22 REMINISCENCES OF SONEPORE. 



as it was undoubtedly due to the financial depression caused 

 by the big failures in the metropolis," and discouragement cast 

 on racing by those then in authority. The big Calcutta 

 meeting suffered equally with the fashionable Behar one, poor 

 fields, and small excitement; Messrs. Plowden and Charles 

 pretty well dividing between them what spoil there was to be 

 lifted. The former gentleman came in for severe criticism 

 at Calcutta, having instructed Barnes to pull Do-the-Boys, the 

 Sonepore Derby winner, to let his other string Blood Royal 

 win, without having declared to win with the latter, although 

 as the Stewards had omitted to ask his intentions, no enquiry 

 was held, but the episode shows how lax management was 

 in those days, even at the premier meeting. General Sir 

 Walter Raleigh Gilbert, G.C.B., one of the leading north-west 

 sportsmen, and who had for 48 years been a patron of Indian 

 racing, training and riding his own horses, retired this year 

 throwing a further damper on upcountry racing. In 1806 young 

 Gilbert had won both the Behar plates, on the Hajipore course, 

 with Sky Blue. In 1851 Mozufferpore seemed, as well as Sone- 

 pore, in a bad way, for the local scribe wrote of it "Tirhoot 

 had no racing men, no seasoned sporting character, racing 

 was disapproved of, and consequently there would be no 

 racing," and yet three years before this, three public trainers 

 were training on the course, and no serious damage to public 

 morality had seemingly been the result of allowing these 

 ungodly men to live in the station. An unpopular, Collector 

 at Mozufferpore had a good deal to do with it. He was a 

 Mr. George Lewis Martin, whom "General " Argles described 

 as too big for his breeches. He had married one of the 

 daughters of the Honorable R. Forbes, the Judge, Alec 

 Russell, the Joint Magistrate, a good chap had taken the 

 other, but the Martins were very much too good for human 

 nature's daily food. Messrs. Holdfast, Charles, Return and 

 Fitzpatrick, who had so staunchly stood by Sonepore, gave 



