358 HORSE-KACING IN FRANCE 



manent ' betting ring ' in France, to which a ' Salon des 

 Courses' became by degrees a necessity, is easily shown. 

 England, in fact, turned France into a sort of Botany 

 Bay for ' book-makers ' and ' list-holders.' The Betting 

 Act of 1853 (for the suppression of betting-houses), 

 which has since been extended, led in the first instance 

 to the emigration of ' parasites of the Eing ' to ' Bou- 

 long,' to Paris (with ' betting agencies ' all over the Eue 

 de Choiseuil), and to other nice places in France, whither 

 England — not of set purpose — transferred some of the 

 ' nuisances,' just as she had transmitted many among 

 the advantages, of the Turf. The more disreputable 

 emigrants' example was followed by their more reput- 

 able brethren, who liked the climate, or the language, 

 or the society, or the cookery of France, or more 

 probably the facilities tliat country afforded, as com- 

 paratively virgin soil with unsophisticated inhabitants 

 and legislators, for their favourite operations. And so 

 the French Eing, otherwise 'le Eing,' otherwise (by a 

 fig-ure for which ^grammarians have a learned name) 

 ' le Betting,' and the 'Salon des Courses' became the 

 favourite haunts of many English 'book-makers' known 

 to fame or notoriety. Such was Mr. J. B. Morris (who died 

 at Paris, July 18, 1880 ; ran horses, won the St. Leger 

 with Kniizht of St. Georo-e, and was noted in France for 

 livina' ' hke a fio-hting cock ' at the Grand Hotel and at 

 Bignon's, where he won quite a reputation by eating — 

 not four-and-twenty blackbirds baked in a pie, but 

 four-and-twenty ortolans at a sitting). Such is or was 

 Mr. H. SafTery (dubbed the ' cock of tlie book-makers,' 

 who was never known to recoil at the amount of a bet, 

 and who would answer a French nobleman's cry of ' A 

 thousand louis on such and such a horse ' witli a ready 

 ' Eight you are, Count ; will you lay it twice — four times 



