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rock, which create deep eddies or whirlpools, very suitable for minnow fishing. The best locality for traversing the stream is to commence about four or five miles above the Otterbourne, where the famous battle was fought, and descend the stream until it falls into North Tyne. This will prove a pleasant and successful range of water; and if the weather is even tolerable, there is no fear of a fair portion of sport.

The sportsman will meet with long stripes of still water in sections of the Reed; but there are but few trout in them. They mostly have a clayey or spongy bed. All the expert anglers in the neighbourhood affirm that they have seldom, if ever, known many fish taken out of these sluggish running waters either with bait or fly. This testimony from experience is, in all cases, a good guide to travelling sportsmen.

All kinds of flies are indifferently used in the Reed; but as far as I have been able to judge, both from my own experience as well as that of others, light coloured ones have, in the majority of cases, a decided preference. The tackle should be rather light and fine for this stream; particularly for the upper parts of it, where it becomes very shallow and limpid.

South Tyne."-This river is of no importance whatever. There are scarcely any fish in it, on account of lead mines which are wrought along its banks; these pour noxious ingredients into the stream, which destroy everything possessed of animal existence.

come.

"North Tyne" is, however, a most splendid stream; both for the number of its trout and the picturesque nature of its scenery. There an angler of ordinary skill will obtain his ten or fifteen dozen of trout a day, with comparative ease. The fish are also of very good quality. The further up the river, the more numerous though smaller they beThe bed of the water is rocky and pebbly; and there are many fine, strong, gurgling streams fit for the minnow, where large trout commonly take shelter. The portions of deep and still water in this stream are full of fish; and if there be a good breeze the angler will find he will obtain a greater weight of trout here than in keeping entirely by the stream. Winged flies are more suitable for this river than the palmers. The wings should stand well apart, taper finely at their extremities, and retain their shape in the water. Colour is not so much an object as size. They ought not to be too large.

London, March, 1848.

TRAINERS' LOCALITIES.

BY GOLDFINCH.

B*

At the base of the slopes of Langton Wolds stands one of the most compact, comfortable, and substantially-built residences in the vicinity of Malton. It has no pretensions to the character of an aristocratic mansion, neither has it the rusticity of a farm-house; but there is something about its appearance that tells you at once it belongs to

the best specimens of the "homes of England." Yet, though it by no means assumes an ambitious air even at present, it has been wonderfully improved of late years, both inside and outside. This is the habitation of the celebrated northern trainer, John Scott. Those who have never witnessed its pleasant aspect from without, nor enjoyed the unsophisticated hospitality within, would be able to form only a very faint conception of the reality from any description that might be given of WHITE WALL HOUSE.

"Shelter'd beneath a range of hills,

Where Health her balmy sweets distils,
Its front a modest structure rears,
Apart from busy Tumult's cares.
'Tis pleasant there to pass an hour,
Shaded from Sol's meridian pow'r,
When the fierce summer solstice reigns
Over the brown and arid plains.
But when the wintry breezes blow,
Or when the ground is white with snow,
Its curling wreaths of smoke invite,
Its hearth within is warm and bright,
And glowing faces beam around,
And voices have a blithesome sound."

"How

In the month of June last, on my route from Scarborough, I was induced to pay my friend John Scott a visit-if a passing d'ye-do?" of a few hours may be so called. It was early in the morning when I made my appearance at his domicile, and while the lark was hymning its matins at "heaven's gate."

After partaking of a variety of the "creature comforts," in the shape of a genuine old English breakfast, it was proposed and instantly agreed to take a ramble to the wolds. We accordingly set off--that is to say, John Scott and myself-and speedily found ourselves ascending the gentle acclivity. On reaching the summit I had the gratification of beholding no fewer than seventy-two nags, young and old, taking their morning exercise. One horse, in particular, attracted my notice more than any of the others, and on asking John Scott what he was, his reply was, that he was a horse by Launcelot called Blaze. I made the remark that I thought he was the bestactioned animal I had ever seen; upon which he rejoined

"You may guess again, and be farther from the mark."

