228 Reminiscences of 



since I have bred their progeny. This breed of horses, 

 from which the Clydesdale horses have emanated, were 

 bred from old English stock in the Shire counties, of 

 which the large, strong, distinctive English cart-horses 

 of the present day have come, dating back to the law 

 of breeding enacted in 1541 in the time of Henry VIII., 

 and are world-noted for their weight and serviceable 

 action. 



The ancient design in breeding the Shire horses was 

 for purposes of war, and to give powerful horses to 

 carry cavaliers in heavy armor for tournaments, and 

 for the various pageants of state solemnities, as well 

 as for cavalry and military purposes. 



Being a member of a prominent London horse so- 

 ciety, of which Sir Walter Gilbey was the organizer and 

 first president, I was invited to a dinner given annually 

 by Sir Walter at his town residence, Regent's Park, to 

 the president-elect and council of the Hackney Horse 

 Society, of which the Prince of Wales was at the time 

 president. It was a very distinguished gathering of 

 the Prince of Wales, the Duke of Portland, the Earls of 

 Londesborough, Coventry, Enniskillen, Lords Horth- 

 field and Brooke, Baron Von Schroder, Viscount Com- 

 bermere. Sir Dighton Probyn, Sir Selwyn Ibbetson, Sir 

 Nigel Kingscote, and a few others of prominent note. 

 I was the onl}- untitled one present. It was quite 

 informal, and all went merrily. 



The Prince came somewhat later than the hour 

 assigned — ^half-past eight — a feature not usual at Lon- 

 don dinners, but quite excusable in his instance, for 

 which no apology was made. In fact, it is not good 

 form at London dinners to make excuses for lateness, 

 and thereby draw attention to the first mistake, for 



