castle presents an external appearance consonant to its name ; with which the interior corresponds. The room in which the breakfast table was laid out is charmingly pleasant, and adorned with full length figures of de- ceased members of the family. I was afterwards shewn the library, where I was very politely received by Mr. Cor- bet's mother, and where I found his brother, Mr. Dryden Corbet. The li- brary is a spacious apartment, well stocked with books, and containing some beautiful pictures, mostly by the old masters. On the table,nearthe entrance, Avas placed a silver cup, presented to the father of Mr. Corbet, on his retiring from the Warwickshire hunt, as a token of esteem for the satisfactory and libe- ral manner in which he had conducted tliat establishment. On another table appeared several splendid gold cups, adorned with nautical emblems, which had been won by Mr. Corbet's yacht Hebe. It was time to proceed to the place of meeting, and the few minutes which could be spared, allowed me only a superficial glance at the treasures of the library. My opniion was asked by Mr. Corbet, in regard to tlie merits of mangel wurtzel as food for hounds, as indeed a substitute for potatoes. I have had but little experience in the use of the root just montiond, and that little has not been satisfactory. However, in feeding hounds, tlie nature of the coun- try over which they have to run should be duly considered, which, I believe, is seldom taken into the account. In Lei- cestershire, they are fed liglitly ; that is, after the flesh has been boiled, so that the juices are completely extracted, the liquor only, mixed with meal and pota- toes, is given to the hounds : this system of feeding is intended to enable tlie hounds " to run upon a wind," as it is called, over the sound land and large in- closures of which that celebrated coun- ty is composed. But when hounds are to labour through deep and heavy coun- tries, the flesh also should be given them. Those who are anxious for judi- cious information in regard to feeding hounds would do well to apply to Sir H. Mainwaring, who, from long expe- rience and acute observation, would be able to give them very valuable advice, I do not recollect ever observing hounds cany so much flesh as Mr, Wicksted's : I never saw hounds run better — -I never saw hounds run so stoutly : but then, let it be clearly under-stood that the flesh which these hounds carry is firm elastic muscle, without which no veiy great power or strength can be obtained. It would be a difficult matter perhaps, to place so great a quantity of muscle on hounds in general, since the animal must be formed for the purpose : he must possess the requisite bone, sinew, and symmetry. Mr.Wicksted, I tliink, uses no mangel wurtzel. Let those who try this uncertain root begin cau- tiously. Mr. Corbet's huntsman (Grice) quit- ted his service this morning, for the pur- pose of whipping-in to the Shropshire fox liounds, the first whip from which being engaged to whip-in to Goossy (huntsman to the Duke of Rutland's hounds, under the direction of Lord Forester) : that gentleman, therefore, performed the duties of huntsman him- self, which he had indeed on the pre- vious Saturday, when I met his harriers at Upton. Ufiington, the fixture for this day, is situated scarcely two miles from Sundorne Castle, and we conse- quently very soon reached the place. 'The " Squire" halted at a good looking farm house, where he was received by one of those genuine English specimens of human nature which are more fre- quently met with in the county of Salop than in any other part which I have visited. ^Mr. Allen (the name of this veiy worthy yeoman) mounted a power- ful animal — a sort of large cob — and telling Mr. Corbet he had several hares ready for him, the hounds tried in the direction of a large meadow, which was washed by the waters of the Se- vern, in an ill-defined semi- circular form. I could scarcely bring myself to think that this meadow held a hare, on account of some young draught horses which were grazing in it: hares seldom form their seats in fields containing either liorses or cattle, or indeed sheep. They are fond of a still retired spot for their daily repose ; but are by no means THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 373 so shy of the human presence as the more suspicious and more crafty fox. It was a few minutes past eleven : some of the hounds, nevertheless, spoke ; but could not nuike out the trail : such a circumstance, indeed, was not probable ; many hours had no doubt elapsed since pussy had taken her position for the day, after her nocturnal gambols. Her ladyship was close at hand, however ; she sat very snugly imder a bunch of grass ; nor would she leave her seat till the whip moved her off. She made for the gate* at the further end of the meadow, a considerable distance, the stretch across which was very pretty. She leaned to the