hounds were thus early known and worked in France ; and moreover, that the Trojans were assuredly the first who introduced the breed into that country. Nor is there any history which mentions a prior knowledge of their advent or existence there ; at the same time it is a fact, well-authenticated, that a greater number of this species of dog, subsequently known in France and the contiguous countries, were brought out of Brittany, with the exception of the white hound, which is supposed to have been originally imported from Barbary. During a visit which I once made to Rochelle, I endeavoured to gain information on this subject, and for the purpose I questioned some sailors, and amongst others an old man called Alphonse, who had several times visited the Court of Domecherib, king of Barbary-a prince who was himself an accomplished sportsman ; and he informed me that all his hounds were white, as well as all the dogs in the country. Indeed, I am inclined to believe that all white dogs have originally come from warm climates, since, however warm the weather may happen to be, they never appear in the least fatigued, when other dogs are completely exhausted and worn out.

This circumstance is also corroborated by Phebus, who visited Barbary. We have, therefore, every reason to believe that this race of white dogs is descended from those of that country. So much, then, for antiquarian research, of which I will cease to write. I shall now endeavour, as far as I can, to point out those hounds--whether white, tan, grey, or black-which I consider best suited for the chace, and for the use of all princes and gentlemen.

ON WHITE HOUNDS. White hounds were first noticed and brought into repute by the Grand Senechal of Normandy. Before his time they were held in but little estimation by the gentry, being of little use to hunt any animal but the deer.

The first white hound celebrated in the annals of sporting was called Souillard or Sloven, and was presented by an indigent and obscure gentleman to King Louis, who, preferring hounds of a grey colour, of which his whole pack was composed, did not set much value on the gift, unless the animal might be made to serve as bloodhound, in which capacity it might be rendered of some use. Observing that the king did not appear to approve of the hound, the seneschal Gaston, who chanced to be present when it was presented, begged the animal of the king, in order, as he said, to bestow it upon the wisest lady in the kingdom.

“Let me first know whom you honour by that title," said the king.

“ Your Majesty's daughter the Princess Anne of Bourbon !'' replied the seneschal.

" She may perhaps be less simple than the rest of her sex,” rejoined the king, “but there is no such thing as a wise woman to be found in the world.”

The king, however, gave him the hound ; but Gaston did not long continue in possession of him, for shortly after meeting the seneschal of Normandy, the latter took such a fancy to Souillard, that Gaston bestowed him upon him. Madame de Bourbon, who was passionately fond of the chace, hearing the next year of the beauty and excellence

of the hound, begged some of his descendants of the seneschal, to form a pack. He presented her Higbness with several at different times, making in all fifteen or sixteen hounds, six of which were very celebrated for their beauty and cleverness. Since then the race has continued to augment up to the present time : the breed, however, is much improved in strength, having been mixed with that of the Scotch deer-hound, introduced by the young Queen of Scots.

Such, indeed, is the cleverness of these hounds, that I think it would not be amiss to dedicate them entirely to the service of royalty ; their skill in discovering the scent is only equalled by their ardour in pursuing it ; they, however, like at all times to be accompanied by the huntsman, and are rather averse to going through water, especially in winter ; but scarcely any other impediment can stop them.

You will not object to a few directions to be observed in the selection of hounds from a litter of puppies. Those calculated to make the best hounds (for not unfrequently more than half of them are worth nothing) are such as are all of one colour, especially such as are all black, which seldom occurs ; those marked with red are also generally good ; but such as are marked with black, or a dirty grey, are never worth anything. It is also worthy of remark, that dogs of this breed never arrive at perfection under three years.

