may be had everywhere in those Provinces, and the ground may be changed so often, and with so little trouble, that plenty of sport may be secured at all times from May to November.

Should he tire of fly-fishing therefore (which few of our best sportsmen ever do), he may try trolling for the striped bass, a beautiful and very lively fish, from four pounds upwards, a few of which will cut out some work for him, and keep him actively employed for the time.

If trolling does not suit his taste, perhaps he might not object, in July or August, to join a party in spearing salmon by torch-light. In that case he shall be launched in one of our light birch canoes, with a flaming torch in its prow, and with a long-handled spear he shall be taught to shoot a foaming rapid with railway speed; and, if he has a quick eye and a ready hand, he shall poise a glittering twenty-pounder on his shaft. He shall have a prime night's work among the salmon, with a party of half-a-dozen canoes; he shall see these light barks dashing down a long rapid, their bright lights dancing on the water, and flashing from bank to bank; then, urging their way up again, crossing and re-crossing each other in the boiling stream, with all the dexterity of accomplished whips managing so many fiery four-inhands. He shall see this, and, if he is not delighted with the novelty and bustle of the scene, the brilliancy of the struggling salmon as they are tossed from the whirling water into the red glare of the torch, the merry shouts and cheers of those successfully engaged, mingled with the mad rush and roar of the river, then it must be confessed that tastes differ, and we can do nothing for him in British America.

I would mention to your writer further, that, before he spoke of cock and snipe-shooting in America, he should have visited the Colonies, and he might, perchance, have found very substantial reasons for qualifying and amending the opinion which he has so roundly expressed. On the Waterborough meadows, which are many miles in extent on the river St. John, he may dispense with his pointers until near the close of the season. In the latter part of August, when the shooting usually commences, snipes are there generally found in double couples, and the birds lie so close to each other that dogs (unless a stanch retriever) are worse than useless. Let me advise him to do as I have done, employ one of the lynx-eyed, active, half-amphibious Indian boys, who will carry his bag, mark game, and find a dead bird with unerring certainty. If he does not like to be glutted with sport, and would confine himself to twenty or thirty brace for a morning's work, he may take a higher line of country below Gage Town, and, walking over it in the most correct and quiet manner, with welltrained dogs, will, without much difficulty, satisfy his desire.

I shall not at present say anything of deer and carraboo hunting, on snow-shoes, during the winter, or of moose-hunting on the shores and waters of the Rossignol lake, in the summer, where a friend, last season, after an animated water-hunt, killed a stately moose weighing seven hundred. Suffice it to mention these things, as I trust enough has been said to satisfy the author of the "Backwoods," that, whenever he speaks of Yankee sportsmen, and American sporting, he should make some exception in favour of his colonial countrymen in the British Colonies.

June, 1839.

A NEW BRUNSWICKER.

A HUNTING TOUR IN THE MIDLAND COUNTIES.

BY NIMROD.

(Continued from page 448, Vol. I.)

ON quitting Ampney Park, I mounted the box of what I consider, next to a railway carriage, the most offensive of all public drags, namely, a pair-horse coach on a bad road. You not only make no speed, but it is a scene of cruelty from end to end when there is anything near a full load. In this case the no-bearing-rein system did not offend my eye, considering that it gave the poor horses a chance; but the answer the coachman gave me to the question,-whether the bits of his horses, which were constantly coming in contact with the polehook, did not now and then get fast in it? he coolly answered, "Yes; and that is rather awkward, as then a horse has no power to back" (“hold back,” he should have said). On entering the town of Tetbury, however, he told me something that was new to me. ❝ You would scarcely believe," said he, "that the grass land, right and left of the road for the last mile, although a few years back common, now lets to butchers and others for five pounds per acre. Nor is this all: it is let in lots, by the inch of candle." On my asking him for an explanation of this term, he said, that, during the time taken to consume an inch of candle, competitors for the separate takings were able to bid, and to the last bidder, previously to the inch being consumed, was the lot knocked down. This is, I believe, an ancient method of proceeding; and he said it often happened, that a very spirited competition arose as the inch of tallow was all but consumed."