right, made her way over some fallows, and I was surprised to observe the hounds carry the scent so accurately over them, and that too at a good fair pace. Pussy directed her progress towards some coal works, which she passed on the left; apparently point- ing for the hills (called the Park) ; but being a stranger to these picturesque eminences, she resolved not to leave her own well known country : therefore, finding the hounds pressed her over the numerous fallows, she doubled, com- menced her woi'kings, and formed a labyrinth which brought her pursuers to a check. She was at length hit off in the direction of the meadow where she was found ; but, before reaching it, doubled in some wheat and fallow fields, and vei'y much puzzled the hounds : here she had evidently made very con- siderable working, and it occupied the pack some time before they made her off up to an osier bed on the banks of the Severn, and thence to Mr. Allen's garden, where she effectually baffled lier pursuers ; after a run of one hour and twenty minutes. Wherever Mr.Corbet's harriers meet, it seems to create a sort of village festi- val — smiling faces are seen on every side. I liad missed Mr. Allen for some time ; but he re-appeared at his own door, with a sterling Shropshire welcome impressively depicted on his counte- nance. Some were regaled in the farm yard, while Mr. Dryden Corbet, myself, * A hare pursued by hounds, will iniiformly prefer the gate place to the meuse, in her flight. and half a dozen others, went into the house. Mr. Allen's family were busily occupied in administering good cheer ; and, from the pleasing smile which played upon their countenances, were evidently much pleased with what I am sure they considered the indispensable and sacred rites of hospitality. Mr. Allen pressed his good things upon me with a good-natured cheerfulness that was irresistible. I did ample justice to his well stored board, and was only al- lowed to hold hard, upon condition of a longer visit at some future period, which I will not fail to perform. Mr. Corbet and the hounds had been gone some time ; and when his brother and I got again on horseback, they were running another hare, distant perhaps half a mile. I found that Mr. Allen's prime October had altered my system of riding : it had operated precisely in the same way upon Mr. Dryden Corbet. " A spur in tlie head is worth two in the heel:" — I never more forcibly experi- enced the truth of this maxim. We reached the hounds ; they were pressing the chase, which was evidently sinking : but she contrived to save lierself. I reluctantly took my leave, having an engagement in Shrewsbury, and there- fore did not witness the remainder of the sport. " The proud Salopians'" may justly boast of a countiy inferior to none in the quality of the soil, and upon which nature has been lavish of picturesque beauty ; they may boast too of a yeo- manry superior to that of any other part of the kingdom, which continues to ex- hibit that genuine English character, so much the pride of days of yore. I found the superior classes polite, affable, and generous. Hospitality may be con- sidered as the most strongly marked, the all-pervading, feature of Shropshire; the idea of comfort every where presents itself — wretchedness and misery seem extinct. From the goodness of its soil, Salop must be highly interesting to the farmer and the agriculturist ; while its romantic hills, its elegant and splendid mansions, its woods, its diversified sce- nery, cannot fail to excite the utmost attention of the painter, the most plea- sensations in the mind of the lover sm of tiie picturesque and the beautiful. 374 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. Shropshire, as a hunting country, I found like all other hunting countries, after much rain has fallen, deep and heavy. From the strong rich quality of the soil, I should suppose it must, gene- rally speaking, carry a good scent. Its aspect is different from that of Leices- tershire ; yet it pleased me better, not- withstanding the strong impression which is uniformly felt for the spot where we first breathed the vital air, and the country which formed the scenes of early life. It so happened that the frost interfered very much with my excursion to Shropshire ; and, what was still worse, when I went out with the hounds, very little sport was ob- tained. The hounds are very similar in appearance to those of Sir H. Main- waring, as I have already observed, and are uncommonly well managed both in the kennel and the field. Staples, the huntsman, is a philosopher in his way ; reserved and civil, he is all attention to business ; nor do I know which most to admire, his steady, cool, and quick me- thod with his hounds, or the skill which he displays in the management of his horse. He served his apprenticeship vmder a great master. Sir Bellingham Graham ; and is a credit to the school in which he acquired a very