ARTICLE OF A MATCH.
October 12, 1798.
Sir H. T. Vane's B. Horse Hambletonian, got by King Fergus, Dam by
Highflyer, now Six Years, carrying 8st. 3lb. is matched against Mr.
Cookson's B. Horse Diamond, by Highflyer, (out of the Dam of Sparkler,)
now Five Years old, carrying 8st. over the Beacon Course at Newmarket,
on Monday in the next Craven Meeting, for 3000 Guineas, Half forfeit;
with a Power reserved to alter the Day and Hour, or either, by consent.
H. T. V.
J. C.
This match was run on Monday, March 25, 1799, and won by Hambletonian,
(five to four in his favour at starting.)—See DIAMOND or HAMBLETONIAN.
PRODUCE MATCH
FOR SPRING MEETING, 1803.
The Produce of Sir T. Gascoigne's Golden Locks, covered by King Fergus,
against the Produce of Mr. Fox's Dam of Calomel, covered by
Beningbrough, for 200 Guineas each, Half forfeit. Colts to carry 8st.
Fillies 7st. 11lb. Last Mile and a Half. No Produce no Forfeit.
Produce Matches, and Produce Sweepstakes, are generally made and entered
into during the time such Mares are in Foal.
A POST PRODUCE MATCH
OF 200 GUINEAS EACH.
Colts to carry 8st. 7lb. Fillies 8st. 4lb.
Mr. Clifton's Expectation ⎫ covered by
Mr. Clifton's Eustatia ⎬ Abba Thulle.
Mr. Clifton's Sister to Gabriel ⎭
Mr. Dawson's Sincerity ⎫
Mr. Dawson's Highflyer Mare, ⎪
out of Sincerity ⎬ Coriander.
Mr. Dawson's Blind Highflyer ⎪
Mare ⎭
Each to bring the Produce of one to run over Knavesmire when Four Years
old.
ARTICLE FOR A SWEEPSTAKES.
Oxford, ——
We whose Names are hereunto subscribed, do agree to run for a
Sweepstakes of 50 Guineas each, over Port Meadow, on the last Day of
Oxford Races next ensuing; the Horses to carry the GOLD CUP Weights,
viz. Four Years old, 7st. 7lb. Five Years old, 8st. 7lb. Six Years old,
9st. and aged, 9st. 4lb. one Four Mile Heat. The Winner of the Gold Cup
to carry 7lb. extra. The Subscribers to name their Horses to the CLERK
of the COURSE on or before the first Day of March next; and the
Subscription to close on that Day. The Stakes to be paid into the Hands
of the Clerk of the Course before starting, or the Subscription to be
doubled. Five Subscribers, or no Race.
HUNTERS SWEEPSTAKES.
Rochester, ——
A Sweepstakes of 10 Guineas each, for Hunters (carrying 12st. one Four
Mile Heat, to be rode by Gentlemen) that have never started for PLATE,
MATCH, or SWEEPSTAKES, and to be bona fide the Property of Subscribers,
and which have been regularly hunted the preceding Season as HUNTERS,
and not merely to have obtained the Name; and that, have never had a
Sweat with an Intention to run before the first of May next ensuing.
Certificates of their having hunted regularly to be produced (if
required) from the Owner or Owners of the Hounds with which they have
hunted; and to be named to the Clerk of the Course on or before the
first of April next; and the Stakes to be deposited at the same Time, or
the Horse not permitted to start.—Six Subscribers, or no Race.
See JOCKEY CLUB, KING'S PLATE, TRAINING, and TURF.
HOUGH-BONY—was a term formerly used to signify an enlargement of the
cap of a horse's hock, whether it was only a thickening of the
integument, generally termed a callosity, or an ossification just below
it. The phrase, however, is now considered entirely obsolete; and the
distinction in those defects much better understood by the appellation
of BLOOD SPAVIN, BONE SPAVIN, or CURB, as the case may happen to be.
