Joe flDanton 107 



on all canine matters. He had probably no superior as 

 a dog-fancier, and, to quote a sporting paper of the 

 time, " his canine levies are always attended by the 

 elite of the sporting world." It was mainly through 

 the indefatigable exertions of "the Bishop of Bond 

 Street " that an important Act for the legal protection 

 of dogs was passed, still known, I believe, as " Bishop's 

 Act." At the time when Bishop took the matter up, 

 dog-stealing had reached such a pitch that no one could 

 keep a valuable dog without having it constantly stolen 

 and being the chronic victim of an impudent system of 

 blackmailing. But "Bishop's Act" put an effectual 

 check on these nefarious practices, for it hit both the 

 thief and the receiver, and the jolly gunsmith thereby 

 earned the gratitude of every dog-owner in the 

 kingdom. 