superior knowledge of his profession. He is well supported by two active clever whips. Independently of its prime home brew- ed (which is every where dispensed with so much good will) Shropshire, as a hunting country, stands pre-eminently conspicous in one respect — such a thing as a surly ill-tempered farmer is not to be met with : such a being could not exist here : he would be avoided as a or driven from the country like a dog : — My ears were not stunned the vociferation — " 'Ware wheat ! — 'Ware clover ! ' Ware seeds .'" so com- mon in many other parts of England. In Shropshire, the farmers themselves are the first to set the example of riding over wheat. The Wrekin, which forms a conspi- cuous object from many situations in the neighbourhood of Shrewsbury, and which holds many foxes, is seldom, if ever, drawn. Foxes frequently make for this celebrated mountain, where they are given up. I was told that it is impos- pest, mad with sible to get foxes away from it : yet Tom Moody contrived to make them fly. It may surely answer the purpose of cub hunting. Hawkstone is equally difficult — foxes will not leave it. The most extraordinary run which has occurred this season with the Shrop- shire hounds took place in the early part of the month of December. The fixture was Ercal Mill. A fox was found in Pointon Springs. He was rat- tled through various covers, and stood up before the hounds for two hours and a quarter, in which time he had led them across twenty-five miles of country, a great part of which had been at a quick pace, when he contrived to get to ground, the leading hounds at his bi-ush. The drain was of no great extent, and some of the hounds forced themselves into it at both ends ; so that the fox was placed between two pai'ties of his unsparing pursuers, and thus deprived of the power of moving either way, while the latter were unable to reach their object. Will. Staples, the hunts- man, began to move the earth with the end of his whip (the drain being supei-- ficial) while his whips were in quest of more effective instruments for the pvn- pose. By the time a spade was pro- cured, Staples had ascertained the exact position of the fox. He was immediate- ly bolted, and not being able to run, sought shelter under the briars in the •ditch. Staples instantly thrust his hands into the briars and seized the fox; but unluckily placing one hand by the side of the fox's head, and happening to have a crooked finger upon that hand (from some previous injury) which came late- rally in contact with the fox's mouth, the latter got it between his grinders, where he held it almost as fast as if it had been screwed in a vice. In this si- tuation, Staples drew the fox from amongst the briars ; and, as they did not part company, some of the gentle- men called to him to loose the fox : — " He won't loose me," cried Staples. In a second or two, he dropped, and was instantly seized again by the un- flinching huntsman,and thrown amongst the hoimds. But, as the usual ceremo- nies had not been performed, it became necessary to regain possession of the fox, which Staples was not able to ef- THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 375 feet, owing to the very severe pain he felt arising from the operation of the fox's teeth : the hounds, in an instant, deprived the fox of life, and he was taken from them by ]\Ir. Clay ; after undergoing the usual process, he was thrown a second time amongst the hungry pack, and quickly disappeared. Mr. Clay is a veterinary surgeon, re- siding in Shrewsbury, who embraces every opportunity wliich his profession- al duties will allow, of going out with the hounds : hunting, in fact, is allied to his avocation ; and the presence of a skilful veterinary surgeon may be con- sidered as almost indispensable to the field. On proceeding from Sir Edward Smythe's Park to Stephen's Hills, with the Shropshire hounds on INIonday, Feb. 11, I perceived Mr. Clay dismount, and proceed to examine a gentleman's horse, which, from some cause, was unable to proceed. Mr. Clay bled the animal, and afterwards administered such treat- ment as he thought necessary : I was much pleased, to find, a day or two after- wards, that the horse was rapidly re- covering. I had several times an op- portunity of conversing with Mr. .Clay, and was much pleased with his lucid and satisfactory observations. He pos- sesses an accurate knowledge of the anatomy and conformation of the horse ; and to the diseases of this animal applies acute perception, and the vigorous pow- ers of an enlightened mind. The aspect of the town of Shrews- bury, like that of the city of Chester, impresses the contemplative mind with a forcible idea of ages past away. Like Chester, Shrewsbury has its ancient castle, its walls, and its river ; it has also its bat /is, in which Chester is defi- cient. The Shrewsbury baths have been lately erected, are pleasantly situated ; containing