mon, making for the earths at Babb-down, but scorning to avail himself of them (although they were open,) he passed on, making for the Melbury-woods, where seeking their friendly shelter he saved his life, the hounds having here changed to a fresh fox. The death was the only thing wanting to have made it one of the best runs that has been seen in the Blackmore Vale for many a long day. The pack did their work beautifully, Out of a very respectable field that started, only five were with the hounds on reaching Babb-down-hill; such was the pace and stiffness of the vale crossed, that nothing but horses of the best material could live. Sherborne, Nov. 20, 1937. 66 NORTHUMBERLAND.-THE GALEWOOD. Yesterday being a non-hunting, and withall a very wet day, I had proceeded as far as the second sheet of a sketch of a trip to the Highlands of Invernesshire, but as this day, Wednesday 15th. of Nov., produced something werry p'ticklar," as Sam Weller would say, I shall leave the unfinished MS. for a future opportunity,and give you the thing warm between the close of the affair and the fighting our battles o'er again over the mahogany. I may premise that this season has opened in our country at least― very inauspiciously as far as scent goes; indeed until last week such a thing there was not. On Wednesday last, however, we had a splitting thing from Lilburn, when we had a great addition to our party in the person of Mr. Robertson of Lady-Kirk (formerly Mr. Marjoribanks, but now in virtue of a very large estate by his wife, Mr. Robertson) who has become a subscriber to the Galewood. Would that this fine fox-hunting neighbourhood could boast a dozen or two such liberal resident gentry! On Monday, Major St. Paul had a long hunting run with a cold puzzling scent, but was eventually rewarded by killing his fox at Woodend ; poor reynard tried a very odd mode of deceiving his pursuers, popping into a cottage and then jumping through the window; but alas! it would not do, he was snapped up by the hungry pack outside and bolted without grace. This morning, a raw and cold one, not promising good scent, we met near the kennel, and in a small patch of gorse, within one hundred and fifty yards of the dormitory of his relentless foes, we found a wild fox. He made play for Coupland earths, but finding himself" shut out," and no prospect of safety there, he took at once to the high ground, and charged gallantly a very steep hill above Lanton. Here many a good steed began to sob, and the heavy weights soon had to get on their own legs, albeit not very fit to carry them up such a steep; the hounds went beautifully, and the point was now evidently Flodden, that field of slaughter; but unfortunately for the straightness of the run, and most opportunely for the tail, a shepherd's dog headed him, and he turned sharp back, skirting a new gorse cover on Milfield-hill,—this cover is on the side of another very stiff breather, and it was trot," even with the feather weights, and the hounds now were a good field's length ahead when we succeeded in breasting its summit. Here we were joined by Lord Frederick Fitzclarence, who had got his second horse, and by several of those who had found the pace too much. Reynard again left gallantly a large cover on his right and went down the hill to the south; here were sundry rough stone walls and I am sorry to record that Mr. Collingwood of Lilburn, one of our best preservers of foxes and a constant attendant in the field, got a very nasty purl. His horse, a very nice thorough-bred, leapt short at a gate and rolled heavily over him. He was attended kindly by Lord Fitzclarence, Col. Younghusband, Mr. Henderson, and others, and I am glad to hear that he recovered so far as to be able to ride home. After crossing the plantations of Ewart we came to the Glen, a stream so called, which we crossed and here got into some difficulties; up to this time there never had been a check. We worked him on for some time, and at last the scent got so cold and the sky had such a threatening look that I considered it needless remaining, and consequently went on my way. Colonel Younghusband, however, who came to me afterwards, informed me that the Major by great perseverance at length recovered him and killed him close to his own door. I have now to cut my story, as the Colonel is giving sundry hints of the necessity of recruiting the inward man. The top-sawyers in the run were St. Paul, Collingwood, till he was put "hors de combat" and W. Rae. Mr. Henderson also went well, and Lord Frederick Fitzclarence and Mr. Howey went the best of