Litchfield enquirer., 1860-04-19
AN ENGLISH NIMROD.


 AN ENGLISH NIMROD.
 A biography of Assheton Smith, the great Nimrod of England has been published. and from review of it we take the following passage: "Ths hero, not only of fox-hunt- ing, but of all sports--for he was first rate shot, cricketer. boxer, billiard-player and sail or, as well as rider aLd huntsman-was form ed by nature for his part He was of the right height for exerton and endnrance- five feet ten inches-with q well-proportion- ed, muscular, rather slight frame, weighing ten stone in his early days, and latterly about eleven stone ten. Once only he found man that could stand before his fists, and his blow was like the kick of horse. His fea- lures were plain, and not indicative of high breeding, but intelligent and full of the calm ness, of perfect selfpossession and resolute will The son of great sportsman, he was in the saddle from his childhood; and so completely did he grow to it, that it was the pillow of his sickness and the arm chair of his old age. A princely fortune enabled him to carry on his calling in princey style; cares to turn his mind from the main object of his life. A box of papers was stolen from his study. He called all his servants, ques- toned them all round, and received from all q denial. One of them afterward returned to the room to put coals on the fire. He col- Jared him at once, and tho man confessed himself guilty. He had read his guilt in his face. His temper was hot, and once he ap- peared before police magistrate for thrash. ing the son of the attorney to bubble rail- road who had brought in his bill He was a good and steady friend and hater, aud generally rather obstinate, coming of a sire who, having opposed the making of the Me mai Bridge, would never cross it when it was made. In the hunting field his tongue was sharp, but not foul. "Now then, sir, if you don't think you have done harm enough ul- ready, ride through my grounds again; but l if you think you have, you may as we'll go home"
 The dietctics of man who rode hard with hounds till eighty are worth knowing. He drank little, but eat much, as we'll he might, considering his enormous amount of exercise. His regular breakfast on hunting morning was great plate of hasbed mutton, which he could digest in the saddle He eat no lunch On coming home from hunting, he used to go to bed for an hour, and then into Q 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.
 He was @ desperate ruler in the full sense of the term. Pehaps no other man ever rode deliberately and habitually for fall. He used to say that with fall you might get over anything; and that any man who pro- fesscd to ride ought to know how to fall. He knew himself how to fall, and in all his tumbles never but twice broke bone; and of the two times, once from having clasp knife in his breast pocket. He always fell clear of his horse. and never let go the bri- de- Once, when his horse was plugging round him as he lay on the ground with the bride clenched in his hand, nervous friend called out to him to let go, or he would be killed. He replied, "he shall kick my brains out first" In making a cast, as in the run, he went without hesitation straight over everything where he thought the scent lay; anG to this his success as huntsman was partly due. On one occasion, at the close of run, he rode up hill over fence, carry ing away the top rail, which, when the top rail hnd been carried away, no other man in, the field would look at. Finding the gate at the end of one of the two parallel bridges locked, he leaped clear over both rails to the other bridge. One day, in hard frost. he persuaded master of hounds with whom he was staying just to put the hounds into cov- ert and let them find Q fox; aud the fox be. ing found went away with them, and had hard run over the iron ground-a spree the thought of which sets ones teeth on edge. People were not astonished to see him go straight over the most tremendous places, but they were surprised to see that he did not even look round at the leap when he was over. Though desperate rider, he was not a wild one, but, on the contrary, most iudicious, and gave his horse every chance. His hand was unequaled, and hor- ses which no one else could manage were tractable with him. He never lost his tenn per with animals. His horses knew it was useless to refuse with him, and one of them Ieaped with him into the middle of pond which he had uncorsciousy ridden up to, with his head turned away, and which the horse thought it his duty to take. His hounds hailed his approach with joy far of, though he only hunted and never fed them. He was absolute master of his craft and all that belonged to it; and what the Duke of Wellington was to other Generals, that was Assheton Smith to other English buntsmen. --~ = -