warm, vapour, sulphur, show- er, tepid, and cold baths, and indeed every possible accommodation, laid out in the most comfortable and complete manner. It is not necessary for me to dilate on the use of the bath in a medici- nal or salubrious point of view, as its vir- tues have been set forth by numerous and much abler pens than mine. The an- cient Romans were very much attached to bathing; and the most extraordinary character of modern days. Napoleon Buonaparte, appears to have been equal- ly so : when he was driven from Russia with the wretched wreck of his army, worn out with incessant fatigue, he no sooner reached a place of safetj', than he used the warm bath, considering it the most congenial restorer of almost exhausted nature. I have repeatedly taken a warm or vapour bath with the best possible eff'ect after excessive fa- tigue, particularly when, in returning home from hunting, exposed to a cold chilling wind, I have afterwards found my joints and limbs stiff" and painful. Under similar circumstances, I have not a doubt the horse would exjjerience si- milar benefit, were it practicable to apply the same remedy. I saw many excellent horses in Shropshire, and many excellent riders also, 1 have not the least doubt ; but very little opportunity was afforded me of witnessing their superior workman- ship across a country: the frost pre- vented the hounds going out for a short period ; and on those days which T ac- companied them it unfortunately hap- pened, that the scent was bad, or the fox a coward, or something which rendered it impossible for either the hounds, horses, or sportsmen to shew themselves to advantage. I never saw Mr. Lister out, of whose horsemanship I heard much spoken. It is true, I saw Mr. Stephen Denston in the field, but under the very unfavourable circumstances of bad scent and dodging foxes : he and the powerful animal which carried him, seemed to understand each other re- markably well ; this highly esteemed veteran, at the age of sixty-five, and riding something more than seventeen stone, uniformly maintains a place in the front rank with the fleet Shrop- shire hounds. This gentleman has a son, a fine yoimg man, who enters well, and who will unquestionably emulate his father's fame : he also bears the name, Stephen: and having, a short time since, given somewhere about two hundred guineas for a crack horse, took him to meet the hounds: his father was present ; and no sooner did the fox go away, than he observed to his son, — " Come along, Young'un: let's see how your two hundred guinea horse can go." T"he father beat the son hollow ! 376 THE SPORTSMAN S CABINET. Mr. Anderson, the extensive London doubt, that I shall again experience the dealer, frequently visits Shropshire for most polite attention, and that generous the purpose of purchasing superior hospitality for which Salop stands pre- horses, for which he does not hesitate to eminently unrivalled, give long prices. I promise myself Saturday, Feb. 16. — The Cheshire the pleasure, at no very distant period, hounds (Sir H. Mainwaring's) had a of again visiting the same county, and of most extraordinary run, which has been witnessirig the performances of the pack rendered immortal in the following beau- and the sportsmen under more favoui- tifully characteristic composition from able circumstances; nor have I the least the expressive pen of Mr. Warburton : OLD OUL TON L O WE. Bad luck to the country ! the clock had struck two — We had found ne'er a fox in the gorses we drew ; When each heart felt a thrill at the sound, " Tally-ho !" Once more a view halloo from Old Oulton Lowe !* Away, like a whirlwind, toward Calveley Hall — For the first thirty minutes Pug laugh'd at us all : Our nags cured of kicking, ourselves of conceit, - Ere the laugh was with us, we were most of us beat. ^ The Willington Mare,f when she started so fast. Ah ! we little thought then that the race was her last: Accurst be the stake that was stained with her blood! But, why cry for spilt milk ? — May the next be as good. 'Twas a sight for us all, worth a million, I swear ! To see the Black Squire,^ how he rode the black mare ! The meed that he merits, the muse shall bestow. First, foremost, and fleetest from Old Oulton Lowe ! How Delamerell went, it were useless to tell ; To say he was out, is to say he went well : A rider so skilful ne'er buckled on spur, To rule a rash horse, or to make a screw stir The odds are in fighting, that Britain§ beats Fi'ance;^ In tlie chase, as in war, we must all take our chance: Ireland** kept up, like his namesake the nation. By dint of " coercion," and " great agitation." Cheer'd on by the Maiden, ff who rides like a man. Now Victor and Bedford are seen in the van : He screeched with delight, as he wiped his hot brow — " Their bristles arc up ! Sir! they're hard at him now!" In the pride of his heart, then, the Manager|+ cried, " Come along, little RowleyJlH boy ! why