PRECEDENTS ESTABLISHED. 351 



to the adjustment of the National Club when pointedly re- 

 quested to do so at the time it happened, cannot now avail him- 

 self of any appeal to it. Without any right of appeal on the part 

 of the complainant, the National Club is not competent to take 

 any cognisance of the matter. He argued that the decision of the 

 authorities of the Coquetdale meeting, right or wrong, is final and 

 irrevocable, and the National Club has no judicial authority either 

 in undoing or confirming the decision, and it is from the same 

 cause incapable of giving any official opinion on the question.' 



The President at once informed Mr. Foster that the meeting 

 had decided to entertain the question, and the club was prepared 

 to incur the responsibility thereby assumed. Dr. Richardson then 

 argued the question e on the ground that " Meteor " was fit to run, 

 and that being so, his nominator had no power to draw him under 

 the 24th rule of the National Code ; that, in spite of this, Mr. 

 Blanshard persisted in drawing him ; but as the conditions of the 

 cup required that it should be run for by the winners of the four 

 stakes, they conceived that no other dog was qualified, and that 

 no other could even run in the bye as an assistant. They therefore 

 prevented Mr. Blanshard from using a fresh dog as an assistant to 

 " Baffler " in the bye, and in this course they considered that they 

 were fully justified by the analogy of puppy stakes, for which only 

 puppies could run as bye dogs.' It was finally resolved ithat the 

 National Club having fully considered the disputed case at the last 

 Coquetdale Coursing meeting, which has been referred to them by 

 Mr. Blanshard, and met by a printed statement from the committee 

 of the Coquetdale Coursing Club, where the secretary has also 



