The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1884-04-13
ROMAN FOXHUNTING.
Sport that is No Child's Play-DanEerou
Ground and Reckless Riders.

Sport that is No Child's Play-DanEerous
Ground and Reckless Riders.
A Rome letter says: The Romans as a
r1le do not "go in" for manly sports
much. There is something in the soft
southern air which predisposes them to in
action. They are quite content with the
mild exercises OF drive on the Pincio,
varied. perhaps, from time to time by
davis shooting over the Alban Hills. But
one sport. and that one Of all others the
most exciting, does flourish here-foX-
bunting. The hunt meets two or three
times weekly throughout the season, ana
there Is generally good muster. On some
mornings as many as forty or fifty riders
nav be seen on the trail OF poor reynard,
ard not unfrequently there are twice as
many people 20 out "on Wheels" espe-
cially il the meet happens to be at Cecilia
Metella, by the Via Appia, or ut Ire Fon-
tane-the two most popular rendezvous in
the Campagua. 1t is the fashion among
many smart sportsmen who never saw a
meet TO sneer at Roman foX-hunting and
Roman foxes. But they would find, II
they condescended to try it, that the sport
is perhaps often more eXhilarating than
would suit their fancy. The foxes are
bona.tide, "natural' foxes. They are not,
as an Englishman msnuated the other day,
"shaken out of a bag" or "numbered,"
or "put down a couple Of hours before
they are "slghted."
THE RIDERS AND THE HOUNDS.
The hounds are kept at farm outside
the Porta Salaria, about three miles from
Rome. II is chiefly supported by the sub
scriptions of the Roman mobiles, though
a dozen foreigners are members OF the
hunt and contribute their quota. Duca
GraziOli, the NJ. F. H., Is a great fayorite.
To look az his delicate face and figure in
drawing-room you would never credit him
with the dash and endurance he really has
in him. But put him in the saddle and he
is a changed being. He is 4 splendid
Undertakes the stiifest rails and walls
as though they were kitchen tenders.
His only rivals are Reynolds. the
hunstman (who halls from Leicesterchire),
Count Zucchini, hard but rather I'M
lucky rider. and gentleman in the Italian
Foreign Office named Simonetta, who
usually bestrldes superb chestnut steeple-
chase mare, which has played him several
ugly tricks lately, and indeed nearly broke
his neck the other day. Count Zucchini,
by the by, also had narrow escape short
time ago. While hunting a particularly
knowing fox at Cento Cell one morning
his horse stumbled into hole, and he
came a regular "neck and cropper." He
was picked up within broken shoulder
blade and a damaged collar. bone, which
obliged him to 90 into hospital for over Il
fortnight.
Among the other patrons OF the noble
sport Prince Odescalchi (MariO'S great
| friend) Is one of the most constant. He is
the only man in Rome who wears an ulster,
and he wears it ostentatiously, even going
the length OF riding TO meet in it. Very
often Prince Rossano Borghese and his
brothers also join the "pink 'uns." Duca
Magrign&no and Prince Doria have been
less assiduous Of late, and we have too often
missed Princess DORA, the dashing daughter
OF his Grace OF Newcastle. But though
one fair huntress has thought fit to desert
us the field has rarely been quite deprived
OF feminine attractions. Only very impOr-
tant engagements or illness would induce
Countess Bobinsky, for instance, to forego
her periodic run with the Roman hounds.
Countess Celeri, a go-ahead Roman lady,
has been out pretty often during the last
two or three winters. She has five Eng
glish hunters in her stable-Ieg ocular fly
ers" some OF them-and will ride at any,
thing when her blood is up.
DANGEROUS GROUND.
The low, rolling plain between Rome
and the mountains Is rather ticklish ground
for novice or a stranger TO hunt over.
The soil is treacherous, pitfalls are plenti-
full, and the ruins strewn about in the grass
constitute awkward stumtling-blocks, espe-
cially II you alight on them after taking a
flyer over q four-foot rail or q good
hedge. Near the city the land Is compare
lively level, however. The danger begins
about Roma Vecchia, where the relics OF the
dead past lie so thick together that you have
to pick your way as II you were riding
through a cemetery. And, indeed, the
Campagna Is cemetery-the greatest,
grandest, and most crowded in the world.
Besides natural obstacles you have to
reckon with artificial obstacles in the shape
OF rough stone walls VERY like those in the
English lake country, fragments OF tombs,
and forgotten chips OF fallen temples.
There was some exciting though rather
disappointing sport out toward the Roman
race course the other morning. We mus
tered about thirty strong, among the num-
Der being, OF course, Duca Grazioli, Prince
Odescalchi lin pink, like many Of the men,
but, unlike the rest, disguised In the in
evitable ulster), M. Simonetta, &c., and
last but not least, one lady-Countess
Celerl. The fox was sighted short
ly after IL, and away We swept,
over the brow OF rather high hillock aud
down again into deep dip, the hounds
owning the scent faithfully for some time.
| After sharD rim Of twenty minutes how
ever. they were seen to be at fault, and
after all Reynard succeeded in getting away
with his brush, to the intense disgust OF
Reynolds. the huntsman, aud the hunt
generally.