ioo LORD GEORGE BENTINCK. 



not more charitable to attribute the interference to an 

 innate uncontrollable desire to meddle with other 

 people's affairs, and not always, as we may compla- 

 cently conclude, for the good of the turf ? 



But I must not forget that Lord George was the 

 cause of bringing to light the plot of which Running 

 Rein, alias Maccabius, and Mr. Goodman Levy were 

 the heroes, in the Derby of 1844. The story is too 

 well known to bear repetition. As the result of his 

 victory, Lord George received the united thanks of 

 the public in recognition of his fierce desire, like 

 another Hercules, ' to cleanse the Augean stable ;' and 

 moreover was heartily congratulated on the successful 

 termination of the trial by his old and close friend, 

 the gallant Colonel (afterwards General) Peel, the 

 owner of Orlando, to whom the race was finally 

 awarded. Without wishing in the least to imply, in 

 this instance, the existence of any motive beyond 

 ' the fierce desire ' to which I have referred, it is at 

 least not unfair to point out that such a thing as his 

 lordship's having stood a large sum of money on his 

 old friend's horse was within the range of probability. 

 And the malignant might urge that this may have, in 

 some way, acted as a stimulus to the vigorous prose- 

 cution of this diabolical offence. At all events, I 

 cannot believe, nor will anyone else, that his lordship 

 backed Running Rein, knowing his dislike to all ple- 

 beian owners, wdiom, had he had but the power, he 

 would have swept off the face of the earth ' in one fell 



