xxviii PREFACE. 



run of a collection of prints which for delicacy of preservation must be almost 

 unparalleled. To him and to Mr. E. Weatherby I owe a debt which every racing 

 man will readily appreciate. I have also to acknowledge the courtesy which placed 

 at my disposal many relics and memoranda of the famous jockey Francis Buckle, now 

 in the possession of his grand-daughters. 



The list of my benefactors might easily be lengthened, and no doubt before my 

 last page is written it will largely be increased. But if I have indicated something 

 of the nature of the assistance so readily accorded me on all sides, I cannot hope to 

 convey any notion of the fulness of my obligations or the depth of my gratitude ; 

 and I will only add that Mr. William E. Gray has photographed pictures and 

 engravings for me in all parts of the country with a success that implies a good 

 deal more than merely mechanical perfection. I trust the excellence of his 

 work may be some slight return for the help and courtesy he invariably received. 

 By a privilege I very highly value, my proof-sheets have been submitted to 

 Mr. Arthur F. B. Portman, the well-known proprietor of " Horse and Hound," 

 to whom my last word of thanks is very sincerely given. For the mistakes that 

 may be still apparent, no one but myself can be held responsible. That they are 

 far fewer than they would otherwise have been in so long and complicated a 

 book is entirely owing to Mr. Portman's generous help in this respect. 



I had originally intended to issue an Appendix with each Volume, but it has been 

 found more convenient to place it at the end of the book. 



