pact, propelling, sort of quarters, and a very pretty neck and head, the latter, if we remember rightly, tapering towards the nose like Tadmor's. Vaultress is one of the little sort, with very slight capabilities of improvement about her, and for real usefulness give us Pelion and Lambton, who are of the regular "cut and come again" school, and the former especially likely to make a good Cup animal. We hear very good reports of the two-year-olds of 1853, and among them Brother to Maid of Masham is very much "cracked of" in the North, and is very heavily engaged too in 1853-54. We were told at York that if Earl Glasgow had not applied a few hours too late, he would have had him at £450. His Lordship was in perfect ecstasies on the last Saturday of the Houghton Meeting, and Ñat got £200 and I'Anson and Lye each one £100, for their share in the six matches of that day. I'Anson's salary has also been increased in consequence of this "wind-up." This was one of the most salient incidents of the season, which have been few and far between. Not a thousand hours from the afternoon in question, a great shindy (we mention no names) is said to have come off between a gentleman and his trainer, with whom he had not been on easy terms for some time past. The latter had tried a filly, and reported her not worth backing, and "got on " very heavily himself. Well, the race came off all right, and the flabbergasted owner, who had not backed his animal for a penny, was all on fire, and, having forcibly extracted from the boy, who rode in the trial, that he had had express orders from the trainer to enact Captain Armstrong on that occasion, he, with no very mild gesture or language, ordered my gentleman out of his house, adjoining the stables, bag and baggage, before the evening closed in. With this little episode we drop our race-quill for A. D. 1852, and take leave of the Turf till May-morning.

ANCIENT HUNTING IN BRITTANY.

BY GELERT.

The still wild and primitive manner in which the wolf and boarhunting is conducted in Brittany, and which resembles in every respect the practice of ancient days, has induced me to search for records connected with the glorious chasse of that country, and to present to the reader, curious in such matters, an extract translated from the work of Jacques du Fouilloux, a gentleman distinguished as a chasseur in the reign of Charles the Ninth of France. This will be found a suitable introduction to the papers which I propose to communicate at a future period, on the practice of the present day—

THE RACE AND ANTIQUITY OF HOUNDS, AND HOW THEY WERE FIRST INTRODUCED INTO FRANCE.

BY JAQUES DU FOUILLOUX.

I have diligently searched whence and where, according to ancient as well as modern authors, the first race of hounds appeared in France;

and have failed to discover any chronicle or history which gives an earlier account than one which I saw in Brittany, written by a man named Monumetensis: this treats of an epoch subsequent to the lamentable destruction of Troy.

"Eneas arrived with his son Ascanius, king of the Latins, in Italy; in which country a son was born to him, called Silvius, from whom Brutus, a celebrated hunter, was descended. It happened that as he and his father were one day hunting in the forest, evening came on, and the day becoming gradually darker, they were about to return home, when perceiving a stag, not far off, attacked by their hounds, they hurried up to kill him; but by some mischance, as Heaven would have it, Brutus missed the stag, and killed his father. The people thinking that he had perpetrated this act of parricide out of malice or a desire to reign, rose and rebelled against him; and such was their fury and indignation, that in order to save his life, he was compelled to fly from the country. In this dilemma he undertook a voyage to Greece, whither he went in order to liberate a number of Trojans, who had been his allies and companions in arms, and who had been detained in captivity since the destruction of Troy-which achievement he accomplished by force of arms. After he had thus effected their deliverance, he induced them, with a number more of their countrymen, to swear that they would never again re-visit their native land. This oath they were not only willing but anxious to take, owing to the dishonour their city had sustained, and their own utter destitution and wretchedness, since they had lost all that could render life desirable.

"They immediately prepared a great number of vessels, in which Brutus and all his followers embarked, taking with them a great number of hounds. Then setting sail, they pursued their course, until they had passed the Straits of Gibraltar, and arrived in Brittany; which country Brutus, owing to the celebrity of his name, conquered, with but little resistance on the part of its inhabitants. Here they dwelt peacefully during a period of four years, when Corineus built the city of Cornouaille. Shortly after their arrival, when they had accustomed themselves a little to the inhabitants of the country, Brutus and his son Turnus commenced hunting in the extensive forests which lie between Tiffange and Poictiers.

