2 1 8 The Post and the Paddock. 



two mares, averaged 428 guineas annually for three 

 of his yearlings, between 1849 ^^<^ i^S^ • Fortune 

 has, however, squared matters with him, as both his 

 1856 foals died. Cyprian also proved a golden 

 mine to John Scott, with whom she may well be a 

 favourite, as his average is far beyond Mr. Sadler's, 

 and for twice the number to boot. The Streatlam 

 Paddocks are, after all, the El Dorado of blood stock. 

 Besides " The West," they have sent Mundig, Cother- 

 stone, Daniel O'Rourke, Hetman Platoff, Epirus, 

 Springy Jack, and Fly-by-night to Whitewall, in little 

 more than twenty years. Durham has, however, 

 always been as renowned for thorough-breds as for 

 short-horns. For nearly forty years Lord Darlington 

 bred his best winners at Raby, and Voltigeur and 

 Virago were also " raised " there. Prices of sires are 

 wonderfully variable, and if they are put up at Tatter- 

 sail's in a dull time, they often make next to nothing. 

 Coningsby and Tadmor, if we remember rightly, had 

 to be bought in at 50 guineas, and not a soul would 

 open his mouth to bid for Touchstone's own brother, 

 Launcelot. However, Mr. A. Johnstone made a hun- 

 dred-guinea bid the next Monday, and got him. Old 

 England on the contrary, was bought in on one Mon- 

 day for 580 guineas, and sent again in the course of a 

 month, when he had no bid beyond 300 guineas ; and 

 a Dutchman yearling, one summer, fetched only 14 

 guineas at the RawcHffe Paddock sale, and 74 guineas 

 at Tattersall's about two months after. So much for 

 the fickleness of purchasers ! Brother to Ban was the 

 most painfully deformed object we ever saw at The 

 Corner, and a couple of Auckland foals, which 

 squeaked like sucking pigs when they were separated, 

 after reaHzing about four guineas each, the most 

 shaggy and starved. Their sire had a most wonderful 

 escape from being scalded to death, as a yearling, on 

 the North Western, which compromised his burns and 

 the death of his companion filly for, as it was said at 



