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Din you ever, Mr. EDITOR.

permiffion to obferve the match meet with a man whofe was of a peculiar kind and must be brains are in his pocket, whose played in a particular way, of either logic is a bottle, and who de-. winning the game if poffible, or termines every thing by a wager. Fofing it if neceffary, that the gen- If you have, fome idea may be tlemen concerned might be fure of formed of a gentleman who difwinning upon the whole, which turbs the peace of our little evenway foever the match might be ing club, by never giving an anregulated to TERMINATE." To fwer that has not a bet at the tail this villainous propofal, without of it:-if you fay we have good a third perfon prefent I had no news from abroad, he will lay a alternative but to make an inftan- bottle it is bad. If you hint it is taneous departure with a strict bad, he offers a bottle it is good. affurance that "I was very much In this way he goes about the room obliged to the family, for the ho- for hours together, chinking his nor of their GOOD OPINION, but arguments in his pocket, and reit was a MATCH I never yet had, ferring every queftion of polinor fhould I ever condefcend to tics, law, or trade, to the unan-. FLAY. The effect will be much fwerable decifion of two and fix. better conceived than defcribed, pence. No man can open his and as it may be naturally con- mouth without risking a bottle cluded for a year or two, these with this wager hunter. If you celebrated worthies honored me with even drink his health, he'll lay an obedience of fearful recognition, you a bottle he is the healthieft which TIME hardened into the man in the room. If you ftir the mental callofity of CONTEMPT, fire, he bets a bottle you will. which to me affords the happy put it out. Nay, it was but lateretrofpection of "a foregone con- ly, on going away, I bid him. clufion." From a perfect convic-good night, and he offered to lay tion of the utility and increafing reputation of your work, and a ftrenuous defire to counteract the fuccefsful villanies, that are daily practifed by a determined fet of defperate fharpers, under the fpecious but deceptive appearance

"

me a bottle it was morning., Another time when helped him on with his great coat, he would lay me a bottle I could not tell who made it.

There is no contending, you perceive, with fuch a logician as

Pedigree and Performances of Drone.

this; but it is very hard, fir, that | a man cannot risk an opinion for lefs than half a crown. It has been fuggefted, by one of our members, that this two and fixpenny reafoner, this filver tongued orator, is under articles with the landlord, for the more speedy confumption of his port wine, and that he has ten per cent, on every decifion which he pours down our throats. But this probably is fcandal. O! here he comes-and quite in character, for he proposes a bottle, he knows what I have been writing-and fo he may, if you think this worth inferting in your Magazine.

I am, Sir, Your's,

A modern Wager-Monger.

April 12, 1794.

PEDIGREE and PERFORMANCES of DRONE.

D

RONE was bred by Mr. Panton. He was got by Herod, out of Lilly, which was got by Blank, Old Cade Partner, Bloody Buttocks, &c. Lilly was the dam of Jacinth, and own fifter to that famous running horfe Jethro. Drone is full brother to Boxer.

Newmarket fecond Meeting, 1781, Drone (being then 3 years old) beat Mr. Vernon's Bay Bolton, over the B. C. 200gs. In 1782 he won a 5ol. at Stamford. In 1783, in the firft fpring meeting, he won the King's Plate, beating Sir Charles Bunbury's Diomed, Grafshopper, Buc. caneer and Nottingham. The fecond Spring meeting he won the sol, over the D. C. beating feven others. July the 5th at Grantham, he won a Sweepftakes of 250gs beating 5 others: the fame day he won the Gran. VOL. IV. No. XIX.

49

tham ftakes of 50l. The 11th of Auguft he walked over the course at Nottingham, for the King's Plate the next day he won the sol. plate, carrying 1oft. The 25th of Auguft, he walked over York, for the King's Plåte. At Newmarket, Second October

Meeting, he won 140gs B. C. beating 4 others: the fame Meeting he beat Mr. Douglas's Car, B. C. 100gs, and won a fubfcription, 13 fubfcribers, 1784. He was purchafed by the Honourable Charles Wyndham, and in the first Spring Meeting, he received 80gs from Mr. Douglas's Czar. The fecond Spring Meeting he won the Jockey Club Plate, and received 50gs forfeit from Lord Barrington's Anvil. The first October Meeting he beat Lord Barrington's Anvil, B. C. 300gs. He walked over for the 70gs. B. C. The fecond October Meeting he received 170gs. compromife, from Mr. Clarke's Rover. The firft Spring Meeting, 1785, he beat Mr. Wentworth's Columbus, B. C. 300gs. The fecond Spring Meeting he wOIL the Jockey Club Plate; the fame day he won gol. over the D. C. beating 5 others. In the July Meeting he won the 6ogs for all ages, D. I. beating 5 others. In the Craven Meeting. 1786, he was beat by H. R. H. the P. of Wales's Anvil, the 3 last miles of the B. C. for 300gs. The fecond Spring Meeting, le won the Jockey Club Plate, beating Anvil, Latona, and Glancer. 1787, Craven Meeting, he started for a Sweepstakes of 500gs. D. C. but was beat by Mr. Bullock's Rockingham. In the fecond Spring Meeting, he was again beat by Rockingham in running for the

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Hunting Anecdotes of the late King of Spain.