"In those days there reigned in Poictou and Aquitaine a king, called Groffarius Pictus, who resided chiefly at Poictiers. From time to time he was informed of the exploits of the Trojan settlers, and of their skill in the art of venerie; how they hunted in his forests with a wonderful race of hounds, which, having once roused a deer, never ceased in their pursuit until they had run him down and killed him. On hearing this, the king became so enraged and fierce that he determined on making war on the intruders, and for this purpose assembled a large force. The Trojans, apprised of these hostile preparations, collected an army, and marching along the banks of the river Loire, encountered the enemy on the spot where the city of Tours now stands, where the two armies engaged in battle. Turnus, Brutus' eldest son, was killed in the engagement; and to commemorate the sad event Brutus built the city, which derives its name from that of his heroic

son."

I was compelled to relate the above history in order to prove that

hounds were thus early known and worked in France; and moreover, that the Trojans were assuredly the first who introduced the breed into that country. Nor is there any history which mentions a prior knowledge of their advent or existence there; at the same time it is a fact, well-authenticated, that a greater number of this species of dog, subsequently known in France and the contiguous countries, were brought out of Brittany, with the exception of the white hound, which is supposed to have been originally imported from Barbary. During a visit which I once made to Rochelle, I endeavoured to gain information on this subject, and for the purpose I questioned some sailors, and amongst others an old man called Alphonse, who had several times visited the Court of Domecherib, king of Barbary-a prince who was himself an accomplished sportsman; and he informed me that all his hounds were white, as well as all the dogs in the country. Indeed, I am inclined to believe that all white dogs have originally come from warm climates, since, however warm the weather may happen to be, they never appear in the least fatigued, when other dogs are completely exhausted and

worn out.

This circumstance is also corroborated by Phebus, who visited Barbary. We have, therefore, every reason to believe that this race of white dogs is descended from those of that country. So much, then, for antiquarian research, of which I will cease to write. I shall now endeavour, as far as I can, to point out those hounds-whether white, tan, grey, or black-which I consider best suited for the chace, and for the use of all princes and gentlemen.

ON WHITE HOUNDS.

White hounds were first noticed and brought into repute by the Grand Senechal of Normandy. Before his time they were held in but little estimation by the gentry, being of little use to hunt any animal but the deer.

The first white hound celebrated in the annals of sporting was called Souillard or Sloven, and was presented by an indigent and obscure gentleman to King Louis, who, preferring hounds of a grey colour, of which his whole pack was composed, did not set much value on the gift, unless the animal might be made to serve as bloodhound, in which capacity it might be rendered of some use. Observing that the king did not appear to approve of the hound, the seneschal Gaston, who chanced to be present when it was presented, begged the animal of the king, in order, as he said, to bestow it upon the wisest lady in the kingdom.

"Let me first know whom you honour by that title," said the king. "Your Majesty's daughter the Princess Anne of Bourbon!" replied the seneschal.

"She may perhaps be less simple than the rest of her sex," rejoined the king, "but there is no such thing as a wise woman to be found in the world."

The king, however, gave him the hound; but Gaston did not long continue in possession of him, for shortly after meeting the seneschal of Normandy, the latter took such a fancy to Souillard, that Gaston bestowed him upon him. Madame de Bourbon, who was passionately fond of the chace, hearing the next year of the beauty and excellence

of the hound, begged some of his descendants of the seneschal, to form a pack. He presented her Highness with several at different times, making in all fifteen or sixteen hounds, six of which were very celebrated for their beauty and cleverness. Since then the race has continued to augment up to the present time: the breed, however, is much improved in strength, having been mixed with that of the Scotch deer-hound, introduced by the young Queen of Scots.

Such, indeed, is the cleverness of these hounds, that I think it would not be amiss to dedicate them entirely to the service of royalty; their skill in discovering the scent is only equalled by their ardour in pursuing it; they, however, like at all times to be accompanied by the huntsman, and are rather averse to going through water, especially in winter; but scarcely any other impediment can stop them.

You will not object to a few directions to be observed in the selection of hounds from a litter of puppies. Those calculated to make the best hounds (for not unfrequently more than half of them are worth nothing) are such as are all of one colour, especially such as are all black, which seldom occurs; those marked with red are also generally good; but such as are marked with black, or a dirty grey, are never worth anything. It is also worthy of remark, that dogs of this breed never arrive at perfection under three years.

