250 " MY KINGDOM FOR A HORSE ! " 



Joseph Griffiths had left Cobham in 1878 and gone as 

 stud groom to Lord Rosebery. We then secured Bowman, 

 who had been for fifteen years stud groom to Lord 

 Falmouth a sufficient credential in all conscience and 

 I, who had begun for the first time in my life to under- 

 stand that money is a serious item, bestirred myself even 

 in Leeds to effect economies in the Stud Company's 

 expenses. The so-called foal disease had enormously 

 diminished the probable return for the following year. 

 Blair Athol at 200 guineas had not got anything like a 

 full subscription list, and the last declared dhddend had 

 not been paid. We were six directors at 200 a year each ; 

 secretary and office, 300 a year; manager (then at the 

 bigger house, Cobham Lodge), 1000 a year; rent of 

 manager's house, 300, and purchase of furniture (from 

 memory) 1700. Then there was the debenture debt 

 of 40,000 at 10 per cent., with 2| commission to Hume 

 Webster, which last charge alone meant paying 5000 

 a year before the shareholders could get anything. 

 What a splendid property the stud really was may be 

 clearly shown from the way in which it had supported 

 this burden, and still to all outward semblance was 

 going strong. 