the heavy weights. A few such runs as this and the one we had this day week, will make the Major quite boyish again. If any thing very crack turns up, you shall hear of it from Till-side, Nov. 15th. THE HURWORTH. LADDIE. SINCE the conclusion of last season, Matthew Wilkinson, who for so many years hunted the Hurworth country, has gone to his long home, regretted by all who knew him, and with the character of a true English yeoman and an ardent and enthusiastic admirer of fox-hunting. Much anxiety was felt during the summer, to know what arrangements were likely to be made; and a good deal of "chaffing" took place on the subject. It was at one time hinted that a celebrated sportsman, well known with the Lambton, and a crack rider, a few short years ago, was anxious to take the country; and it was universally admitted that, under his management, the thing would be well done. Still there was a feeling of regret that the country was to pass from the family of Wilkinson, who had contrived to get together as splendid a pack of fox-hounds as any in England. and had shown for many years sport that might be A BRILLIANT RUN WITH THE LAMBTON. "A brilliant run with the Lambton, why, that is no novelty," you, perhaps, may say, Mr, Editor,-your predecessor at least would have been likely to make such an observation, and spoken too from his own experience. Granted;-but as brilliant runs, like other brilliant affairs-battles, coronations, and Lord Mayor's feasts, for instance,-admit of degrees of comparison, so the run of Thursday the 16th of November, should be classed amongst runs of the superlative degree, and would be, had I talent to do justice to the subject. By the way, is it not somewhat singular, that considering the many enthusiastic admirers of the chasenumbering amongst them some of the most highly educated and ablest men in the country-so few can well pourtray on paper the delights of a fox-chase, enjoying it as they do so eagerly in the field? The run we had should be described by the pen of a Beckford, a Nimrod, or a Surtees; but as the first of these worthies is in his grave, and therefore could not come to Fox-hill on the 16th; and as the two latter did not happen to be there, you must be content, in the absence of an abler account of the day's sport, to "take such as I can send." You have been too long acquainted with the county of Durham not to know that Fox-hill has, "time out of mind," been one of the most favourite fixtures of the Lambton in their Sedgefield country, and that it was the haunt of a famous grey fox some few years ago, which gave several splendid runs, but at length fell a victim to the pack, which he had perhaps almost begun to despise. His staunchness and speed have been recorded both in prose and verse, and as long as fox-hunting flourishes, old Cæsar's memory will be respected on both sides of the Tees, like that of his namesake, or any other gallant enemy of the Galli He died-but his progeny survived him, and doubtless the blood of old Cæsar circulated in the veins of the wily fellow we found on Thursday, who proved himself no unworthy descendant of so noble an ancestor. On reaching the cover, I found Mr. Lambton had arrived, but with his accustomed accommodating spirit, he was waiting for several gentlemen whose horses had come, but who had not yet cast up themselves. At last the word was given, and we made for Fox-hill. I had just time to to observe, that the élite from all the neighbouring packs were present; Major Heeley, the Maudes, and young Maynard from the Duke of Cleveland's; Mr. Fowler and some others, whose names I could not learn, from the Hurworth; and all the crack men who usually join the Lambton. We had also two masters of harriers, Colonel Hildyard, of the Cleveland, and Mr. Peacock, who hunts the Darlington; and the field was graced by the presence of two fair and fearless horsewomen. We found directly the hounds were thrown into cover, and the fox broke almost immediately, and after a very quick brush of ten minutes went to ground. This was just sufficient to put horses into wind for the more arduous struggle they had afterwards to make. After giving a little breathing time we went to a whinny hedge, about two miles from Foxhill, where the hounds took up a scent, but it was evident reynard had been too long gone. The dog pack, however, hunted most staunchly, picking out the cold scent towards the cover. At length we got to Foxhill, and the moment the hounds were in cover, a holloa was heard on the other side, reynard having left the cover just as we came to it. It was