122 The Pytchley Hunt, Past and Present, [chap. iv. 



Hon. George Anson^ Sir Eainald Knightley, or Mr. Clay. 

 These too were not quite on tlie same level with three 

 or four of the French division, who w^ere considered to 

 play a somewhat more scientific game than the English- 

 men. 



One of the most painful incidents in the life of the 

 subject of this memoir was connected with the whist- 

 table — an affair v/hich for a time may be said to have 

 fairly convulsed society. Amongst the most prominent 

 members of ^^ high life '^ at this time, 1836, and amongst 

 the most assiduous devotees of whist was Henry, Lord 

 De Ros, premier Baron of England. A long course of 

 success both at that game and ecarte, coupled with other 

 circumstances, had brought the noble gamester under 

 suspicion, and it was determined that he should be 

 watched while playiug at Graham^s Club in St. James's 

 Street. The first hint of foul play appeared in the 

 Satirist, a slanderous and disreputable precursor of 

 the society-papers of the present day. The allusion 

 sufiiciently denoting the party referred to, Lord De Ros 

 directed proceedings to be taken against that journal for 

 a libel. One of the members of the club, however — Mr. 

 Gumming — undertook himself to " bell the cat," and 

 justified the assertion that the noble lord had ^^ played 

 foully.'' Upon this Lord De Ros brought his action 

 against Mr. Gumming instead of against the newspaper, 

 and the trial came ofi" before Lord Chief Justice Den- 

 man, Sir John Campbell being counsel for the com- 

 plainant. There were two accusations against Sir John's 

 client, one that he practised the trick called " sauter 

 la coupe/' i.e. changing the turn-up card, the other 

 of marking the card so as to ensure an ace or king every 



