SURREY-the most abused-at the same time about the most hunted county in England, has undergone a considerable change in her establishments since the close of last season; chiefly arising from Col. Jolliffe's retirement from the field, causing a division of his country with the other packs. Until this year Surrey has boasted her three, and sometimes her four packs of fox-hounds, one of stag-hounds, and the Lord knows how many of harriers, though Mr. Meager's, and the Sanderstead were the most prominent in the scene.

I never knew the exact division of the country, when hunted jointly by the Surrey, the Union, and Col. Jolliffe, though of course, as in all cases, where three are concerned, the share of one lay between those of the other two (the improved mode of dividing a whole into three parts, by the divider giving "half to you two, and reserving half for himself too," being a modern introduction); but I believe Boxhill, about due south of Epsom, was the Colonel's extreme cover on the Union side, and the Godstoneroad formed the boundary between the Surrey country and his on the other. This, however, is not material to our purpose, the present and not the past interesting the generality of readers. The arrangement now made between the Union and Surrey fox-hounds, I understand, is such as to divide the country between them, the former coming as far as the Sutton-road, taking all the covers on their side of it, and the Surrey taking all the country between the Sutton-road

The

and the Westerham one in Kent; giving Chudham Lodge and all the covers to the left up to the Mr. Dykes's, of Lullingstone Castle (formerly known as the masters of a very superior pack of dwarf foxhounds); in lieu whereof they purchased Col. Jolliffe's hounds with the intention of hunting that part of Kent three days a week. At present, therefore, there are but two packs of fox-hounds in Surrey, viz. "the Surrey," and "the Union;" the former continuing under the management of their former excellent master Mr. Haigh, the latter passing into the hands of Mr. Hankey, who was one of the principal supporters of them when in the hands of Mr. Bolton. managers of the Surrey staghounds, with that consideration which has ever marked their proceedings, have resolved to hunt two alternate days a week with the fox-hounds, viz. the Tuesdays and Thursdays, by which means any deficiency of sport will be supplied, and those interferences in the field, which sometimes occurred owing to the proximity of the pack, will be done away with. These hounds are carried on by subscription, which I believe are received by Mr. Tattersall at "the Corner." Mr. Meager's harriers hunt as usual three days a week, but being a private pack, and Mr. M. not very partial to a London mob, they are not often advertised; they are, however, a beautiful pack, and well worthy the attention of a stranger. I generally contrive to have a gallop or two with them at the beginning of the season, nor do I ever see any

in the course of it that I like better. I do not know what county opened the hunting ball this year, but I had a gallop with Mr. Meager in September, who had then been at work some time; and though the weather was somewhat hot, especially in the middle of the day, yet what with the aid of refreshing showers at night, and light shooting jackets by day, every thing went on uncommonly well. Mr. Meager is a very excellent sample of the sportsman of the old school. I do

not mean that he follows the chase after the fashion of our ancestors, for he conforms to the change of times, and meets at the accommodating hour of ten; but he comes to the field in the true old fashioned workmanlike stile, without the slightest parade or useless ostentation, himself and servant always well mounted, and a civil word to say to every body. His country too is good, with plenty of it, extending over all the open land from Croydon to Epsom Downs, though in some parts hares are rather a scarce commodity. The hounds are certainly the best pack of harriers I have ever seen, and the contrast between them and their neighbours, the Sanderstead, is any thing but favourable to the latter. The Sanderstead have long been labouring under disadvantages, and have now arrived at that blessed state of utter worthlessness, that any further deterioration is impossible. I was sorry to hear of an occurrence with these hounds not redounding much to the credit of the parties concerned, at least if my information be correct, which I have no reason to doubt. For some time past they have been under the management of a person named Weaver, who resided at Sanderstead, and farmed (as it is called) the hounds, and horses for himself

and a whipper-in. Since the commencement of the present season he had been prevented by severe illness from appearing in the field, and the hounds, if they hunted at all, were managed by the whipperin, and any one who happened to be out, affording of course a fine opportunity for the display of amateur huntsmen. On a certain day of the present month which I shall not name, because I happen to forget it, a party of London sportsmen arrived at Sanderstead, with the intention of taking the hounds out; but on applying at Weaver's house, his brother, who had come to see him in his illness, informed them that he was then in his dying moments, that the clergyman had just left him after administering the last comforts of religious consolation, and suggested, -nay, I believe entreated, that the hounds might be permitted to remain in kennel at all events during that day-a request which I regret to add was not complied with; and ere the pack returned from their day's sport, the eyes of their master were closed in death. I detest cant or hypocrisy, but I cannot help saying, that there is a respect due, if not to the merits of the man, at all events to the solemnity of the hour, which a true sportsman in my opinion would be one of the first to acknowledge. These, however, are gloomy subjects, ill according with the nature and character of a Sporting Magazine, and I regret that cause should have been given for their appearance.