HOUNDS—are the well-known objects of SPORTING ATTRACTION from one
extremity of the kingdom to another; possessing within themselves a
fascinating power, or exhilarating property, to which all liberal minds,
of congenial sensibility, become imperceptibly and irresistibly subdued;
forming that kind of inexplicable temptation, that indescribable
vibration of pleasure upon human irritability, that none but those of
the most stoical apathy, the greatest mental fortitude, or personal
self-denial, can summon sufficient resolution to avoid.
The great variety of hounds with which the country formerly abounded,
seem now, by the judicious crosses of succeeding generations, to have
been principally reduced to a much more contracted point of view, and
center entirely in the denomination of STAG hounds, FOX hounds,
HARRIERS, and BEAGLES; each of the four being a degree less in size than
the other, with such variations in strength, speed, colour, and tongue,
as may have been adopted by the judgment or fancy of the BREEDER. We
have been taught, by a maxim of long standing, to believe, "there is no
rule without an exception." An author of much celebrity, however, in
respect to the breeding of hounds, pays due respect to rule, but does
not advert to exception. It is his opinion, "that there are necessary
points in the shape of a hound, which ought always to be attended to;
for if he be not of a perfect symmetry, he will neither run fast, nor
bear much work: he has much to undergo, and should have strength
proportioned to it. Let his legs be straight as arrows; his feet round,
and not too large; his shoulders back; his breast rather wide than
narrow; his chest deep; his back broad; his head small; his neck thin;
his tail thick and brushy; if he carry it well, so much the better."
Without animadverting upon the SIZE of any particular kind of hound, as
applicable to any particular sort of chase, or to any particular kind of
country, but with a view to the aggregate in a general sense, there are,
as in all other matters of FANCY, FASHION, or CAPRICE, a variety of
opinions. Some there are who profess themselves strenuous advocates for
what they term the "busy bustlers," or small hounds, upon a plea, that
they are always at work, lose no time, climb hills fast enough for any
horse, and get through coverts quicker than any other. Sportsmen of a
bolder description are equally strenuous, and perhaps with a greater
shew of reason, in the support of large hounds, justly affirming, they
will make their way in any country, get better through the dirt than a
small one; and that their pursuit can be but little obstructed by
whatever fence may present itself in the course of the chase.
MR. BECKFORD, whose opinion, and perfect practical knowledge of the
subject, has been implicitly bowed to, and acquiesced in, by the best
and most experienced judges in the kingdom, has given a decided
preference to "hounds of a MIDDLE SIZE;" saying, "he believes all
animals of that description are the strongest and best able to bear
fatigue;" in corroboration of which he quotes from SOMERVILLE, as would
have been also done in this place, in confirmation of the same opinion.
———— "But here a mean
Observe, nor the large hound prefer, of size
Gigantic; he in the thick-woven covert
Painfully tugs, or in the thorny brake,
Torn and embarrass'd, bleeds: but if too small,
The pigmy brood in every furrow swims;
Moil'd in clogging clay, panting they lag
Behind inglorious; or else shivering creep,
Benumb'd and faint, beneath the shelt'ring thorn.
For hounds of middle size, active and strong,
Will better answer all thy various ends,
And crown thy pleasing labours with success."
Next to the consideration of SIZE and SYMMETRY (whatever that may be)
should follow a corresponding uniformity of the whole. A pack, to be
handsome, should vary little or none in height, and have a pleasing
affinity to each other in colour: to be good, they should run well
together; and the unison of their musical tongues should constitute a
perfect harmony, without a single note of discord. It is well known,
that it is not always the lot of the most complete and best selected
packs to kill in proportion to their seeming excellence; some are very
much superior in qualifications to what they may promise to a stranger
at _first_ view; for though of various sizes, and picked up in different
counties, (as well as from the hammer,) without the least appearance of
consanguinity, or one distinguishing trait of attraction, yet they
seldom miss their game. MR. BECKFORD mentions a pack of this description
who killed _twenty-nine_ foxes without intermission; that when they were
running, there was a _long string of them_, and every _fault_ was hit
off by an old SOUTHERN HOUND. When sufficient time has been employed in
forming a pack of hounds, they can never be considered in a state of
excellence or superiority, unless they go as if they were in harness;
that is, when they are running _breast high_, they should run nearly all
_a breast_; or, in other words, when clear of covert, and crossing a
country, the body might nearly be covered with a sheet.
