REMINISCENCES OF SONEPORE. II 



when close to the winning post bringing up Mr. Green's Cape 

 horse Battledore, and defeating by a neck Mr. Walker's 

 bay Arab, Cadwallader, who was favorite, but the Welshman 

 turned the tables on his conqueror the next day, and after 

 winning the mile and three-quarters Chumparun Cup, this 

 game Arab came out and beat Battledore, who was fresh, in a 

 mile and a half sweepstakes, truly a grand performance. He 

 also won the Sonepore Cup on the third day, and the Civilians' 

 Cup on the fourth ; not starting on the fifth and sixth days as 

 he had to return to Calcutta. Four wins and one second out 

 of five starts ; and C. Barker declared he would have won the 

 Durbangah Cup, but for being shut in at the distance. Mr. 

 Fulton was the nom de course of Mr. George Plowden, a scion 

 of a family which has always provided a vast majority of 

 sportsmen to the country. It was in 1831 that George Plow- 

 den, a long, lean weed of a sucking civilian, made his debut 

 in silk at the Hajeepore meeting, he was built to ride, and his 

 maiden effort was a winning one, over hurdles too, and against 

 such good riders as Messrs. James, Charles Quintin and A. 

 Dick, the latter a smasher. It was only in 1846 that he 

 bloomed fourth as an owner. Another sportsman, better 

 known to our Behar residents, who used to figure in the pig- 

 skin at Hajeepore before the course was transferred to Sone- 

 pore in 1839, was handsome Fred Collingridge, that wonder- 

 ful old evergreen planter, who can still hold his own with the 

 hounds in England. It was during this year, that the present 

 father of the Behar planting community, Mr. Minden James 

 Wilson, came up to Tirhoot from the Mauritius and started as 

 an assistant at Kumtoul then under the management of Mr. 

 James Wilson his elder brother ; Minden's first introduction to 

 an indigo planter was when he arrived per palkee early in 

 the morning at Mun jowl Factory, where he was received by 

 Mr. Phil Crump, the manager, who was gorgeously arrayed in 

 a black velvet cap, knee breeches, top boots and a bright 



