50 MR. JOHN GULLY 



moderate men. But they were insatiable, and felt poor 

 from not having more, and took doubtful methods to 

 increase their store to which I must presently refer. I 

 must not omit to say of Gully, before concluding my 

 notice of him, that he was by no means popular with 

 those who knew him best on the turf ; and though not a 

 bad judge of a horse, was often ' reputed wise for saying 

 nothing.' For he would muse for hours over his big 

 cigar without uttering a word, and was as reticent in all 

 his affairs as he was in ' the House ' when an honourable 

 member. The barrels of beer that he had placed in the 

 streets of Wakefield did more towards securing him a 

 seat in Parliament than his powerful oratory in appeal- 

 ing to the good sense and honourable feelings of the 

 independent Liberal electors. 



In private life he was reputed to have been a moderate 

 liver. He was especially fond of carving his own joints, 

 a habit doubtless acquired in early life, when he was in 

 the purveying business. He hunted, and this amuse-, 

 ment on one occasion nearly cost him his life. Before 

 changing his dress for dinner he went to one of the sheds 

 to look at some beasts he had ' up feeding.' One of 

 them, disliking, I suppose, the colour of his red coat, 

 turned on him, and but for the timely assistance of the 

 herdsman, the attack would have proved fatal. He never 

 struck a man with his fist after leaving the P. E. ; but 

 once with his elbow pushed half a dozen policemen who 

 were standing in a row down like so many nine-pins. 

 For what reason he did this extraordinary feat is not 

 recorded, nor what was the consequence of his interfer- 

 ence with a body of intelligent and active officers whilst 

 on duty. But we may, perhaps, assume that, with their 

 accustomed indulgence to a public character, they let 

 him off, rather tha.n run him in, 



