Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1860-05-11

After the peace of 1888, the hunting es-
tb.isameut, which had gone down during
tdewar. was renewed by the arrival of a
pack IF French hounds. sent ont by the Mar
duis De L4flvette The>. rtieus de chQSSs
were of great size
--- bred ont of the Spartan kind
So Gewd. so sluiei. and their heads were hung
With ears that swept away the morning dew
/ Cr.ok-kucod and dewiapd like Thes-silu bulls,
slow iu pursuit but match I'D I'm mouth like bells,
the bells of Moscow. and the great Tom Of
Lincoln, we should say, and. from their
strength, We're fitted, not only 10 pull down
the stag. but I'M combat % encounter the
wolf or boar. or even to grapple with the
llrdlv lion These hounds, from their fierce
/ dispositions. We're generally kept confined g,
and wo % the stranger who might be passing
/ their kennel at uightiull. should the gates be
unclosed His fate would De melancholy,
unless he could climb some friendly tree, or
/ the voice OF the whip Of the huutsman came
/ 'spaedily to the rescue The huntsman
/ always presided at their meals, and it was
( only by the liberal application of the whip
/ thong that anything like order could be pre-
/ served among these savages Of the chase
The habit was to hunt three times week,
! weather permitting breakfast was served
/ on these mornings, at candle-llght, the Gen
I eral always breaking his fast with an Indian
/ corn cake and bowl of milk and. re the
cock had '.d0ne salutation 70 the morn,
/ the whole cavalcade would often baye lett the
/ house, and the fox be frequently unkennelled
+ before sunrise Those who have seen Wash
mgton on horseback Will admit that he was
on Of the most accomplished cavaliers in the
true sense and perfection Of the character
/ He rode, as he did everything else, with ease,
/ elegance, and with power. The vicious pro-
pensities of horses were of no moment to this
skillul and daring rider. He always said that
/ he required but one good quality in a horse
| 10 20 along and ridiculed the idea OF its be-
! inc even possible that he should be unhorsed
provided the animal kept on his legs. Indeed
! the perfect and snewy frame of the admira-
| bic man gave him such surprising grip
| with his knees, that a horse might as soon
| disencumber itself of the saddle as Of such
a rider.
The chase ended, the party would return
/ to the mansion house, where, at a we'll
! spread board, and with cheerful glass, the
ieats OF the leading doE, the most gallant
! horse or the boldest rider, together with the
prowess OF the famed black fox, were all dis
cussed, while Washington, never permitting
even his pleasures to infringe upon the order
and regularity Of his habits, would, after a
few glasses Of Madeira, retire to his bed sup
peerless at Q O'Clock lie always took little
tea and toast between six and seven in the
| evening.
Washington last hunt with his hounds,
was in 1885. His private affairs and public
business required too much of his time to
allow him to indulge in field sports. His
fondness for agricultural Improvements, and
the number of visitors that crowded Mount
Vernon, induced him to break up his ken
nels, to give away his hounds, and to bid a
final adieu to the pleasures of the chase. lie
then formed deer-park below the mansion
house, extending to the river and enclosing
bva high paling about a hundred acres OF
land The park was at first stocked with
only the native deer, to which was after
wards added the English fallow deer, from
the park of Governor gle. of Maryland.
The stock Of deer increased very rapidly
yet strange to say, although herdlng togeth'
er. there never WAS peTcepuble the slightest
admixture Of the two races.
On the decay of the park palIng, and the
dispersion of the deer over the estate, ,as many
as fifteen or twenty were often to be seen II
herd.
Tie general WAS extremely tenacious o
his game;and would suffsr none to be killed
till, being convinced that the poachers were
al road that the larder OF an extensive hote
in a neghboring town was abundantly sup
piled with plump haunches from the Noun
Vernon stock, and indeed that every On
seemed to be enjoying his yens)n but him
self, he at length consented that "a sta
should die.
, WASHINGTON s PERSONAL APPEARANCE.
With all its Developments OF muscula
power, the form of Washington had no ap
f pearance of bulkiness, and SO harmonlou
were its proportions that he did not appea