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have heard the music of the pack as it echoed through them and along the adjoining valley.

"Heavens, what melodious strains! how beat our hearts,

Big with tumultuous joy! The loaded gales

Breathed harmony!'

Brice and the whips, who had parted from us some little time before, were on the other side of the wood, and reynard finding that it was getting too hot for him here, merely went through the whole length of the cover, and huntsman, whips, and ourselves joined the hounds at the end, and away we went along the hills, our horses going with rather less spirit than at first, a certain unsteadiness on their legs after landing from a leap showed evident symptoms of distress. However, no time for reflection-on, on we went. At last S.'s horse gave in, and the field then consisted of Brice, the whips, F., E., and your humble servant. Soon after this the fox left the hills, and took away across the flats and marshes by the river Dee; but before reaching them it was evident that Brice and the whips must cry "Enough", for jumping into a lane, neither of them could get their horses out. It was now select indeed; we almost immediately got down to the marshes on the banks of the river, and there we three were pounding close together, and close to the hounds, taking the brooks and drains almost simultaneously; at last an immense swampy ditch presented itself, with a steep bank down to it. Now for some blacking, thought I. F. would not face it, E. was next, and his horse got his hind legs in, but soon cleared himself; mine slipped as he went down the bank, jumped, but left his hind legs further in than E.'s, and was very nearly planted; no time to lose, away 1 went over his head, reins in hand, and giving "a long pull, a strong pull, and a pull altogether," out he came with a polish on him that would have sent Day and Martin into fits; vaulted into the saddle, and joined E. and F. in a trice. The fox now ran all along the banks of the Dee, and the hunting was most beautiful. There we were, bowling along with the staunch little pack close before us, leaving, however, at every field, one or two of the number behind unable to keep up; and when you turned in your saddle, and looked towards the flats, you saw in the distance, every here and there, a hound vainly endeavouring to come up with the rest; and in the very far distance, on the hills, was still to be had a glimpse of the pink coats of the huntsmen and whips, quietly walking their horses. Evening was now coming on, and our horses began plainly to show symptoms of distress; the hounds, however, were still running beautifully, crashes of melody every now and then burst forth, and the old ones pressing forward plainly showed that reynard was not far a-head. Our gallop had now dwindled down to a very sober canter, spurs came into fashion at every leap, whilst from our horses declining speed the hounds seemed to be going faster than ever. At last we left the flats, and made once more towards the hills, the fox, as far as we could judge, about two minutes before the hounds, but evidently having some go in him yet; though a countryman who had viewed, said that he was almost beat. Our horses now began to look queer, and there was a certain droop about them that spoke volumes; we were at this time crossing some meadows, F. a few yards a head,

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E. and self together, the hounds a field before us, when putting my horse at a bank not more than two feet high, he refused, could'nt understand it, put him at it again, giving him at the same time a gentle reminder with the spur; but it would'nt do, he was regularly beaten to a stand-still. "Amen," cried I; "follow those who can." In the next field E.'s horse gave in, and two fields further on F.'s did the same; and so ended, as far as we were concerned, one of the most extraordinary runs Sir W. W. Wynn's hounds ever had. It was five o'clock when we cried "enough," and the run had then lasted for more than three hours, and with but very few checks, and those of short duration. We had the satisfaction of hearing the hounds' full cry for some little while afterwards; but all our attention was now directed to our horses: we immediately adjourned to a neighbouring farmhouse, gave them a warm mash, and having staid an hour or so, started off for Chester, twenty miles and no mistake. However, our steeds were much refreshed, and by dint of leading and riding them gently, we managed to get home about half-past-ten at night, our appetites most keenly set, and ourselves highly delighted with the day's sport. Long may this day be remembered by us; by me, who am generally confined in a crowded city, it will not easily be forgotten; for what can exceed the delight to one so situated of dashing across the green fields and open meadows in all the excitement of the chase! it is a feeling not to be entered into, not to be described.

"How happy art thou, man, when thou'rt no more

Thyself! when all the pangs that grind thy soul
In rapture and in sweet oblivion lost,

Yield a short interval, and ease from pain !"

Oh fox-hunting! long may'st thou be the amusement of the land! and long may the worthy owner of the pack before us live to enjoy the pleasure thou affordest!

