1 On' Hunting. imagined I had given up my defign of furnishing you with any thing more on the fubject of foxhunting; but believe me, Gentlemen, I had no fuch intention, Nothing but a bad ftate of health which I bave experienced very feverely ever fince fhould have prevented a conclufion of my obfervations on this fport; and I feize the first opportunity a reeftablishment of it gives me, to acquit myfelf fully on this head. I think my laft letter finished with fome of the neceffary direc tions when the hounds are at fault, and fhall now detain your attention a few minutes longer on the fame fubject. The inftant the hounds are at fault, it becomes critical indeed to the fportfman, and requires the greatest attention. Thofe who look forward, perhaps, may fee the fox; or the running of fheep, or the purfuit of crows, may give them fome tidings of hini. A liftner may fometimes take a hint which way he is gone, from the chattering of a magpie; or perhaps be at a certainty from a diftant halloo; nothing that can give any intelligence at fuch a time is to be neglected. It too often happens that gentlemen ride altogether: were they to fpread more, they might fometimes be of fervice; particularly thofe who, from a knowledge of the fport, keep down the wind; it would then be difficult for either hounds or fox to efcape their obfervation. Caution, however, fhould be particularly attended to, in what manner vou go to a halloo, that itfelf must in a great measure di rect you; and though it afford no certain rule, yet you may frequently guefs by it, whether it may be depended on, or not. When boys are bird-keeping at VOL, IV. No. XXII. 221 the fowing-time, if you are not very particuar, their halloo will deceive you. When you are in doubt, it is much better to send on a whipper-in to know; the lofs of a little time is then the worst that can befal you; whereas, if you gallop away with the hounds to the halloo, and are obliged to return, it is a chance if they try for the fcent afterwards: on the other hand, if cer tain of the halloo, you intend going to it, then the fooner you get to it better. Another fault is frequently committed, by being in too great a hurry when they get there. It will fcarcely be believed how much our eagerness at fuch a time is apt to mislead our judgment; for inftance, when we get to the halloo, the first questions are natural enough:-Did you fee 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 go; and nine times out of ten it happen, that you must return to the fame place for better information. The lefs hurry that is made ufe of on this occafion, you may depend on it the nore time will be faved; and in whatever part the fox was feen whether near or diftant, that will not only be the fureft, but the beft place to take the fcent. Mr. Beck ord, in his ingenious publication on hunting, has given feveral inftances to prove that halloo's are not always to be depended on. "My hounds, (fays this gentleman) being at a long fault, a fellow halloo'd to them from the top of a rick, at fome diftance off. The huntfman, as you may believe, stuck fpurs to his horfe, hailoo'd till he was almoft hoarse, and got to the man as quickly as he could; F f the the man ftill kept hallooing; and as the hounds got near him, here, (faid he) here-here, the fox is gone!"—"Is he far before us? (cries the huntfman) how long ago was it that you faw him? No, mafter, I have not feen him; but I felt him here this morning, when I came to ferve my fheep." us "Once a man halloo'd back a mile, only to tell us that we were right before, and we lost the fox by it." Several other inftances are given by the fame gentleman; but but as they serve more to fhew the ignorance of the people that occafioned them, than to elucidate the fubject I am writing to you upon, I fhall proceed. It is allowed that hounds ought not to be caft as long as they are able to hunt; and though the idea that a hunted fox never ftops, is a very neceffary one to a fox hunter, yet tired foxes will stop if you can hold them on; and they have been known to stop even in the wheel ruts on the open downs, and leap up in the the midft of the hounds A tired fox ought not to be given up: for he is killed, fometimes, very unexpectedly. The business of a huntfman is only difficult when the fcent dies away, and it is then his judgment is more confpicuoufly fhewn, to regain a loft fcent, and to get nearer the fox fee the fox; and when hounds are put to the check on a high road, by the fox being headed back, it gives