COLONEL MELLISH. 49 



long drooping moustache, which he wore by virtue of his cavah'y 

 commission. Such was the dashing Colonel Mellish, who electrified 

 the sporting world by winning the St. Leger in two consecutive 

 years, 1804 and 1805, with Sancho and Staveley respectively. Then 

 came the famous match against the Duke of Cleveland's horse, 

 Pavilion, in 1806. The duke, by the way, who was called the 

 " Jesuit of the Turf," had, as they say in Yorkshire, " money for 

 ever," and so did nearly as he pleased on the turf. He gave enor- 

 mous prices for horses, paying £12,000 for four — namely, Swiss, 

 Snob, Barefoot and Memnon, having previously given 3,500 guineas 

 for Liverpool and Trustee. But his grace was wily and astute, and 

 had none of the recklessness nor the generosity of poor Mellish. 

 But to return to the great match. The colonel's Sancho had been 

 beaten by the Duke's Pavilion at Newmarket, and the former, be- 

 lieving that his St. Leger winner had not shown his true form on 

 that occasion, made the match, the issue of which we shall allow that 

 charming writer, " The Druid," to describe in his own happy style. 

 " Brighton and all its Steyne joys were made still more delightful 

 on that .July afternoon when he (Mellish) appealed for the second 

 time against the result of the New Claret Stakes, in the 3,000 

 guinea-a-side match over Lewes. Sir John Lade, whose cook-bride 

 had once challenged a fair rival to drive four horses eight miles at 

 Newmarket for 500 p.p., sat behind six greys on the royal barouche, 

 and the colonel followed with his four to match, in charge of the 

 Countess of Barrymore, who might or might not have been cogni- 

 zant of the fact that her whip was to act as second to her husband 

 at daybreak. Pavilion, with Sam Chifney up, was the first to canter, 

 and then Buckle, in his white and crimson sleeves, on the lengthy 

 yellow-bay, Sancho ; but even the knowledge that his owner, who 

 led him down the course, had backed him to win £20,000, did not 

 dispirit the layers of 6 to 4 on his old Raby conqueror. The result 

 of the first match over Lewes had made them equally wild to back 

 Sancho; but he- had hit his leg at exercise a few days before, and 

 this was the only chance of saving their money. The odds, however, 

 quickly fell to 5 to 1 as Sancho went up to his opponent's quarters 

 in the last mile, and commanded him from that point till his leg 

 gave way within the distance. Such trifles did not weigh long upon 

 a philosophic mind like the colonel's. He lunched at " The Star " with 

 the Royal party as calmly as if he had been losing mere three-penny 

 points at whist, and at daybreak was seen entreating jNIr. Howarth 

 (lx)rd BaiTymore's opponent in the duel), who had stripped to the 

 buff, to prevent his clothes getting into the wound, to shake hands 

 after one shot and dress himself once more." 



The colonel, too, had some little experience in duelling himself, 

 for he fought Martin Hawke in a field by the roadside, as they were 

 returning in theii' drags fi-om the Yorkshu-e election. On this 

 occasion, Mellish was wounded near the elbow-joint, and on per- 

 ceiving it, he immediately ran up to his opponent and said, " Hang 



