hair) will likewise be found of great service. It not only destroys fleas, &c. &c. but operates as a powerful preventive to cutaneous diseases, and goes far to ensure that silky and oily appearance which the coats of your hounds should at all times possess. I cannot conceive a greater discredit to a huntsman, than to see his pack with their coats dry and staring, their paws at full work, and a bare red patch on each side of their sterns. Such a sight, however, I am sorry to say I have had the misfortune of seeing more than once-not in my own kennel though, I give a pretty particular damned considerable good guess;" for nothing, I verily believe, would have sooner put me out of my mind than the appearance of mange, or scratch, as it is sometimes called, amongst my hounds as I well know that the disgrace is most easily to be avoided by proper food, exercise, and attention, and there is no excuse or apology for such an exhibition in the most modified proportion, on any day of the year. DASHWOOD. (To be continued.) Have you used any of Sam Nock's elastic wadding? I have, and it makes a gun kick confoundedly; add to which, each wad being half an inch thick makes the charge look most awful. They certainly keep a barrel clean; but so does old hat, to which I have been partial from my youth up. So of all people in the world (as I see in the daily papers) Lincolnshire farmers, who, before intellect and vulpecides had made such strides, lived by and for fox-hunting, are grievously alarmed" for their poultry," because that Prince of Dukes (he of Rutland) has ven SCRAPS—E. S. H.-A WORD TO A tured to plant a gorse covert on FIFTY-YEARS' FOX-HUNTER. his own property! I am sure some ill-natured person must have belied the honest yeomen in inserting the paragraph to which I allude; therefore let one of them (I know they read your Magazine, or used to do in better times) take his pen in his fist and confirm my assertion by three lines, to tell us how much obliged he and all his neighbours are to the munificent Nobleman, who thus gives them an additional crown a quarter upon prime oats, and an additional chance of putting a hundred guineas into their canvas sample bag for breeding, riding, and selling a good colt. I paid a visit a short time ago to the kennel of the East Sussex Hounds at Ringmer; but, until I have regained a character for at least veracity with your readers, (which, after the grave accusations in your last Number, cannot but be seriously impeached,) I scarcely dare mention the result of my peep at them. This, however, I believe I may state, and shall be borne out by the testimony of the whole country-that the hounds were never so popular or so flourishing since the foundation of the establishment. The kennel stands about half a mile down a lane on the left of the road from Heathfield to Lewes, from which latter place it is distant about two miles. This aforesaid lane was, until 1827, at which time the hounds were placed under the present administration, nearly impassable, and up to the hocks at every step. There is now an admirable road; and horses and hounds always turn out in band-box order. The stables have been newly ceiled, and the whole buildings thoroughly repaired. They consist of a capital six-stall stable, and three loose boxes, with a good saddle room, the kennels, and a very comfortable house for the huntsman. George Henessy, who is at present commander-inchief, was whipper-in to Mr. Jolliffe for some time; after which he migrated to Hertfordshire, and performed much to the satisfaction of the ruler at Poles, under a man who has of late risen very high in his calling (George Barwick). The only nags which were in the stable at the time of my visit were, poor old Will (condemned to fill instead of to follow the hounds), and a splendid black horse, on the top of whom is, next season, to be perched George. I saw him under every disadvan tage, as he had just been pokered on both his hind legs, and punished very severely: but, if I were really to say what I thought the finest hunter I had ever seen, I verily believe I should name this horse: he stands (I guess) sixteen hands and a half high; his top is perfection: of the muscles in the gaskin and thigh I could not fairly judge, as he was there swelled by his firing and blisters; but his arm, from which one may pretty nearly form an opinion of the other parts, was amazingly full and fine; and the whipper-in assured me he was well known, and as good as he is handsome. Mr. Craven's own horses stand during the season at Ringmer; and as he himself resides at Brighton, much is necessarily under the control of the huntsman, who, I must say, does ample justice to horses and hounds. I sent you some account of the operations of the East Sussex Hunt last winter, and I should