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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 casily 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

ANCIENT HUNTING IN BRITTANY.

many faults, and remain contented with such sport as they can show, according to the manner I have endeavoured to describe.

N.B. When they are first uncoupled they require a little gentle guidance, with as little noise as possible, as they are not unfrequently a little wild at first, and apt to pass over the scent without noticing it; for this reason it is best to leave them to themselves at first, and on no account to cross their path, or they will return to you, and thus put an end to all sport.

ON THE ANCIENT BLACK HOUND OF THE ABBOTS OF SAINT

HUBERT, IN ARDENNE.

The hound commonly known as the Saint Hubert's breed is properly quite black; but the race has been so mixed with that of other sorts, that at the present time they are found of every colour, which circumstance is much to be regretted. This long celebrated breed of hounds has always been carefully preserved by the abbots of Saint Hubert, in honour and remembrance of the saint who hunted with Saint Eustace; and as the art and pastime of venerie was practised by such venerable men, it is from thence to be presumed that all good and valiant sportsmen will, with the grace of God, follow them to Paradise ; but it is vain to pursue the path of conjectures, since it is interminable; and so we return to facts.

This race of dog was anciently very common all through the countries of Haynault, Lorraine, Flanders, and Bourgoyne. They are of an exceedingly powerful make, with rather short legs in proportion to their size. They are more celebrated for scent than for speed, as they possess the former quality in great perfection, but are occasionally rather noted as inclined to be laggards in the chase. They fear neither cold nor water, and perfer foul and heavy game, such as the fox and boar, to that of a nobler order, probably because they feel unequal or disinclined for the speed and exertion necessary for the pursuit of They are swifter animals, such, for instance, as the deer or hare. the occasionally trained and used as bloodhounds, for which purpose blackest are generally selected; but I do not think much of their skill or capabilities in this line.

I once found an old book, which was dedicated by a sportsman to a prince of the House of Lorraine, who excelled in the chase; in this document there was emblazoned the picture of a white bloodhound, Souillard,' probably a descendant of which was named by his master · the hound mentioned as presented to the king. From this circumstance we may conclude that there are even white dogs of the Saint Hubert' breed.

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Under the emblazoned portrait of the above-mentioned hound the following words were written :

"From Saint Hubert first I took my name,

Son of Souillard,' that hound of fame."

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Napoleon's Escape from Elba-We are ordered to Belgium-Reach it "just in time to be too late" for Waterloo-Bivouac in Paris-I am appointed Aide-deCamp to General Marston-Embark for Quebec on board H. M. F. Rokeby.

As, in the days we write of, neither the gigantic power of steam, nor the magic influence of electricity, had displayed their almost supernatural qualities-when, instead of being able to "waft a sigh from Indus to the pole," or send a message to a friend in Paris, to ask him to dine with you in London, on the evening of the invitation, we were content to wait some days for home, and many weeks for foreign news. Can it be wondered, then, that during our transatlantic campaign we should have been kept in profound ignorance of what had been going on in France during the early part of the memorable year of 1815? and yet how much had happened in that interval! Napoleon had escaped from Porto Ferrajo in the Isle of Elba; Wellington had attended the Congress at Vienna, where the four allied sovereigns of Great Britain, Austria, Russia, and Prussia had made a declaration, binding themselves to maintain the treaty of Paris, to keep each one hundred and fifty thousand men in the field, and not to lay down their arms until Bonaparte should be placed without the pale of civil and social relations, as an enemy and destroyer of the tranquillity of the world; Louis XVIII. had abdicated the throne of his ancestors; Ney, "the bravest of the brave," who had declared that he would bring his former chief to Paris like a wild beast in a cage, had recognized his superiority, joined him, and again sunk into his satellite. To resume: our passage to Ostend afforded no incident that would bear even the slightest detail, and there

fore let it pass. Upon landing, we were ordered to proceed by forced marches towards Brussels. Ere we had gained our destination the battle of Waterloo had been fought. I pass over the rest of the campaign. We reached Paris unmolested, and after a few days were snugly encamped in the Champs Elysées. So many narratives of the allied armies in Paris have been published, that I shall content myself with saying that the summer passed delightfully. The rejoicings which followed the restoration of the Bourbons were in a style of which I had no previous conception. There were reviews in the Champ de Mars, and public fêtes in the Champs Elysées and Tivoli Gardens. I should tire my readers, were I to dwell upon all the gaieties of that time. Let them picture to themselves an immense army pouring along the spacious quays of Paris in battalions and squadrons-the bright cuirasses of the heavy dragoons, the waving pennons of the lancers, the soldier-like bear-skin caps of the grenadiers, the gay costume of the light infantry, the multitude of plumes and banners fluttering in the breeze, the magnificence of the marshals and their staff, the royal cortége, the bands of inspiring music-these, set off by the glowing sun, produced an effect that cannot be described. Then the Champs Elysées on a gala-daythe temporary stands from which all sorts of eatables were distributed to the populace; the fountains of wine playing into the jars and cups of all who chose to adventure getting near them; the theatres, puppetshows, jugglers, mountebanks, the games of every description dispersed throughout the green sward; the quadrilles and waltzes for those who liked to trip it "on the light, fantastic toe;" all species of music, from the wandering Italian and his hurdy-gurdy to the Jullien of that day, with his magnificent band-these all formed an entertainment delightful to the multitude. The rejoicing usually concluded with a display of fireworks, commencing with a flight of five thousand rockets of various colours at one coup, and terminating with the ascent of a balloon, loaded with every species of fireworks, which, bursting high in air, illuminated by their momentary blaze the whole hemisphere. And here a slight digression may be pardonable, in favour of that unhappy, distracted country, France-a country which, within the memory of living man, has witnessed the extinction of three legitimate monarchs, the abdication of the "man of the people," the deposition of the Orleans dynasty, a country which has been the scene of three sanguinary revolutions, and, for all we know to the contrary, may again be involved in civil or other warfare. The feverish and restless state of the nation-ever ready for a change-may, at an hour's notice, set aside the presidency of Louis Napoleon, the wisest and bravest man that has ever ruled over the destinies of that fickle race- -brave not alone in animal courage, for that is the characteristic of every Frenchman; but morally brave; animated with but one motive-the good of his country.-Napoleon proceeds firmly and conscientiously in what he conceives the right path of duty. No threats from the Anarchists, no taunts from the Conservatives, no hostility from his supporters, will induce him to swerve to the right or the left. If he cannot "command success," at least he "deserves it."

I must now put on my seven-league boots, and, passing over a year in France, bring the reader to the period when, having accepted a staff appointment with my father's old and highly-valued friend, General Marston, about to proceed to Canada, I found myself at the George Inn,

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