Nothing is a greater disgrace to the MASTER, the HUNTSMAN, or the pack,
than to see a parcel of straggling _tail_ hounds, labouring _in vain_;
except a leading hound loaded with a _leaden necklace_, to restrain his
speed, and depress the instinctive impulse of his nature to a level with
those who are not his equals. This is a truly unsportsman-like stretch
of authority, bordering upon cruelty; and would be much more "honored in
the breach than the observance." Hounds of either description had better
be parted with, than to encounter constantly a mortification so easily
to be removed; and both will be the less likely to happen, the more
moderate the number taken to the field. The taking out too many hounds
is a frequent error in judgment, always productive of trouble, and
sometimes to a most vexatious diminution of sport, to the incessant
employment of the whipper-in, whose horse is the greatest sufferer upon
the occasion.
Hounds differ much in their properties, according to the crosses in
blood, and this is plainly perceptible to a nice observer, as well in
their endeavours to find, as in the pursuit of their game; for those
retaining most of the southern hound in their blood, are always the most
constitutionally tardy in action. The north country beagle, (now called
harrier,) with a cross of the DWARF FOX HOUND, has produced a direct
contrast to the former, and are generally in use in those open countries
where horses can lay by the side of them. The delight of the old
southern hound is to _dwell_ upon the _scent_; the extatic eagerness of
the latter is to _press it before him_. When the former come to a fault,
and can carry the scent no farther, they stick their noses to the ground
as close together as a swarm of bees, making few or no efforts of _their
own_, unless _lifted along_ by the helping hand and encouraging voice of
the HUNTSMAN. The exertions of the latter are instantaneous and
indefatigable; they make their cast in different directions, without a
moment's pause, and every individual pants with emulation to become the
happy instrument of recovery: once _hit off_, the general struggle for
pre-eminence constitutes a scene by far too luxurious for the inadequate
representation of literary description.
Opposite as these chases are, they are not without their distinct and
different votaries: the tempers of some men, and the age or infirmities
of others, render their minds as gloomy as the atmosphere of the
_winter's day_ in which they HUNT; to these the solemn knell of the
SOUTHERN HOUND is so _musically mechanical_, that it seems to vibrate in
unison with the somniferous melancholy of their own sensations. But with
those in the health and pride of manhood, who enjoy the obstacles, and
surmount the difficulties, of CROSSING a COUNTRY, in direct contrast to
the ruminative pleasure of _whipping_ a _thistle_, or riding a few rings
round a barn, fleet hounds will always have the preference. Hounds of
this description, it must be candidly confessed, are, however, drawn too
fine in their formation, and so critically refined to speed, that the
game, whatever it may be, can stand but a little time before them:
unless, from stormy weather, or some other accidental cause, much cold
hunting should intervene. And this, in the present rage for improvement,
is so much the case with HARRIERS in general, that, in the early part of
the season, half the hares found are run up to in the _first view_; and
even after Christmas, when they are supposed to get strong; average
chases do not exceed from twenty minutes to half an hour; and by the
unprecedented speed of hounds, as they are now bred, the fox chase is
contracted in proportion.