but repeat my praises of the pack if I were to give any description of them. There is a disproportion in size between dogs and bitches greater than usual; and, if numbers would allow of it, a separation of packs would much improve the look of both. I took a more particular survey of the grand favorite, Sapling-a stallion hound from Mr. Warde-and I own I am not so much pleased with him, on a quiet examination, as when I have seen him working most admirably (for a really better hound does not exist) in the field. His strength amounts almost to clumsiness; he is a heavy-sterned hound; and his head (by not admiring which I incurred terrible censure from a far better judge than myself) is disproportionately long. Still, as I have said before, to find or drive, he is a first-rate hound; and, "ubi plura nitent," you know the old stave. Griper is a grand old fellow: his colour (an ominous one to foxes) black, and his whole cut that of a downright varmint-killing fox-hound. Of the bitches I have before spoken; they are extremely neat, and as fast as the wind. Mr. Craven told me, at the end of last season, he intended taking ten couple of them to meet an equal number of Colonel S. Wyndham's, by way of a wind-up to the hunting; and, although the Colonel's are known to be flyers, I doubt much whether (if the "trysting" took place) the Western end would have carried off the palm in a trial of speed. The popularity of these hounds is best to be estimated by the number of foxes to be found in their draft. Twenty brace was the result of their last year's sport; and while such names as Lord Gage, Lord Chichester, Lord Sheffield, Sir G. Shiffner, General Trevor, Mr. Slater, Mr. Campion, cum multis aliis, and a score of respectable and wealthy yeomen and farmers, are to be found amongst the wellwishers to, and supporters of, the hounds, they may laugh at the miserable attempts which any outlying vulpecides may make upon their country. most highly had he been gratified at perceiving that his labours had not been thrown upon a barren soil." If ever there was a good sportsman on earth, he was here, he was here, he was here!" Dearly as I love to see a spark of enthusiasm in the cause of " the noble science," I cannot help relating an instance of it in George Henessy.-Last season notice was sent to Mr. Craven, whilst out with his hounds, that a farmer had a fox" laid up"-barbarous illomened Sussex words!-and that, unless he was removed by a speedy habeas corpus, his days were numbered. Off cantered a Whip, with a terrier in his pocket, and pug was soon at the kennel. In the middle of the night the Whip aforesaid was thundered out of bed by George, who had discovered that it was a vixen fox, who gave suck. Off they started (I think to East Hoathly), eighteen miles-quàm celerrimè; and well was their vigilance rewarded; for they dug seven small cubs, about the size of rats, and brought them off. Some have died, but the greater part are at this moment enjoying themselves in the fine coverts of that truly sporting Nobleman who has more pheasants and more foxes than any man in Sussex. All I have to say upon this is, that I wish to every master of fox-hounds huntsman, who, as George Henessy did that night, "dreams of foxes," and who prefers a winter's night and doing his duty to snoozing and mugging over the fire after a hard day's work. The Hunt dinner, at the last of which I had the pleasure of making one, is of the most liberal, convivial, and hospitable kind; and had their late gallant master (Major Cater) heard the enthusiasm with which his name was hailed, and the applause bestowed on an appropriate song to that toast, highly, * In consequence of what appeared amongst your "Notices to Correspondents.” a By the bye, I have this morning received a letter from a sporting friend of mine in Hertfordshire, fixing upon me* the authorship of what he calls " a prosody letter upon the important difference between Hě-hě-voick and ǎvoy," with many other equally weighty matters; of all knowledge of which I am as innocent as the Man in the Moon; but as I neither covet bays nor birch, save of my own gathering and deserving, I take this opportunity of begging your very amusing Correspondent to affix some other signature than that of SCARLET to his future lucubra tions. His hint for rehearsing halloos is highly useful, and several huntsmen, whippers, and amateurs, have, to my own knowledge, already purchased pitch pipes, and have commenced practising before a looking-glass; and will, I confidently expect, be considerably improved by Christmas. The FIFTY YEARS' FOX-HUNTER of the October Number seems to expect from me either apology or justification for sundry errors and mis-statements in my Surrey Kennel Visit: and the former I promise, as soon as it shall be made satisfactorily to appear that the worthy Quinquagenarian has read and understood two short treatises -Murray's Grammar, and Duncan's Logic; the former of which inculcates speaking and writing English; the latter a different style of reasoning from the following:"The Colonel's entry I hear is good, but I have not seen them. I am inclined to back John Stevens's opinion of Baroness against Nobleness. I like Jack's opinion."