NATURAL HISTORY. 



817 



considerable sums were depending) 

 •was decided in his favour. 



InUicyear 1792, Schoolboy, the 

 property of T. Clerk, Esq. (com- 

 monly called Vauxhall Clerk,) was 

 a greyhound of much sporting ce- 

 lebrity at Newmarket, and in its vi- 

 cinity. He was bred by sir C. Bun- 

 bury, Bart, and got by Dr. Framp- 

 ton's Fop, out of sir Charles's Miss. 

 He ran a great number of matches 

 over Newmarket, upon which very 

 large sums were frequently depend- 

 ing, aiid never was beat. He was 

 the sire of Troy, Traveller, Lilly, 

 and others, very good runners, many 

 of whom have been sold for twenty 

 guineas each. 



That highly celebrated dog, call- 

 ed the Miller, bred by the reverend 

 T. C. B. Dudley, had" little to boast 

 upon the score of pedigree, having 

 by individual merit run himself into 

 local popularity. During the first 

 nine months he was so exceedingly 

 awkward, heavy, clumsy and un- 

 promising, that no thoughts were 

 entertained of bringing him into the 

 field ; the book of fate seems, how- 

 ever, to have contained predittive 

 pages in his favour : various vicissi- 

 tudes arc observed in the human as 

 well as in the animal creation : — 

 many a substantial city subordinate 

 (originally from the tail of the 

 plougii) has become the chief magis- 

 trate of the first commercial city 

 in the world. 



'J'lie Miller, upon a sporting emer- 

 gency, (when only twelve months 

 old,) was borrowed of the owner by 

 a friend, who, going to (he marshes 

 in St. Osyth, did not like to ap- 

 pear without having a sporting like 

 appendage in his retinue ; alike 

 " unknowing and unknown " he 

 was introduced to the honours of 

 the day, winning it'veral matches 



Vol. XL VI. 



against -the best do^s in the field. 

 Returning with this sudden and un- 

 experted blaze of reputation, he 

 was received into personal favour, 

 considered worthy of confidence, 

 appointed to a place iii the admini- 

 stration, and admitted into the cabi- 

 net council of the canine depart- 

 ment. Having thus raised himself 

 by the peculiar merit of personal 

 precedence, from the recesses of 

 obscurity to a degree of sporting 

 eminence, and absolutely run-him- 

 self into reputation, he became oc- 

 casionally introduced to the most 

 powerful and popular opponents; 

 where, however, he for several years 

 continued to maintain his superi- 

 ority over every dog brought against 

 him ; w inning, during that time, 

 74 successive matches, without hav- 

 ing been once beaten. Miller is at 

 present a stallion of great estima- 

 tion, and his produce prove excel- 

 lent runners. 



The energetic velocity of the grey- 

 hound in pursuit of game,' has al- 

 ways been matter of admiration to 

 the lovers of the sport; but more 

 particularly so to the ruminative 

 amateur, when prompted by reflec- 

 tion to form comparisons. Various 

 have been tlie opinions upon the 

 diilerencc of speed between a well- 

 bred greyhound and a blood horse 

 of some cek'brity, if opposed to 

 each other for a mile, or for any 

 greater or shorter distance. It has 

 by the best and most experienced 

 judges, been thought that, upon a 

 Hat, a horse of tliis description w ould 

 prove superior to the greyhound, 

 for cither aft extended or contract- 

 ed distance; but that in a hilly 

 country, the greyhound would have 

 iin evident advantage. AVishes had 

 been frequently indulged by dift'er- 

 ent branches of the sportinj- worl4> 



3 G tljat 



