Royal Ascot ^ 



This year Mr. Jenner had made great improvements in 

 the course, in rolling and bush-harrowing ; and the Earl of 

 Lichfield, who had control of the arrangements, made an 

 advance even upon the order of the previous year. 



Although the erection of booths for gambling had been 

 prohibited, it did not prevent incitements to gaming from 

 appearing on the heath — hazard, rouge et noir, thimble- 

 rigs, and roulette — and in 1833 all were there, from the 

 unsophisticated cheat of the thimble-rig to the less palpable, 

 though perhaps none the less certain, fraud of the gambling 

 houses. Among the more prominent of these were *' La 

 Merveille," the Royal Pavilion (French roulette), the Oxford 

 Club-house from St. James's Street, the Newmarket Club- 

 house, etc., and it would appear that they all were patronised 

 to excess, by the fair sex equally with the men. Among 

 those at the select table under the betting stand sat the 

 lovely Lady Chesterfield placing her half-crowns on the 

 board, only to be swept oft" with the revolving ball. 



It was somewhat curious that in the Ascot Derby Stakes 

 in 1834 the first and second were also first and second for 

 the Oaks. In the Royal procession this year were seven 

 carriages-and-four and one phaeton. In the first carriage 

 with the Kinof and Oueen and the Duchess of Kent rode 

 the young Princess Victoria. It was her first visit to a 

 race course, and was a surprise to the people. Her appear- 

 ance was greeted with loud acclamations. 



On the morning of the race for the Cup in 1835, great 

 excitement and discontent was caused by a rumour that 

 Mr. Batson would not start his horse Plenipotentiary for 

 the Cup, at the same time assigning no reason. As the 

 hour for the race drew near the rumour became a fact, the 



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