Of Red Dogs. I have discovered but little concerning the antiquity of red or sandycoloured dogs ; my chief authority is an ancient hunter, who took the pains to compile an old manuscript document, in which he makes mention of a celebrated Lord of Breton, called Huet of Nantes. The author of this curious old work was much addicted to venerie, and gave by his writings (which are corroborated by those of other authors of the same date) a degree of celebrity to a famous pack of hounds, kept and hunted by the above-mentioned Breton Lord. I have also, during my stay at Lamballe, seen an ancient chronicle which gives an interesting account of a pack of these red or sandy-coloured hounds, the property of a nobleman who resided in the neighbourhood. Hunting one day in the forest, near the town of Poictiers, they put up a splendid stag, which set all their mettle and cunning to the test : they chased him backwards and forwards for four successive days, gaining, however, a little upon him each day, until they reached at length the walls of Paris, where, unable to go further, the gallant animal was captured and killed.

We may presume, from many corroborating circumstances, that these red hounds are descended from those which belonged to the ancient dukes and lords of Brittany, and which breed was very carefully preserved by the Admiral D'Annebauld and his predecessors. This description of hound was first commonly known in the time of Francis I., that mighty master in the art of venerie, and father of sporting in France-(another John Ward, in fact).

The red hound, the subject of the present chapter, is noted for courage, enterprise, and excellent scent ; it is, in fact, not dissimilar to the white hound, but swifter and more adventurous, though not so well able to endure great heat, and much more easily disturbed and confused by the pikemen or hunters, who generally attend at the chase. The red hound is indefatigable in the pursuit of game, as it fears neither water, cold, nor, indeed, scarce any other obstacle. They prefer running a deer to any other game ; but are very obstinate, and far less easily trained or managed than the white hound. In selecting a pack, the best are those which come nearest to a red colour, with a white spot on the forehead, or on the back of the neck ; also, such as are all sandy-coloured ; but those which are yellowish, or marked with grey or black, are worth nothing ; those which have the nose a little turned up (retroussé) answer very well for harriers ; and there are frequently found some with very thick tails, which are generally prized as swift runners.

This class of hound is best suited for royalty, as kings and princes have ever loved to chase the deer ; but for gentlemen, who are contented to hunt the hare and other less noble game, such hounds are of no use whatever,

ON GREY HOUNDS THEIR NATURE AND TREATMENT. The hound, of which the present chapter treats, was anciently much used by the French nobility, and, indeed, by the royal family, especially the Dukes of Alençon ; indeed, this breed of hound appears to have been somewhat common, as they were exceedingly skilful and clever in various ways, and for this reason particularly adapted to the use of private individuals, such as country gentlemen, &c. They possessed the useful and peculiar attribute of being able to hunt whatever game or animal they were set upon. In selecting these hounds, and in order to obtain the best of the breed, it is essential to choose such as have the back of a grey colour, marked with red—the legs something the colour of a hare. In a litter of puppies, however, there are frequently some with the back of a very dark grey colour, with black legs, marked very beautifully with red : these are always considered very handsome, and never fail to make capital hounds ; indeed, all the hounds of this breed are prized a good deal ; not as a first-rate kind, but because there is never found a dog of this description that is not clever and good for something. Those of a paler or more silver grey, marked with white, are not so much esteemed, being less vigorous, and not so swift as those above mentioned ; but even these are clever in every other particular.

It is quite a mistake to suppose them at all suited to the purposes of princes, for, being of a very timid nature, they were generally so terrified and confused at the crowd of pikemen, guards, and followers, necessarily attendant on royalty, that they could not work. They do not lack courage or perseverance in pursuit of their game; but they particularly dislike an animal which doubles or turns like the hare ; but so long as it keeps to the open, it is impossible to find swifter or better hounds. They are, unluckily, very easily distracted, and it is almost impossible to get them to range, owing to an inclination to return to their master whenever they hear his voice or the horn ; but they seldom notice any other person. They display great skill in discerning the babblers among the pack, and never fail to treat them with the utmost contempt. They are capable of great endurance, for they fear neither water nor cold. They are not, however, a superior breed of hound ; so those who wish to derive much pleasure from them must submit to many faults, and remain contented with such sport as they can show, according to the manner I have endeavoured to describe.

N.B.—When they are first uncoupled they require a little gentle guidance, with as little noise as possible, as they are not unfrequently a little wild at first, and apt to pass over the scent without noticing it ; for this reason it is best to leave them to themselves at first, and on no account to cross their path, or they will return to you, and thus put an end to all sport.

