1 PRESER VE'S ' I NFL UENZA 8 1 



expressed himself unwilling to go to law, and proposed 

 that the point in dispute should be left to arbitration. 

 To this suggestion Lord George tauntingly replied, with 

 great delicacy of feeling (in reference to a domestic mis- 

 fortune which had nothing whatever to do with the 

 matter in question) : 



' 1 thought, sir, you had enough of arbitration in your 

 daughter's case.' 



I do not pretend to be so well acquainted with the 

 early part of Lord George's career, when he was as- 

 sociated with Mr. C. C. Greville, as with the middle and 

 latter portion of it. But I remember that in reference to 

 matters which led to their separation, things were said 

 of him, and allowed to go uncontradicted, that were not 

 wholly complimentary. In the year 1834 Mr. Greville's 

 Preserve won all her two-year-old engagements, and was 

 undoubtedly a very good mare. Her dam was Mustard, 

 the dam of Mango, who won the St. Leger. The follow- 

 ing year she naturally became a great favourite for the 

 Oaks. To assist as much as possible in driving her back 

 in the betting, someone hit upon the following novel and 

 well-devised stratagem. Her nostrils were painted inside 

 and out with a mixture of starch, flour, and colouring 

 matter to resemble mucus, before going to exercise a 

 perfectly harmless mixture in itself, which could easily be 

 removed on returning to the stable. Then by giving out 

 that she was suffering from influenza, whoever it was 

 that did the trick was enabled effectually to carry out 

 his design. Yet this temporary success was afterwards 

 deeply regretted ; for the mare was beat by The Queen of 

 Trumps, and Lord George for once lost a heavy stak3 

 over the event, and was therefore possibly one who, oti 

 this occasion, afforded the sport of exhibiting the en- 

 gineer ' hoist with his own petard.' 



6 