them the beft chance of hitting off the fcent again, as they may try on both fides at once. When they are running in cover, the strictest filence should be obferved; as aifo when the fox is running fhort, and the hounds are catching him; this is the most difficult time for the dogs, as he is continually turning, and will frequently lie down, and let them pafs him. When he is caught, to fee the hounds eat him eagerly, is the delight of the fox-hunter. If two packs run together, and the fox is killed, the pack that found him is entitled to the head; but should both have found him you must fettle in that way that may feem most equitable. Some further particulars will form another letter, which I intend tranfmitting to you very foon, and am, Gentlemen, Your obedient ACASTUS. LAW INTELLIGENCE. by a long caft, requires genius, COURT OF KING'S BENCH which a huntfman does not at all times poffefs. When the hounds. are incapable of feeling the fcent, it all refts with the huntsman; the giving up, or recovery of the game, therefore, entirely depends CRIM. CON. ELWES, ESQ. V. HARVEY, ESQ.. on his fpirit, genius, and fobferings. The declaration ftaR GIBBS opened the plead vation. At cold hunting, with a bad fcent, it may be proper to fend a whipper-in forward, if he can ted, that the defendant made an affault upon the plaintiff's wife, and debauched her. Το Law Intelligence. To that charge the defendant pleaded not guilty. 223 to place, without the knowledge of her husband. She met him at every opportunity; and at laft, the jury would find this gentle. man's difhonour was entirely compleated. Perhaps, in faying that, he faid all that was neceffary into a detail of the particular circumftances, was unneceffary. He muft prove the adultery, and fhould leave the damages to the good fenfe of the jury. Mr. Erfkine, leading counfel for the plaintiff, obferved, that the gentlemen of the jury had been made acquainted with the nature of his client's complaint, from the opening of the plead-in this caufe; becaufe, to enter ings. He was a man of great fortune, and, unfortunately for him, a man of great fenfibility, and fuffered feverely under the circumstances that gave rife to this action. He was by no means inftructed to declaim against Mr. Harvey on any topic out of that caufe. He believed him to be a man of honour and of feeling, and hoped he would reflect, as he ought to do, on the injury which the plaintiff had fuftained. The defendant was a young man at the bar, and became acquainted with Mrs. Elwes, who lived with her hufband in Wimpole-ftreet, and, as he understood, was a woman of great beauty. The learned Counfel lamented the frequency of this fpecies of crime. It was diftreffing to every inan as well as to counfel, who were called on, day after day, to perform the painful duties of advocates, who were obliged to fpeak on the topic. The fame ideas conftantly recurring, embarraffed them, and rendered it almoft impoffible to fpeak on the fubject of these causes. He did not know that he fhould be able to lay before them any particular evidence of the fortune of the defendant. His rank and ftation in the world would be general evidence of the fact. The firft witnefs called on the part of the plaintiff was Thomas Randal, who faid that he was an apothecary, and was prefent at the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Elwes, on the 23d of December, 1789. They were married at St. Ann's, Weftminster. He visited them very frequently after their marriage, and believed they lived at firit very affectionately together. On crofs examination, he said this lady was a widow when the was married, and he fuppofed mfhe might then be about two or three and thirty. He attended the family as a profeffional man, when there was any ficknefs, and had alfo vifited them freqently as an acquaintance, and had eat and drank with them. The arts of an advocate, however, were unneceffary and useless on this fubject, when he had the honour to add efs himself to men of fenfibility and honour, most of whom, probably, were fathers and husbands. They must feel the nature of this injury, much better than he could defcribe it to them. Mr. Harvey having become acquainted with this lady, followed her about from place little had fallen from Mr. Erfkine, which called for observation. It was very well known that many actions of this kind occurred, and whether they arose from any alteration of climate, unfriendly to continence, or other feveral times; it was then | defendant, obferved, that