Although the breeding, entering, feeding, airing, and general management
of hounds, is an entire system, dependent upon personal practice, from a
strict and attentive attachment to which _alone_, excellence can be
derived; yet, such rules and salutary regulations as stand high in
sporting estimation, may be introduced for the information of those,
who, in the infancy of initiation, are anxious to improve their
judgment, by blending the theory of the closet with the practice of the
field. The spring months are the best in which puppies can be produced;
they have then the whole summer to expand and grow in. Some
circumspection is necessary in the business of propagation, to prevent
an unnecessary destruction; attention should be paid to shape, size,
colour, disposition, and qualification, of both the dog and bitch
intended to breed from; if the perfection of sire or dam are wished, or
expected, to be retained, and displayed, in the offspring. The sporting
world are enjoined by the best authority, "on no account to breed from
one that is not _stout_, that is not _tender nosed_, or that is either a
_babbler_ or a _skirter_: it is the judicious cross that makes the pack
complete. The faults and imperfections in one breed, may be rectified in
another; and if this be properly attended to, no reason can be
suggested, why the breeding of hounds may not improve, till improvement
can go no further."
Amidst general remarks, it may be remembered, that none but healthy and
strong hounds should be bred from: old dogs should never be put to old
bitches; and good whelps should never be put to bad walks: stinted in
their earliest growth, (by a want of proper nutriment,) the frame
becomes impoverished, the loins weak, and they are the less able to
encounter that terrible foe, the _distemper_, whenever it may make its
attack. This generally happens from the sixth to the ninth or tenth
month, and proves incredibly destructive, which probably may be chiefly
owing to the little that is done upon those occasions, by the way of
either prevention or cure. Various are the opinions respecting the
number of hounds it may be necessary to keep in kennel during the
hunting season; and these must be regulated by the kind of country they
have to hunt, as one may tire or lame hounds more than another:
slippery, marley clay will do the one; the rolling flints of SURREY,
OXFORDSHIRE, or HAMPSHIRE, never fail to do the other. Those who are
prudent, will never take more than from twenty to five-and-twenty couple
to the field; to exceed which, would not only be rather _unfair_, but
probably do more _harm_ than GOOD. The number necessary to be taken, is
not so material a matter of consideration, as their conjunctive
qualifications when there; thirty-five couple of settled, steady,
seasoned hounds, will, therefore, admit of hunting three (occasionally
four) days a week.
It is a well-founded opinion, that every kennel should have a proper
annual supply of young hounds; if this is neglected for _two_ or _three_
seasons, the pack will soon be overloaded with old hounds, and suddenly
fall into decay. Industrious, hard-working hounds, seldom continue in
full VIGOUR and speed longer than _five_ or _six_ seasons; though there
are not wanting instances of deserving favourites having continued the
_crack_ hounds of the pack for eight or nine years in succession. A
little of this difference may probably proceed from _two_ causes, a
variation in constitution, and a contrast in the discipline of the
KENNEL; from which MR. BECKFORD candidly confesses he never was long
absent, without perceiving a difference _in their looks_ at his return.
It is also his opinion, that from eight to twelve couple of young
hounds, bred annually, would sufficiently supply an establishment not
exceeding forty couple; but it is always best to have a reserve of a few
couple more than wanted, in case of accidents; since, from the time the
draft is made, to the time of hunting, is a long period, and their
existence at that age and season very precarious: besides, when they are
safe from the distemper, they are not always so from each other; and a
summer seldom passes without some losses of that kind. At the same time
he hints the absurdity of _entering_ more than are necessary to keep up
the pack, as a greater number would only create useless trouble, and
more vexation.
No one subject, perhaps, has so nearly exhausted the fertility of human
invention, as the infinity of names bestowed upon HOUNDS and HORSES;
which have been so numerous and diversified, that a single name can
hardly be adopted, which has not been before brought into use. In proof
of which, the writer just mentioned has given a list of more than _eight
hundred_ appellations, or terms by which hounds may be known: but as the
name of each hound should as nearly as possible correspond with the
sport, (as well as the most apparent qualification of the individual,)
such only are introduced here as are the most musical, and from which a
variety for even TWO or THREE PACKS may be selected.