174 British Dogs. 



This, which the Kennel Club Stud Book describes as " the first dog 

 show ever held," was organised by Messrs. Shorthose and Pape, at the 

 suggestion of Mr. E. Brailsford. Competition was limited to pointers 

 and setters, and there were sixty entries, and only two prizes ; but there 

 were no less than six judges three for setters and three for pointers a 

 great contrast from present practice, where frequently one judge has as 

 many as thirty classes to deal with. 



The Newcastle show was followed in the autumn of the same year by 

 one in Birmingham, organised by Mr. E. Brailsford, and including more 

 varieties. The following year a much more extended schedule was 

 issued, embracing thirteen classes for non-sporting dogs. The extension 

 was fully justified by results, the public responding liberally by their 

 entries and their presence, and steady progress continued to mark the 

 history of Birmingham shows, so that, in a few years, those who had 

 taken an interest in it, finding it advisable they should have a "local 

 habitation ' ' as well as a name, formed themselves into a company and 

 built the Curzon Hall, where, since 1865, the shows have continued to be 

 held ; and success, as far as entries and attendance, never fails, and, in- 

 deed, both are only limited by the size of the building thus showing how 

 strongly popular the Birmingham exhibition is. There are doubtless 

 several reasons for this. Birmingham is exceptionally well situated, and 

 contemporaneous with its dog show is the world-famed show of fat cattle 

 at Bingley Hall. These two exhibitions assist and feed each other, with 

 both exhibitors and gate money, from the thousands who flock to this 

 great midland centre from a wide and thickly-peopled district, and most 

 of whom have a knowledge of and an interest in live stock. It would, 

 however, be unfair to attribute the undoubted success of Birmingham 

 shows entirely to these accidental circumstances. Mr. George Beach, the 

 secretary, is a gentleman of great business ability, and to his excellent 

 management much of the success is fairly attributable. No one of ex- 

 perience in such matters will, I think, hesitate to allow that on the whole 

 this show is thoroughly well managed, and in many respects a model for 

 imitation ; and I state this with the greater pleasure because I take 

 strong exception to several of their rules, which I shall refer to further 

 on. 



Many other places followed the example of Birmingham, and in 1861 

 we had the monster Leeds show of unhappy memory. 



