PURCHASE OF I LION A 163 



that were up for sale the next day. Here it was he 

 caught sight of a filly by Priam out of Gallopade's dam, 

 and bought her for ' a song.' He sent her to my father, 

 saying, ' I hope you will like the little filly when you 

 have seen her ' not knowing that she was one of Lord 

 George Bentinck's cast-offs, to which Crucifix as a year- 

 ling could give over two stone, and no doubt could have 

 done so afterwards a filly, in fact, that was not thought 

 to be good enough to win a large stake. And this was 

 Iliona, who proved herself able to win for his lordship 

 the Cesarewitch, besides other good races. Truly a proof 

 that ' ignorance is ' sometimes ' bliss ' ; for had the facts 

 been known, it is certain she would not have been 

 bought. 



His lordship never interfered at all with the manage- 

 ment of his horses. He used to say to my father, ' Run 

 them where you like and when you think best. Only let 

 me know when they are worth backing, or that you have 

 backed them for me.' He seldom saw one tried or run. 

 If he did, it would be at Tiverton, when he was on a visit 

 to his constituents for electioneering purposes. He 

 patronized the race-meetings at Salisbury, Stockbridge, 

 and Blandford until the latter races were abandoned 

 and Southampton. Soon after the death of my father, 

 he removed his horses to Littleton, at the request of 

 Ward, his polite and spoiled old pad-groom, who thought 

 probably that there he should know more of them, and 

 perhaps make more out of them, than he did at Dane- 

 bury. But I don't think the result answered his expec- 

 tations, for they did but little good after leaving their old 

 quarters. 



Lord Palmerston was abstemious in his eating and 

 drinking. A glass or two of sherry at dinner was all that 

 he generally partook of. When the dessert came on the 



