The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1860-12-06
Airhmnnn Qspattt.
THURSDAY MORNING. 800. DEC, 6, 1869
Correspondence of tie Richmond Dispatch.
Affairs an the Country.

THURSDAY MOhNlNd....... DEC. o, icoo
Correspondence Of tie Richmond Dispatch.
Affairs an the Country.
GooCHLANp, Dec. &th, 1860.
We had quite a considerable fall of snow in
this region last night. When i awoke TINS
,norning, the ground looked as though IL mad
been freshly sown with salt, (mind, do not
Nay sown with fresh salt or powdered WRite
sugar l Appreciated severe speii ana
freeze upon the back OF It, buL .ne stsIk ~, OF
the weather seems TO have been saushed with
giving us a specimen of what he can DO when
Tue faacy takes him, and has ist us on with
very moderate proof OF his ability At pres
sent the sun lie shining in naclouded glory,
and not a vestige remains OF the last nights
sprinkle. The air Is soft and baimy, and the
: day would do no discredit 10 the prescriptise
beauty of May. / recoliect that on this day
Twelve months ago, the Howitzers twho by
the.bye, wore the red shirt before GarioaioI
thought OF adopting it, and from whom' 40
doubt, instead OF the fremep, he borrower TUG
idea broke up from their eDcampfneht ia
Caariestown [ recoIiect-and snail always
reeoilect-with great distinctness, tne sven"
of That day which restored us fcaF-p"H toIe-
rama to the peace and comfort OF our own hto
80 Naysr snail l forget the long muskets
and the long bayonets that we bore win us
ON our triura plant re arm. Indeed, may say
that my memory on thar suoJect a 10 d iieiLioIy
sd men il was at a hillside, not at an enemy.
nave no doubt il an enemy had been before
me-. our guns would have hurt HIM badly at
OF more easily than they did great many OF
us. But alas tor war and glory 'Otheiio's
orcupation's gone" i have nothing more to
relate OF 49,,
And moving accidents by food and field"
Therefore aimee your readers delight in
things which smack OF gunpowder, let me re-
turn 10 wars first cousin, hunting.
IL seems that your report OF the abundance
o, game throughout The country, or some other
cause equally moving, started off more than
oae NlmrOd 10 tae country Several OF these
are now staying Al the mouse OF gentleman
within sight OF the spot where l now sit
They took the field IN great force yesterday
morning, in company with young gentleman
OF the medical profession, VINO processes like
wise TO be no small adept at bringing down
game in full career. / have not learned what
success they met with, but heard one most
awful big gun, They must have been shoot
ing ut an elephant! So much powder could
not have been burnt upon beast OF less I'M
posing magnitude / expect TO hear great
fidings before the day is out. mean 10 come
in if possible, tor part OF the ivory. One OF
these entlemeu n i'm rods Is O par tIcuiar 1rlend
OF mine, who holds an office in the State Ii
brary 1t Is very seldom that he takes the
field, / believe, and, no doubt, ne meant that
big gun for holiday saivo, Tor suspect 1t
was he that fired il. / am dying OF curiosity
10 know what he shot. Two OF me others
were relatives of his, and have the reputation
OF being considerable marksmen. L wish them
plenty OF game, good dogs, guns that never
miss fire and an unerring aim. Whether any
of this good fortuae befall them, or whether
, they miss of IL ali, we should think that an
excursion OF the kind, AFTER long attention 10
business, must be a most dellgntlul recreation
TO a man who s fond OF Il dog and gun.