This being a Bath coach, I was compelled to exchange it at Tetbury for a yellow post-chaise, which conveyed me to that perhaps, all things considered-noblest monument of the feudal grandeur of England, Berkeley Castle, just in time to make my toilet against the dinner-hour. And, as I journeyed along, I was recalling to my recollection when and where I had last seen Lord Segrave's hounds, which formed one of my motives for visiting his castle. It was, I think, in the November of the last year of my residence in Hampshire, when I went to Cheltenham for the purpose of having a fortnight's sport with them, but in which I was disappointed by having been confined to my bed by illness, after seeing them in the field for only the third day. My connexion with the Old Sporting Magazine having then been broken off, and that with the new one not commenced, I gave no written account of this visit; but the impression made by it on my mind is not defaced. I remember seeing a splendid stable of horses, and a very large kennel of hounds. Although I was not fortunate in seeing what may be called a good run over the open, I saw some fine hunting in a woodland country; and I saw enough to convince me, that their huntsman-Lord Segrave-was a very clever man with hounds, in a wood. I likewise perceived, that the whole thing was carried on with very great spirit: that the country abounded with foxes; and that the town of Cheltenham would rue the day if it ever should happen, that an over-strained affectation of morality should,

as was attempted, succeed in driving foxhounds and their followers from its neighbourhood. It has been well said of fox-hunting, that "it seeks society, endeavours to delight a country; obliges pride to be courteous, rank to be condescending; leads to the knowledge of neighbours, and requires some degree of character to make it complete. Above all, it proves the dependence that all have on the assistance of their fellow-men; and expands the heart, from the reflection of having afforded pleasure to many companions in the chase." I found a very small party at the castle-appearing small, at least, to me who had been making one of a dozen, or more, for some previous days, at the dinner-table; such having been the case at Ampney Park. It was rendered agreeable, however, by reason of its being composed of very old friends-Captain John Jones, late of the Carabineers (one of the old Hay Hill sort), and that celebrated old sportsman, Mr. Watts, better known as "Joe Watts," being the only visitors on the occasion. The Hon. Craven Berkeley, M.P. for Cheltenham, was expected, but he arrived the following morning to breakfast, in time to take the field with the hounds.

The meet on the morning (Friday, 15th), was at the kennel, where, not a large, but well-mounted field, were assembled. We found a fox in the second cover we drew; but so good was the scent, and so blood-thirsty the pack, that in ten minutes he was in Lord Sagrave's hand. He was a large dog-fox, and his head being straight for a fine grass country, when run into, we could have wished both scent_and pace had not been quite so good.

In the first cover we drew, I conceived I had seen, at least, two hundred pheasants rise, from being disturbed by the hounds. On my expressing my surprise at such a number, at that period of the year, I was told that, no doubt, there were as many more in the cover which had not taken wing. This fact would appear astounding to those who are ignorant of the extent to which game-preserving is carried by Lord Segrave, who has, at least, fifty persons employed on that service alone. And what is the result of this spirited outlay in the gratification of one pursuit, for the enjoyment of himself and his friends? Why, that poaching is not known in his preserves: no more murderous conflicts with his keepers-the overwhelming force of his watchers rendering all attempts at depredation fruitless. And yet is it not a bad sign of the times when property cannot be preserved except on such terms? Such is the case, however; and I found that the Duke of Beaufort, Sir Bethel Codrington, and some others among the large landed proprietors in their part of the county, had all but given up preserving game. Neither is this to be wondered at. Mr. Shute, of whom I have already spoken as having met him at Badmington, informed me, that the poulterers' shops in Bristol were at that time full of hen pheasants, which, in a neighbourhood not abundantly stocked with game, could only have been supplied to them by poachers.

Another fox was soon found, and, after hanging a few minutes in a cover which overhung the vale, was soon forced into it by the pack, who were getting on dangerous terms with him. I made "Joe Watts my pilot, and, in company with him and Harry Airis, now considered huntsman, under the occasional guidance of Lord Segrave, got well away with the pack, and kept with them till they turned up hill again,

when the fox gave them some trouble, by running very short in a strong cover. The twenty minutes, or more, over the vale, however, was very pretty indeed; and I was pleased at seeing Mr. Watts, nine years older than myself, going in the same straight-forward way in which he did when I first knew him, at least forty years back. In fact, he is said to be Number One amongst the gentlemen, when real business is doing in the vale, on his old sprig-tailed horse, riding, I should say, at least fourteen stone. But he has lived for hunting; the muzzle is frequently had recourse to; a pint of wine, the maximum allowance for the evening; and a certain rule of exercise never, on any occasion, departed from.

Mr. Craven Berkeley rode a very clever old grey horse on this day, quite a model of the modern hunter. He has been in his stable fourteen or fifteen years, and exhibits, in his appearance, the care that has been taken of his constitution; and I might also add, of his person, for his owner appeared annoyed at the least appearance of blood on his coat from either spur or thorn.