Having taken my fill of this splendid sight, we retraced our steps to the level sward, and I then wended my way alone, to have a few minutes' chat with "Our Bill," at his verandahed cottage, or villa, or whatever else he may style it

"A calm retreat,

With flowers besprinkled here and there,
And elegantly neat."

I found him mowing his chin of the preceding day's crop, after which operation had been performed Missus completed his toilette by properly adjusting his neck cloth. I was then regaled with a silver tankard of "Sir Tatton"-the name given to a certain distillation of John Barleycorn, and strong enough to floor a Sampson or a Hercules. Conversation being broached, it turned upon the interesting topic of the

Tan-gallop, which, as many of my readers perfectly well know, is the designation applied to an extent of ground nearly two miles in length, covered with tan, and set apart exclusively for the exercise of the tits. The expense has been defrayed jointly by John and William, showing the unity of feeling between the two brothers. The result of this fraternal agreement and coincidence of views has been a great benefit to horses in training, especially in hard, frosty weather, when they cannot take their exercise on the greensward. The Tan-gallop affords them an excellent soft footing in the most adamantine season. After cordially shaking hands with my friend William-for, whatever eccentricities may attach to his character, he has certainly been a firm and fast friend to myself and many others, some of whom have not, perhaps, evinced towards him a superfluity of gratitude-after, as I have said, cordially shaking hands together, I returned to John's to luncheon; this over, he showed me through the outer appurtenances. Twenty years had passed since I had gone over the same ground before, and I could not suppress my astonishment at the changes I now beheld. Everything had been newly modelled upon the most ap proved and scientific principles. Each division or compartment had some particular and express use assigned to it: for instance, one part was appropriated as a dépôt for saddles, bridles, &c., and another for the clothery, where the sweaters, as soon as they are taken from the backs of the horses, are hung up and dried by means of hot air pipes. It may be mentioned that every article is numbered, and has its proper place.

I next visited the stablery, containing the immense number of 127 thorough-breds! It scarcely need be added that everything was neat and trim in the extreme-all in apple-pie order, and the very pink of cleanliness.

Having been highly gratified with all that I had seen, and not less so with the assiduous attention of my conductor, I quitted the scene, full of admiration of the extent to which improvements in these matters have been carried since my younger days.

I had almost forgotten to mention that one of the most interesting sights that came under my view was the dinner of the stable-boys, of whom as many as 120 sat down to their noon-day meal at one long table.

John Scott has probably the horses of as many as twenty noblemen and gentlemen in training at one time.

On our return within the walls of John's snug dwelling, I was ushered into an apartment, where I pledged my entertainer in a glass of seventeen-year-old port, quaffed another to the health of Mrs. S.-one of the best and kindest creatures in the world—and finally one to Lizzie and the team. Being rather lame at the time, from a touch of the lumbago, my worthy friend at parting made me a present of a vine walking-stick, which I shall preserve for his sake, and which has been already sung in your pages. Thus ended my flying

visit to WHITE WALL HOUSE.

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There never was such a country as ours for giving. England is a national personification of liberality on the most extensive scale. She gives battle or shelter to the same people with the same indifference, and upon the same principle, viz., that it is more blessed to give than to receive; and a general subscription once a quarter, to make up the revenue's deficiency, would be responded to with ten times the effect that an increased taxation would have produced. The restrictive duties on hunting, amongst other things, were removed by a thaw on February the 2nd; and when the frost, following the national peculiarity, began to give, it set many a beggar on horseback.

We waited through January, as you know, not with the patience which an otherwise open winter deserved; and when, on the night of February the 1st, the fog of the evening had changed to a starlight night, with unequivocal symptoms of a continued frost, there was no slight disappointment to those who rank Crick gorse as the prettiest find in the Pytchley country.

