A GRANTED PETITION 175 



The Duke grants the desire, but assigns quite a 

 curious reason for not contributing towards the 

 edifice. As the letter is brief, I insert it to show 

 the point : 



' Piccadilly, 10th February 1784. 



' Sir, — I have orders from the Duke of Queensberry to 

 send you the enclosed petition, and to tell you, that, as he 

 formally promised, so he now agrees to give the peti- 

 tioners a bit of ground at Thornhill to build them [sic] a 

 meeting-house ; and the Duke desires you will set off to 

 them a bit of ground for that purpose. But his grace is 

 not inclined to contribute anything more towards it, 

 thinking it would be better to conform themselves to the 

 Established Church.' ^ 



Reasons good and sufficient from one who was 

 not a pillar nor an ornament of any religious sect : 

 though, as I have shown, he at one time kept a 

 ' guide, philosopher, and friend ' in the form of a 

 chaplain. 



The racing form of Queensberry's stable this year, 

 1784, was poor, as five winning results out of thirty- 

 two engagements prove. The principal event won 

 was the Claret Stakes, at Newmarket, which con- 

 sisted of seven subs., two hundred guineas each, 

 though without this the value of the stakes otherwise 

 won would not exceed seven hundred pounds. 



^ From Drumlanrig and the Douglases, by C. T. Ramage, 1876. 