every between five and fix o'clock in the evening. She afterwards walked out of the room, went up ftairs with the maid to drefs, and came down again into the room where the defendant was, with her gown hanging loofe about her, and not as became a modeft woman. Mr. H. leaned himself back on the fofa; the lady laid herfelf up befide him, and kiffed him feveral times. They continued about a minute in that fituation. That was on the 18th of Auguft. On the 21st of Auguft, he faw the fame fcenę acted between this lady and gentleman, between one and two o'clock in the day. from a mutual relaxation of morals in both fexes; the fact was undoubted, though not very fre quent with any confequence in this particular cafe. The defendant, he observed, was a young man, not twenty-two years of age, the lady almoft old enough to be his mother. He is defigned too, for the bar, and like all thofe who have fucceeded in that profeffion, he has laid in the best ftock in trade imaginable, namely, nothing at all. Poverty with us is the road to wealth; for I never knew a fuccessful lawyer who had a guinea when he began; hunger will eat through ftone walls, and nothing but hunger, I am fure, could induce any man to ftudy law. On the 15th of September laft, Mr. Elwes had gone out to Highgate, and Mrs. Elwes was ill in bed. Mr. Harvey came to the house in about half an hour after Mr. Elwes went out. He faw Mr. Harvey and Mis. Elwes in the back drawing-room, in a morning gown and morning cap, and had no ftays on. They fat He reminded the jury, that the clofe together, and fometimes whole evidence of the groom was he fat on his knee. Mr. Harvey unfupported, and what he spoke was employed in the old bufinefs to that was most material, was of kiffing, and taking other li- feen very imperfectly through berties, which we fhall not offend hutters at a distance; but they our readers by ftating. Her maid must be convinced of his guilt, came into the room with fome and this the groom himself had wine, and fat it on a table. Af-declared he never witneffed. On ter he went out, they renewed the bufinefs. They afterwards went both out of the room. The witnefs faw them again between three and four o'clock on the fame day, and in the fame room. The fofa was removed from its ufual place, and Mr. H. and Mrs. E. were in fuch a fituation, as left little room to doub; but they were guilty of the charge ftated in the declaration. Mr. Bearcroft, in behalf of the the whole, he left the caufe to their good fenfe, informing them, however, that the plaintiff was a rich man, who did not want money, and the defendant a poor one, who could not pay it, The Lord Chief Justice, in his excellent addrefs to the jury, flated, that there were two queftions for their confideration: firft, the fact of the adultery, and fecondly, if they were fatisfied of that, what damages they would Sporting Intelligence give. His lordship thought the lady more to blame than the gen. tleman. The jury retired about half an hour to confider of their verdict, and found for the plaintiff-da-mages iool. 225 who fteered the King George, the quickly. took the lead, and beat her opponent eafy, leaving the Bloffom upwards of one mile aftern. The first amateurs in failing attended; and to thofe fond of aquatic fports, it afforded the higheft amufement. CANTERBURY, JULY IL. A few evenings ago, as the game-keeper at Olantigh, the feat of John Sawbridge, Efq. was out with his gun deftroying rabbits, a cub fox, nearly full grown, croffed him within hot, with fomething in its mouth, which he could not difcern what it was but upon fhooting the fox, he found it was a leveret; and fo tenacious was this young plun derer of its fpoil, that it retained it even after death, and fo tight were its teeth clenched, as to render it difficult to extricate the leveret from him. This is the fecond fox which has been fhot within thefe two years hare in its mouth, within a few miles of the fame place. a July 14, a match at trap ball, the beft of two innings, was played at the ground belonging to the Hoxton Coffee-houfe, tween Mr. Salter and Mr. Gibfon, of that hamlet, for twenty guineas, which was won with cafe by Mr. Salter. July 19, at a leaping-match, (two hops and a leap) at the cricket-field, Iflington, for twenty guineas, between Mr. Houlley, a publican, and Mr. Peck, a pigjobber, both of St. Luke's, Middlefex, the latter was victor; clearly covering fourteen yards and a half, which the other, in feveral attempts, fell four inches short of. Dehaynes |