250 The Post and the Paddock. 



Chester; and Mr. Hall of Sedgefield, Durham, who, 

 however, directs his attention more especially to 

 harness and young horses. The principal " colt- 

 buyers," as they are termed, are Mr. Parish, of 

 Birmingham, (who will buy as many as 150 in a year); 

 Mr. J. Hall, of Derby ; and Mr. P. Shields, of Dublin; 

 who bring great numbers of juveniles across the 

 channel, at all figures from 5/. to 5o/. 



Perhaps the most remarkable Irish hunter of the 

 present century was Mr. Assheton Smith's Fire King 

 a sixteen-hand, very large-limbed, light-fleshed, and 

 deep-girthed thorough-bred chestnut. He was bought 

 by Mr. William Denham, of Kegworth, from Mr. 

 Robert Lucas, of Liverpool, in the January of 1840, 

 for 25/. only, and was just as unmanageable a savage 

 as ever wore a bridle. However Mr. Denham 

 contrived to beat all Derbyshire on him, both with 

 foxhounds and Lord Chesterfield's staghounds ; Will 

 Derry, the huntsman, who was riding one of his 

 lordship's thorough-bred 3<DO-guinea chestnuts, frankly 

 acknowledging on one occasion that he could not 

 live with him any part of the run. He also distin- 

 guished himself in Leicestershire in two runs ; one 

 from Cream, and the other from Sir Harry Goodricke's 

 Gorse. On the day after the latter, Mr. Assheton 

 Smith rode up to Mr. Denham, at Croxton Park 

 races, and made him an offer of 2OO/. for him, which 

 Mr. Denham declined unless he would make it 

 guineas. On this Mr. Smith jocularly remarked that 

 he was "the most independent horsedealer he had 

 ever met with ;" and was told that if he had been 

 independent he would not have taken 2000 guineas 

 for the horse, as he was sure that no man could ex- 

 pect to have more than one such in his life. He was 

 very much blemished at the time by curbs ; so much 

 so, in fact, that Mr. Smith could hardly credit the 

 assurance that he was sound after having " been re- 

 paired so often." At this juncture Lord Chesterfield 