Women are well informed on a great many subjects, and I have the highest respect for the capabilities of the fair sex. In little matters they are infinitely our superiors. In low life, they are therefore invariably better informed, have more tact, quickness, and apprehension than Hodge, whom they call lord and master. A chambermaid is always a match for three Boots at least (I was nearly writing three pairs); and even the omnipotent Mr. Weller himself admits the superiority of widows in a general way. But every rule has its exceptions, and so has this. Now take my advice. Experto crede. My dear fellow, never trust your wife's maid on the subject of weather on a hunting morning, but get out of bed and look for yourself I say never. I've never been stupid enough to listen to her to my own loss but once ; but I never knew one who, accidentally even, gave a correct account of the day, or its probable influence on the noble science of hunting.

"Mary" (from underneath the bedclothes), what sort of a morning is it-a frost ?"

"Yes, sir." Here Mary draws up the blinds, opens shutters, &c. "Very hard-no chance of hunting?"

"I don't know, sir; but it's very sharp indeed, sir."

"Oh. Well, then, you may tell Thomas that I shall want breakfast in half-an-hour, and he may take my leathers into my dressing room," You may, under these circumstances, be morally certain that there is a slight white frost, and that it will be gone long before you get to cover.

"Mrs. Kettle, I suppose it's too hard for hunting this morning?" "All the frost seems to be gone, sir; I have'nt seen the groom, sir." "All the frost gone! What, since last night?"

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Yes, sir, and the sun looks as if it was coming out."

Regard not the voice of the charmer, but turn yourself round, and if in the midst of the petty vexations of a six weeks' frost, three lame horses, a drunken servant, a bad young'un, and a broken-knee'd hack, you can sleep, do so. You may be quite certain that it is a black frost of the direst nature; and that not even Mrs. Kettle's wits, sharp as they are, would avail to bore three inches into a last year's flower bed. I certainly was once let in by my implicit reliance on a woman's ignorance of all things appertaining to the chase. I was staying in Essex. In answer to my inquiries as to the morning, I learnt from one of the ladies of the warming-pan that the frost (up to this time very severe) was all gone, or going very rapidly. As usual, I treated this account as fabulous-an unintentional hoax on the part of she of the warming-pan. It was quite obvious that she was herself deceived: but I was not going to be; and the precaution of getting out to see was, like other precautionary measures, more or less cold. I got down to breakfast just about the time everyone else was at Man Wood, in a drizzling rain, and about to have as nice a thing over the roothings as could be desired. Hebe was right, I was wrong. Her father had been a huntsman, and her brother a whip; and I quote her as an exception to one of my general rules.

When I woke on the 2nd of February, having gone to sleep in a hard frost, it was most certainly a thaw. I trusted to no rumours of thaws, but satisfied myself. The thaw was slow, the frost was deep in the ground; and at half-past twelve o'clock, in company with some others who were trying to believe an impossibility, I skaited on horseback to Crick. There could be no hunting; but you know what one hopes after nearly a month's inaction; and the only consolation was that the hounds came with a message that they would be there on the following day instead, at the usual time. Polite hounds-very. The side of the hills was like glass, and two out of about twenty had falls coming to cover.

If getting up out of one's easy chair half-a-dozen times after dinner to look out of doors, or trying the ground with one's heels, or any other of the various means of diverting time on these occasions, could have had an influence on the weather, Thursday, the 3rd of February, would have been a day cretâ notanda indeed. As it was, it was well enough; and until Crick gorse-O! that I should have to write it-was drawn blank, there were a host of as merry faces as need be seen, At Kilsby, in Mr. Cowly's cover, a fox, the fattest in the world, was chopped. It was about as much as he could do to walk; and I forget the surprising quantity of poultry he had made away with-a fouler beast was never run into. Yelvertoft field-side afforded a second, whose wind did not seem affected by over eating or the long frost, for he led at a rattling pace a double ring round the outside of Hemplow Hills; and the second time round was drained near his old quarters. After a frost horses are fresh and fat; and on this day the run was sharp, and here and there the ground slippery. I like to make excuses for little accidents which will happen; but we could find no excuse for one fellow, a sort of trowser'd gent, who, after committing a few minor offences against the

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