!!! Why this equals "I do not like thee, Doctor Fell; The reason why I cannot tell; But I don't like thee, Doctor Fell." I have very humbly to apologize " for fixing the site of the Surrey kennel five hundred yards from where it actually stands-the distance between Worms Heath and Warlingham Common; both equally picturesque and remarkable.Indeed one might say of any two places in the uphill-country," 'tis as like as my fingers to my fingers: there is a river in Macedon, and a river in Monmouth, and there is salmons in both." The trash about red coats and green collars, Ruin, Stately, and many other articles too tedious to mention in this here advertisement," is beneath reply*. Guilford (the not thorough-bred horse) was entered for the Derby, and was too sulky to start; and as for his carrying sixteen stone for the last three years, he was not fit to carry Tom's boots; and in 1827 he was all but blind. With regard to the noble Merstham hounds of which he writes, without, according to his own allowance, having seen what he attempts to describe, I wish to hear him say they carry no head (O Quinquagenarianmutato nomine de TE fabula narratur!) the next time they run from Betchworth to Crawley, from Black Bushes to Headley Heath, from Horse Hills to Reigate Park, from New Lodge to Sallington, or from Cuckfield to Turner's Hill. Did he ever happen to ride for twenty minutes alongside Mr. William Jolliffe, the Woodbridges, Claggitt, or that person for whose opinion he has so great reverence, Jack Stevens, in any one of these runs? If he had, he might have seen that difficulties of country do not stop pace; and is pace to be held without a head? No, no, no. I have to apologize for one mis-statement, which has escaped the eye of this thricedistilled Jeffrey of criticism. Ruin was from the Duke of Beaufort-not from John Warde: Stately, and Scornful (a black and white bitch), are, I believe, the only two from the latter kennel. SIR, Have received your note, stating that I had not expressed myself with sufficient clearness in the very flying notice I sent you of the last Coursing Cup which I saw decided at Newmarket (six or seven years ago); and that some Correspondent of yours, who as well as myself was present, conceived, from my account of the match, that I wished to insinuate unfairness in the decision. This I most unequivocally deny; and I cannot but wonder at the strange perversion which any one must give to my words to institute such a charge. TASSEL. TAVISTOCK RACES, &c. MR. EDITOR, SIR Gripe Toe Gout allowing a short release from pain, I determined once more to see some provincial racing, and journeying through the West I made my start for the Tavistock races; and if what I saw, and my observations thereon, be worth a page in your valuable work, it is yours. The turfon Whitchurch, whereon the course is situate, is of good quality, much resembling the turf which I used to think the best in England (Newmarket excepted) in my Lord Suffolk's park; and Tavistock on the whole is good for both spectator and horses. The weather both days was tremendous, and the pelting shower wafted itself at a merry pace from Dartmoor, to the dismay of many a fair maiden, who was of consequence prevented from sporting the symmetry of her figure and pretty contour of ancle. The dandy was equally shagrined at the boisterous element; for Master Preston's well cut breech with Gilbert's natty boot were from necessity hid, the rough Benjamin being the best friend in such a season. ning was indeed flat. The run The Ensleigh Stakes was won easy by Mr. Harness's Nimrod by Foxbury beating Mr. Salusbury Trelawney's Roderick by RoughTor; the latter a very weedy concern, the former any thing but good. Mr. Harness rode his own horse, and did the business very respectably; and, if he had more time from blood-letting, would probably do some good among the provincials. I could not but think my quondam covert hack could have given the go-by to either horse in this race, though allowances must be made for Roderick. His master I suppose, bargaining on his former good luck, depended on his training-in my humble judgment at no time the best. Roderick had recently been purchased for twenty pounds, and had been at the bars. Kean, late Crumpet, won a race easily, having nothing to contend with that had an inch of gallop. It surprised me to see Counsellor |