The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1897-12-28
THE ROYAL BUCKHoUNDs.

But though the Royal Buollhounds as
an institution can trace their descent
back to bluff King Harry. the present
fashion Of hunting their game began
with good King George. The date can
not be fixed precisely, but 1t Is certain
that the carted deer was first used in
George the Thirds reign when enclosure
acts and the spread of agriculture had
made the chase of the wild stag impos-
sible in the settled districts Of Berkshire
and Buckinghamshire. His Majesty
was no thruster (Which, seeing that he
rode nineteen stone, Is not surprising,
and the hounds had frequently to be
stopped for him. He rode to a pilot,
but as the following little anecdote
shows, reserved to himself an ample
discretion: "On one occasion they came
to a place which the king did not quite
| fancy. He hung a little. John has
gone over, your Majesty said one of
theequerries, hoping no doubt that
hole might be made for him. Then you
may go after him. said the king, and
| logged off to find a nicer place" Most
| Of the household seem to have taken
| their cue from their royal master; but
one of the equerries, Colonel GWyn,
| (who married Goldsmith's Jessamy
Bride, went so we'll In q famous run in
the autumn Of 1897 that he was compli-
mented (by the Nimrod Of the day, we
presume upon displaying more Of the
genuine unauthorized sportsman than
| the effeminate courtter"
The hounds were from twenty-four to
twenty-six inches, demon-pyes and
black and white; they could go very
fast we are told, for half an houh, Civ
ing tongue the while like Big Ben, but
they must soon have sobered down, for
some of the runs seem to have covered a
partentious tract of country. Perhaps
none was quite so long as that famous
one In Charles the Seconds reign, when
Swinley deer ran for seventy miles be-
fore it was taken near Lord Petres in
Essex and the Duke of York, with the
master, Colonel Graham, was among
the few who lived to the end. But they
must have been long enough, to judge
by the names earned by two of the
stays, Moonshine and Starlight, The
deer were housed in the same paddocks
in Swinley as the deer Of to-day, and
close to them stood the masters hunt.
ing-lodge. when high jinks used to &C
on in the old registering three-bottle
| time. On June 4, the king ) DlIlIlu6y
as Elton boys know well, the master
used to give dinner to the farmers ant
foresters, and sometimes the king would
drive over from Windsor and watch the
lads and lasses footing it on the greer
in front of the houses. The building
was dismantled and pulled down in 1921
but the grounds may still be faintl!
traced. The king rode in a light-blu
coat with black velvet cuffs top-boot
buckled behind, and after 1886, hunt
ing-cap The master wore the familia
gold belt and couples, but apparently
green coat faced with red, some thint
like the hunting-coat Of the Second EN-
pire. The yeomen- prickers wore tn
same heavy laced scarlet coats q
now, and carried French harms, whicl
they wound Justify on every occasion
Later on less noisy but more eficien
instrument was added to the horns
After Mr.. Mellsh, master Of the Eppin!
forest hounds, had been robbed ant
murdered by a highwayman on his re
turn from hunting, a couple of boys wa
added to the establishment. each armed
with a brace of horse pistols. Whel
: the run was ended these pistols wer
handed to two Of the -prickers
whose duty it was to escort his Majest,
| back to Windsor.-Macmillan Maya
zine