M7\ Kirby and the Foreigners, 7 1 



taking it ; and the late Henry Neale, who was glad to 

 leave it for the milder air of St. Germain-en-laye, the 

 veritable Reesh-vciondi of France, emigrated in his 

 place. The highest prices Mr. Kirby ever received 

 from Nicholas were 2000 guineas for Van Tromp, and 

 2250 guineas for General Chasse. The latter was 

 rather a compact, very good-looking horse, though a 

 trifle too short in the neck and barrel, dark chestnut, 

 with a light-coloured, high-set tail and mane, and, as 

 Sir Robert Peel said of his great namesake, " a most 

 unsurrendering countenance." He was up to very 

 high weights, but his victories, which Jack Holmes 

 had fairly to cut out of him with steel and whalebone, 

 were the most bloody we ever witnessed, and in 

 temper, as Mr. Kirby was wont to say, " the Emperor 

 Paul was nothing to him." He bought him from Sir 

 James Boswell in the winter of 1837, ^.nd shipped 

 him as early as he could, in the ensuing spring, with- 

 out letting him see a mare. In all his experience with 

 horses, Mr. Kirby never spent a more weary four 

 months than he did with this son of Actaeon. His 

 first owner's impression was that he " would not lead," 

 but the lad eventually contrived to coax him from 

 GuUane to York. He commenced operations with 

 his new groom when he first walked him down a 

 narrow lane near Walmgate Bar, and was kneeling on 

 him and trying to tear him to pieces, when a squadron 

 of labourers charged him with sticks and dung-forks, 

 and made him loose his hold. No one but Mr. Kirby 

 dared give him a ball, and his wild frenzy when he 

 found himself hoppled for the occasion was fearfully 

 beautiful to see. As a last effort to sober him he was 

 walked to Hull without his shoes ; but footsore and 

 tired as he was, he resolutely refused to do more than 

 put his head out of the stable the next morning, so 

 long as the crowd, who had been attracted by his turf 

 fame, remained in the yard. When they were turned out 

 and his eyes had been bandaged, he obeyed orders 