don't you ride ?" How he clmckled to see the long tail in distress, As he gave her the go-by on bonny brown Bess ! * Sir Philip Egerton's cover, f Major Tomkinson's mare. J Mr. James Tom- kinson of Dorfold Hall. |1 Lord Dclamere. § Mr. Britain of Chester. ^ Mr. France of Bostock Hall. ** Mr. Ireland Blackburn of Hale, ft Joe Maiden, the huntsman. H Sir H. Mainwaring, master of the hounds. |||| Mr. Warbur- ton, the author. THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 377 The Baron* from Hanover halloo'd, " whoo-hoop," While he thought on the Lion that ate him half up : Well pleas 'd to have baulk'd the wild beast of his dinner, He was up in the stirrups, and rode like a winner. Oh ! where 'mid the many found wanting in speed. Oh! where! and oh ! where! was the Wistaston steed ? Dead beat ! though his riderf so lick'd him and prick'd him, He thought (well he might) 'twas the devil that kick'd him. The Cestrian chesnut:^ shew'd symptoms of blood ; For it flowed from his nose, ere he came to the wood : Where now is Dolgosh ? Where the racer from Davenham ?|| Such fast ones as these ! what mishap has o'er-ta'en them ? Two gentlemen met, both unhors'd, in a lane, (fox hunting on foot is but labour in vain) " Have you seen a brown horse ?" " No, indeed, Sir ; but, pray. In the course of your rambles, have you seen a gray ?" As a London coal-heaver might pick up a peer, Whom he found in the street, with his head rather queer, So Dobbin was loosed from his work at the plough, To assist a proud hunter, stuck fast in a slough. I advocate " movement," when shewn in a horse, But I love in my heart a " conservative" gorse. Long life to Sir Philip ! we'll drink ere we go, Old times ! and old Cheshire ! and Old Oulton Lowe ! The hounds killed their fox ; and I was impetuous : she was in excellent believe several sportsmen reached them hands : this gallant soldier is neither just in time to save the brush. afraid of himself nor his steed. Tuesday, Feb. 19, I met Sir Thomas We drew Raby Gorse blank, a cir- Stanley's hounds at Hinderton. The cumstance by no means surprising, as morning was remarkably fine : the soft the gorse is not sufficiently grown to af- impression of the atmosphere promised ford shelter for so suspicious an animal good scent ; and as Sir Thomas's coun- as a fox. A few years ago, it was a sure try is well stocked with foxes, I confi- find, and had the gorse been cut at se- dently anticipated good sport. A bril- veral times, it would have continued a liant field met Sir Thomas on this occa- sure find ; but, under present circum- sion ; the fixture was not inconvenient stances, another year must elapse before for Chester, and the sportsmen from that it can be depended on for holding a fox. city mustered in considerable numbers. We drew blank for some time ; we drew Mr. Horridge, the younger, appeared Mr. Glegge's covers blank : I did not upon his favourite Smolensko horse — expect this, as this gentleman is a true indeed, the animal presents to the eye fox hunter ; and about two years ago, I the very cut and manner of a hunter, understood, had discharged his vulpe- Mr. Orton rode a very fine handsome cidal keeper. This man shot the foxes brown black mare, apparently a very whenever opportunity offered ; on one good tempered steady hunter. Captain occasion, he observed a fox go to ground, Dunn generally appears upon what and by way of making sure of his object, seem to me to be thorough-bred ani- he immediately placed a trap at the mals : the mare he rode on this occasion mouth of the hole, in such a manner * A German military officer, who was, at an earlier period of his life, very severely hurt by a lion in the East Indies. f Mr. Hammond of Wistaston. X Sir Philip Egerton's. || Mr. Tomkinson's horse of Davenham, pronounced Daneham, 3b 378 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. tliat it appeared impossible for the fox to leave his subterraneous retreat with- out being caught. The fellow left the place quite satisfied that his plan must succeed, that poor renard nuist ultimate- ly be starved out : very likely hunger induced him to appear above ground. On the keeper visiting the place the next day, he found his trap, and he found too that the fox understood per- fectly well for what it had been placed at the entrance of the hole : as he open- ed another aperture or |ji/je by the side of it, and took himself off! We found at length in Stanley Gorse : the fox went away to the right, appa- rently pointing for the covers at Upton ; but, in a few minutes, he altered his course, and, leaning to the left, seemed to make for Gayton. The scent was good ; the hounds went at a killing pace, and renard found he could not live before them in that direction, these inclosures being favourable to scent : he therefore again made a sort of semi- circle to the right, reached the Grange Hills, and succeeded in puzzling his pursuers. These