James Fillis. 347 



of horse my wife had been accustomed to mount during our 

 breaking expeditions. 



While we were in Berlin my book, The Points of the 

 Horse, was published. With its appearance, fifteen years 

 of work came to an end. I am content to have, at last, a 

 book upon which I can rest my reputation, and am thank- 

 ful that I had the many hundreds of pounds which I 

 spent in getting up material for it. Its merits have had 

 very generous recognition from the press and also from 

 the public. The Prince of Wales was graciously pleased to 

 accept a copy, and I have had from the Continent several 

 applications to purchase the right of translating it. 



When g-oine; to Berlin we made the mistake of travel- 

 ling by the Flushing route, which is both inconvenient and 

 expensive for horses. The best way would have been by 

 Hamburg ; for though the sea voyage from London is 

 rather long, it is cheap , and the rail journey from thence to 

 Berlin is only about 80 miles long. We returned by Ham- 

 burg ; as we wished to meet Fillis, who was performing 

 there in Circus Renz. The thin, little old man was very 

 chatty. He showed us his great school horse Germinal, and 

 another which he had in training. His good opinion of him- 

 self was amusing, though it was no doubt to a large extent 

 well deserved. His contempt was great for all other school 

 riders, of whom, so he told us, he was the god in public 

 opinion. I must say that as far as I know and have heard, 

 he is easily first. Even Baucher, as I have previously de- 

 scribed, was not sacred to this sapenr. The mention of the 

 name of M. Barroil, author of L Art Equestre, made him 

 mad. ' What can he know about a horse ? ' said Fillis. ' He 

 weighs 80 kilos.' Alas ! I thought, how prone we mortals 

 are to take credit to ourselves for natural advantages. Tread- 

 ing still further on dangerous ground, I asked him about 

 Baron de Vaux, who, I believe, is the horse critic of Gil Bias. 

 ' He abused me in his Ecuyers et Eeuyeres,' replied the famous 

 Londoner; 'because I would not let him help me in writing 



