been, and I trust never will be, any impediment to fox-hunting in that country, which, taking it all in all, is inferior to none in Great Britain, according to the opinion of those well qualified to pass sentence upon its merits: but be this as it may, upon the occasion to which I allude, the fox having run down towards the river, instead of crossing, held on in a continuous line along the meadows, for a space of two miles at the very least, being all the way mid-deep in water. He was never obliged to swim, but was able to maintain a wonderful pace for any animal half-seas over; and well might such an event have been literally termed an aquatic expedition, at the instigation, and in honor of the name of such a huntsman as old Wells. Never was he nearer being pumped out than in this splashing chase; such was the pace of hounds, and such the head they carried, that as he went o'er water like the wind, he had barely enough within himself for spouting; but turning half round in his saddle, he was just capable of giving vent to an exclamation indicative of his opinion, as touching that scent of which he had not known the touch-" It's in the h'air, my lord! it's all in the h'air!" Now under the circumstances, and considering that by no possibility could any ideas of currant-jelly at that moment have been running riot within his brain, the aspiration of the element was very pardonable, a "trifle light as air," to which it gave the emphasis; and, badinage apart, that simple speech is to my mind ("jealous” of the truth of doctrine) a

"confirmation strong

As proof of holy writ."

If after this any one will pretend to say that such a scent, of which there are every day instances, arises from "the pad of the fox touching the ground," I have done : with him I resign all contest, and shall be contented to leave him "alone in his glory."

I must not be supposed in these comments upon The Diary of a Huntsman to be actuated by any desire to disparage that production, or to detract from its manifold merits. The manner in which I have spoken of its author as a Sportsman, previous to his appearance as a penman, must acquit me of anything approaching, in the remotest degree, to personal disrespect. To have been silent altogether, would have argued that I held the writings of a contemporary as utterly unworthy of notice, or that I yielded a tacit assent to the promulgation of doctrines which are calculated to mislead those whem they are intended to enlighten. In the notice which I felt it necessary to take of a contemporary authority, it would have been misplaced courtesy towards the writer, injustice to my own work and to the purpose to which it was devoted, if I shrank from contesting opinions to which I could not conscientiously subscribe and in dealing with these as public property, I trust it is unnecessary for me to disclaim a spirit of acrimony, or any feeling unworthy the relationship of brother Sportsmen, both aiming

at the same end.

:

Mr. Radcliffe is at variance also with Mr. Smith on several other points, in some instances rather hypercritically and with too much of the "I-am-Sir-Oracle" sort of domination: but we cannot go further into them

"Who shall decide when doctors disagree?"

All we can say is, every lover of "the Noble Science" should have both volumes before him.

It would be an act of injustice to pass without special notice the Illustrations of this beautiful volume. They are all sketched with a spirit and truth that shew the elegant draughtsman, and would be no disparagement to the talent of some of those who figure in the higher department of the art.

NEW LAWS OF COURSING.

In our Number for August last year, p. 306, we gave the new Rules and Regulations for the better guidance of all Coursing Societies, as recommended for general adoption by all Clubs in England, Ireland, and Scotland, at a meeting of Noblemen and Gentlemen, held on the 30th of June 1838, at the Thatched House Tavern, St. James's Street, the Earl of Stradbroke presiding. Several Members of the Ashdown, Swaffham, Newmarket, Deptford Inn, Scotch, and other Clubs, joined the dinner circle in the evening, when it was resolved, that, for the purpose of adding to and revising the Rules agreed to, so as to make them as generally applicable and comprehensive as possible, a Public Meeting should be held annually on the Saturday after the Ascot Heath Races.

In conformity with this resolution, a meeting took place on Saturday the 1st of June, at the same Tavern, the Earl of Stradbroke again taking the Chair, supported by Lord Rivers and some of the most influential Coursers in the kingdom, including Messrs. Agg, Bagge, Biggs, Bowles, Calvert, Cripps, Etwall, Gillett, Goodlake, and Heathcote, Dr. Scott, &c. After considerable discussion, the following Code of Laws, founded on those already promulgated, was agreed to. On comparing them with the former "Rules" several amendments will will be found to have been made in Laws 3, 4, 5, 14, 16, and 17 in the present classification, or 6, 2, 7, 18, 15, and 16, as published last year. The 13th "Local Rule" is now brought forward, and stands No. 2 in the regular Code. The "features of merit," for the guidance of Judges, furnished by Mr. Goodlake, are an important feature in the new construction.

LAWS OF COURSING.

