138 A Century of Family Letters [CHAP, xi 



The Races began yesterday, and by accident we have 

 had the smartest set-out we ever had, as our carriage is new, 

 and being so many we were obliged to have four horses; 

 and the post-boys had been stimulated by a rival inn to 

 sport new blue jackets and silver-laced hats, so we went to 

 the Course gloriously. Eliza, Caroline, Tom and Bob Wedg- 

 wood 1 are with us, and I find it much more comfortable not 

 to have any outlyers. To-day however we have the Sneyd- 

 Kynnerslys, who dine and go to the ball. Eliza Wedgwood 

 is Lady Patroness, but she is looking very ill, and she has 

 no vanity to gratify. I can't think what is the reason, she 

 seems to have no disorder, but she is just like a fading flower. 

 Charlotte had a new pink spencer and bonnet, and I never 

 saw her look so handsome in my life. (N.B. You need not 

 answer any of these sort of remarks.) Sarah lent us her 

 phaeton, and I put in it little Pepper and Mustard, alias 

 Fanny and Emma, to go to the Course, but that might have 

 been a serious matter, as the horse took fright, and over- 

 turned them and their driver; but luckily without the 

 smallest injury to any of them. After the Course we went 

 to Dr Belcombe's to tea, and then to the Play. 



Friday. The Races are over, and we are once more quiet 

 and a little dull, not that the excitement has been great. 

 We have had one very good ball, and one abortion of one 

 last night that I had the misfortune of being prime agent in, 

 and at which there were not more than 20 people. They 

 are not like our old Haverford meetings, when we could 

 dance six nights together. . . . 



These races and race-balls appear to have played a large 

 part in country life. Fanny Allen, after describing their 

 Pembrokeshire race meeting wrote (1820): "We had races, 

 which I enjoyed the most of all the proceedings; it was the 

 prettiest race I ever saw. I believe that among amusements 

 my passion is horse-racing. ' : 



Susannah, the sister of Josiah Wedgwood, and wife of Dr 

 Robert Darwin, had died in 1817, when Marianne, the 

 eldest daughter, was 19, and Caroline 17 years old. 



1 Children of the John Wedgwoods. 



