152 THE GOODWOOD STABLE IN 1844. 



claimed his Lordship, " I told you you could suc- 

 ceed if you would only try." The sponges were 

 sent down to Goodwood, where they were kept as 

 curiosities, being useless for the purpose contem- 

 plated by his Lordship, as their size and the weight 

 of water which they held made it almost impossible 

 to handle them. The story is indicative of his 

 Lordship's determination to get the best of every- 

 thing or what he thought the best if his horses 

 required it. 



Never was there a man in any class of life less 

 liable to be daunted or intimidated by difficulties 

 than Lord George Bentinck. The word " impossi- 

 ble " mentioned in his hearing served but to inten- 

 sify his determination not to be beaten ; and I have 

 often thought that, had his lot been cast in stormy 

 times, he would have gained the greatest distinc- 

 tion as the commander of a large army. Nothing 

 could frighten him ; nothing could tire him, or 

 exhaust his resources. He delighted in details, 

 and it was hard indeed for anybody to outwit him 

 or take him in. Mr Greville never made a truer 

 remark than when he observed in his ' Diary/ 

 " Lord George did nothing by halves, and was 

 afraid of no man." But for Lord George's in- 

 domitable energy and indefatigable perseverance, 

 the notorious Running Rein case would never 

 have been thoroughly investigated, and the fraud 

 exposed. When Running Rein ran, nominally as 

 a two-year-old, at Newmarket, in 1843, for a two- 