hills are rocky ; and although they are scantily clothed with stunted heath, the scent never lies well upon them, particularly at the foot of them, where there are sandy cart roads. Twenty minutes elapsed up to the foot of the Grange hills; and such had been the pace that the fox could not have long withstood it : however, the hounds were brought to a check; they tried hard for it ; one of the Chanticleer fa- mily in particular, was anxious to re- gain the scent. A halloo was heard ! the hounds were lifted to it : — it was false ; and in consequence, a delay of ten or twelve minutes occurred. Under such circumstances, it rarely happens that the hounds can again reach their fox, as he will not, like a hare, wait for them : on the contrary, he gets far ahead, and will take care, if possible, to maintain his advantage. We picked a cold scent for some time ; and I thought the hounds could never get again upon terms with him : but they mended their pace, and after ringing for some time, went well away in the direction for Stourton ; he altered his course ; and, leaning to the right, made for the higher grounds in the neighbourhood of Up- ton, and passed the covers of this place, disdaining to try the earths, which were open. After skirting the village of Up- ton, renard made away in a westerly di- rection, pointing for a cluster of houses situated on an eminence : these he pass- ed to the right, the hounds going the best pace ; symptoms of distress might be observed amongst the horses. The fox made away for the river Dee, the hounds evidently calculating on their victim in a few minutes. He reached the i-iver just mentioned, on the sandy shore of which he ran for nearly two miles, and saved himself by getting into a drain, at a moment when the dusky approach of night indicated that it was time to give up. There were other in- dications which could not be mistaken. Mr. Poole's " gallant grey" had expe- rienced quite enough, as well as many others ; while the animal which carried Mr. Henry Leigh (from High Leigh) was rode to a stand-still ; and he must have died had he not been judiciously treated. He was bled, but he was not able to proceed home : he was got to the nearest stable, well nursed during the night, and reached home the follow- ing day. Saturday, Feb. 23, these hounds met at Ince ; and when they were about to draw several small covers situated in the open grounds below the village,a boy gave intelligence that he had seen a fox enter an adjoining plantation half an hour ago. Messrs. Congreve and Peele observed renard stealing away in the di- rection of the village. The hounds were soon upon the line of him. He entered some fir plantations ; but, in- stead of going forward, turned short to the right, endeavouring to baffle his pursuers by threading the gardens situ- ated on its right. The hounds, how- ever, stuck to him: they rattled him through them with invincible persever- ance, and compelled him to alter his plan. Finding he could no longer keep up this petty system of warfare, he went away in very gallant style : he pointed towards the left for a mile or two ; but finding this would not do, he altered his course a few points, and set his face for some lofty hills in the distance. The pace was tremendous, through a fine, though thickly inclosed, country, a cir- THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 379 cumstance in favour of hoi'ses, as, in a more open country, no horse could have gone the pace many minutes. The hounds reached the foot of the hills, and were brought to a check for the first time. The scent had become much worse, but the hounds picked it to the very summit of these lofty and very ab- rupt mountains, when turning to the left, it was found that the fox had se- cured himself safely enough in an ex- tensive earth, to which there were seve- ral pipes or entrances ; after a very capital run of forty minutes. The sides of these hills are clothed with heath and small fir trees, and as the sportsmen had ascended to the top of them, there was something most in- terestingly pictiu'esque in the scene which presented itself when thej' were descending the most abrupt part to the village below. I followed the example of the greater part of the field, and dis- mounted for the purpose : some rode down the dizzy heights. The descent was made laterally, the only mode by which it was practicable ; and thus the side of the mountain appeared alive from the numerous scarlet coats and horses, which were seen moving among the small fir trees, and which seemed to cover its surface for a very considerable extent. These mountains are called Helsby Hills, and are situated on the outskirts of Sir T. Stanley's country. They afford secure protection for foxes, with which they are well stocked, as a good natured Bonnyface in the village at the foot of them, informed me. He was fond of hunting ; and remarked, that, had he known the hounds were coming into his neighbourhood, he " would have stopped the earths ; he would have taken care (he said) the fox should not have cheated the hounds by skulking into his earth." In the early part of the nm, I ob- served on my right, a horse without a rider : the latter presently emerged from the ditch, his pink and white beplas- tered with the wet adhesive clay of this country, but unhurt. 