452 MR. THOMAS ROBINSON. 



time to distinguish himself very much at the stud. 

 Here Mr. Robinson sustained a great loss, and he 

 was equally unlucky in losing his valuable mare, 

 Glee, heavy in foal to Jericho. She fell over a bridge 

 in his paddock, and killed herself, in the summer of 

 1856. 



I have mentioned that I went to High Wycombe 

 to look at the wonderfully promising brother of 

 Happy Land ; and a brief account of my reception on 

 that occasion will, I think, give some idea of the 

 personality of my worthy entertainer. He always had 

 plenty of water-cress to give us to eat, if nothing 

 else, according to his own account. But I generally 

 found abundance of substantial concomitants in the 

 shape of beef and mutton, and something better to 

 drink, at least in the opinion of most of us, than the 

 water, pellucid as it was, in which the dainty cresses 

 grew. On my arrival, the old gentleman looked robust 

 as usual, and in reply to my inquiries said : 



' I am hearty as a buck, but can't jump so high;' and 

 then insisted that we should do ample justice to a 

 hearty luncheon. This was his rule : he would show 

 you no horses until the meal, which was by no means 

 a formality, was got through. ' They look so much 

 bigger and better,' he would say, ' after a little some- 

 thing to eat and a glass or two of my old black-strap, 

 a story and a glass of toddy, just to enliven our 

 spirits.' 



These pleasant conditions were duly fulfilled on 



