Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1860-03-22
An English Nimrod

passage:
This hero. not only of fox-hunting. but Of all
sports for ho WASH first rate shot, creketer, box.
cr, billiard player and sailor, well as rider and
huntsman was formed by nature for his part
lc was Of tho right he ght for exerton and endu'
rance five feet ten inches--with well.propor-
iorcd, muscular rather slight frame, weighing
ten stone in his early days aud lattcrly about
eleven stonc ten. Once only ho found man who
could stnnd before his fists and that man said That
his blow was like the kick OF horse. Tho story
of his great set-,o with tho coal HEAVIER who had
struck his horse is already pretty well knawn.-
Ills features were plain. and not indicative of
high breeding but intelligent md full OF the calm
u perfect sell possession and resolnio will.
The son Of q great sportsman. he was in tho snd-
die from his chlhood md completely did hc
grow to it. TINT it was tho pillow OF his sickness
aud tho armchair Of his old agc. A princcly for
tune enabled him to carry On his calling in prince
ly style; and marrying mt fifty one, he had no
family cares to turn his mind from the main OBJ
cct of his life. lie had tho eye of n hawk; and
not only for limo across country. but for other
things. box of papers WINS stolen from his
study. II" called in all his servants. questioned
tl,cm all round, nnd received from all II denial
one of them ntcrward returned TO tho room to
put eonls on the fire lilo collarod him at once,
and tho man confessed himself guilty. lle Ind
read his guilt in his face. Ills temper was hot,
aud once he appeared before II Police magistrate
for thrashing the son Of tho attorney to u hubble
rnilroad who had brought in his bill lie was
good and slcndy friend and Inter- and generally
rather obstinate, coming OF u sire who. having or-
| posed tho making of tho Monai Bridge, would
never cross it when it made. In the hunting
| field hi4 tongue sharp, but not foul. "Now
| them Sir, il you don't think you've done harm
enough already, ride through my hounds again;
but il you think you have, you may US well go
| home
"Thc dictccs Of II man who rode hnrd with
| hounds till eighty worth knowing. lie drank
little but cat MECH M we'll he might, considering
his enormous amount Of exercise. His regular
breakfast On hunting morning was n great plato
| Of hashed mutton, which he could digest in tho
saddle. lie eat lunch On coming homo
from hunting. no used tn 20 to bed for nn hour.
and then into warm bath before dinner. lle
hardly ever wore great cont. In his latter days
hc took to the water'curc, and wan.cd every
! body else to take to it.
"Ile was II desperate rider in the full sense of
| tho term. Perhaps no other man ever rode delib-
cratcy and habitually far a. .)uH. lie used u say
wh taH. YOU might get over anything; and that
any man who prolrsscd to ride ought to know lIt W
| To fall. lilo knew himself how to fall, and in all
! his tumbles never but twice broke u bone and Of
/ the two times, once from having n clasp knife IN
! hi, breast pocket He always fell elear Of his
horse, and never let 90 the bride, Once, when
his horse was plung;ng round him ms lie lay
| the ground with tho bridle cenched in hishand II
| ncrvous friend called out to him. to let 60, or he
would be kicked lie replied, he shall kick my
! brains out first In making cast ms in the run,
! ho went without hesitation straight over every
thing where he thought the scent lay; and to this
! his success as n huntsman was partly due On
one OCCASION, ut the close ol II he rle up hill
evcra fence carving away the top rnil, which.
when the To-, rail had been carried away, no other
| man in the field could look at. Finding the gate
at tho end Of Of tho tw parallel bridges lock-
ed, he lcaped clear over both rails to the other
! bridge One day, in hard frost he persuaded u
/ master Of hounds into covert and let them find
! fox: and, the fox being found, went away with
! them, and Ind hnrd run over tho iron graund
| n spree the thought Of which sets ones teeth on
edge People were not astonishod " see him 60
straight the most tremendous places, hut
| thry were surprised to SEQ that he did not even
| look round at the leap when be was over. Though
n desperate rider, he was not II wild one. but. on
the contrary, most judcious. and gave his horse
every chance. His hand uncqnalcd and
horses which else could manage were trac-
table with him. lie never lost his temper with
animals His horses knew it useless to re-
fuse with him. and Of them lcapt with him
into The middle of pond which he nd uncon-
sciousy ridden up to, with his head turned away,
aud which the horse thought it his duty to tnke.
His hounds hailed his approach with joy FAR of,
though he only hunted and never fed them. Iio
was absolute master Of his craft and all that be.
lnnged to it; and, what the Duke Of Wellington
was to other English Generals, that was Assheton
Smith to other English huntsmen.
" Nor was be master Of the sportsman's craft
alone His strong sense and warm heart made
him in other ways q useful man. lie did II great
deal of good real good, and in judicous way,
among the poor on his cstates especiallyamong the
quarrymen of his great quarries in Wales. Hes
the great fact that property Is the root OF s0cial
virtue and gnye each ofhis men, as far as he could
few acres of waste land, which they, OF coursc
turned into gardens lie was builder of church,
es aud schools. and the clergyman of his parishes
for mechanical contrivances, and was great ship
builder. lie even disputed with Mr.. Scott Rus
sell the mart of having originated the waive
| line Ulo is said also to have been the first sug-
gestor Of our fleet of gunboats What it surprs-
es US more to hear is that he was not without lite
nature. Pope and Horace were his fl.orites. lilo
| knew .Eloise to Abelard' by heart. lie was also
! n pasionate admirer of Shakespeare, and fond of
repeating tho speech of Polonius, especially the
lines [really applicable to his. own characterl-
To thine own self be true,
And shall follow ~ the night the day
Thou cans not, then be false to any man.
'Where he picked up his Horace il ia difficult to
say. lie was at Eaton Ii years, but he said he
learned nothing there, and probably he spoke the
truth. There was vein Of religion In him
which showed itself especially during the suffer
ngs Of his last illness, in frequent expressions OF
resignation to the will of God He was a regular
church-goer. and always, whatever the distance,
on foot. Without setting up for moralist, he
discouraged gambling and dsbauchery in his ep,r-
ting circle. man who spoke TO him iestingly
of suicide was told never to Joke on such subject
again. Though rather self.willsd, he was un-
selfish, and c,;.,l Not bear, when i'll, to disturb