1. Two Stewards shall be appointed by the Members at dinner each day, to act in the field the following day, and to preside at dinner. They shall regulate the plan of beating the ground, under the sanction of the owner or occupier of the soil.

2. Three or five Members, including the Secretary for the time being, shall form a Committee of Management, and shall name a person, for the approbation of the Members, to judge all courses: all doubtful cases shall be referred to them.

3. All courses shall be from slips, by a brace of greyhounds only.

4. The time of putting the first brace of dogs in the slips shall be declared at dinner on the day preceding. If a prize is to be run for, and only one dog is ready, he shall run a bye, and his owner shall receive forfeit : should neither be ready, the course shall be run when the Committee shall think fit. In a Match, if only one dog be ready, his owner shall receive forfeit if neither be present, the Match shall be placed the last on the list. 5. If any person shall enter a greyhound by a name different from that in which he last appeared in public, without giving notice of such alteration, he shall be disqualified from winning, and shall forfeit his Match.

:

6. No greyhounds shall be entered as puppies unless born on or after the 1st of January of the year preceding the day of running.

7. Any Member, or other person, running a greyhound at the meeting, having a dog at large which shall join in the course then running, shall forfeit one sovereign, and, if belonging to either of the parties running, the course shall be decided against him.

8. The Judge ought to be in a position where he can see the dogs leave the slips, and to decide by the color of the dogs to a person appointed for that purpose: his decision shall be final.

9. If, in running for prizes, the Judge shall be of opinion that the course has not been of sufficient length to enable him to decide as to the merits of the dogs, he shall inquire of the Committee whether he is to decide the course or not: if in the negative, the dogs shall be immediately put again into the slips.

10. The Judge shall not answer any questions put to him regarding a course, unless such questions are asked by the Committee.

11. If any Member make an observation in the hearing of the Judge respecting a course during the time of running, or before he shall have delivered his judgment, he shall forfeit one sovereign to the Fund; and if either dog be his own, he shall lose the course. If he impugn the decision of the Judge, he shall forfeit two sovereigns.

12. When a course of an average length is so equally divided that the Judge shall be unable to decide it, the owners of the dogs may toss for it; but if either refuse, the dogs shall be again put into the slips, at such time as the Committee may think fit; but if either dog be drawn, the winning dog shall not be obliged to run again.

13. In running a Match the Judge may declare the course to be undecided.

14. If a Member shall enter more than one greyhound bona fide his own property for a prize, his dogs shall not run together if it be possible to avoid it; and if two greyhounds the property of the same Member remain to the last tie, he may run it out or draw either as he shall think fit. 15. When dogs engaged are of the same color, the last drawn shall wear a collar.

16. If a greyhound stand still in a course when a hare is in his or her sight, the owner shall lose the course; but if a greyhound drop from exhaustion, and it shall be the opinion of the Judge that the merit up to the time of falling was greatly in his or her favor, then the Judge shall have power to award the course to the greyhound so falling if he think fit.

17. Should two hares be on foot, and the dogs separate before reaching the hare slipped at, the course shall be undecided, and shall be run over again at such time as the Committee shall think fit, unless the owners of the dogs agree to toss for it, or to draw one dog; and if the dogs separate after running some time, it shall be at the discretion of the Committee whether the course shall be decided up to the point of separation.

18. A course shall end if either dog be so unsighted as to cause an impediment in the course.

19. If any Member or his servant ride over his opponent's dog when running so as to injure him in the course, the dog so ridden over shall be deemed to win the course.

20. It is recommended to all Union Meetings to appoint a Committee of five, consisting of Members of different Clubs, to determine all difficulties and cases of doubt.

FEATURES OF MERIT.

The following General Rules are recommended to Judges for their guidance :

1. The race from slips, and the first turn or wrench of the hare (provided it be a fair slip), and a straight run up.

2. Where one dog gives the other a go-by when both are in their full speed, and turns or wrenches the hare. (N. B. If one dog be in the stretch, and the other only turning at the time he passes, it is not a fair go-by.)

3. Where one dog turns the hare when she is leading homewards, and keeps the lead so as to serve himself, and makes a second turn of the hare without losing the lead.

4. A catch or kill of the hare when she is running straight and leading homewards is fully equal to a turn of the hare when running in the same direction, or perhaps more, if he shew the speed over the other dog in doing it. If a dog draws the fleck from the hare, and causes her to wrench or rick only, it is equal to a turn of the hare when leading homewards.

5. When a dog wrenches or ricks a hare twice following without losing the lead, it is equal to a turn.

N. B. It often happens when a hare has been turned, and she is running from home, that she turns of her own accord to gain ground homeward, when both dogs are on the stretch after her in such a case the Judge should not give the leading dog a turn.

