PREFACE. XI 



Upon Lord George Bentinck and Mr Bowes six 

 writs apiece were served ; four upon Mr Crockford ; 

 two apiece upon Colonel Peel, Mr Charles Greville, 

 and Mr Henry Hill ; while the Earl of Eglinton, 

 Sir William H. Gregory, Mr John Gully, Mr Peter 

 Cloves, Mr Henry Justice, Mr John Baily, and Mr 

 John Greatrex escaped with one apiece. The 

 ninth of Queen Anne, cap. xiv., on which these 

 actions were based, provided that any amount in 

 excess of 10 which was won or lost by betting 

 could be sued for and recovered, together with 

 treble the amount so won or lost, at the suit of a 

 common informer. It was stated in the House of 

 Lords by Lord Brougham on February 8, 1844, 

 that the penalties sought to be recovered under 

 these thirty-four writs amounted to nearly half a 

 million of money. Only one of these " Qui tarn" 

 actions went into court. On August 8, 1844, the 

 case of " Russell v. Lord George Bentinck " came 

 on for trial at Guildford Assizes. The plaintiff de- 

 clared that "on the Derby Day in 1843, John 

 Barham Day did, by betting on a horse-race, con- 

 trary to the statute of Queen Anne, lose the sum 

 of 3000 to Lord George Bentinck, the defendant, 

 who was sued to recover from him the said sum of 

 3000, together with treble the value thereof, 

 making altogether the sum of 12,000." The 