The snow this morning cut short pro-
lected fox chase, in which TWO young ladies
were expected to JoiE. Is IL MOI ply tnat
such recreations are not pursued more steadily
bv our young countrywomen Notning Is
more invigoratng, or more exniIeratlng, than
active exercise on horseoacr. Nor Is there
,lishY in tha Innc
catalogue of things that much become Il
woman. than perfect horsemanship. Ofcourss,
IL is not expected that young lady should
lean a ditch or clear fence, like q veteran
fox hupter Indeed, there is very little Of
that sort OF exercise required even OF the
Elost expert horseman. But the excitement OF
the chase the galloping motion OF the horses,
the cry OF the hounds the shouts of the hunt
srs are all calculated TO make the blood cir
cuIats rapidiy1sste bring health to the frame,
bloom 10 the cheeks, and brightness to the
eye. 1t is not at all necessary, apprehend,
that exercise OF this Kind should be associated
with masculine charact ter, or with the least
want Of refinement. On the contrary, it 10
healthful, innocent and full OF grace. 1t is
especially suited 10 the young, and youth is
20 decidedly the season of enjoyment that
those who do not enjoy themselves In youth
will be apt to pass through life without en-
joying themselves at all.
There have been three revolutions In foxes,
and The dogs that chase them, within my
collection. When l first remember there were
none bu grey foxes in all these parts. They are
much smaller, much weaker, and much short
or OF wind than the red foxes. The hounds
that were used for chasing them were slow
footed animals, very sure upon the TRAIL with
most sonorous throats. Some OF them had
voices like the sound OF the great bell st Mos
cow or rather like what suppose it must
have been--others like the bell at the bar
racks-others like the little silver bells that
you keep on the table. Altogether, the chime
was delightful when the cry was up and the
chase in view. For hours would they toll after
the game, making the woods re-echo to their
music The hounds of Theseus as described
by Shakespeare, who was himself keen
sportsman must have been like these:
snow IN pursuit, bu. matched in mouths like
bells,
Each under each; cry more tuneable
" as never haliUed To or cheered with horn,
In Crete, In Sparta, nor IN Thessaiy."
In tho course OF time a revolution took
place among the Northern hordes OF foxes
The red foxes, like the Scy thians OF the olden
time or the hordes that oyerran the Roman
empire in the Middle Ages, were driven from
their habitations by superior power, and they
came down upon the South. The grey fox
quickly disappeared, and the red fox usurped
his patrimony. With the grey fox disappear
ed the slow, deep toned, loud hound
and Il new race, very swift IN pursuit, but en-
tireIy wanting the musical gifts of their prede-
cessOrs came into vogue. Very different was
the red fox, from the rival whom he had dis
pos sessed. 1t was extremely difficult TO catch;
indeed, we believe he was seldom ever caught
upon the ground. Late in the season, about
February or the early part OF March, he
would run IA pack of hounds all day. In our
boynood, we well remember an old stagsr
who had white tip the end OF his tail,
and was thence called silver tail. This fox
became we'll known, that the hunters
would call OFF their dogs when they found
they were in pursuit or him. He knew the
sound Of the horn we'll as the hunter did,
and rs soon as he heard the latter blowing up
his dogs preparatory 10 a start for home, he
was up and off over the hills, like streak of
lightning. lie never could ne taken mapping.
1t was said that on one occasion, he led a
pack OF hounds from q point about half a
mile above the present residence of DIR. key
polds Trent, 10 Billings Island, a distance CT
at least fifteen miles Us the crow flies and that
ne camped al night within u few hundred
yards OF The spot whence he started IN inc
morning. On that famous day, he broke down
every horse, and threw every dog ent OF the
chase. Several hunters, at different times, re-
ported that they had captured old "siiVer
TAIL" but he was like John Barleycorn, up
again as soon as the next pack came along
The hunters were deceived. 1here were otneF
RichmUnds in the field. They LOOK, no dount,
foxes with tips on the ends or their talls, put
not the genuine Simon Pure. He, we doubt
not died at a good old age, with all his chill
dren and grandchidren-ht least all the hunt
er1 had spared-gathered around him, and
mourning their irreparable loss. L.
LIFE INSURANCE., &c.
las "a IaCNiURDU, Agent MANHATTAN