FROM THE ' TURN OF THE TIDE ' TO THE ' DlSCHEANCE ' 177 



and, being unable to stop herself (even had she desired 

 to do so), ran herself through the vitals, and died al- 

 most immediately ; a clear case of suicide committed in 

 a state of temporary insanity. Had she lived she 

 might have produced something wonderfully good, or, 

 quite as probably, something execrably bad, a prodigy 

 or a monstrosity : odds on the latter. 



Dutch Skater (who became the property of the all- 

 purchasing M. Lefevre about the time that he bought 

 Count de Lagrange's horses in training, at which time 

 and afterwards he bought freely on all sides all manner 

 of beasts, whether French or English) deserves special 

 notice not only for his victories (which will be set forth 

 in due course) in England, but because he became a 

 popular stud horse among English owners and was the 

 sire of Lord Falmouth's celebrated mare Dutch Oven 

 (winner of the St. Leger in 1882), as well as of the good 

 but unfortunate French horse Insulaire, not less well 

 known and respected in England than in France ; and 

 Eole II., because from an insignificant two-year-old he 

 developed into a sort of Fisherman in a small way, a 

 very respectable if not a great ' stayer,' beating even 

 Lilian on one occasion for a Queen's Plate (to say no- 

 thing of Shannon) and defeating Albert Victor at four 

 years of age over the D. I. (2 miles 105 yards). But that 

 was in 1872 ; and we are now only on the eve of the 

 ' decheance,' which followed the defeat of ' the Man of 

 Sedan ' on September 2, 1870. 



On June 10 in that year, by the way, the famous 

 Blue Gown (carrying 10 st. 8 lbs., however, and being ' off 

 colour') was beaten in France for the Grand Prix de la 

 Ville de Lyon by the ' Frenchmen ' Massinissa, Mino- 

 taure, Gabier, and Capsule. 



The last French meeting held that year was Deau- 



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