THE TURF. 
he could be forced to quit his hold. Poor Forester ! 
he lost, but he lost most honourably. Every experienced 
groom thought it a most extraordinary circumstance." 
Of the stable discipline among the boys, Holcroft 
gives the following little specimen : 
" I remember to have been so punished once, with 
an ashen stick, for falling asleep in my horse's stall, that 
the blow, I concluded, was given by Tom Watson, as 
I thought no other boy in the stable could have made 
so large a wale ; it reached from the knee to the instep, 
and was of a finger's breadth." 
We conclude our extracts from this amusing history 
of a stable-boy's progress, with something like a shot 
at the march of the present very refined times : 
"I ought to mention, that though I have spoken of 
Mr. Johnstone, and may do of more Misters, it is only 
because I have forgotten their Christian names ; for, to 
the best of my recollection, when I was at Newmarket, 
it was the invariable practice to denominate each groom 
by his Christian and surname, unless any one happened 
to possess some peculiarities that marked him. I know 
not what appellations are given to grooms at Newmarket 
at the present day, but at the time I speak of, if any 
grooms had been called Misters, my master would have 
been among the number ; and his appellation by every- 
body, except his own boys, who called him John, was 
John Watson." 
We have reason to believe there are no " Johns " 
among the Newmarket trainers of these times, though 
