44 NEWMARKET EARLY IN THE CENTURY. 



alluded. I have often heard my father relate 

 some of the practical jokes indulged in at New- 

 market in his youth, and which were much more 

 frequent than in this prosaic age. I call it 

 prosaic ; for the undoubted effect of all our 

 modern inventions and discoveries — like the 

 railway, the telegraph wire, the telephone, and 

 the electric light — is to extinguish the indivi- 

 duality and quench the imagination of men, 

 women, and children. It was far otherwise in 

 the England of my youth. There was then re- 

 siding at Newmarket a Mr Thomas Bryant, who 

 was greatly addicted to jokes of this kind. When, 

 for instance, William Arnull, the well - known 

 jockey, was sent for on one occasion to the north 

 to ride some trials for the Hon. Edward Petre, 

 who was a very liberal gentleman, he returned 

 very much richer than he was when he started. 

 Among the presents which, in addition to money, 

 Mr Petre promised to send to " old Bill Arnull," 

 was included a big hamper of wine. On his return 

 home. Bill could not help boasting to some of his 

 friends about the hamper that was coming. Mr 

 Bryant, hearing the news, thought it an excellent 

 opportunity to play off an amusing joke at Bill 

 ArnuU's expense. Accordingly he made overtures 

 to a dwarf, called " Little Peter," who was then 

 well known at Newmarket, requesting that he 

 would allow himself to be packed into a hamper, 

 which was to be despatched to Bill Arnull's house. 



