TEDDINGTON AND BIRMINGHAM 237 



tingencies — viz. 300/. if Teddington won the Ches- 

 terfield Stakes at Newmarket, which sum was paid 

 to Tomlinson, and 1,000/. if he won the Derby, the 

 whole of which was not paid, as through some 

 misunderstanding he only received 300/." There 

 are plenty of instances of puny, weakly foals that 

 were difficult to rear and apparently not worth the 

 trouble they cost, eventually doing well and be- 

 coming great horses. Although it was before my 

 time, and I must go to the records for the facts, I 

 am tempted to make a digression and mention one, 

 whose case was not at all unlike Teddington's. I 

 refer to Birmingham — dam, Miss Craigie, by Or- 

 ville. The owner, Mr. Beardsworth, says that " when 

 he was a foal, and soon after I purchased him, he 

 was taken ill, and was so much reduced that he 

 could not stand to feed. In this state I left him (on 

 a Friday), and was from home ten days. On my 

 return I was surprised to find him alive, and as I 

 have a great dislike to see a sick horse, I ordered 

 him to be destroyed before I went to the stables. 

 Mrs. Beardsworth, who was present, begged of me 

 not to have him destroyed, and said that if I would 

 have him brought into a private box near the house, 

 she would attend to him and nurse him. He was 

 carried by four men from the box he was then in to 

 the other, where he remained for a month, or more, 

 without any visible improvement, during the whole 

 of which time Mrs. Beardsworth was incessant in 

 her attendance upon him, seeing him always the 

 last thing before she went to bed, and frequently 