There are often other minor advantages in a course, such as one dog shewing occasional superiority of speed, turning on less ground, and running the whole course with more fire than his opponent, which must be left to the discretion of the Judge, who is to decide on the merits.

LOCAL RULES.

1. The number of Members shall be regulated by the letters in the Alphabet, and the two junior Members shall take the letters X and Z, if required.

2. The Members shall be elected by ballot, seven to constitute a ballot, and two black balls to exclude.

3. The name of every person proposed to be balloted for as a Member shall be placed over the chimney-piece one day before the ballot can take place.

4. No proposition shall be balloted for unless put up over the chimneypiece, with the names of the proposer and seconder, at or before dinner preceding the day of the ballot, and read to the Members at such dinner.

5. Every Member shall, at each meeting, run a greyhound his own property, or forfeit a sovereign to the Club.

6. No Member shall be allowed to match more than two greyhounds in the first class, under a penalty of two sovereigns to the fund, unless such Member has been drawn or run out for the prizes, in which case he shall be allowed to run three dogs in the first class.

7. If any Member shall absent himself two seasons without sending his subscription, he shall be deemed out of the Society, and another chosen in his place.

8. No greyhound shall be allowed to start if any arrears are due to this Society from the owner.

9. Any Member lending another a greyhound for the purpose of saving his forfeit (except by consent of the Members present) shall forfeit five sovereigns.

10. Any Member running the dog of a stranger in a Match shall cause the name of the owner to be inserted after his own name in the list, under a penalty of one sovereign.

11. No stranger shall be admitted into the Society's room unless introduced by a Member, who shall place the name of his friend over the chimney-piece, with his own attached to it, and no Member shall introduce more than one friend.

12. The Members of the

Clubs shall be Honorary Members of this Society, and when present shall be allowed to run their greyhounds on paying the annual subscription.

13. This Society to meet on the following days.

in

and course on the

SCRAPS FROM THE WRITING DESK OF THE LATE MR. PETER CHISEL.-BY AN EXECUTOR.

(Continued from Volume XVII., p. 181.)

CHAPTER XIII.

In which Mr. Chisel, although a young man, sets a fine example of Christian fortitude under a severe domestic calamity and disappointment.

I SEND you some more "last lines" found in the desk of my late friend. "The History" was evidently written when he was a very young man, and before he had fallen into that serious train of thinking which so often characterize his writings. A few trifles still remain, which shall be forwarded in due season by his Executor,

MY AUNT'S FUNERAL.

HARRY FLIght.

66

Ir was a sharp clear morning in the latter end of September, when alighting from a stage coach in "the Inn Yard" of the county town, returning from a shooting excursion, I encountered mine host at the door of the booking-office. He had been a servant of "the family;" so, with the familiarity of "auld acquaintance," he touched his hat without moving the contents, and said in a decided matter-of-fact tone, So, Sir, we have lost poor old Madam Rumtifuss. Yes! lawyer Crabtree was here last night on his way to take the hinwentory." “ I turned, and left the spot," and just midway between the aforesaid booking-office and the door of the hotel I met a wooden-legged Gentleman, a 66 friend of the family," who in rather an il pensieroso tone informed me that he had no doubt of my having heard of the death of Mrs. Rumtifuss; and then seemed earnestly peering into my countenance in search of the pathetic, of which I am known to have an abundant store; but then the steam must be got up by the heat of my own imagination; it cannot be pumped in by anybody moving upon a wooden leg; and very probably there might be upon my face, at the very moment of which I am treating, a look either of incredulity or perhaps levity, I cannot say; but at all events he of the wooden prop appeared disgusted, and I had the immediate pleasure of hearing his jury leg thumping quickly on the pavement as it bore him off in the direct contrary direction to the path I had chosen for myself. No sooner was I landed in the snug little parlor next the bar of the hotel, than in popped a "relation of the family," who, with a face like that of the man who "drew Priam's curtain in the dead of night," and with most lugubrious wailing, held me by the button till I was minutely acquainted with the hour and manner in which poor dear good old Mrs. Rumtifuss had finally quitted her "local habitation and name," and till the salt of "most unrighteous tears," according to the laws of gravity, was walking over his " canecolored beard to visit the skirts of his cloathing."

The death of Aunt Rumtifuss had now been rung in my ears in the positive, comparative, and superlative degrees of wo: there remained

VOL. XIX.-SECOND SERIES.-No. 111.

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