10 REMINISCENCES OF SONEPORE. 



for them, on the ground that a youngster who did not mind 

 what he got up on, should not be made to pay for his jacket. 

 May he see the century out, but India will never be able to 

 boast of a straighter or truer sportsman, than he, who for so 

 many years held the flag at the premier meeting. Barker one 

 of the best jockeys and trainers of those days was then train- 

 ing at Mozufferpore, and he had some rare good ones under his 

 charge, Battledore, Paris, Eous, Toby and others. Messrs. 

 Darcy, Grey, and Fitzpatrick were additions to the Sonepore 

 patrons in 1847, training at their own head centres, while Mr. 

 Cunningham trained at Sonepore itself. Chupra, too, was not 

 devoid of sporting elements, for a goodly array of horses used 

 to appear every morning on its race course, Mr. DeVaux 

 having at least a dozen in training, while Mr. Walker had some 

 expensive ones, under the charge of a promising young amateur 

 Mr. Forrester who in propria persona was Mr. Charles Camp- 

 bell, a Civilian. Sonepore was then described by the sporting 

 papers as the First Provincial Meeting in India. Mr. Hewett, the 

 Opium Agent of Chupra, whose racing name was Mr. Hawke, was 

 its Honorary Secretary, and it says something for the sporting 

 feeling of the Chupra district, that up to date the residents have 

 done their best not to let the time-honored fixture deteriorate. 



CHAPTER III. 

 YEAR 1847. 



Eighteen-forty-seven seems to have been a most success- 

 ful year. Mr. Hewett had evidently worked the meeting up, 

 and for the first time on record six European professionals 

 were seen donning silk for the Maiden Arab race Barker, 

 Baker, Barnes, Watling, Ross and Sherburne. Mr. Fitzpat- 

 rick's Honeysuckle won the blue ribbon after a good race with 

 Mr. Fulton's Chancellor. 



The best race of all was, as is usual at Sonepore, the 

 Durbangah Cup, a mfle and three quarters, George Barker 