LITERATURE.

WALTON AND COTTON'S COMPLETE ANGLER. Edited by John Major. Bogue, Fleet-street. It is in itself a highly gratifying thing, and moreover carrying excellent moral matter with it, to witness an offering of honour and esteem paid cheerfully and carefully to any man who has really merited it, no matter who, where or what he is, or has been, or in what path or pursuit he has gathered his glory and reaped its reward. How much more acceptable, however, to us, who have spent our happiest days in the practice of, and our sweetest labours (if such they can be called) in upholding the open air amusements of Old England, must an elegant and all-perfect volume like the present come-one which carries with it the rare recommendation of uniting the greatest enthusiasm with the highest ability, and in which very many names now ranking deservedly amongst the foremost in the rolls of genius, have joined hand and heart to do full justice to so good a fellow, so good a sportsman, and, in every

sense of the term, of so good a man as dear, gentle, unassuming, honest Izaak Walton.

With the majority of us THE COMPLETE ANGLER-hitherto we are bound to say generally in the shape of some ragged eighteenpenny affair, in which the sense of the author and the eyes of the reader were equally injured-greets us contemporary with Ovid's Epistles and the Boy's own Book. In addition to that innate disposition for field sports to be observed in most boys, and of which, be it remembered, this is one of the most inviting and easily attained, the work is one that need not be cribbed into the desk, or carried to some remote spot, when it "robs him of his hour of play." The worthy doctor who would burn the "Cracks of the Day" as stuff and nonsense, bring the brush into play at the sight of "John Mytton's" adventures; and even hint on expulsion at the discovery of "The Art and Mystery of Training the Race-horse," smiles approvingly on catching some favourite pupil sharing his attention with another master, or deep in the charms of the milk-maid's melody :-"Ah, Williams, good book that, beautiful scenes, very true to nature, and fine ideas excellently expressed; go on, for it will well repay your perusal." Or, again, to some other rather lower in the form, and in his opinion who is intent alone on the best and bait for making a hit among the perch next half-holiday. "What, a dull dog like you actually reading out of school hours? Well, sir, I hope you'll only profit properly from it, and endeavour to mingle some of Piscator's philosophy in your hexameter and pentameter, instead of those nonsense verses you are usually in the habit of showing me." After once laying hands on it, we seldom are long in finding an opportunity for putting some of this delightful theory into practice, and whether our performances in any degree equal our hopes, or exceed not those so amusingly described by Geoffery Crayon, the book is almost certain to remain amongst those old favourites that may ever be opened with advantage; one which, had it first appeared in the present age, would undoubtedly, from the offers occurring in almost every page for giving a variety of picturesque scene and situation, or of drawing on the stories of natural history, have been crowded and much enriched with illustration-a plan precisely on which our old and esteemed friend Mr. Major has brought out (and verily in him we see "practice makes perfect") his fourth edition. Such a galaxy of talent properly and skilfully applied we scarcely ever remember having seen before; and such a happy combination of nature and art, of the art pictorial with the art piscatorial, we are certain it would be vain and fruitless indeed to attempt to excel. Imprimis, we have some beautiful plates after Asolon, which we are told, and feel at once must have been executed con amore; those of "the Hostess," for instance, or "the Farewell at Tottenham Cross," have not had a superior in the Annuals, or any other proud picture-book for many a long day. Then, again, Creswick gives us beautiful scenery in the Lea, tracing forth fully and fervidly the course of Piscator and his pupil on its banks. Abraham Cooper, Smith, and Lance furnish salmon, chub, trout, pike, perch, and others that need nothing beyond the eye of nature's son to give them names; while Kenny Meadows

joins in with some of his rich and racy flights of fancy-one and all in thorough unison with the aim and character of the work.

In addition to this we have introduction, notes, researches, and new points in the author's history, from the indefatigable and tried hand of the editor, that make the Complete Angler an agreeable surprise, and come with almost as much freshness and novelty to the oldest brother of the craft as to the urchin just fashioning his first rods from the willow branch, or threatening loaded basket with a self-shaped hook. Major, thou art worthy of the name! for success, of a truth, could not have been greater: to you the rod of the critic and that of the fisher must smack all "cakes and ale;" or, as old Johnson has it, "you will dread his censure least whose knowledge is most extensive.'

