The New York herald., 1879-02-04
FOX HUNTING AT PAU.
MAnKEr HAnBRo'. Jan. 90. 1879

MARKET HARBRO jan ~ 1879.
| To THE EprroR OF THE HERALp:-
have just read the interesting letters Of your cor
respondent at Pau in your issue of December s. and
inclined to think that upon the subject of fox
hunting he is a triAe enthusiastic. am reminded
of the story of the old lady who, having come from
the rural districts to large hotel in the city. was
served for the first time in her life with finger
bowl. Seeing slice of lemon floating in the water
she mistook it for beverage and drank it of at q
single draught Being asked afterward how she liked
her hotel she replied that IL "fust rate except
that they made their lemonade little weak" Now.
fox hunting at Pau may by courtesy be called fox
hunting. but it is certainly "a little weak" In
evidence of this. and. sorry to say. somewhat in
contradiction Of your correspondent beg to enclose
you the following letter. which have just received
from friend who after several of real fox
hunting in Leicestershire. has been making an ex-
pertinent of that sport ut PAU
PAU. Dec. 20, 1873.
MY DEAR Toni have been busy getting an
apartment since coming down here and am
now settled: that If you feel like taking
a down and seeing the place i
give you bedroom and sitting room. and will
be very glad to see you. / don't think after your
English experience you would care much for the
hunting here as it is too slow. The fields through
which go filed with blind drains and bogs.
The only thing is to have Wexford Irish horse
horse of the country. some kind of animal
more like goat than horse There is not such
thing clean jump anywhere. You kind of
scramble up the banks as hest you can. bringing
your horse up to them almost on walk. and then
jump down from the top, clearing the ditch on the
other side. ANY horse with the slightest desire to
crush in" is nuisance well as very dangerous to
ride. think Of sending my chestnut mare back. as
O'Lanngan says it is impossible to teach her under
couple of months and pity to ruin her for
England. She tries to hy everything. and cannot
understand how to become q goat. Unless you or
Proctor would like to have her 1 think shall send
her back to Allen and keep her to ride in the "low'
in the spring. The brown mare may learn in time
think, although she and OLannigan rolled about in
a ditch yesterday at the fifth jump. He had to be
driven home, and saw him in his bed this morning
bandaged mp. He says it will be week at least be-
fore he rides again. am very sorry for the poor fcl
low, but congratulate myself that was not in his
place. have hired horse for the season. and am
going to look at Irish horse which has been offered
to me for sale. have hunted three times aud have
been in at the death twice. The third time
tirely thrown out although I do not believe tho
hounds two hundred yards away at any time;
but as the drag through thick wood filed with
cobblestones You can imagine what kind of coun-
try it is. There assemSlies-d Ia Meal
ister-every Monday pigeon shooting aud lawn ten
mis-. The hunting run never lasts over an hour and
half. and the fox is generally killed within mile
of where he is let loose The meets very pleasant
and you generally get back to the place you start
from for breakfast. Let hear from you about the
chestnut mare. She is perfection in England. but
here she would be of no to me this season.
ALWAYS YOURS