NOTES ON MEMORABLE MATCHES. 167 



there can be no doubt Flint was rather ill-used 

 throughout, and that Mrs. Colonel Thornton's 

 views were entirely mercenary. And who was the 

 lady who thus made herself so notorious } Orton, 

 in the work already referred to, says she was 

 not the wife but only the ckere aniie of Colonel 

 Thornton, her real name being Alicia Meynell, 

 the daughter of a respectable watchmaker of the 

 city of Norwich, and was then about twenty-two 

 years of age, very handsome, and of fascinating 

 manners, with fair complexion, light hair, and 

 blue eyes. Captain Flint was a well-known 

 sportsman of those days, and well known as the 

 author of " A Treatise on the Management of the 

 Horse." He died from an over-dose of prussic 

 acid, which he was in the habit of taking in order 

 to relieve the attacks of asthma from which he 

 often suffered. 



Next in interest to the great match between 

 Hambletonian and Diamond, a giant struggle of 

 modern times may be referred to. It took place 

 on the Knavesmire at the York Spring Meeting, 

 May 13th, 1851 ; the names of the two horses 

 which gave renown to the match were Flying 

 Dutchman and Voltigeur, and there are many 

 alive who looked on at the race, and talk of it 

 as the one sight of their lives. 



The following description, written immediately 

 after its occurrence, will afford readers all necessary 

 information : "And now we have arrived at the 

 race of the meeting — if not indeed of the century. 

 As we have no means of measuring the properties 

 of race-horses — at least none that are put into 

 effect worthy of acceptance as authority on point 

 of speed — we must take it for granted that the 



