BRITISH TURF. 509 



Jockey Club, to which the question was referred 

 by the Stewards of Ascot Races. 



The following is his Lordship's letter : — 



TO THE STEWARDS OF ASCOT RACES. 



*' My Lords and Gentlemen, — In making in- 

 quiries into the disqualification of Bloomsbury for 

 starting for the Derby stakes, and the sweepstakes 

 of 200 sovs. at Ascot, I have found the greatest 

 difficulty in obtaining information from parties 

 who are fully capable of giving it, but who are 

 unwilling to do so unless they are compelled to 

 come forward by virtue of an authority which they 

 dare not disobey. You are aware that the 

 point to be decided does not involve any nice dis- 

 tinction of racing law, but is one purely of fact : 

 and as neither you nor I possess the means of en- 

 forcing the attendance of a single witness, and as 

 the chain of evidence, though so strong as to con- 

 vince any reasonable mind, is yet of such a nature 

 that the failure of a single link would destroy its 

 effect, I feel convinced that it would be doing the 

 greatest injustice to my case to try it before a tri- 

 bunal so constituted. I am bound, therefore, by 

 what is due to myself, as well as others, to object 

 to your proceeding any further in this matter, which 

 must necessarily be left to the decision of a court 

 of law, where the attendance of such witnesses as 

 I require can only be enforced. I beg, therefore, 



