told had just entered into a matrimonial speculation, was also present, and, as they say at Newmarket, looked as if it had not come off right.

Met these hounds again on the Saturday following at Riddlesworth Hall in Norfolk. Soon found a family of foxes, which of course took a little manoeuvring to break and disperse. However, after about twenty minutes' running round the plantations and coverts adjoining the mansion, the hounds rattled one away at a pretty hunting pace to the village of Rushford: he there crossed the river, and directed his course for the coverts of Sir R. Buxton, and thence to West Harling; but, altering his mind before he entered this domain, he inclined to the left, and crossed a second river to Bridgham, thence on to Brettenham, where the hounds ran from scent to view, and killed in the centre of a large open field. A few turnips concealed the fox from the view of the hounds till they were within thirty yards of him, when coming upon some wheat he was fairly exposed, and in less than a minute he was in the centre of about sixteen couples of the darlings. When he found it was all up, he turned round, and, like Richard, charged into the centre of his foes.

The hounds this day performed to admiration: they had many difficulties to overcome from the nature of the ground and quantity of game: they were several times at check, but always hit it off cleverly they shewed great steadiness and good hunting, and they had their reward. The fox was on his legs about one hour and forty minutes.

Tuesday, Dec. 20th, met at

Stowlangtoft Church. A more beautiful morning for hunting never beamed on men, horses, and hounds: every sportsman was on the qui vive; the find was said to be certain, and there was a fox of known game qualities a resident in the neighbourhood. We had a fine country around us, and silence was the order of the day as the pack dashed into the first covert; every ear was strung to its finest powers of vibration to catch the first challenge of some favorite hound, and every eye was set to its best focus to view the varmint away; but, alas! we were doomed to disappointment. "The wisest schemes of men and mice gang oft awry," and the horrible word "blank" must be inserted to proclaim the sequel of this day. We drew Stowlangtoft Woods and the Thicks (the latter one of the best coverts in the Hunt), Wicken Woods, Stanton Groves, Bangor Wood, Bardwell Cars, and finished at the gorse coverts of Norton Cartwright, Esq. at the back of the village of Ixworth. No great disappointment was experienced at not finding here, as we were on the borders of an enemy's country: the murder of some old hen pheasants had raised a little misunderstanding, and in consequence, it is asserted, Lord Calthorp's gamekeepers have leave to "Burke" the foxes.

To account for not finding before we came here, gave rise to various opinions. From the respectable testimony adduced, no doubt can be entertained as to there being many foxes in the country. I rode up to one of the large earths, and certainly there was fresh work enough at the mouth of it to induce me to

believe that more than one fox had visited it......they certainly had been stopped out here, but there were some that were left open. This part of the business, it is said, is rather negligently attended to; and, in my opinion, was the cause of our disappointment this day. Besides, in this country there are many old and largerabbit-burrows in which a fox can occasionally shelter. In fact, earth-stopping can never be effectually performed in some countries, unless the occupiers of the land are sportsmen, and will see to it themselves and never will the Stowlangtoft coverts be drawn blank without some brother hunter heaving a sigh to the memory of Bob Mathews, and reverting to the time when he was alive, and superintended it. It was his custom, every night before the hounds met in this village, to be called from his bed by his shepherd at half-past eleven o'clock, no matter what sort of weather; and off would these two worthies set on their vocation, with as much glee to prevent Mr. Charley's return to his couch, as he would in the morning to rattle him from his kennel. Although there were no fox-hounds (as I have before stated) for many seasons in Suffolk, so fond was he of foxes, that the Thicks close to his house was scarcely, ever without one. He always took care to breed a litter on his farm every year: the earth was situated in the middle of one of his fields that adjoined the wood; and from a hollow tree in his orchard, in which was a seat and a hole cut for a window, would Bob on a summer's evening, whilst smoking his pipe, occasionally peep through a telescope, and enjoy and amuse

himself with the gambols of his darling vixen and her cubs, as they scratched in the sand or played with the feathers of some bird that their master had provided for them: and many a score of rabbits has his gun slaughtered for their welfare. By these means he contrived to keep some of them near home, and thus they escaped the ills that inevitably befel their roving relatives. Ah! he was a rare specimen of that class of men who are now, miserabile dictu! fast falling to decay -the Old English Yeoman-a fox-hunter from his cradle, a dear lover of all manly sports and conviviality, and, what is better, an honest man; and many a tale grown mellow by time had Bob to relate of the days that are past. One favorite anecdote of his was, being up at the death of a fox after a long run that the hounds pulled from the top of a barrel of ale in the cellars of the mansion of Sir Robert Buxton. Before the fire-place, in his little parlour, was the portrait of his old favorite black hunter Tom, and underneath the following laconic and honorable certificate-"Tom, the property of Mr. Robert Mathews, hunted ten seasons with the Duke of Grafton's hounds, never refused a leap, and never made a mistake.” As Bob was a straight-necked one in his day, this must have been a rum un! Poor fellow! not a sportsman or neighbour but sorrowed when his knell was toll'd! The cares and expenses of a large family, coupled with the badness of the times, were more than his sensitive mind could bear up against ......he could not face the world and its trials......he fell into a premature grave.

