Great Britain -- Description and travel; Great Britain -- Rural conditions
In quitting Andover to go to Salisbury (17 miles from each other) you
cross the beautiful valley that goes winding down amongst the hills to
Stockbridge. You then rise into the open country that very soon becomes
a part of that large tract of downs, called Salisbury Plain. You are not
in Wiltshire, however, till you are about half the way to Salisbury. You
leave Tidworth away to your right. This is the seat of Asheton Smith;
and the fine _coursing_ that I once saw there I should have called to
recollection with pleasure, if I could have forgotten the hanging of the
men at Winchester last Spring for resisting one of this Smith's
game-keepers! This Smith's son and a Sir John Pollen are the members for
Andover. They are chosen by the Corporation. One of the Corporation, an
Attorney, named Etwall, is a Commissioner of the Lottery, or something
in that way. It would be a curious thing to ascertain how large a
portion of the "public services" is performed by the voters in Boroughs
and their relations. These persons are singularly kind to the nation.
They not only choose a large part of the "representatives of the
people;" but they come in person, or by deputy, and perform a very
considerable part of the "_public services_." I should like to know how
many of them are employed about the _Salt-Tax_, for instance. A list of
these public-spirited persons might be produced to show the _benefit_ of
the Boroughs.
Before you get to Salisbury, you cross the valley that brings down a
little river from Amesbury. It is a very beautiful valley. There is a
chain of farmhouses and little churches all the way up it. The farms
consist of the land on the flats on each side of the river, running out
to a greater or less extent, at different places, towards the hills and
downs. Not far above Amesbury is a little village called Netherhaven,
where I once saw an _acre of hares_. We were coursing at Everly, a few
miles off; and one of the party happening to say, that he had seen "an
acre of hares" at Mr. Hicks Beech's at Netherhaven, we, who wanted to
see the same, or to detect our informant, sent a messenger to beg a
day's coursing, which being granted, we went over the next day. Mr.
Beech received us very politely. He took us into a wheat stubble close
by his paddock; his son took a gallop round, cracking his whip at the
same time; the hares (which were very thickly in sight before) started
all over the field, ran into a _flock_ like sheep; and we all agreed,
that the flock did cover _an acre of ground_. Mr. Beech had an old
greyhound, that I saw lying down in the shrubbery close by the house,
while several hares were sitting and skipping about, with just as much
confidence as cats sit by a dog in a kitchen or a parlour. Was this
_instinct_ in either dog or hares? Then, mind, this same greyhound went
amongst the rest to course with us out upon the distant hills and lands;
and then he ran as eagerly as the rest, and killed the hares with as
little remorse.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account