Impudent Poachers.
The Times, 1824-01-02T00:00:00

Since the commenerent of the 5ootirng searon, the geaxlemeD of the counties of Kent, Surrey, and Essex, have been much annov ed by the intrusion of Poachers from the metropolis and the'neiZh boutring towns, who, in their indiscriminate slauighter of game; lke " F'rneh falconers, dfy at all they meet," and never regard-those rales by which a genuine sportsman is regulated. Man.traps, spring-guns, and other ureventives of that sort, baNIng'been fouria Inadequate to the preserVation of the game, the propretors o? larze demesnes in those counties hove beew forced to deuble the orcinary number of keepers or there would not be a bird left, even to breed. Several squAebles have lately qccurrgt in conse- quence of these measures, betwixt the poarbers and gamekeepers, one of which, from its extreme novelty, we give as delivered"o us by a gentleman who happened to be present. A nobleman wel. known, in the sporting world, possessing a considerable esrtein the county of Kent, had ordered his agent to take measures, for the strictestpreservationofthegane, as he purposed shooting duHng the Christnas holydays. with a few friends whtae I sd lnit down; the injunction was obeyed by the aSpointmnentof sever4it . pernumerary keepers, whose instructions wereto take up naU l ns found poaching in theenclosures,ualess such asprocedaeaxtenau thority from his l,ordsbiporhis asent; lnotices ofthebnthiWtion were also circulated about the grounds, but were disregarlled, 'and srrests innumerable followed; for such wastbeliberastytftthtnobleowner that he seldom denied the privilege ofshooting ont is grounds to say sportsman who apliedforliberty. lntheearlypatoflast v,eek, four persons, well accoutred in every respect, wrere seenz-on the grounds, and contrary to expectation, comraenced a very dcstruc- tive fire on the feathered innabitants of one -of the choicest enclo. 'ures, generally reserved for his Lordship's I rsiilar use; the re port of t; e guns soon brought up twzo of the keepers, one -of whom, observed, "That it was very strange how any person could attemnps to shoot on a nobleman's demesne, when a nOrioe of preseriati had been so generally circulated through the gounds." To 'hick ozeof the partyprzomtlyreplied,that t"he a-ndhis friendsas'notthero by permission of Lod , and theyv would c0ntinue so de so in defiance of any agept's orders, so long as they held the proprdetor's written authority for so doing." - The confidentmanner in which thin explanation was given, had tlb efftect intended, and the keesisra imagining that the permission was granted by his ordel no further notice of this party, who continuedc their sport, vritinter. ruption, generally bagging from 40 to D0 head of game in each dav. It happened, howeyer, that h of friends, vwent down to the Lodge on Thursday last, and strolled out the following morning, with one of his acquaintance,, to sport itt his favourite endosure; and here the first game he start vwas the very identicadglgdeian who boasted the authority of his lordship ro shoot over the grounds a few days previous; seeing this person. a stranger in the neighbouiThood, so unceremopiously bag hia gamrn Olt this consecratodsupot, his, lordshi * ventured to inquire "if the gentleman sported there by perntisRion of the agent?" to which the other pertly answvered, " No, I shoot here by the authority of his master. Lord _" The Peer smiled, and looIGki signifi- cantly at his friend, who came op durin the convesati`on.-" I thought," said he. " that Lord had not granted any per- missions for shooting on his mrounds, except to our little pLrty F" The gentleman, enjoying his lordLhip's joke, replied-" that be hstd udiertoodthatnobleman to say so when he granted him the favni-r." Thepoadtlier,' io doubt. not dreamingthethethenstood in the-sresenm of that _eryjperson with whosenamehe had ventured to take ssijm. pertinent a liberty, " pledged his h?nour that they (meaning the no. bleman and his friends) were not the only persons to wbom that pAl. vilege had been extended ;" and, tilm1ng bn his heel. sncedily re- joined hiis fellow.poacbers. The nobli6man and his friend returned to the lodge, and a few of the keepers were sent in quest of the in. truders, who wNere sooa after introduced to their " polite frlend, Lord -." A scene of infinite amusement followed, which Is, perhaps, better imagined than described ; the plot was tvel worked by his Lordship, and the dentement w wastost felicitous; the impu. dent effrontery of the fellows was succeeded by confusion and em. barraesment: even the lips of the spokesman could not utier any apo- logy-they were hermetically sealed byshame. Thefilurgaith.en, after a perfect conviction, were transferred to another demesne, and have now the delightful nrivilege of sporting on the grounds asttarbed, to the courty gaol,to which they were committed throungh " his Lord, ship's politeness." They are thns described..a lawyer's clerl; a linendraper's apprentice; an ex-officer of Customs; and a strellz1 f player. IMPUDEXRV POA(4I-flP