226 THE BLUE RIBBON OF THE TURF. 



that of the Ht)n. II, A. Berkeley Craven, which took 

 place in Bay Middleton's year. Although no evidence 

 was otlered at the inquest that the melancholy event 

 was caused by losses on the race, it was known at the 

 time that if Bay Middleton won he would have been 

 totally unable to defray his racing debts, ' a posi- 

 tion which a person of his sensitive feeling of honour 

 was unable to face.' It was stated at the time of 

 the traefic occurrence that he would have been a 

 defaulter to the extent of between £8,000 and £9,000, 

 caused by ' backing the field against Lord Jersey's 

 Bay Middleton.' 



The custom of moving the adjournment of the 

 House of Commons over the day appointed for run- 

 The Derby in ^^'^"'o ^^^^ Derby began on May 18, 1847, 

 Pariiamtiit. y^l^^xi Lord Gcorge Bentinck brought 

 forward a motion of which he had o-iven notice, ' that 

 the House at its rising do adjourn till Thursday.' In 

 doing so, lie stated that for more than half a century 

 the Derby Day had been a recognised holiday. The 

 motion was agreed to, as a similar motion has often 

 been since. Joseph Hume and John Bright used to 

 oppose the adjournment of the House for such a pur- 

 pose. Upon one occasion, when the opposition to the 

 custom was waxinc^ hot — it was in 18d0 — Lord Palmer- 

 ston, in answer to the question whether or not the 

 House would adjourn for the Derby, replied, ' To 

 adjourn for that day is part of the unwritten law of 

 rarliament.' 



