SHORTHORN BREEDING. 231 



bull, Duke of Tregunter, of the purest Duchess 



blood, which he had purchased of Col. Gunter, of 



Wetherby. After using him a short time, the bull 



proved to be worthless for stock purposes, and he was 



advertised to be sold with a large draft of other cattle 



from Mr. Robartes' herd. It became known that there 



was a design by some unscrupulous people to buy this 



bull for apparent use in their herds, and so obtain 



for the stock a fictitious value ; and when The Duke 



was put up for sale, an animated contest took place. 



To the surprise of a number of Bates men present, 



the animal was bought by Lord Dunmore for 155 



guineas. In less than half an hour the bull had ceased 



to exist ; his lordship sold him at once to a butcher, 



and had him killed on the premises, so that no pretence 



should be made of his services. As the value of the bull 



for butcher's purposes was not more than twenty-five 



guineas. Lord Dunmore would have been a great loser 



by the transaction had not the Bates men present 



been so pleased with his pluck that a subscription was 



at once got up, and a considerable sum beyond the 



purchase-money raised and presented to Lord Dunmore, 



who, after recouping himself the outlay, provided a 



most excellent dinner to the leading followers of the 



Bates blood. 



This was the first of the annual Bates dinners. 

 Splendid entertainments they were. Lord Feversham 

 gave his at the St. James's Hotel, the Duke of Devon- 

 shire at his own house ; but critics preferred, perhaps 

 of all the series, the banquet to which we Bates men 

 were invited by the Marquis of Exeter to partake of 



