POACHING NOTICE.

SIR-I observed, in passing through Peasmarsh, the following notice affixed to a building: I copied it, and now send it to you, for the amusement of your readers.—I am, Sir, yours, &c.

A TRAVELLER.

Notice is hereby given that if Any Person or Persons found shooting, or destroying Game, break ing the Hedghes, making a Read, or trespassing on the Land of W-R- will be prosecuted as the Law directs, i here their is a great many Poarchers and i insist upon no Person comeing on my Land to catch them, for i can catch quite as many as I wish for Myself.

WRESTLING.

The annual grand wrestling match at Tavistock is fixed for the second Wednesday in July, for fifty pounds. It has been determined, in order to ensure impartiality and prevent disputes, that the triers shall be equally chosen from Devon and Cornwall, and that no shoe but a fair single sole, to be approved of by the triers, shall be worn in the contest.

Some Westmoreland and Cumberland men played for prizes at the Eyre Tavern, St. John's Wood, on Good Friday. The first prize was won by a youth living near Appleby, named Graham. There was also some excellent wrestling in the Easter week at the Eagle Tavern, Cityroad, between some Devon and Cornwall men. Copp, Pyle, and Sobey, were the successful competitors.

Pugilism.

GYBLETTS AND REUBEN MARTEN.

Both the Sheriff of the county and the Mayor of the town put their veto upon this fight taking place either on Marlborough Downs or in the Borough district: the cavalcade, with the men, were consequently obliged to proceed to Hungerford Downs, when a ring was instantly formed, and the men set to. The first round lasted ten minutes, and the second

ting, and getting'away, were beautiful. The third and last was terrific beyond description, Gybletts evidently losing. At this moment the ring was entered by a posse of constables, and the men were taken away. Marten has since claimed the battle money, on the principle that he was prevented winning the fight from the machinations of the parties who backed Gybletts; and who, he was assured, had employed the constables to be in readiness at a moment's call to enter the ring, and stop the battle in the event of his antagonist being likely to lose. As, however, he has no evidence to substantiate the charge, it is supposed the stakes will be drawn. It is but justice to Gybletts' partisans to state, that the interruption is believed to have been effected through the intervention of a grocer at Hungerford, and a Methodist parson. These parties applied to the constables not to allow the fight to take place; but as they refused to act without authority from the higher powers, a Magistrate was applied to, from whom a warrant was obtained to take the men into custody if they refused to leave off.-Gybletts' friends have no inclination to renew the match. The contest was decided April 10.

HARRY JONES AND BOB SIMMONDS.

Bulphan Fen, near Brentwood, was fixed on for this fight, for 251. a-side, which came off on the 14th April. The Sailor Boy had it all his own way-he did not shew a scratch; and after fighting seventeen rounds in thirty-five minutes the Sweep gave in, declaring it was of no use for him to contend against such a man as Jones.

WHITEHEADED BOB AND JEM BURN.

This match, which has excited some attention in the pugnacious circles, came off the 24th April at No-. man's-land, Herts. Both men had distinguished themselves in the Ring, and both had knocked under to Ned O'Neal.-Bob was rather the favorite,and was backed at five and in some instances at six to four: these last, however, were eagerly taken. Both

men

were in fine condition, and

equally confident of victory. At one o'clock, all being ready, Jem entered the ring, attended by Tom Belcher and Harry Harmer; and was soon followed by Bob, waited on by Tom Cribb and Ned O'Neal.-In the first three rounds, Jem floored his man successively in great style, without a touch, bringing the odds round to 4 to 1 in his favour. In the fourth, while O'Neal was urging his man to go in to the fight, "I'm a-going," cried Bob; and "I'm a-coming," replied Jem, at the same time suiting the action to the word, and delivering another jobbing hit, poor Bob went down once more. In the fifth, O'Neal again urged Bob to go in, but he seemed unusually cautious. Not so Jem: he saw he had the advantage, boldly set to work, and hit away right and left, catching Bob a severe blow on the right ogle. Bob rushed to a rally, and delivered a severe smack on Jem's cheek, which was cut, and began to bleed. This revived the spirits of Bob, but Jem made some good returns, and Bob fell on his knees. It would be uninteresting to pursue the detail of the rounds, of which fifteen more were fought, further, as Bob never gave a fair hope of turning the scale in his favour. In the twentieth round Jem caught him against the ropes, and, after a long struggle, in which Bob got his finger into Jem's mouth, Jem succeeded in getting him with his back across the ropes, and there having him fairly at his mercy, he gave him not a single coup de grace, but four or five such finishers, as would have satisfied the appetite of the most ravenous. They were in the middle