1 saw no more of either horse or rider. The horse was not one of the right sort, or he would have followed the hounds. It is not the most advisable thing in the world to ride a shy fencer after fox hounds.* The horse in question was evidently of that description. Bebbington was the fixture for Tues- day, the 2Gth of February. Rain con- tinued to fall very heavily ; yet, amidst the wet and dirt, and the still descend- ing deluge, the scent proved of the best possible description. A fox was found in Stourton covers, which was killed, after a run of something more than one hour. The Liverpool Harriers. — These hounds met at the Black Bull, on War- breck Moor, on Thursday, the 28th of February. I had not seen them for two years : the Black Bull is a favourite fixture ; yet, I scarcely ever approach the place, without the idea flashing across my recollection that it once form- ed the den or meeting place of an ex- tensive and desperate gang of burglars and highway robbers. The Black Bull on Warbreck Moor is at present kept by a very honest man : about thirty- three yeai's ago, it was tenanted by a person named Moor, who had three brothers, and these four, with several others, constituted the gang of thieves just mentioned. They committed num- berless highway robberies; they broke into and robbed most of the respectable houses and farm houses within a circuit of some miles ; and, though strongly suspected, contrived to continue their depredations for some years. — Atlength, the greater part of them were appre- hended: Grainger, one of the gang, turned king's evidence : three of the Moors, and several of the others, expi- ated their crimes on the gallows at Lan- caster. I reached this place a few minutes before the arrival of the hounds, which, however, I soon observed approaching under the conduct of the veteran Abra- ham Low, who has hunted the Liverpool harriers for the last thirty years, and has consequently grown gray in the ser- vice. His hounds looked well in their coats, in healthy and good condition. * Sir Thomas's hounds have become more muscular, and consequently strong- er : they appeared in excellent condi- tion. 380 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. They are powerful harriers ; they can hunt and run ; and it must be a good hare that can stand up long before them. Shortly after, Mr. Alexander, the master of them, arrived ; and that gentleman informed me, that they had obtained good sport throughout the sea- son, and had experienced some extraor- dinary runs. Mr. Seaton and a number of well-mounted gentlemen came up ; and the hounds moved off in the direc- tion of Orrell. Having a little business to transact with a gentleman who re- sided half a mile distant, I rode to his house, and when I returned I was not able to find the hounds. I continued to keep on the track of them for some time, and fell in with two gentlemen, who, like myself, were in search of them. We continued our search una- vailingly till the rain, which had made its way to my skin, induced me to trot to Liverpool. I afterwards learned that they killed one hare, retiring from the same cause which induced me to return. (To be continued.) The TURF. gentle- Mr. S. Griffiths. — This man's letter, wherein he positively de- nies any collusion in the affair of Tom- my Tickle, appeared in our last number. It was written with a little unnecessary irritable feeling ; but that we can for- give — it shall form no obstacle in tlie way of impartial justice. The interro- gatories which we put to Mr. Griffiths, through the medium of the Sportsman's Cabinet, were in consequence of having, not only heard the circumstances, as stated, repeatedly whispered, but men- tioned in public company, and he can- not therefore be otherwise than highly pleased that we gave him the opportu- nity of wiping so foul a stain from his character. ROYAL PLATES. The following REGULATIONS respecting the Weights and Distances of HIS MAJESTY'S PLATES are to remain in force till otherwise directed by his Majesty. The weights of the King's Plates run for at NEWMARKET shall be fixed by the Stewards of the Jockey Club. CHESTER ASCOT HEATH MANCHESTER NEWCASTLE-ON-TYNE CHELMSFORD EDINBURGH - - GUILDFORD - - HAMPTON - - IPSWICH - - - - LIVERPOOL .. - WINCHESTER \ Thrice round theCourse,ratherless than three miles : three year olds to carry 7st. 2lb. ; four, 9st. 21b.; five, lOst. ; six, and aged, lOst. 5Ib. t To start at the New Mile Starting post, go once round I and in : weights the same as at Chester. — ■ A N. B. This does not apply to the Hunters' I Plate, of which the conditions are to be fixed by ^ the Master of the Buck-hounds as formerly. Three miles and a distance. ? Weights the same Three miles. 