ftill continues fo to do. Mr. Aldridge, the next in eminence, together with all the other auc tioneers and dealers in hotfes, do the fame, by which thofe papers have very great advantage, in different parts of the kingdom, amongft fportimen, jockeys, and of the Treasury, had before ob- as coun Mr. Tatterfall had lately fmarted by the payment of 400ol. to Lady Elizabeth, he declined trying the queftion, and gave Mr. Goldfmidtz 40l. to defift from any profecution. He was not yet tired of his favourite Morning Poft, although he was daily expofed to very great dangers, from his libellous writers; but in order to screen himself in future, he withdrew his name from the ftamp-office, as proprietor; and, after having made a fhare conveyance of the property to one Davies, who was then his clerk, he procured his name to be fabftituted for his own: he alfo engaged an eminent countel, to in. Ipect all the paragraphs that were of a perfonal nature, and to reject all thofe that were improper. He aftewards fold both the papers to this gentleman, who was foon glad to get rid of them, at confiderable lofs. He, however, advertised in them, and in them only, until his death, and his fon It is now neceffary to trace him back a little, and to view his fitu ation in the Ifle of Ely. We have already obferved, that the profits of a ftallion, arifing from the covers of other perfons' mares, is fmall, when compared with that which accrues from the fale of colts and fillies bred by the proprietor of the horfe. Mr. Tatterfall was aware of this, and continued to increafe his ftud of mares as much as poffible. He long fought for a fituation in the neighbourhood of Newmarket, until at length a fuitable place' offered, called NEW BARNS, which adjoins the town of Ely, and is diftant thirteen miles west of Newmarket. It is one of the completeft farms in England. It confifts of near fix hundred acres of excellent grafs land, within a ring fence, and is furrounded by a road. It has a fpring in every clofe; and there are, upon it, two very good houfes: the one, a manfion, now in the occupation of his fon; and the other, occupied by his tenant, to whom he has let the farm on leafe, for 1200l. per annum. It is held by a leafe of three lives of the Bishop of Ely, renewable at his pleasure. At the time we refer to, it was the property of Mr. Potter, who in the year 1782, was for a short time one of the reprefentatives in parliament for Colchester. had then very confiderable contracts under government, and became for a while fo extensive a baker, that his bread was fold in every He Portraiture of Escape.-Canine Epiftle. every street in the metropolis: he at length became a bankrupt, and removed to Sieve, in the neighbourhood of Paris, where he carries on, or did fometime back carry on, the manufactory of China, fo well known, and fo much celebrated for its beauty all over Europe: he is one of the lives mentioned in Mr. Tatterfall's leafe, and, what is remarkable, the other life is that of a gentleman who at the commencement of the French Revolution, was obliged to betake himself from Paris to Italy, in the greatest danger; the third, when laft heard of, was in the North of Ireland. It would be very difficult to afcertain the existence of either of them; but, as it would be equally difficult to afcertain their death, a fporting queftion may be started by the lawyers, between the Bishop and Mr. Edmund Tatterfall, that can be of no fervice to any but the gentlemen of the long robe. 61 For the SPORTING MAGAZINE. A CANINE EPISTLE. Being a Letter from Farmer TRUEMAN's Dog ToWZER, to Squire SURESHOT's Dog PONTO, in relation to the Alt faid to be preparing, to lay a Tax on that useful Animal. I DEAR PONTO, WENT home with Phillis, the parfon's fpeckled bitch, laft Tuefday,and, to my great aftonishment I heard the doctor declare, that Mr. Pitt has actually a scheme on foot to tax us poor dogs, the confequence of which will be, that three parts in four of our fpecies will be knocked on the head. I profefs I am not in any dread for myself, nor for you, my dear, Ponto, for our usefulness will preferve us, fince man, (though by far the moft ungrate ful of all other animals) feldom choose to deftroy what is of real benefit. I am not, therefore, alarmed out of any selfish views; no, it is a noble spirit of patriotifm that inflames me, and though I fay it, there is not a dog in the nation that will fight more defperately, or bark louder in a. good caufe, than your old friend Towzer. Let your fneaking puppies follow low mercenary views; let them wag their tails at every fcoundrel, and nuzzle in dunghills for half a bone, I am British mastiff, and fcorn fuch I will venture to paltry actions. fay that almighty love itself cannot make me do a little thing, and though I like a pretty bitch as well as another dog, yet it is not in the power of the most bewitching of that fex, either by day to make me kill a neigh bour's fheep, or by night to de. fert my poft, and leave my maf. a ter's 62 Apprehenfion of Dick England. ter's houfe unguarded. "But why all thefe profeflions of honefty to me, my Ponto will fay, who have had long experience of Towzer's worth and integrity ?" True, but at this conjuncture it is highly requifite that thou fhould think the beft of me, fince I am about to engage thee in an affair, the feriousness and importance of which cannot be too ftrictly attended, and the greater opinion thou naft of the propofer, with the more alacrity wilt thon enter upon the affair. has ever been reckoned, without controverfy, the most ancient, and moft numerous of and in the kingdom; if, therefore, they were taxed, at the eafy rate of one fhilling per head, they would bring in to the government, annually, at leaft four hundred thousand pounds, fterling. II. The lazy dogs, are thofe expletives of nature, which feem only formed to devour her works, and prevent her being burthenfome to herfelf, with her own exuberancy, and would, at fixpence per head, produce the fame fum at leaft. III. and lastly, the puppies, that is to fay, the numerous tribe of fops, coxcombs, whitiings, pedants, poetafters, &c. with many more of that ftrain, would, at fixpence a puppy, bring, on an average, the fame fum. So there will be one million two hundred pounds, fterling, redound from a foil which has hitherto brought the weeds of corruption, and the dearth of barrenness. One must be a ftupid dog, indeed, not to know that notwithtanding our innumerable taxes, the miniftry want money d--nably. Therefore this a&t will certainly take place, unlefs we can fart fome other fcheme from which more cole may be expected, Such a fcbeme I have in my head, but I am fenfible it is not to be brought to bear without your affiftance. Thy intimacy with Mifs Bid-forth nothing, but has buried in dy's lap-dog, will forward thee. in the way I fhall chalk out to thee. Thou must engage Shock to communicate my propofals to his fair miftrefs, and at the fame time back them with his intereft, and if the ftands our friend, we have nothing to fear; for Sir Na-THURSDAY Oct. 12, this than Nimbletongue, the member for the county, is her flave, and fhe has a pair of eyes that would dazzle a Roman Senate into blindness to the common caufe, and corrupt the integrity of a Cato. I have inclofed a copy of the fcheme, and reft ever thine moft affectionately, TOWZER. Towzer's fcheme for a Poll Tax on that part of the human fpecies, who are diftinguished by the appellation of Sad Dogs, Lazy Dogs, and Puppies. 1. The family of the fad dogs, APPREHENSION of DICK ENG LAND. well-known character, who has been fome months in this country fince his efcape from France, was taken into cuftody at an Hotel in Leicester-fields, by virtue of a warrant from Lord Kenyon, in which he ftands charged of having been guilty of the wilful murder of Mr. William Rolle, of Kingston, Surry, in the year 1754. For a minute detail of the cir cumflances attending this affair, we refer our readers to Vol. II. P. 97. and fall only obferve that it took place in a duel, im mediately |