The Sanderstead, as I said before, are a "shocking bad pack;" "slowest of the slow;" and many of the hounds " as old as the hills." Indeed there are not five couple in the whole lot that do not deserve to be well executed. I had a grand day with them a few days after I

had been with Mr. Meager's, and truly the turn out was admirableOld Charley Moreton was "grand veneur," then there was a man to blow a horn which no one hound would obey; two more to flog them on, for whether on the scent or off they would not go; another to yoick to them when at fault (which they were best part of the day) and a fifth to cry Who-whoop, and collect the silver when they chopped a hare-for let those laugh that win, they managed to secure a brace in the course of the day, one of which the over-fed devils devoured

themselves. I suppose now they will be put upon a different, and it is to be hoped a better system, and that some little attention will be paid to having something like an entry for each year, for many of the old brutes are so oppressed with ears and years, that life must be a burthen if not to them, at all events to those who have to keep them. They are a very old established pack, and were originally the true blue mottles, a breed almost extinct.

I was somewhat surprised in the beginning of this month to receive a Croydon bill of fare, containing the appointments of two packs of fox-hounds for a week, commencing on the 10th instant, and notices of the proceedings of the stag-hounds and harriers. The fox-hounds were Mr. Dyke's (called the Kent), and the Surrey; the former met at Grinstead Green, near Farnborough, the latter at the Rose and Crown a few miles below Croydon. I never hunt in Surrey but I swear that I will never go again, and yet, somehow or other, when "the bill of fare" comes, and I have a horse at hand, I always forget my resolution, and pick out a convenient meet, thinking it better than staying pouting at home, or

cantering up and down Hyde Park, until one knows every pebble in Rotten Row by sight. Upon the present occasion, however, I had another inducement, besides the exercise, to break through my resolution. Mr. Dyke's hounds met publicly for the first time in Kent, and I was anxious to have another peep at a pack with which I have enjoyed very excellent sport when they hunted in Surrey. Accordingly I started from the Metropolis at an early hour in the morning, having sent my horse and coat forward the night before, and about ten o'clock I came within sight of the hounds who had already arrived at the Green. Contrary to my expectation, the field was unusually small, owing to the Surrey hounds hunting so near Croydon, and the Wednesday following when the Kent hounds met at Horton Green, being reserved for the gala day of the season. As usual on a first day, a little time was consumed at the meet in discussing the merits and appearance of the pack, seventeen couple of which were reposing in a circle formed by the horsemen, a few gaping countrymen on foot, a butcher's chay or two, some children playing truant, and the old constable of the parish with a yellow garter round his hat, and a blue staff in his hand. One of the many brothers" Hill," who fill the situation of huntsmen in different packs, was at the head of affairs, attired in a neat-but somewhat unfox-hunting-like dress-viz. black cap, dark green coat, red waistcoat, with a bugle horn slung over his shoulder, as (with the exception of the latter) was a lad who whips in to him. This was Dick Hill, own brother to Tom Hill of the Surrey, and Jim Hill of the Vale of White Horse hounds, late with the Duke of Beaufort-all

