LA TOUCQUES, VEEMOUT, FILLE DE L AIR, GLADIATEUR 133 



and half by the five great railway companies of 

 France.' The ' objet d'art ' has (perhaps happily) 

 ceased to be given either by an emperor or by any- 

 body else ; but the 4,000/. are still given in the original 

 proportions by the same donors, though there is yearly 

 some difficulty in extracting the money out of the 

 municipality of Paris by the most cunning and energetic 

 alchemy. The conditions of the race, with a few slight 

 alterations, remain the same as they were in the first 

 instance ; but the number of subscribers (of 40/. each, 

 with forfeits in various smaller amounts down to 4/.) 

 has increased so enormously that the ' prize ' has be- 

 come the most valuable in Europe as a rule, with the 

 exception of what seems likely to be the intermittent and 

 uncertain Eclipse Stakes ' of 10,000/.' at Sandown Park, 

 and the similar 'big things' which are threatened at 

 Kempton Park (in 1889) and at Manchester (the Lan- 

 caster Plate of 11,000 sovs. in 1888). 



Even the first year, 1863, it was valuable enough to 

 occupy the serious attention of many 2:)ious Britons who 

 had conscientious objections to 'racing on Sunday,' and 

 were quite prepared to ' blow the " objet d'art," ' but 

 thought it a ' wicked sin ' to let upwards of 4,000/. 

 come their way without making at least a grab at it. 

 If you might pull your ox or your ass out of a pit on 

 the Sabbath day, surely you might pull your race horse 

 out of his stable. And so did they, some of them. 



With what notion the Grand Prix de Paris was 

 instituted some doubt has been expressed. French 

 authorities, speaking after the event and taking advan- 

 tage of the light derived from what has since happened 

 and from the controversy about ' reciprocity,' have 

 tried to make out that it was intended as a delicate 

 compliment and honourable amends, as a sort of antici- 

 patory reply made to those Englishmen who, with Lord 



