148 JOHN PORTER OF KINGSCLERE 



totally undeserved, that he henceforth took the resolution 

 to prevent, if possible, any such misplaced approbation. 



" Since that time, whenever any of his horses have 

 been fairly handicapped, the public have been allowed to 

 get well on them, and they have been scratched. ... It 

 is reserved till the Liverpool Cup to place the coping 

 stone to this edifice of coping proceedings." 



There was more to the same effect. Never, 

 probably, in the history of British journalism 

 has a libel been published comparable with the 

 foregoing effort. The late Sir George Chetwynd 

 offered an explanation of the way in which the 

 article came to be written. He stated that the 

 staff of The Sporting Times used to meet at a 

 weekly dinner and discuss the forthcoming issue 

 of the paper. At one of these gatherings the 

 question arose as to how the circulation could 

 best be increased. It was finally decided that 

 a series of attacks on well-known and honoured 

 owners of racehorses would serve the purpose 

 well. Sir Joseph Hawley, General Peel, and 

 Lord Derby were the selected victims, and Sir 

 George suggested that it was probably settled 

 by lot that Sir Joseph Hawley should be the 

 first subject attacked. A young man in the 

 employ of Mr. Tod Heatley, the wine merchant, 

 either volunteered, or was deputed, to write the 

 scurrilous article. It was anticipated that civil 

 proceedings for libel would be instituted against 

 the paper, and that damages would have to be 