evident he was a wild fox, and hopes were entertained of a runhopes very shortly to be realized, for the hounds got on to good terms with him, and the scent was excellent. Here then began the serious business of the day, the pack carrying a capital head, and a glorious country before them. They ran past Mr. Faber's plantations, pointing for the earths at Coatham Conyers, but turning rather to the left crossed the Elton-Beck and the Burnwood-rush, and then made for the lane leading from Long Newton to Yarm, on reaching which there was a very trifling check. Up to this time the pace was capital, but the field somewhat scattered, and one or two who usually maintain a good place were not to be seen. Somerville's description of a similar scene aptly describes the present: "Look back and view The strange confusion of the vale below, Where sore vexation reigns." "Old age laments His vigour spent; the tall, plump, brawny youth The short pygmean race he whilom kenn'd With proud insulting leer. A chosen few Alone the sport enjoy, nor droop beneath And who where the chosen few? To name them would seem invidious, but I must mention Charles Trotter, who took a decided lead on his little Agricola mare-the best mare in England of her inches-and proved himself a gallant son of a gallant sire, Colonel Trotter, so wellknown in the Duke of Cleveland's hunt, and, indeed, to all the sporting world, and who, even now, at his advanced age-nearer eighty than seventy I believe--can beat most men across a country. Next to the little mare, and treading close on her heels, came Mr. Sutton's splendid horse, Opodeldoc, (thorough-bred, or nearly so, and a descendant, and no unworthy one, of Eclipse,) admirably ridden, but rather, it appeared to me, over-weighted. Then followed Mr. Howard of Greystoke, with Col. Hildyard, the Maudes, Mr. Maynard, and a few others in his immediate rear. NO. LXXX.-VOL, XIII. 3 D After crossing the Long Newton-lane the pace decidedly slackened, and the field was better together. The hounds hunted most staunchly, and stuck well to their fox. After this he pointed for Aislaby, and passing through the plantations there, made for Newsham-banks. Here a little incident, or divertissement (as our French neighbours would call t), took place, which I cannot help introducing, as highly characteristic of Mr. Lambton's style of rating his friends, though it will necessarily lose much of the effect which his voice and manner imparted to it. Within two fields of the cover at Newsham, Mr. Fowler (whose character as a sportsman, is too well-established to be affected by an occasional lapsus), viewed the fox, and in his eagerness for blood, halloed, though the hounds were running well at the time. This certainly caused a check, and did mischief, and it moreover brought up the Old Squire, when something like the following dialogue took place: Squire— "Hold hard, Sir;" then after a short pause, and with increased energy, "Will you hold hard, Mr. Fowler?" Mr. F.-"They are within two fields of the cover, Sir." Squire.-Well, Sir; if they were within one field of the cover, can I help it?-that wont assist them." Mr. F.-" But we shall lose our fox." Squire." Suppose we do, Sir, you needn't complain; there'll be one fox more for the Hurworth, wont there?"The hounds soon settled to the scent again, and ran past Newsham-banks to Bowle-hole, Low Middleton, Middleton-one-row, finally losing their fox near Middleton St. George, the evening coming in cold and frosty, after a most splendid run of not less than an hour and a quarter from the time of our leaving Fox-hill. I never knew so many falls. A gallant major's black I observed lying heels uppermost for sometime, and I thought at one time it was all over with him, but he contrived to regain his legs at last. Miss Hildyard went exceedingly well, and rode her horse almost to a stand still, setting a fair example to some of the other sex. Mr. Lambton rode hard and was up with his hounds very shortly after coming to their first check. He is looking as fresh as a four-yearold," and is in great force, though the equanimity of his temper was slightly ruffled by the gentle reproof he thought it necessary to administer to his friend Mr. Fowler. Sedgefield, 22nd Nov. 1837. 66 VIATOR. A DAY IN WORCESTERSHIRE.-RACES.-CAPT. CANDLER'S Having been accustomed for several years past to attend the Autumn Races at Worcester, and to have a peep now and then at the hounds of that County, and seeing no reason why the custom should this year be departed from, on the 8th, November I found myself by the side of the |