Virginia advocate. [volume] (Charlottesville, Va.) 1827-1860, 1829-09-11

awakened echo in the woodland than he who
was afterwards destined, by voice aud example,
to cheer his countrymen in their glorious strug-
gle for Independence and empire. Such was
the hunting establishment at Mount Vernon
prior to the Revolution.
We come now to events of our own times
Afer the peace of 1893 the hunting establish
ment which had gone down during the war;
renewed by the arrival of pack of French
hounds. sent out by the Marquis de Lafayette
these ehiens de chasse were of great size,
Z" Bred out of the Spartan kind, SO flcwcd, so
| sandcd with
Ears that sweptaway the morning dew, dcwlap'd
| like
The ssalian bulls, matched in mouth like bells"
the bells of Moscow, and great town Of Lincoln,
we should say, and from their strength, were
fitted, not only 10 pull down the stately stag, bu.
| in fierce combat, to encounter the wolf or boar,
or even TO grapplo with lordly lion. These
hounds, from their fierce dispositions, were gen
orally kept confined, but woe to the stranger
who might be passing their kennel after night
fall; should the gates be Enclosed, his fate
would be melancholy. unless he could climb
some friendly tree, the voice of the whip of
/
| The huntsman always presided at their meals,
and it was only by the liberal application of the
whip thong, that any thing like order could be
preserved among these savages Of the chase.
The habit was to hunt three times week,
weather permitting; breakfast was served, on
these mornings at candle light, the General al
| ways breaking his fast with an Indian cake
and bowl of milk and ere the cock had 20 done
salutaton to the morn," the whole cavalcade
would often have left the house and the fox fire.
quently unkennelled before sunrise. Those who
have seen Washington on horseback, will admit
that he was the most accomplished of cava Tiers
| n the true sense and perfection of the charac
ter He rode, as he did every thing, with ease,
|.elcgance, and with power. The vicious propen-
sites of horses of no moment to this skilful
aud daring rider. lie always said, that he requir
ed but one good quality in horse, to go along,
land ridiculed the idea of its being possible
that he should be endorsed, provided the animal
kept on his legs. Indeed the perfect and sincwy
frame of the admirable man. gave him such a
surprising grip with his knees that horse might
as soon disencumber itself of the saddle, as Of
such arider,
The General usually rode in the chase a horse
called Blueskin, of dark iron grey colour, APP
preaching to blue. This fine but fiery an
imal, and of great endurance in long yum
| Will the huntsman, bctt,,: known in revolution
AIRY lore, as Billy, rode horse called Chinkling,
a surprising leaper, and made very much like i'll
rider low, but sturdy, and of great bone and mug
Gle. Will had but one order, which was to keep
| with the hounds, a.,d mounted on Climbing, a
French horn at sback, throwing himself almost
at length on the animal, with his spur in his
flank this fearless horseman would rush, at full
speed, through brake or tangled wood, in a style
at'which modern huntsmen would stand aghast.
| There were roads cut through the woods in vari-
Gus directions, by which aged and timid hunters
and ladies, could enjoy the exhiirating cry, with
out risk of life or limb but Washington rode
gaily up to his hounds, through allthe difficult
ties and dangers of the grounds on which he
hunted, nor spared his generous steed, as the
dstended nostrils of Blueskin often would show
always in at the death, and yielding to no man
the honor of the brush
The foxes hunted fifty years ago, were grey
foxes, with exception, this was famous
black fox, which differing from his brethren of
I" orders grey would flourish his brush, set his
pursucrs at defiance, and go from ten TO twenty
miles an end, distancing botlrdogs and mer; and
what was truely remarkable, would return to his
place of starting on the same night, so as always
10 be found there the ensuing morning. After
| seven or eight severe runs, without success Bill
~ recommended that the black reynard should
be let alone, giving it as his opinion, that he
| was very near akin to another sable character
inhabiting lower region, and rs remarkable for
his wiles: the advice was adopted from necessi-
ty, and ever thereafter, in throwing off the
hounds, care was taken to avoid the haunt of the
unconquerable Hack for.
The chase ended, the party would return to
the mansion-house, where, at the wei! spread
board, and with cheerful glass, the feats of the
leading dog, the most gallant horse or the bold
est rider, together with the prowess of the famed
fox, were all discussed, while Washington, new
or permitting even his pleasures to infringe up
on the order and regularity of his habits, would
after few glasses of Madeira, retire 10 his sup
PEERLESS bed at nine o'clock.
the French hounds, there was one named
puican, and we bear him the better in rcurs-
ceDce, from having often bestrd his ample back
in the days of juvenility. 1t happened that upon
| company uo"h W dI mount
Vernon the lady of the mansion discovered tina
the ham, the pride of every Virginia housew' ,.,,
table, missing from its accustomed oaa, >.
honor. Upon questioning Frank, 40 p,,,lor
this portly, and at the sap.c time f,c most nol,,
and accomplished Of al, buffers observed tba, .
ham. yes a very fip.e ham, mad been prepared
nay, dishcd agreeably 20 the Madams orders
but 10 and h,nolG, Gho should come into the
k''chen' VINO the savcury ham was smoking in
ITS d'sh' put old Vulcan, the hound, and withou;
mole ado fastened his fanas into it: and al.
thOllnIl Ih e IL