59 



land so heavily covered with both hay and corn. Ye 

 early hay harvest was good, but the July month was 

 very wet and cold, and also the first week in August ; 

 and there is yet (although ye bulk of corn is housed in 

 ye best possible condition) a good deal of wheat and 

 barley not only in ye field, but uncut. (September 23rd.) 

 Beans are famous crops. Nuts plentiful ; acorns scarce. 

 Potatoes infested with a disease throughout ye country, 

 and ye price of corn kept up in consequence. 



When I was a lad in the stables at Calke, in 

 1817, 1818, 1819, on the door of a passage, 

 in the N.E. corner of the stable yard, were 

 the jDlates of several race-horses nailed to the door, and 

 a name under each. I think there were five of them. 

 I remember one of Dairymaid, one of Mixbury, one of 

 Juniper, and one of the famous Skewball. The names 

 were cut in the wood, apparently with a knife ; and I 

 fancied these horses must have stood in this stable, and 

 belonged to the Sir Harry Harpur, Bart., of that day ; and 

 I used to look on the plates with considerable interest, 

 and longed to know something about them. Many 

 years after, and far away from Calke, I heard several 

 times a doggerel song in praise of Skewball. I used 

 to listen to it attentively, as it recalled to my memory 

 the plate with his name on the old door where I strapped 

 many an hour with a wet shirt. Since then I found the 

 following in the Sporting Magazine of May, 1834 : — 

 "Skewball foaled in 1741. Bred by the Earl of 

 Grodolphin. Sold to Sir Harry Harpur, Bart., at whose 

 death he was purchased by Lord Eobert Sutton 

 Manners. His next master was Mr. Elston, who dis- 

 posed of him to Arthur Mervin, Esq., who raced him in 

 Ireland, where he beat Sir Ealph Gore's grey mare by 