I i

But to return. On this day we had a dog pack out, consisting of about nineteen couples; and fastidious indeed must be that eye that would not have been gratified by their appearance! They are of full dimensions without being gigantic, and their evenness of height, symmetry, and condition, leaves nothing to be wished for. Their steadiness was put strongly to the test: many of the coverts that I have enumerated were full of riot......four hours is a long time to trifle with the patience of high-mettled fox-hounds; but not a voice was heard but Will Rose's in drawing, and Sam's in getting them away. If their performance is equal to their appearance, they must soon have a day that will be worth recording. With Parson Sterne, "I pity the man who can travel fron Dan to Beersheba, and exclaim all is barrenness." To those who are fond of catching the "living manners as they rise," there is always something to be picked up in a field of fox-hunters. Thus, when the chances of sport are in some measure narrowed, I generally turn my attention to men and horses, and have often been greatly amused by sitting still by the side of a fence over which the crowd has to pass in trotting from one covert to another, and observing the different styles and methods made use of by bipeds and quadrupeds in going over the same leap. In point of judgment and action the quadruped has it hollow; and if horses knew no more of leaping than the generality of men do of riding, the Coronership for the county would be a troublesome office.

Taking the kingdom through, I will venture to assert, that out

of every twenty men that go out with the intention of following hounds, about three may be said to ride: the rest just manage to hang on. Bad habits acquired when young, and awkwardness in the beginning not corrected, strengthens with their strength, and is the cause of the outrè appearance of so many men horseback. The only instruction delivered to young ones when first entered to hounds in the Christmas holidays is this-" Go along, you young dog; and if I see you get off again at a fence, I'll horsewhip you!"

on

As to one set of men (because they happen to belong to any particular county) being much superior to those in another, is one of those vulgarisms that I hope the "march of intellect" has nearly expelled. England has in every corner some

"Hearts of oak and nerves of steel ;" and whether a man first drew his breath in Melton Mowbray, or in Lower Thames-street, makes no difference.....................education makes the workman. During the period that the county of Norfolk was without a pack of fox-hounds -a period of about thirty years

many of its natives were seen to ride like devils when visitors in other countries, and it was accounted for in this way: the boys were accustomed to ride to greyhounds in an inclosed country; and he who can pick up a good hare caught in this way (after bucking over about twenty fences) before she is fairly dead (and many a time have I witnessed it), shall have a chance to be near the finish of a fashionable ten minutes in Leicestershire, if well mounted.

Of the Suffolk men I there

fore say, as of all others that I have seen, they have their average of straightforward riders when hounds run fast and straight into a good thing, there are a few who with a start are always with them; the remainder, a great majority always, like the horses that started against Eclipse, nowhere! The Suffolk men, when the Duke of Grafton left them, had their country converted into a fatting penn for pheasants; and this disgrace and misfortune remained upon it for about ten seasons. Since that, they have, phoenixlike, risen from their ashes, and must in a very little time stand about the top of the provincials. They have a fine country abounding in good coverts, a fair quantity of foxes, a noble pack of hounds, and a man at the head of them who is an ardent accomplished sportsman, a gentleman by birth, by education, and habits; and little more need be added, to excite in the minds of my sporting readers admiration

and respect for Mr. Mure, than to be told that the whole of the expenses of this establishment are defrayed out of his own pocket, for the amusement and gratification of the county, and for the support of the noblest of all sports, Fox-hunting.

In my next letter I hope to be able to send you an account of sport such as these hounds are deserving of; and it is my intention to add a full and particular account of all the choicest horses and the colours of the riders. The harriers too (which I hear are very good) must be looked at, and a few lines bestowed upon their performances. There are besides many other sporting subjects connected with this county, which I must defer commenting on till a future period.

In the meantime, Mr. Editor, wishing you a good entry of contributors to, and readers of, the Sporting Magazine in the new year, I subscribe myself,

Dec. 24.

The Turf.

INTELLIGENCE EXTRA.

NEWMARKET Craven Meet

ing 1832.-Tuesday: Captain Rous's br. f. Lioness, by Tiresias out of Emma, 3 yrs, 9st. 6lb. agst Mr. Ridsdale's ch. c. St. Giles, by Tramp out of Arcot Lass, 2 yrs, 8st. 2lb. R. M. 100, h. ft.

Lord Verulam's b. c. Vestris, by Whalebone, agst Duke of Rutland's br. c. Clansman, by Partisan, dam by Andrew, both 3 yrs old, 8st.3lb. each, D. M. 200, h. ft.

The Oatlands Stakes of 50 sovs. each, h. ft. and only 10 sovs. ft. if declared or before the 31st of December 1831, D. I.

on

Lord Wilton's The Chancellor, 3 yrs. Gen. Grosvenor's Sarpedon, 3 yrs.

RINGWOOD.

Mr. J. Scott's Rodolph, 3 yrs.
Lord Lowther's Spaniel, 3 yrs.
Lord Exeter's Mahmoud, 4 yrs.
Lord Exeter's Anthony, 3 yrs.
Lord Exeter's Bohemian, 3 yrs.
Col. Wilson's br. c. by Comus out of
Rotterdam, 4 yrs.

Mr. E. Peel's Cadland, 6 yrs.
Mr. W. Jackson's Walter, 3 yrs.
Lord Tavistock's Gondolier, 4 yrs.
Mr. S. Stonehewer's Variation, 4 yrs.
Mr. Greatrex's Schumla, 4 yrs.
Mr. Greatrex's Zucharelli, 4 yrs.
Duke of Grafton's Oxygen, 4 yrs.
Sir M. Wood's Lucetta, 5 yrs.
Sir M. Wood's Captain Arthur, 4 yrs.
Sir M. Wood's Camarine, 3 yrs.
Mr. Flintham's Anti-Catholic, 5 yrs.
Mr. Watts's Mazeppa, 4 yrs.
Mr. Chifney's Rowton, 5 yrs.
Mr. Chifney's Emilianus, 3 yrs.
Mr. Chifney's Snarl, 4 yrs.
Mr. Henry's Agreeable, 4 yrs.
Mr. Gully's Tranby, 5 yrs.