210 REMINISCENCES OP SONEPORE. 



old Stewards were re-elected, and several valuable additions 

 made, notably, Messrs. C. C. Stevens, W. Kemble, Sir George 

 Larpent, A. C. Brett and others. Harry Abbott suggested 

 that as the Railway brought in so many stray visitors, who 

 came for a day, saw all the races, and left without subscribing 

 a penny, it would be a good thing to rail in a paddock and 

 charge these gentry gate money ; this was passed unani- 

 mously. The programme, a very liberal one, with nine 

 thousand rupees of added money, was passed and published 

 during the month, and another record meeting was looked 

 forward to. Judge Brett of Mozufferpore took in hand the 

 working up cf subscriptions for the Civilians' Cup, and right 

 well he did it, collecting over Rs. 1,600. A staunch supporter 

 of the meeting, Mr. Hamilton Gordon, Judge of Chupra, 

 had been temporarily promoted to the Calcutta High Court, 

 but returned in November, and was present with his 

 popular wife. Joint subscription camps were now be- 

 coming the order of the day, and were just as jolly, though 

 much of the old hospitable family party business was broken 

 up, owing chiefly to many of the old Civilians and planters 

 having retired, and their successors not being able to 

 afford to play host to twenty or more guests. Year by year 

 more and more comparative strangers now began to collect, 

 and in a great measure the old order of things had changed ; 

 but this was bound to be inevitable, and the Stewards were 

 sensible in making the best of things and cutting their coat 

 to suit their cloth; had they not done so the meeting must 

 have collapsed altogether, which would have been most lament- 

 able. Early in the year Chupra lost that popular medico, 

 Dr. Russell, who was transferred, and his place was taken 

 by Dr. Tom Macdonald, a brother of the Highland chief- 

 tains Harry, John and George. A gloom had been cast over the 

 district in February by the news of the sad accident at home, 

 which resulted in the untimely death of poor Pierce Llewhellin 