ON THE ANCIENT BLACK HOUND OF THE ABBOTS OF SAINT

HUBERT, IN ARDENNE. The hound commonly known as the Saint Hubert's breed is properly quite black ; but the race has been so mixed with that of other sorts, that at the present time they are found of every colour, which circumstance is much to be regretted. This long celebrated breed of hounds has always been carefully preserved by the abbots of Saint Hubert, in honour and remembrance of the saint who hunted with Saint Eustace ; and as the art and pastime of venerie was practised by such venerable men, it is from thence to be presumed that all good and valiant sportsmen will, with the grace of God, follow them to Paradise ; but it is vain to pursue the path of conjectures, since it is interminable ; and so we return to facts.

This race of dog was anciently very common all through the countries of Haynault, Lorraine, Flanders, and Bourgoyne. They are of an exceedingly powerful make, with rather short legs in proportion to their size. They are more celebrated for scent than for speed, as they possess the former quality in great perfection, but are occasionally rather noted as inclined to be laggards in the chase. They fear neither cold nor water, and perfer foul and heavy game, such as the fox and boar, to that of a nobler order, probably because they feel unequal or disinclined for the speed and exertion necessary for the pursuit of swifter animals, such, for instance, as the deer or hare. They are occasionally trained and used as bloodhounds, for which purpose the blackest are generally selected ; but I do not think much of their skill or capabilities in this line.

I once found an old book, which was dedicated by a sportsman to a prince of the House of Lorraine, who excelled in the chase ; in this document there was emblazoned the picture of a white bloodhound, which was named by his master ·Souillard,' probably a descendant of the hound mentioned as presented to the king. From this circumstance we may conclude that there are even white dogs of the Saint Hubert' breed.

Under the emblazoned portrait of the above-mentioned hound the following words were written :

" From Saint Hubert first I took my name,

Son of Souillard,' that hound of fame."

ERNEST ATHERLEY;
OR, SCENES AT HOME AND ABROAD.

BY LORD WILLIAM LENNOX.

CHAP. IX.

< Pollow, follow :
And leave your England, as dead midnight, still,
Guarded with grandsires, babies, and old women,
Either past, or not arrived to pith and puissance :
For who is he, whose chin is but enrich'd
With one appearing hair, that will not follow
These call'd and choice-drawn cavaliers to France ?"

SHAKSPBARE.

“ Fresh blew the wind, when o'er the Atlantic Main
The ship went gliding."

WORDSWORTH.

Napoleon's Escape from Elba-We are ordered to Belgium-Reach it “just in

time to be too late” for Waterloo-Bivouac in Paris-I am appointed Aide-deCamp to General Marston-Embark for Quebec on board H. M. F. Rokeby.

As, in the days we write of, neither the gigantic power of steam, nor the magic influence of electricity, had displayed their almost supernatural qualities—when, instead of being able to “ waft a sigh from Indus to the pole,” or send a message to a friend in Paris, to ask him to dine with you in London, on the evening of the invitation, we were content to wait some days for home, and many weeks for foreign news. Can it be wondered, then, that during our transatlantic campaign we should have been kept in profound ignorance of what had been going on in France during the early part of the memorable year of 1815 ? and yet how much had happened in that interval! Napoleon had escaped from Porto Ferrajo in the Isle of Elba ; Wellington had attended the Congress at Vienna, where the four allied sovereigns of Great Britain, Austria, Russia, and Prussia had made a declaration, binding themselves to maintain the treaty of Paris, to keep each one hundred and fifty thousand men in the field, and not to lay down their arms until Bonaparte should be placed without the pale of civil and social relations, as an enemy and destroyer of the tranquillity of the world; Louis XVIII. had abdicated the throne of his ancestors ; Ney, “ the bravest of the brave,” who had declared that he would bring his former chief to Paris like a wild beast in a cage, had recognized his superiority, joined him, and again sunk into his satellite. To resume : our passage to Ostend afforded no incident that would bear even the slightest detail, and there