The Old Castilian. 69 



then to his paper. A brighter writer on sporting matters 

 treated with a light touch, and a kinder-hearted man it would 

 be impossible to find. He is a first-rate journalist and a very 

 capable music critic. To his admirable judgment as editor, 

 Mr Webling is indebted for the success of the /. 6". and D. N. 

 of which he is proprietor. That paper is to be seen every- 

 where in England and has an enormous foreign circulation. 

 I know this from Thacker & Co., who are the chief suppliers 

 of literature to India ; from Cave & Co., to Ceylon ; from 

 Kelly & Walsh, to China and Japan ; Darter Bros. & Walton, 

 to South Africa ; and from other caterers of books and 

 journals to distant lands. The esteem in which it is held is 

 well merited, thanks to Mr Watson, whose crisp ' circular 

 notes ' are eagerly looked forward to, week after week, by 

 many a home-sick exile. 



Captain Jones, 'The Old Castilian,' also helped to give my 

 book on riding some friendly pushes. He was one of the 

 pleasantest guests at a dinner party, and one of the most 

 brilliant utterers of carefully planned impromptus ever 

 known. Like many other men about town, his mode of life 

 was an enigma. He worked as little as the proverbial lilies 

 of the field, and though not quite as gaily arrayed as they, 

 his attire was immaculate, his cigars of Havanna, and he 

 habitually travelled in cabs. Professionally he was a journal- 

 ist and would have made his fortune with his pen, if he 

 could have written as well as he spoke. Besides, the manual 

 labour of producing ' copy ' carefully and punctually was too 

 irksome a task for his easy-going nature. He was nominally 

 on the staff of The Pink 'Un, whose sparkling columns were 

 enlivened by many a droll tale of his doings and sayings, 

 though by little contributed by himself. Poor Jones worked 

 hard, by amusing the members and sampling the drink and 

 suppers, to render the Lotus Club a success. By encouraging 

 the others, he paid his way right royally, even if ' Fatty ' Cole- 

 man went through the formality of entering the Old Casti- 

 lian's name on the slate. Though ' paddocked ' for life, he 