of the head, and Bob tumbled out of the ring completely senseless. Time was called-Bob was deaf, and Jem was declared the winner, in thirtythree minutes.

Bob never fought worse, nor Jem Burn better. The three first rounds decided the fight, and fully justified the expectations of those who considered that Jem's improvement both in science and strength placed him far above his opponent. Jem rode up to town in an open barouche, and at eight o'clock in the evening arrived at Belcher's, in Holborn. Poor Bob remained at St. Alban's, under the care of a medical man-his head hideously swollen, blind of both eyes, and in all respects a most pitiable object.

THE CHAMPIONSHIP.

Brown the Bridgenorth Hero, having come down to 3001., it is expected that Jem Ward will be able to muster sufficient friends to raise the needful. Indeed he appointed Thursday last to make the match, and stake a depositof course too late for us to announce the decision. In Jem's letter, he says he has heard that the "big one" wishes to fight on a stage; if so, he will accommodate him, as he (Jem)| will throw no impediment in the way of the decision of their claims to the Championship of England. At the same time he thinks it would not only be more convenient, but more natural to meet on the turf. He concludes with saying, all he wants is an honorable and manly fight, and that his opponent may be assured that the old motto of "Fair Play" will not be forgotten by him.

next month.

VOL. XX. N. S.

No. CXVII.

NORTHAMPTONSHIRE, HUNTINGDONSHIRE, AND BEDFORD.

SHIRE HUNTING.

SIR,

I Am tempted to offer you a few observations on the hunting in the above counties-not from an idea that my remarks will be deserving of much attention, but from a conviction that a notice, however meagre, of the style and manner in which the "noble sport" is conducted in them, will be considered interesting by many of your readers. And though I am much more accustomed to the use of the hunting whip than the gray goose quill, I hope I shall find favour in your readers' eyes for

any inaccuracies that may occur; and that those who hunt in dis tant counties, and have spare time on their hands, will be tempted to follow my example, and give the Sporting World an account of their success throughout the year, which would be much more acceptable than the brief notices which we find of casual runs at the end of your interesting Magazine.

Before I begin, however, on the subject more immediately before me, I cannot but deplore the little keenness for hunting which seems to exist in the minds of the many young men of fortune who embark in the sport. I cannot believe that hunting is going down, though one hears it repeated till the ory

is familiar as household words. The encouragement which the breeders of hunters receive, and the little regard for expense manifested by so many masters of hounds, I think, discourage the belief; but when one sees the best countries in England vacant, and no one offering to take them, one is staggered in one's opinion, or forced to attribute it, as I firmly imagine it to be the case, to accidental circumstances, and the lukewarmness of our young men of property. Leicestershire, Warwickshire, and two countries in Lincolnshire, to be vacant at the same time, and Northamptonshire but just taken! The irreparable loss the hunting world has experienced in Sir R. Sutton cannot sufficiently be deplored, and will not easily be got over; though I firmly trust that time will remove the effects of his accident, and bring this good sportsman once more upon the saddle. That Lord Monson will take his own country, I am afraid, is rather problematical: his mo ther, Lady Warwick, who is animated by the keenest love of the sport, earnestly desires it; but his Lordship's taste does not seem inclined in that direction; and I have heard,

Nescit equo rudis
Hærere ingenuus puer,
Venarique timet;

which I hope may not be true; and that his Lordship will take the country, and hunt it in such a style as to render Sir Richard's loss less striking,

