THEIR HISTORY, RISE AND PROGRESS. 381 



made lawful for a person to run any Matcli, or to start 

 and run for any Plate worth 50/. or upwards, at any 

 weights, and at any place, without being liable to the 

 penalties of 13 Geo. 2, e. 19, relating to weights {//), and 

 in the same manner as if that Act had not been made. 

 And it was held that this sum might be made up by two 

 parties staking 25/. a-side (/). 



In the Reign of George the Third, a.d. 1774, it having Reign of 

 been found by experience that making Insm-ances on lives ^??^§^ *^® 

 or other events in which the Assured had no interest, had ^^ ' 

 introduced a mischievous kind of Gambling, an Act was 

 passed " for regulating Insurances upon lives, and for 

 prohibiting all such Insurances, except in cases where the 

 persons insuring shall have an interest in the life or death 

 of the person insured" {k). In the same Reign, a.d. 

 1787, an Act w^as passed to render more effectual the laws 

 then in being for suppressing unlawful Lotteries (/) ; but 

 the Government raised money by State Lotteries. In 

 A.D. 1802 an Act was passed to suppress certain Games or 

 Lotteries called Littlegoes, under very heavy penalties (m). 

 In this Reign there was no legislative interference with 

 regard to Racing, but the breed of Horses continued to 

 improve. In a.d. 1809 an Act was passed by which the 

 duty payable on the exportation of a Horse, Mare or 

 Gelding was fixed at two guineas each(;?), and on the 

 importation at four guineas each(o). But in ten years 

 this Act was repealed, and six pounds thirteen shillings 

 was fixed as the duty payable on impoi-ting a Horse, 

 Mare or Gelding, and they were not mentioned in the 

 table of commodities paying duty on exportation ( p) . 



George the Fourth was a great patron of Horse-racing, Reign of 

 and was owner of some first-rate Horses. In this Reign, S®"Ti^ *^^ 

 A.D. 1823, an act was passed authorizing the infliction 

 of imprisonment and hard labour on persons convicted of 

 keeping a common Gaming House (q) ; and people playing 

 or betting on any Game of chance in the Street or High- 

 way are to be deemed rogues and vagabonds, and be liable 



[k] 18 Geo. 2, c. 34, s. 11. (w) 49 Geo. 3, c. 98, Sched. (A.), 



(i) Bidmead v. Gale, 4 Burr. Outwards, repealed by 6 Geo. 4, 



2432. c. 105. 



(A-) 14 Geo. 3, c. 48. (o) Ibid. Inwards. 



(0 27 Geo. 3, c. 1, repealed by [p] 59 Geo. 3, c. 52, s. 1, and 



46 Geo. 3, c. 148, s. 64. Table (B.), Inwards, repealed by 



{m) 42 Geo. 3, c. 119. C Geo. 4, c. 105. 



[q) 3 Geo. 4, c. 114. 