I rode a remarkably clever hunter this day, called Sir Thomas. A more accomplished fencer I never was on the back of, with pace equal to any hounds. He is one of Harry Airis's (the huntsman) stud; but as Smith, his lordship's groom, informed me, not a favourite with him, which I can account for, by his temper and mouth not being exactly calculated for the turnings and twistings that a huntsman's horse is so oftentimes subjected to, in the day.

We should have killed our second fox had he not entered into the deer-park, into which he was viewed, and where the scent became mixed. The attempt to unravel it, however, was most praiseworthy; and had not a hail-storm assailed them, I think that despite of everything untoward, the hounds would have had blood. I particularly noticed the working of Desperate and Halibut throughout the whole of this run, and wrote to Lord Moreton in consequence, to recommend Desperate to his notice, knowing that he was about to send to Demon, his brother, who unfortunately had just died of inflammation. He is by Lord Segrave's Woldsman, out of his Delicate.

I made another remark, which led to an interesting anecdote. I saw an un-entered bitch puppy working with the pack in the park, and appearing to do her share. "I can tell you a curious anecdote of that puppy," said his lordship. "A short time back she went a hunting run of ten miles with the hounds, and came home with them at night. She is by the Beaufort Dashaway, out of a bitch of my own." "She will do," replied I; "she is, at all events, of the right sort for stoutness on one side of her head, Dashaway being of the old Beaufort blood, by Warrior, out of Raffle, the dam of Wellington."

The park, or rather the entrance into it by the pack, affords me another anecdote somewhat of an amusing nature, and I am kindly allowed that privilege. Seeing the hounds coming on with the scent towards the gate at which their fox had entered, I said to those near me, "Let us get into the park; it is not well to face hounds."-" Nor to face my lord either," said one of his field, wearing the uniform-fox on his collar, but whose name I was not acquainted with. The remark was sharp and pointed; moreover, it shewed that the master has command over his field, which is no small advantage, and for want of

which so much sport is destroyed, in short-running countries, especially.

The hounds hunted remarkably well on this day, having had much difficulty to contend with. They were very steady from riot. I say "very," because, although we were often amongst it, I never heard the smack of the whip, nor more than one rate, during the whole day. Besides the horse I rode, there were six strapping hunters in the field -viz. Lord Segrave's two, Harry's two, one each for the whips, and his lordship's hack, which might be called a hunter in some countries. To return to the park. As we rode home with the hounds, I was shewn some extraordinary oak trees-extraordinary not merely for their size, but their age. One of them, indeed, is recorded in Doomsday Book as a boundary mark; and has had, consequently, several drawings taken of it by amateurs and others. It is a noble specimen of one of God's noblest works, and to which we are so much indebted in the protection afforded us by our wooden walls.

Saturday, 16th. The fixture being twelve miles distant, the hunting-coach-I know no other term to give it-with four post-horses, conveyed us to cover, at the true cover-hack pace, and a large field awaited our arrival, which was not ten minutes behind time. But a word about this coach. It was built after one of Lord Chesterfield's, (or the Duke of Beaufort's, but which of these sporting noblemen I do not this moment recollect,) launched for a similar purpose; is the largest I ever was in, either public or private; padded so as to be almost equal to a bed for ease, and being on double C springs, its motion is scarcely perceptible on anything like a decent road.

Our start was not a promising one. We drew several likely covers blank, and at length found, as predicted by Harry Airis, a mangy fox in Thornbury Park Wood, a small cover; and in less than five minutes he was a dead one. In another five minutes a fine fox was hallooed away, and a most terrific burst was the result-to ground under a haystack at the end of twenty minutes. I have seldom seen hounds go faster than they did on this day, the result of their getting quickly away with their fox with a burning scent, which enabled them to carry a right good head. What state the fox was in when he got to ground, I am not able to say; but the country being deep and severe, told much upon the horses, several of them going in distress at the last, and glad to avail themselves of a little of Mc Adam's assistance, I rode a fine brown horse called Swing, late the property of Mr. Maxse; perfect in his work, of course, but unfortunately on the list of roarers, although not much to his detriment.

The name of the horse Harry rode this day is, Nimrod, and a more perfect hunter he cannot well desire. Neither could the horse desire to be better handled than he was by this very fine horseman, although they both came to the ground by a very extraordinary occurrence. Getting a good start, I kept company with Harry for the first mile or so, when we had to make our way through a very thick belt of trees, with a fence out of it. Here we were headed by a loose horse, which had left his rider behind him, and we with very great difficulty disentangled ourselves from him, and went on. At the next fence he did the same thing, and succeeded in knocking Harry and his horse into a ditch, In all my experience I never saw a horse so