DERBYANA. 215 



there will be from forty to two hundred or more drawn 

 every year of greater or lesser amount, the subscrip- 

 tions ranging from as little as sixpence to as much as 

 a couple of sovereigns ; the principal prize being fixed 

 accordingly, in some instances as low as £1, in other 

 cases ranging frum £50 to £500. It is said that in 

 the year in which one of Mr. Merry's horses proved 

 successful, twenty-five gentlemen of the West of 

 Scotland put each down £100, £1,500 of which was 

 allotted to the man who drew the Avinning horse, £700 

 to the ticket for the second, and £300 to the third 

 horse : the winner of the first prize engaging to invite 

 the other subscribers to a champagne dinner. Many 

 Derby sweeps are drawn every year in Glasgow, the 

 drawing of the ' Exchange Sweep,' in particular, 

 exciting a great deal of attention — it is promoted 

 by the gentlemen who are subscribers to the Royal 

 Exchanofe Readimj-room. In most of the clubs in 

 Scotland Derby sweeps are drawn, some of them 

 being of considerable amount, the first prize being 

 seldom less than £G0, but £100 is no imcom.mon 

 sum to be paid to the holder of the ticket containing 

 the name of the winner, whilst a similar amount will 

 ver}' likely fall to be distributed among the placed and 

 runninfj horses. 



In the course of proceedings instituted against a 

 licensed victualler, an inspector of police stated to 

 London Derby ^^^® of the magistrates that it was within 



Sweeps. }iis knowledge that more than 1,000 Derby 

 sweeps were every year got up in the great Metropolis, 

 many of them representing large total amounts — the 



