London to John O 1 Groat's. 115 



Windsor, and took the first prize for it. This fully 

 reversed the Exeter verdict. He resorted to the same 

 tribunal to set him right in regard to his apparent 

 defeat at Chelmsford, in 1856. Next year he presented 

 the ram beaten there to the Salisbury meeting, and 

 another jury gave the animal the highest meed of merit. 

 It was at the zenith of his fame as a sheep-breeder 

 that Mr. Webb " assisted," as the French say, at the 

 Universal Exposition at Paris, in 1855. Here his 

 beautiful animals excited the liveliest admiration. The 

 Emperor came himself to examine them, and expressed 

 himself highly pleased at their splendid qualities. It 

 was on this occasion that Mr. Webb presented to the 

 Emperor his prize ram, for which, probably, he had 

 refused the largest sum ever offered for a single 

 animal of the same race, or 500 guineas ($2,500) 

 The Emperor accepted the noble present, fully appre- 

 ciating the spirit in which it was offered, and some time 

 afterwards sent the generous breeder a magnificent 

 candelabra, of solid silver, representing a grand old 

 English oak, with a group of horses shading them- 

 selves under its branches. This splendid token of the 

 Emperor's regard is only one of the numerous trophies 

 and souvenirs that embellish the farmer's home at 

 Babraham, and which his children and remoter pos- 

 terity will treasure as precious heir-looms, 

 i 2 



