A Hundred Years Ago.
(FROM THE SPORTING MAGAZINE OF 1806.)
Cockings. Royal Pit, Westminster. Monday, April 15th.—The grand main of cocks, between the Hon. George Germaine (Potter, feeder) and Mr. Wilson (Lester, feeder), consisting of twenty-seven main and twenty byes, commenced fighting. The following is a statement:—
| Lester M. B. | Potter M. B. | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| Tuesday | 2 | 4 | 2 | 0 |
| Wednesday | 1 | 0 | 3 | 4 |
| Thursday | 3 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| Friday | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| Saturday | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 15 | 9 | 12 | 9 | |
Setters.—Walters for Mr. Wilson and young Potter for Mr. Germaine.
Before fighting, 11 to 8 on Potter; after Monday’s fight, 6 to 4 on Lester; after Tuesday’s fight 7 to 4 on Lester; after Wednesday’s fight, 11 to 8 on Potter; after Thursday’s fight, 12 to 10 on Lester; after Friday’s fight, even betting.
The whole of the fighting was remarkably good, and did much credit to both the feeders and setters.
In the short space of two hours in the afternoon of the 19th ult. [March] Mr. Isaac Pearson, of Poolbank, near Kendal, killed ten woodcocks at eleven shots on the woody grounds at Whitbarrow.
The following curious circumstance happened on Monday, the 17th ult. The Allendale Foxhounds pursued a fox for some time on Staward banks and the grounds adjacent, until at last poor reynard was under the necessity of taking shelter in the crags; and the sportsmen, with greatest difficulty, opened the hole and secured their prey, which, upon examination, was found to be a large bitch-fox. She was taken to Bishopfield, where, to the great surprise of the keeper, on the Thursday following, she brought forth six fine young cubs, which are at this time with the mother, and are all likely to live.
Home Circuit.—Brown v. Boxall. At Kingston, March 27th, this action was brought against the defendant for having in his possession a tunnel net for catching partridges, contrary to the statute of Queen Anne. The fact of finding the net at the defendant’s house was proved by one of the Duke of York’s gamekeepers. The net was produced, and it appeared to have been recently used, as a great many partridges’ feathers were sticking to it. No defence was made, and the plaintiff had a verdict for the penalty of five pounds.
Otter-hunting.—On Thursday, April 24th, the hounds of Andrew Corbet, Esq., of Acton Reynald, in the county of Salop, threw off at Ternhill, and, opposite Fordall, hit on a drag which led them to a covered drain between the two pools at Buntings-dale, from which an otter was immediately bolted into the lower pool, where he showed excellent sport for forty minutes, and was killed in high style. On Friday, the same hounds resumed the sport, throwing off at Brook’s Mill, near Combermere, in Cheshire, where they were again successful in finding and killing a large dog otter. On Saturday, this famous pack threw off at Norton, above Drayton, and came down water to Peetswood pools, where they found a remarkable large otter, weighing 23 lbs., which was speared by Mr. Davies, after a chase of two hours.