Jockey Club Plate, B. C. In the July Meeting he was beat by Mr. Fox's Baloon, D. 1. for roogs. July the 30th he won at Brighton the Handicap Plate for all ages, beating the Duke of Queensbury's Flirtilla, and two others. Auguft 3, he won the Members Plate of 50l. at Lewes, beating Mr. Te. therington's Marplot, (who the preceding day won the King's Plate of 100gs.) Mr. Belfon's Chance, and Mr. Clark's Rofina. Drone is now a ftallion (the property of Mr. Tatterfal) and is fire of Mr. Vernon's Wafp, Mr. Dodfworth's Arra Kooker, Lord Strahmore's Lively, Mr. Montolieu's Broughton, Mr. Dealtry's Hornet, Mr. Crompton's Drowfey, Lord Fitzwilliam's Warrior, Mr. Stephenfon's Rik, Mr. Panton's Young Countefs, &c. &c. &c.

CHA

upon his fhoulders; but, as he had an eye to his afternoon sport, and was a great economist of his time,, the black breeches were worn to all coats. I believe there were but three days in the whole year that he spent without going out a fhooting, and thofe were noted with the blackest mark in the calendar. Were they to occur often, it was fuppofed his health would have been in danger, and that any accident that was to confine him to the house, would infallibly bring on a fit of illness.

No form, heat, cold, or wet, could keep him at home; and when he heard of a wolf having been feen, diftance he counted for nothing; he would drive over the kingdom- rather than mifs an opportunity of firing at that favourite game.

Befides a most numerous retinue of perfons belonging to the feveral hunting eftablishment, in and about Madrid were hired times a year all the idle fellows to beat the country, and drive the wild boars, deers and hares, into a ring where they paffed before the royal family.

HUNTING ANECDOTES Of CHARLES III. the late KING of SPAIN, who died on the 13th of January, 1789. HARLES III. was a much better looking man than moft of his pictures make him : he had a good natured languifhing eye the lower part of his face, A very large annual fum was by being expofed to all weathers, 'diftributed among the proprietors became of a deep copper-colou.. of land about the capital, and What his hat covered was fair, near the country palaces, by way as he naturally had a good kin: of indemnification for the daIt coft in ftature he was rather fort; mage done to the corn. thickly built about the legs and 70,000l. fterling a year for the thighs, and narrow in the foulenviron's of Madrid, and 30,000l. ders. for thofe of St. Ildefonfo. His drefs feldom varied from a large hat, a plain grey Segovia frock, a buff waistcoat, a fmall dagger, black breeches, and worsted stockings; and his pockets were always tuffed with knives, gloves, and shooting

tackle.

On gala days (fays Mr. Swinburne) a fine fuit was hung

* In his travels, 11, 139.

In

order to be entitled to this reim

burfement, the farmers scattered
juft as much feed corn over their
grounds, as would grow up into
tomething like a crop; but they
the trouble of getting in
did not always give themfelves
the
fcanty harveft, being fufficiently
paid for their labour by the royal
bounty.

THE

THE

FEAST OF WIT:

O B,

SPORTSMAN's HALL.

HE late Duke of Richmond

Thad fome hunters in Suflex. A monkey, who was kept in the fame ftable, was remarkably fond of riding the horfes, fkipping from one to the other, and teazing the poor animals inceffantly. The groom made a complaint to the Duke, who immediately formed a plan to remedy the evil. "If he is fond of riding," replied his Grace, "we'll endeavour to give him enough of it" and accordingly provided a complete jockey drefs for the monkey. The next time the hounds were out, Jackoo, in his uniform, was ftrapped to one of the best hunters. The viewhollow being given, away they went, through thick and thin; the horfe carrying fo light a weight, prefently left all the company behind. Some of the party paffing by a farm-houfe, enquired of a countryman whether he had feen the fox? 66 Ay zure," faid the man, "he is over yon fallow.""" And was there any one up with him ?” "Ay zure !" faid John, "there be a little man in a yellow jacket just gone by, riding as though the Devil be in un-I hope from my heart the young gentleman

gone

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The Feast of Wit; or, Sportsman's Hall.

He was occupied a confiderable time in digefting a law for fixing the price of provifions and lodging, in the feveral inns and taverns in Berlin.

He fixed the wages of lacqueys hired by the day.

He prohibited the importation of apples from France, and of eggs from Saxony; faying, "Don't my hens of Berlin lay eggs too?"

But the most comical of his prohibitions, was that of mousetraps from Brunswick.

than

In short, the articles prohibited were far more numerous thofe that were permitted.

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Lanfdowne, had a turn for hu

mour, which did not forfake him even in the most painful moments of the illness that terminated in his death: he liked a

joke, and even the awful approach of diffolution could not prevent him from cracking one when an occafion occurred. Of this "difpofition, a remarkable inftance happened almoft at the very close of his life. He laboured under a complieation of diforders, one of which was a dropfy. It was thought by fome of his medical attendants that he ought to be tapped; this was made the fubject of a confultation, to which among others, the late John Hunter and Dr. Afhe were called. The latter gentleman is not more remarkable for his profeffional knowledge, than for the great rotundity of his fhape, which affords his legal acquaintance caufe for calling him a corporation fole.

Mr. Fitzmaurice was made acquainted with the refult of the converfation, by John Hunter, who told him, with that honest bluntnefs which was peculiar to him, that the propofed operation would ferve only to give him pain, without affording him any material relief, and that his cafe was then beyond the furgeon or the doctor's aid. The patient, not at all dejected at hearing what might be called his fentence of death, but on the contrary preferving his ufual difpofition to raife a laugh, or join in it, thus replied to Mr. Hunter, with an affected air of gravity.

"My dear Sir, I am very forry that you, who are fo excellent an operator, fhould have had the trouble of coming fo far (to Hampstead) without having

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