1 92 The Post and the Paddock. 



to be a still handsomer horse than Whisker, but his 

 legs failed wofully in his preparations. 



Bay Middleton, Touchstone, and Melbourne, one 

 from each of the great branches of the genealogical 

 stud tree, are in the first class of turf patriarchs, 

 although they are gradually giving way before younger 

 rivals.* Venison ranked amongst them ; but his last 

 lot of foals ran in '55 ; Kingston, the handsomest 

 of his sons, was out of a Slane mare. Irish Bird- 

 catcher's stock are somewhat short and very speedy, 

 and the stouter and less curby blood of The Baron, 

 which got a double stain of Waxy through his 

 Economist dam, has brought out this chestnut 

 family in still greater force, by its cross with Poca- 

 hontas by Glencoe, which made both Tramp and 

 Muley kinsmen to Stockwell and Rataplan. To 

 these two, seeing that the handsome Chief Baron 

 Nicholson has departed, the honour of this blood 

 will have to be confided ; as even 3000 guineas, or 

 nearly twice the sum paid for him, has failed to 

 tempt our allies to send us The Baron back. Still 

 we are informed by a gentleman, who visited him at 

 the Bois du Haras, that he was as rough and as un- 

 cared for as a bear, and that seeing how dirty and 

 below par the whole establishment was, it was no 

 wonder the young stock turned out ill. With the ex- 

 ception of Safeguard, who is out of a Selim mare, we 

 believe that there is hardly a Defence horse left in 

 England ; and we have no worthy inheritor of the 

 stag-like neck, long back ribs, and broad back, which 

 Mr. Thornhill used to point out with such pride when- 

 ever he introduced his Riddlesworth visitors to 

 Emilius. If Mr. Houldsworth, of whom it used to be 

 said " that he could never lose over horses what he 

 had made by mules!' were living, he would find his 

 magnificent Filho da Puta in the same plight ; and 



* Their grandsons are now at the stud. 



