The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1860-04-16
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MON DAY H0RNIlQ0 49,. APRIL -. isDo.
a..se,on sw,th, Ne EmslisA Nimrea..
A biography Of Assheton Smith, the great
N.mrod OK Englsnd. has juok been published
in London, and from . review Of It Ne take
~Thtu hero. not only OF fox hunting, bat OF
all sports, for Ae was nrst.rate snoS cricket.
OF, boxer, billia I'd player ana aeasofi g we'll
ture for his part. He was Of the right height
for exertion and endurance--avef ess ten inch.
cs-with . we'll prOportioued, ousculAr, rath.
Or slasht frame. welsasse zen Stone 10 Ais
ten. Once only he found man who could
stand before his nsts, aud that man said that
his bl0W was like tae kick Of . horse. The
story OF his great set-,0 with tbs eoal.hsaver
who had struck his horse, 10 alrsady pretty
we'll known. hts features were plain, and not
indicative Of high breeding, but Intelligent and
full OF the catmness Of perfect seli.posses.
sion and resolnts will. The SON q great
sporunan. be was In the saddle from ms
childhood; aad 20 completely dad he grow 70
IL that Il VA the pillow Of his sickness ana
the arm char Of nis old age.
"A princeiy fortune enabled MIN 70 csrIy" gu
his calling In princely style; and marrying
Mt ftty lone, he had no family cares 10 turn nis
mind from the main object OF hle laae. ne nae
the eye Of . hawk, and mot oniy ns |. Inc
acroca country, bus for other things. box
Of nauers Was stolen from hts study. He
cslied In all his servants, Questioned them all
arou nd. and received from them Al denial.
One OF Them afte.w.rds re 20 70 ne . room
once and the man confessed himself guilty
He had read guilt in his face. His temper wac
hot. and once he appeared before police ma
70 for thrashinR the son Of the attorney to
. b., nble railroad whO had brought in his bill.
He was q good and steady friend aud hater,
and generally rather obstinate, coming OF
sire who, having opposed the making Of the
Menai Bridge, would never cross ii when
il was m ads. In the hunting field his tongue
was sharp. but not foul. Now, then, sir, il
Won don't think you've done harm enough
already, ride through my hounds again but
II You think you have. you may as well 60
home
The dietetcs of a man who rode hard with
hounds till eighty are worth knowing. He
drank little, but eat much, as well ne might,
considering his enormous amount Of exercise.
His regular breakfast on hunting morning
was great plate Of hashed mutton, which he
could diges in the saddle. He eat NO lunch.
On coming home from hunting he used to 60
~ bed for an hour. and then into warm bath
before dinner. He hardly ever wore great
coat. In his latter days he took to the water
cure, and wanted every body else TO take to IT,
Of the term. Perhaps NO other man ever rode
deliberately and hAbitually for faH. He used
10 say that scitA a fall, you might get over
anything; and that any man who protested to
self how to fall, and In all his tumbles never
bur twice broke bone; and Of the TWO times,
once from having clasp knife in his breast
pocket. He always fell clea.r OF his horse, and
never let 20 the bride. Once when his horse
was plunging round him as he lay on the
ground with the bride clenched In his hand,
a nervous friend called out to him to let 60 or
he " ould be kicked He replied, he shall kick
my brains out first In making cast, as in
the run. he went without hesitation straight
over everything where he thought the scent
lay, and to this his success as huntsman was
parliy due. On one occasion, at the close of
run, he rode up hill over fence, carrying
away the top rail, which, when the top rail
had been carried away, no other man in the
field would look at. Finding the gate ut the
end of one of the two parallel bridges locked,
he leaned clea: over both rails to the other
bridge.
zone day. in a hard frost, he persuaded a
master OF hounds with whom he was staying,
Just to put the hounds into covert and let them
had q fox, and, the fox being found, went away
with them, and had u hard run over the iron
grounds Spree the thought OF which sets
ones teeth on edge. People were not aston
ished to see him 20 straight over the most tre
mendous places, but they were surprised 10
see that he did not even look round 1t the lead
when he was over: Thougn q desperate rider
he was not wild one, but, on the contrary,
mos, judiciOus, aud gave his horse every
d chance. His hand was unequalled, and horses
which no one else could manage were tracta-
BILE with him. He never lost his temper with
animals His horse knew 1t was useless to
refuse with him, and one OF them leapt with
him into the middle of pond which he had
unconsciously ridden mp to, with his head
turned away, and which the horse thought it
his duty to take. His hounds hailed his APP
proach with JOY afar on, though he only hunt
ed aud never fed them. He was absolute ..as
ter of his craft and all that belonged TO 1t. and
what the Duke of Wellington was 70 other
English Generals, that was Asshetop Smith to
other English huntsmen.
"Nor was he master Of the sportsman's craft
alone. His strong sense and warm heart made
MIN in other ways useful man. He did great
deal of good, real good, and in judicious way,
among the poor on his estates, especially
among quarrymen on his great quarries in
Wales. He saw the great fact that property
10 the root of o social virtue, and gave each Of
his men, as far rs he could. q few acres Of
waste land, which they, Of course, turned into
"A .arden. de was q builder Of churches and
OF schools, and the clergymen Of his parishes
found his hand always tree. He had great
turn for mechanical contrivances, ana was
great ship builder. He even disputed with
Mr.. Scott Russell the merit OF having origi-
mated the wave line.' He il said also to have
been the first suggestor Of our fleet Of gun
boats. What 1t surprises us more to bear, IL
that he was not without literature Pope aud
g Horace were his favOrites; to knew 'Eloise
to AbeIard' by heart. He was also q passion
ate adnirer Of Shakespeare, aud fond OF re-
peating the speech Of POlOnius, especially the
lines (rea!iy applicable to his own charac.
terry
-. TO thine own self DO true.
+ Thou canst not then DO false 70 any man.
"Where he picked up his Horace it is diff
cult TO say. lie was ut Eaton eleven years,
hut he said he learned nothing there, and pro-
badly he spoke the truth. There was vein
of religion in him, which showed itself espe-
cially during the suferings Of his last illness,
in frequent expressions OF resignation to the
will OF God. He was y regular church.goer,
and always, whatever the distance, ON foot.
Without setting up for q moraiist he discour.
aged gambling and debauchery in his sporting
circle. 9F
"a man who spoke to him jestingly Of sui
eide was told never TO joke on such subject
again. Though rather self-willed, he was IN
selfish, and could not bear, when III, 70 disturb
his servant in the night. His heart was always
easily touched. He aud his horse having been
kindly sheltered from the rain by the master
of Wretched howell, he next day sent masons
to build the man 4 new house. A bill for
f2uO was handed round In his presence, anc
offered for f3U. He saw that the name OF the
unfortunate drawer was that of an old school,
fellow, paid E3UU to the holder, aud threw the
bill into the dre.s OF course 1t is easy for
, wealth 10 play the bene6csnt Caiiph, but it
was ut least genuine feeling in AsshetoE
Smith. In politics, of course, he was Tory,
ana as a member Of Parliament, Of course he
rever spoke. but vote hard for his party. He
would post up to London from his place on
the other side Of Andoyer, for division, at
ter days hnnt." fess
CPLE Ban S.-cHAs. A,