196 LORD GEORGE AS A LETTER- WRITER. 



Bramble, to whom, considering Gaper's leg, I must 

 now look to carry me through all those engage- 

 ments in which the two horses are engaged 

 together : besides, having run two races here on 

 two following days, he would be in no plight to 

 try Cornopean on Saturday. — I am, yr. obed. 

 servt., G. Bentinck." 



In the next letter, as well as in one of its 

 predecessors, it will be noticed that " 8 a.m., 

 Tuesday morning," is prefixed to both. My father 

 and I received scores of letters from his Lordship 

 written at the same early hour, which always 

 found him at work during the whole of his racing 

 career. 



" Bath, Tuesday Morning, 8 a.m., 

 April 27, 1843. 



" Kent, — The horses are all here perfectly well, 

 and the course yesterday was in capital order — 

 quite soft — to add to which it began to rain about 

 half an hour since, and has all the appearance of 

 a wet day. Gaper cantered yesterday, and went 

 quite sound, and John thinks his leg a great deal 

 better. I don't think, however, that I shall ven- 

 ture to run him. John is not much alarmed about 

 his leg for the future, if I save him here ; but I 

 confess I have no great hopes of it. The ailment 

 is about two inches and a half above the fetlock- 

 joint, on the middle tendon of the near fore-leg on 

 the outside ; there is a knot upon the tendon, and 



