HUNTING IN HANTS.
A writer in Saturday’s Field thus sums up the results of the season:— Fox-hunting may now be considered to be at end in this county; and, on the whole, the past season has been one of the worst we have known for some years, though all packs have had some good runs. Yet, especially since Christmas, there have been so many bad scenting days as to preclude all chance of sport. The H. H. have had a few good hunting runs during the past month, but have not been fortunate in bringing their foxes to hand. On the 1st, from West Tisted, they had two pretty gallops, the first in the morning from Ashton Wood, over the Merrifield country—one of their best bits; and the second finding Bramdean Common, through the village of Ropley, a good pace to the gullet, crossing the line of the Alton and Alresford Railway. This speculation ought to do somebody some good. To fox-hunting it will be a very great nuisance, as it bisects the best part of the country. On the following Tuesday, the 8th, they had two other hunting runs from Beauworth Cross Roads; the first from Bishop’s Copse, and the second, a very sharp 35 minutes, from Black House, in the afternoon, with a very good scent, to Exton Wood; and on the 22nd, meeting at Hinton House, they had very good run from Black House—the pace to Shorley was very fast, but few getting really well away— went right through the Beauworth coverts, over Gander Down, through Rose Hill, by the Holt, coursed him through Durwood and over the large fields, which were formerly Kilmeston Down, into Westwood, and back to Shorley, where they lost him. The ground was as hard as Trafalgar-square, the wind east, and the dust flying in clouds. The H. H. have lost a good supporter in Lord Ashburton; though hunting but very rarely himself, he was a good preserver of foxes and kept the rides of his coverts in beautiful order. It is hoped that his successor will prove an equally good friend to the hunt. Out of respect to his memory on the 31st, day of his lordship’s funeral, the hounds did not meet at Lunway’s Inn, as had been previously advertised, but went to Tichborne instead. —The Hambledon had their last day on the 28th. On the 14th, meeting at Ditcham, they had, if not the best, certainly one the best runs of the season, finding their second fox close to Nursed House, near Petersfield, and killed him near the village of Cocking, between Midhurst and Goodwood. In my former notices of this pack I have omitted to allude to the singular fondness of the hounds for their master, Capt. Poulett, at the meet; to see the pack rush forward to greet him is very remarkable. I believe they have killed altogether 27½ brace, 20 of which have been killed by Capt. Poulett, the other by Will Cox, he having, I believe, just tied the Hursley, at the time he finished his season. My excellent Hambledon correspondent tells me that on Tuesday, the 5th, he went to meet the New Forest hounds at Paultons. They were some time before they found, but when they did they had a capital twenty-five minutes, and killed. The hounds are described as very clever, and handy, and working well together, and when they run pack well and do not tail at all. Mr. Morant hunts them very quietly, and appears to be a thorough sportsman, and from having been born and bred in the Forest, knows every part of it. Fortunately for him, he is not troubled with the large fields which spoil sport so frequently In other countries; only true sportsmen hunt in the Forest, as those who only go out to ride do not frequent it.—The Hursley have suffered from a scarcity of foxes. There is a decidedly unhealthy feeling In certain parts of the country which I am at a loss to account for. In Lord Palmerston’s and Mr. Chamberlayne’s coverts foxes are always found, and they thoroughly demonstrate that to have pheasants you can have foxes also ; but where the scarcity exists there is little or no game at all, so that excuse cannot be alleged. No gentleman has ever done the Hursley hounds In a better or more liberal way than Mr. Standish, and his manner is so universally courteous that I cannot conceive that anybody would do anything to injure or annoy him individually. It is a waste time to go overall the hackneyed arguments in favour of having a country regularly hunted, but it is surprising that Mr. Standish’s patience, zeal, and perseverance should not be destroyed, seeing the little encouragement he meets with certain portions of his country, and I trust that next season there may be no cause for complaint on the ground of want of foxes. If any person fancies himself aggrieved, he had, In my opinion, better see Mr. Standish himself (who would give him a courteous hearing), rather than wreak his spite on the foxes, and so destroy the amusement of a large number of country gentlemen and sportsmen.—Mr. Whieldon has recovered from the very bad accident he met with, which (with the exception, perhaps, of the wicked ‟Old Woodman”) caused universal regret. His place, however, was ably supplied by his excellent right-hand man, George Southwell. Nearly every Tuesday the Vine have had a run worth recording and that generally into the H.H. country; and they certainly, from all I hear, have had the best sport of any pack in Hampshire. They have had several good runs lately. On the 1st of March they met at Clerken Green, and had a clipping 1 hour 50 min., and killed; on the 8th, from Ash Park, 1 hour 20 mm., and killed in Chilton Wood, in the H.H. country; on the 17th, across the stiffest of the Kingsclere Vale from Brimpton, and killed under Sidmonton Hill, 50 min., straight and good; on the 22nd., a good 55 min., from Popham-lane, again killing in the H.H. country. Mr. Whieldon has not had one single blank day since he has had the Vine, although he had a very narrow shave on the 2nd. of this month, as they did not find until 5.30 p.m., when they raced their fox up wind for 25 min., when he turned into the vale, and ran him to earth below Sidmonton, in the Craven country, at 6.50, having gone hard all the while. Mr. Whieldon finished a good and successful season on the 5th, with 26 brace killed, and 16½ run to ground.—The United Hunts ball took place on the 31st, and it is a singular fact that whereas on Feb. 12, 1846, St. John's Room contained nearly 500 persons, the other night it was filled with about 250—so much for crinoline! —Mr. Nevill turned out his celebrated deer, Forest Hart, on the 6th, at Gander Down. After two rings round Beauworth and Cheriton, where he took a bath, he went away straight over the warren, Honeyman’s Rows and the Holt, to Bishop’s Waltham and Botley.—Mr. James Dear finished an excellent season on his last day at Bullington, on March 17. In addition to his own, Mr. St. John’s pack was out also; but the worthy master of the latter, who a perfect martyr, was confined to his bed with the gout. Mr. Dear has had some very good runs, and his now almost too numerous field look forward to see him next season as cheery as ever.—Mr. Anderson, of Longstock, has had very good sport latterly with his staghounds. From Leckford Hunt, on March 16, they had a fine run, taking the deer at Mottisfont. On the 24th, from Danebury, when his grace the Duke of Beaufort joined the field, they had two fair gallops. I have been sorry to hear that Mr. Anderson has recently met with some opposition, but hope that the difficulty is merely temporary, and that it will be satisfactorily removed before the beginning of next season. Bantingism has now become a household word. One cannot go to a meet of any pack of hounds without hearing Mr. Banting’s name in the mouths of all the coffee-housers. He certainly deserves the thanks of the heavies for relieving them and their horses of so much dead weight. What would it not have done for such men as the late John Warde, Mr. Codrington, of the New Forest, Col. Lascelles, and many others ? Mr. Banting, rather Mr. Harvey, has taught the medical profession a lesson about diet, for with all their fancied knowledge they knew nothing about the diminution of corpulence by diet only without injury to health, until Mr. Banting proved the theory by the loss of 46lb. in twelve months. I can testify to its great benefit, having lost 22lb. since I commenced the system in October last. I have hunted seventy-nine times, and never had better health In all my life. I therefore advise all my fat friends to give it a trial during the summer months; they will feel all the better for it, and are safe to ride at least a stone lighter next season.—ÆSOP, Winchester, April 13.