OF RED DOGS.

I have discovered but little concerning the antiquity of red or sandycoloured dogs; my chief authority is an ancient hunter, who took the pains to compile an old manuscript document, in which he makes mention of a celebrated Lord of Breton, called Huet of Nantes. The author of this curious old work was much addicted to venerie, and gave by his writings (which are corroborated by those of other authors of the same date) a degree of celebrity to a famous pack of hounds, kept and hunted by the above-mentioned Breton Lord. I have also, during my stay at Lamballe, scen an ancient chronicle which gives an interesting account of a pack of these red or sandy-coloured hounds, the property of a nobleman who resided in the neighbourhood. Hunting one day in the forest, near the town of Poictiers, they put up a splendid stag, which set all their mettle and cunning to the test: they chased him backwards and forwards for four successive days, gaining, however, a little upon him each day, until they reached at length the walls of Paris, where, unable to go further, the gallant animal was captured and killed.

We may presume, from many corroborating circumstances, that these red hounds are descended from those which belonged to the ancient dukes and lords of Brittany, and which breed was very carefully preserved by the Admiral D'Annebauld and his predecessors. This description of hound was first commonly known in the time of Francis I., that mighty master in the art of venerie, and father of sporting in France (another John Ward, in fact).

The red hound, the subject of the present chapter, is noted for courage, enterprise, and excellent scent; it is, in fact, not dissimilar to the white hound, but swifter and more adventurous, though not so well able to endure great heat, and much more easily disturbed and confused by the pikemen or hunters, who generally attend at the chase. The

red hound is indefatigable in the pursuit of game, as it fears neither water, cold, nor, indeed, scarce any other obstacle. They prefer running a deer to any other game; but are very obstinate, and far less easily trained or managed than the white hound. In selecting a pack, the best are those which come nearest to a red colour, with a white spot on the forehead, or on the back of the neck; also, such as are all sandy-coloured; but those which are yellowish, or marked with grey or black, are worth nothing; those which have the nose a little turned up (retroussé) answer very well for harriers; and there are frequently found some with very thick tails, which are generally prized as swift

runners.

This class of hound is best suited for royalty, as kings and princes have ever loved to chase the deer; but for gentlemen, who are contented to hunt the hare and other less noble game, such hounds are of no use whatever.

ON GREY HOUNDS-THEIR NATURE AND TREATMENT.

The hound, of which the present chapter treats, was anciently much used by the French nobility, and, indeed, by the royal family, especially the Dukes of Alençon; indeed, this breed of hound appears to have been somewhat common, as they were exceedingly skilful and clever in various ways, and for this reason particularly adapted to the use of private individuals, such as country gentlemen, &c. They possessed the useful and peculiar attribute of being able to hunt whatever game or animal they were set upon. In selecting these hounds, and in order to obtain the best of the breed, it is essential to choose such as have the back of a grey colour, marked with red-the legs something the colour of a hare. In a litter of puppies, however, there are frequently some with the back of a very dark grey colour, with black legs, marked very beautifully with red: these are always considered very handsome, and never fail to make capital hounds; indeed, all the hounds of this breed are prized a good deal; not as a first-rate kind, but because there is never found a dog of this description that is not clever and good for something. Those of a paler or more silver grey, marked with white, are not so much esteemed, being less vigorous, and not so swift as those above mentioned; but even these are clever in every other particular.

It is quite a mistake to suppose them at all suited to the purposes of princes, for, being of a very timid nature, they were generally so terrified and confused at the crowd of pikemen, guards, and followers, necessarily attendant on royalty, that they could not work. They do not lack courage or perseverance in pursuit of their game; but they particularly dislike an animal which doubles or turns like the hare; but so long as it keeps to the open, it is impossible to find swifter or better hounds. They are, unluckily, very easily distracted, and it is almost impossible to get them to range, owing to an inclination to return to their master whenever they hear his voice or the horn; but they seldom notice any other person. They display great skill in discerning the babblers among the pack, and never fail to treat them with the utmost contempt. They are capable of great endurance, for they fear neither water nor cold. They are not, however, a superior breed of hound; so those who wish to derive much pleasure from them must submit to