5 as Chester. Three year olds to carry 7st. 51b. ; four, 9st. lib. }■ five, 9st. 111b, I mile heats. six and aged, lOst. 21b. Two I THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 381 GOODWOOD YORK - - CANTERBURY LEWES - LICHFIELD - SALISBURY - WARWICK - WEYMOUTH - BEDFORD LEICESTER - NORTHAMPTON - SHREWSBURY CALEDONIAN HUNT CARLISLE - DONCASTER LINCOLN NOTTINGHAM - c Three year olds, 7st. 4lb. ; four, 9st. 2lb ; five, J 9st. 131b. ; six and aged, lOst. 4lb. About ( three miles and five furlongs. f Three year olds to carry 8st. ; four, 8st. 1 21b. ; < five, 9st. 41b; six, 9st, 71b ; and aged, 9st. 9lb. Two miles. Three year olds to carry 8st. 2lb. ; four, 9st. 6lb. ; five, lOst. ; six and aged. lOst. 31b Two mile heats. .Three year olds, 7st. lllb. ; four, 9st. lib.; five, 9st. 91b. ; six and aged, lOst. Three miles. r Three year olds, 7st. 9lb. ; four, 9st. ; five, 9st. ' r 9lb; six and aged, lOst. Four miles. - ? Three year olds, Sst. 2lb ; four, 9st. 41b. ; five, 9st. - S lllb.; six and aged, lOst. Two mile heats. YORK AND RICHMONdI Four year olds, Sst. 71b.; five, 9st. lib.; six and Alternate Plate. J aged, 9st. 51b. Three miles. The first Newmarket Plate, the Plates at Chelmsford and Lincoln, and that run for alternately at Richmond and York, are to be run for Mares only, as heretofore. (Signed) ALBEMARLE, Master of the Horse. January, 1833. BETTING AT TATTERS ALVS. 3 to 1 agst Anglesea. 4 to 1 agst Silvertail colt. 6 to 1 agst Lucius. 8 to 1 agst Beiram. RIDDLESWORTH, 7 to 1 agst Blank. 8 to 1 agst Arethusa colt. OATLANDS. DERBY. 8 to 1 agst Prince Llewellyn (tk). 9 to 1 agst Revenge. 9 to 1 agst Glaucus. 10 to 1 agst Cooper's stable. 10 to 1 agst Lord Exeter's lot. 11 to 1 agst Forester (tk). 12 to 1 agst Lord Jersey's lot. 18 to 1 agst Moses's dam. 20 to 1 agst Emmeline. 20 to 1 agst Twatty colt. 25 to 1 agst Bravo. 25 to 1 agst Mount Eagle. 25 to 1 agst Anglesea (tk). 30 to 1 agst Nonsense. 30 to 1 agst Brother to Margrave. 30 to 40 to 1 agst Cactus. 1 agst Blank. 40 to 1 agst Boscobel. OAKS. 10 to 1 agst Octave. 11 to 1 agst Weeper. 13 to 1 agst Fanny Grey. 17 to 1 agst Sister to Augusta. 382 THE SPORTSMAN'S CABINET. 11 to 1 agst Belshazzar (tk). 12 to 1 agst Rockingham (tk). 13 to 1 agst Frankenstein (tk). 13 to 1 agst Muley Moloch. 20 to 1 agst Spider (tk). 25 to 1 agst Jack Fawcett (tk) ST. LEGEIl. 25 to 1 agst Charmer (tk). 25 to 1 agst Laiu-el's dam (tk). 1000 to 5 agst Forester, Fashion;. and Frankestein^ winning the thi'ee events. BETTING IN THE COUNTRY. CHESTER CUP, p. p. 4 to 1 agst Pickpocket. 10 to 1 agst Manchester. 5 to 1 agst Her Highness. 12 to 1 agst Ossian. 7 to 1 agst Speculator. 12 to 1 agst Giovanni. 10 to 1 agst Hope. MANCHESTER CUP, p . p. 7 to 4 agst Gallopade. 7 to 1 agst David. 4tol agst Colwick. 16 to 1 agst Speculator. 4 to 1 agst Physician. 10 to 1 agst C lancellor. To the Editor of the Sportstnans Cabinet, Sir, In answer to the letter of an " Inquirer," in the first number of the Sportsman's Cabinet, I beg to hand you the following statement : — About two years ago, a favourite old terrier bitch belonging to me died, and I directed one of my assistants in the sui'gery to make a skeleton of her : he was called away from the table on which the body of the animal lay, for a few minutes, when he was in the act of dis- secting her ; and during the time his at- tention was attracted to some other object, a large mongrel bitch seized iqion part of the dead terrier, and de- voured three of the ribs with a consider- able portion of fiesh almost instantly. I was an eye witness to the circumstance. I must own, howevei", that up to this period, my opinion had been similar to that expressed by an " Inquirer." Your's i-espectfully. Lime Street, J. W, Liverpool, March 8, 1833. Squirrels. — In the north of Hamp- shire a great portion of the squirrels have white tails. None of this variety, as far as I can learn, reach the London market. I was much surprised at hear- ing from a man who kept a bird and cage shop in London, that not less than 20,000 squirrels are annually sold there for the menus plaisirs of cockneys, part of which come from France, but the greater number are brought in by la- bourers to Newgate and Leadenhall markets, where any moniing during the season 400 or 500 might be bought. He said that he himself sold annually about 700 : and he added, that about once in seven years the breed of squir- rels entirely fails, but that in other sea- sons they are generally prolific. The subject was introduced by his answering to a woman, who came in to buy a squirrel, that he had not had one that season ; but before that time in the last season he had sold 500. It appears that the mere manufacture of squirrel cages for Londoners is no sm