excellent fellows, and keen sportsmen. Dick, though clad in the darkest coloured clothes, is, I should think, the lightest weight of the lot, and his voice is strong and melodious. Few men who have once met hounds at Grinstead Green, and tried the sharpness of the flints in the beds about Chudham Woods, would be desirous of renewing their acquaintance with that country, and I was right glad to see the hounds strike off to the north, feeling confident that any change would be for the better. Nor was I deceived, for in a small cover, about a mile from the meet, we very soon found a fine rattling fox, who, with a good intention of showing sport, very soon broke cover. He had not got through the first field, however, before he was headed by some foot people, and compelled to retreat; so altering his course, he broke from the west side, giving us a very pretty half hour's burst in a half circle, and bringing us to a large cover close to the town of Farnborough, where the brushwood was so thick, and full of leaf, that the hounds could not get together in cover. After running in cover for nearly an hour, during which he made more than one attempt to break away again, but as often was headed, he took himself into an orchard, where he would doubtless have fallen a prey to his merciless pursuers (as the newspapers always express it), but for the humane interference of the "majesty of the people," who had mustered pretty strong from Farnborough. "Get over the hedge and holloa him away from the cover if he attempts to get back to it," said Capt. Dyke to the whip. No," bellowed out an unshaved artizan in a red night cap, and flannel jacket, who had just joined the field, "let him go

where he likes." A butcher's lad who had been seduced from his daily round with provision by the cry of hounds, very unprofessionally interposed in behalf of the fox-life, and made such a yelling as the latter skulked away from the orchard, as perfectly to astonish the hounds, and cause them all to throw up their heads in the air. The proceedings of the mob were most riotous, and had I been Mr. Dyke, I would have shoved half of them into the ditch. Notwithstanding the smallness of the field, we had a character out that one does not often meet with out hunting-viz. a foreigner-a Frenchman as a whipper-in described-but a German as he described himself. was mounted on a thorough-bred mare, which he told me he had taken out of the paddock that morning, and in lieu of boots and breeches, sported a pair of black kerseymere trowsers. Nevertheless he rode well, and did not seem at all afraid of tearing them. He was very loud and constant in the praise of a very superior horse and dog which he had at home-the former was the only really perfect one in the world, and the latter could do every thing but speak. The Pitman's dog, Cappy, that

He

THE NEW GAME BILL.

To the Editor of the New Sporting Magazine.

SIR,

In the absorbing interest excited by the Great Reform, and European Politics, I believe the public is scarcely aware that the little Reform Bill, introduced by Lord Althorp, has passed the Committee of the House of Commons, and probably* a third reading, undebated, undiscussed, and unknown.

To your readers, however, this measure, whether in its principle or its details, can scarcely be of less interest than its great prototype about which the people of England make as much fuss as if it were to render them all Lords of the Manor, and make Game more abundant than Gooseberries.

The little Reform Bill, Mr. Editor, is, I assure you, not less sweeping in its principle, or more merciful in its details, though calculated perhaps to produce effects precisely the reverse of those which I have hypothetically ascribed to the other. In place of fifty-six boroughs disfranchised, we have half that number of Acts of Parliament (sanctioned by our most revered Monarchs, from Richard the Second, to George the Fourth), swept in one breath from the Statutebook; in lieu of the ten pound license to sell votes, we have the two pound license to sell game; and instead of the privilege of electing Members of Parliament, to be conferred upon the manufacturers by the grand bill, our little act will send them into the field

fully qualified to kill "gentlemen's game."

The pre-amble of our little Reform Bill says, "It is expedient to repeal the laws, in that part of the United Kingdom called England, relative to game." Yet are unmentioned three statutes of Henry the Eighth against taking the eggs of hawks, chasing rabbits, &c.

The 5th Eliz. c. 21, against unlawful hunting, the 3rd James I. c. 13, of the same nature, and the 3rd Geo. I. c. 11, restricting the appointment of gamekeepers. However some of those may be virtually repealed by the bill, but I will venture to assert that others (that of James particularly) will remain in full force should this bill become a law. So that although all persons taking out certificates will be privileged to kill game, a qualification will, by the 3rd James I., still be necessary to enable any person to shoot a rabbit. So much for the destructive clause.

clause

The first constructive follows it, defining what shall be "game;" in which the reformers have adhered rigidly to the old list, although as the certificate is now to be the only qualification, it certainly would have been more consistent to take the list in the certificate act as their guide. Quails, landrails, woodcocks, snipes, wild ducks, widgeon, teal, and wild swans should have been included in the list of birds to which the feeble protection of the new law is to be extended. Otherwise when all men shall be equally qualified to "keep and use dogs and guns,' &c., we shall have vast quantities of game destroyed by the wild fowl shooter, and sold with im

NO. VII.-VOL. II.

C