106 



any interest in the sports of the course, or whether he frequented New- 

 market; but towards the latter end of that reign, the very useful 

 change took place, of the royal plates into purses of one hundred 

 guineas. A sporting gentleman Avho has won a purse of hard guineas,. 

 may, with the utmost facility, devote any part or the whole of it, to 

 the purpose of a cup or bowl, commemorative of the victory of hi* 

 Horse; and emblazoned with his pedigree. Such is a fair option, but 

 it does not quite so well reimburse the heavy charges of breeding, 

 training and travelling, to accept a silver cup, on sale of which, there 

 must, perhaps, be a discount of twenty gumeas from the alleged value ; 

 and if the old royal cups w'ere lumping weight, we know that is not 

 always the case with the modern subscription ones; 



In the thirteenth year of George II, an act passed for the suppression 

 of poney races, or of small and weak Horses. By this act it was- 

 forbidden to run any race for a less prize than fifty pounds, and each 

 Horse, if five years old, must carry ten stone ; if six, eleven ; and if 

 seven, twelve stone. This law was intended, it is said, to have a two- 

 fold good effect, to wit, the discouragement of dissipation amongst the 

 lower classes, and of the small and weak breeds of Horses. It is, at the 

 first blush, an act of superfluous and useless legislation. 



About the year 1730, the following foreign covering stallions were 

 kept in this country, The Alcock Arabian, the Bloody-Shouldered 

 Arabian, the Belgrade Turk, taken at the siege of that place, Bethell's 

 Arabian, Burlington Barb, Croft's Egyptian Horse, Tarran's Black 

 Barb, Cyprus Arabian, Devonshire Arabian, Hampton Court Grey 

 Barb, Godolphin Arabian, Hall's Arabian, Johnson's Turk, Litton's 

 Chesnut Arabian, Matthew's Persian, Nottingham's Arabian, New- 

 ton's Arabian, Pigot's Turk, Strickland's Arabian, Wynn's Arabian, 

 the Lonsdale Bay Arabian. 



At the same time, the following capital English thorough-bred Horses 

 covered, with many of less note, btside a great number of half-bred, 

 or chapmen's stallions. Bay Bolton, the Bald Galloway, Aleppo, 

 Almanzor, Basto, Bloody Buttocks (pedigree unknown), Bartlet's Chil- 

 ders, Bolton Starling, Crab, Cartouch, Flying Childers, Chaunteri 

 Blacklegs, Fox, Greyhound, Hartley's blind Horse, Hampton Court 



Childers, 