After these long preliminaries, I must begin by stating, what all your readers know, that the most considerable part of Northampton shire is occupied by the Pytchley country. Second to none, and by many considered the best country

in England, Northamptonshire has for the last twenty years been hunted by various masters. With all the beautiful gorse coverts of Leicestershire, it has also the advantage of having magnificent woodlands, which that country does not possess, and which, whether considered as to their rides, or scenting coverts, or coverts for foxes, obtain the superiority over all others. This country has, for the last four or five years, been hunted by J. Musters, Esq., or, as he is called par excellence by his friends, Jack Musters; and the fame which the Pytchley has acquired under him proves that he is by no means undeserving of the title universally given him of being the best sportsman in England, which, united, as in him, to the character of a thorough gentleman, is a term worthy of envy by all. The sport afforded by him, especially during the last two seasons, has been wonderful. His turn-out is without any pretension, consisting of a huntsman, and one whipper-in (Derry, one likely to make an excellent sportsman), with a pack of hounds, which are ragged, small, and, from their hard work, seem by no means up to the mark. With these, ever punctual to the time, does Musters appear at the covert side; and with a fox well found, and hounds well settled, did he always continue to shew how hounds should hunt and kill their fox, and how he, riding fifteen stone, should ride to them. His management of hounds whilst hunting is certainly extraordinary: many keepers have their brace of pointers not half so handy; and whether they were hunting a cold scent, or running their fox down in the open in five and forty minutes, their excelling working

or their gallant head was equally deserving of commendation. One thing remarkable in Musters is, his seemingly instinctive knowledge of the habits of a fox: he never allows one to beat him; and when, after hunting a cold scent for hours, he has been questioned by any friend why he should so long persevere, his answer was ever, "Oh,d-nhim, I like to know where he goes." Mr. Musters has now, upon his father's death, returned to Nottinghamshire; and though 'Squire Osbaldeston has taken the country, and is likely to do it very well, the gentlemen of Northamptonshire will, I should think, remember Jack's musical halloo till the end of their days.

Lord Fitzwilliam hunts part of Northamptonshire and the whole of Huntingdonshire. This venerable Nobleman-to mention whose name only is praise, who, either as a sportsman on the turf or in the field, may be considered the first man in the kingdom-may boast of having as fine a pack of hounds as any in the world. His hunting establishment is most princely: no expense is spared either in the stable or the kennel, which may be easily believed when I state, what I believe is the fact, that the number of horses kept up in his Lordship's establishment amounts to nearly a hundred. Till the last four or five years his hounds were rather going down, from having an indifferent huntsman, whose name I will not mention, but whom the kindness of the Earl still permits to remain on the establishment, though his propensity to drink is unabated, and his interference has spoilt many a run, even during the last season. But when his Lordship got Tom Sebright, the present huntsman, he made an acqui

sition which soon put things in order. Bred by Mr. Musters, Se bright takes after him in many points in the same indefatigability after a fox, the same intuitive knowledge of its habits, and the same qualities for riding, though in a superior degree, as being of much less weight; whilst he beats him as a huntsman, inasmuch as a gentleman huntsman must always be beat by one whose occupation it is, and who holds the place of being the best huntsman in England. Sebright, as a kennel huntsman, is also most conspicuous: the appearance of his hounds at the covert side is beautiful-they are large hounds, but not of the largest size, with a great deal of bone, and so even that there is hardly an inch between them. 1 went through the kennel about March, and was favored with a view of the entry for next season, which consists of about twenty-five couple, and is so good that Tom declared he did not know how to draught between them, for that he never saw such an entry in his life.

The Fitzwilliam country is a very difficult one, as it is very long and narrow, so much so that they are obliged to have three different kennels. They have also so many woodlands that they cannot rattle them sufficiently, and by consequence the foxes are never wild enough, and cannot stand up before the hounds. One great disadvantage attending the country is, I think, Lord Fitzwilliam's hunting Yorkshire for the first six weeks of the season, which adds to his disability to hunt the woodlands-though there was some talk at the end of this season, of his giving that good old English 'Squire, Mr. Hanbury, some country to hunt at the be