HENRY ALKEN 9 



M.P., whose unique collection of pictures and 

 articles of virtu at Colworth included many 

 fine examples of Henry Aiken's works. The 

 series of eight pictures in oils, entitled " The 

 Leicestershire Steeplechase," was painted to Mr. 

 Magniac's order. The scenes represented are : — 

 (No. i) The Start ; (2) Going the Pace ; (3) Symp- 

 toms of Distress with the Cocktail floored ; (4) The 

 Field becomes select ; (5) A Rich Scene, and such 

 as no other country can exhibit ; (6) Dick Chris- 

 tian's last fall, commonly called a Header ; (7) The 

 Climax of Disaster ; and (8) The Winning Post 

 at Billesdon Coplow. This race was run on [2th 

 March, 1829, and the pictures possess all the 

 interest of sporting history, containing as they do 

 portraits of men and horses famous in Leicestershire 

 in those davs. Among the likenesses are Dick 

 Christian on Mr. Maxse's grey. King of the 

 Valley, Captain Ross on his own mare. Polecat, 

 Mr. Beecher on Bantam, Mr. Haycock on Clinker, 

 Bill Wright on Mr. Patrick's bay mare Lazy 

 Bet, Mr. Field Nicholson on Sir Harry Good- 

 ricke's bay gelding, Magic, Mr. Guilford on Sir 

 Francis Mackenzie's bay gelding, Spartacus, and 

 " Nimrod " (Mr. C. J. Apperley) reading the 

 articles of the race. 



Nimrod's graphic account of this steeplechase 

 may be found in the Spor/ing- Alagazine for April, 