MODERN COOKERY. BY ELIZA ACTON. London: Longman and Co., 1845. If any one is sceptical as to the affinity of letters and gastronomy, let him only board with Duke IIumphrey for a week, and then try whether he can relish Shakespeare-or bear to look the Times in the face-in lieu of his breakfast. Sine cibo et vino friget -everything in the world, as well as Venus; therefore do we hold Miss Eliza Acton as most worthy of all modern muses--even as the true Eliza Cook of our souls and stomachs. Chemistry has, of late days, thrown a light upon cookery, which promises to render it a far different affair than when such opinions as those of the author of the following lines were afloat concerning it :

"Some man's wit

Found the 'art of cook'ry to delight his sense;
More bodies are consumed and killed with it,
Than with the sword, famine, or pestilence."

The rules of our fair authoress, heedfully observed, would go far to educate our ordinary kitchen-wenches into adequate cooks. There is strong sterling sense in such observations as these:

"It can scarcely be expected that good cooks should abound among us, if we consider how very few have any training to fit them for their business. Every craft has its apprentices; but servants are generally left to scramble together as they can, from any source which accident may open to them, a knowledge of their respective duties. We have often thought that schools, in which these duties should be taught them thoroughly, would be of far greater benefit to them, than is the half knowledge of comparatively un-useful matters so frequently bestowed on them by charitable educationists."

The housekeeper will find the benefit of one of Miss Acton's improvements on all other books of this class at every page of recipes, and every step of her or his progress in the culinary art. A summary or bill of ingredients is attached to each direction, so that a clever artist has but to look at the latter list to find all that is necessary for his dish. This sort of compendium being as useful to the cook in the saving of time as short-hand to the reporter. We can testify to the perfect success attending the modes of dressing meats, &c., for soups, gravies, and curries, according to the recipes furnished in this work. The authoress does herself but justice in her preface when she says: "We have spared neither cost nor labour to render the work one of genuine usefulness." We will add that, in contrast

to most other cookery books, every direction is made comprehensible to the meanest capacity.

THE STEEPLE CHASE CALENDAR.-Wright, Haymarket.-Considering the time, attention, and money annually expended on this sport, together with the unquestionably high place it occupies in the catalogue of British sports, our only wonder is that some such work as the above had not been brought out before; here, however, it now is, and from what we can see, containing all that could possibly be desired. It is based very much on the same plan as Weatherby's admirable Racing Calendar; only, from the number of years it goes back, on rather a more multum in parvo principle; and gives, by a careful arrangement of fact upon fact, the rise and progress of the subject down to the present period, the treatment of every branch showing the hand of one who must thoroughly understand the theme he has been elected to work upon. The volume has the further recommendation of being excellently got up by the publisher-good clear type, and every other item of that kind in keeping with it, backed by moderation itself in the matter of price, and, moreover, ushered forth under the especial patronage of the all-popular Marquis of Waterford, decidedly the A1 in this amusement; not that dukes, lords, and commons are by any means "few or far between" in participating in its excitement, as a mere glance into these pages will at once tend to assure the most sceptical. To all practically engaged in the turf, the chase, or a compound of the two, it will, we are confident, quickly find its way, and so fill up a vacuum in the sportsman's library, for which hitherto there has been no other candidate, and a contest of which--knowing the ability of the present holder-there is, we fancy, little fear. In concluding our notice, we shall extract No. 8, from the rules and regulations, containing no bad definition of a true gentleman jock.

"8. The term "gentleman rider," if used solely-a custom that should be carefully avoided-to apply or allude only to persons generally received in society as gentlemen, members of the London leading clubs, fox-hunting or racing clubs, officers in the army or navy, barristers, solicitors, medical men, or others so considered by position and profession, and who do not, and never have been in the habit of receiving remuneration for riding, either directly or in the form of travelling expenses, or any other indirect manner.

PUBLIC AMUSEMENTS OF THE METROPOLIS.

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"Let's talk of spectacles and plays,
French dramas, and Italian lays."

Again the season spreads its broad bright banners of gaiety over the busy hum of men;" again all that the world holds of eminent and singular in the pleasant arts, is about to concentre in London, for the amusement of "Fortune's favourites and her heirs." It is

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