gravings of CHAMPION TANDEM TEAM, and HORSE OF THE STEEL-CLAD WARRIOR. Mr. W. H. A. Wharton. HISTORIANS of Cleveland have ever been proud that from modern dignitaries, "masters of foxhounds." Mr. W. H. A. Wharton, Master of the Cleveland country, whose portrait we ublish this month, comes of an old family, whose pedigree may e seen set out at length in any history of Cleveland. The family ppears to have inherited Skelton Castle by the marriage of L with Catherine Trotter, heiress of a former possessor. It was the still-living Mr. Wharton, senior, father of the subject of this month's sketch, who, on purchasing, in 1870, the Cleveland hounds on the death of Mr. T. P. Andrew, first brought the pack into kennel; for up to that time they had been partially trencher-fed; that is to say, the main body of the pack was kept in kennel during the hunting season, though a few old hounds were out with some of the farmers, who preferred keeping to the still older lines. Before Mr. Wharton, sen., bought them, the pack was dispersed in the summer. Mr. W. H. A. Wharton, like so many other M.F.H.'s, began his hunting experience with a pack of 16-inch beagles, which he kept at Skelton. After being at Eton from 1873 to 1876, he went in 1878 to Magdalen, Cambridge, a college which for generations has been the home of riding men. During his three years' stay at the University Mr. Wharton hunted regularly with the Oakley Hounds, then under the mastership of the late Mr. Robert Arkwright. After having acted for a time as whip to William Nicoll, when the latter was huntsman to the Cleveland, Mr. Wharton became, in 1884, Master of the Hurworth Hounds, on the resignation of Major Godman. This post he left in 1886, to take the Cleveland country, as successor to Mr. Proud. The new master took over the old Cleveland pack, and brought with him from Hurworth some of the hounds which were too small for that country. The kennel was further strengthened by three and a half couple from Lord Galway's, and a couple and a half from the Tynedale, together with a few from other places. Mr. Wharton has always taken a keen interest in hound-breeding, has the kennel stud-book pretty well at his fingers' ends, and is a remarkably good judge of a hound, at work as well as on the flags. The result on the pack is apparent, and among the occupants of the kennel is Galopin, a stud hound, who has been used by other masters. Hound-breeding is carried out on a sufficiently large scale in Cleveland, and no fewer than sixty couples of puppies were last year placed out at walk. Even that number did not, however, exhaust the resources of the hunt, as there were more applicants than puppies, a circumstance which must surely be calculated to rouse the envy of some masters. The kennels are at Skelton, close to the Castle, the oldest portion of which dates from about the year 1100, and it is in this ancient part that Mr. Wharton's study is situated. In days gone by it was put to other purposes, and the capacious cupboards were formerly Madeira cellars, a relic of the good old days when country squires made it one of their duties to lay down wine for their When Skelton Castle was one homogeneous and ancient whole, it was said, by an enthusiastic reporter, to have been a "beautiful specimen of antiquity, and of picturesque successors. |