pittance he thought himself one of the happiest men in the world.

Not content with losing their money by the usual and unfailing channels of the turf and the gaming table, sporting men were fond of queer wagers in old days, some of which, made more in the spirit of true sport than from greed of gain, deserve not to be forgotten.

In the month of August, 1813, Lord Charles Kerr made a match with J. Cock, Esq., jun., to play a game of cricket, his lordship backing his servant, James Bridger, and his dog Drake, against Mr. Cock, with Wm. Wetherell. The match, which was for fifty guineas a side, was played at Holt Pound Cricketing Ground, near Farnham, Surrey, on Monday the 16th of August, 1813. The post assigned to Drake was that of catching the ball, the only way, indeed, in which he could be serviceable; but as he always caught it at the first bound, he was, perhaps, a more expert and efficient partner than many bipeds.

The following was the result of the game:

Mr. Cock then gave up the match, and paid the wager. The way in which Drake ran Wetherell out was this: Wetherell hit the ball smartly for a run,

but Drake ran after the ball so much faster than the former expected, stopped it so well, and delivered it so quick to his partner Bridger, that Wetherell was thrown out without getting a run.

At the commencement of the nineteenth century shooting matches between sportsmen came into great vogue. In October, 1819, for instance, a contest of this sort took place at Puckeridge, Herts, between a Mr. Bretts and Mr. Stebbing, of Heston, who had challenged any man in England at a day's partridge shooting. The two competitors began their operations at daybreak, each of them having with him a friend of his rival, a boy, and a pony.

Mr. Bretts won the toss for the choice of direction, both being strangers to the country, and he shot on the south-west side of the London road, towards Wadesmill, and brought to bag sixteen and a half brace of birds in twenty-five shots. Mr. Stebbing took a direction north-west, bordering on the Stanley enclosures, then doubling in a direction towards Cambridge, and killed eighteen brace of birds in thirty-one shots. They shot till dark, and tired two brace of dogs each.

A few days later a similar match took place between Captain Thornhill, one of the best shots in Hampshire, and Strong, the keeper to J. A. Thorn, Esq., of Melbourn Manor, Oxon, who should bag the greatest number of pheasants and partridges by four o'clock in the afternoon. They began two miles from Watford, Herts, the Captain taking his course toward Wycomb, and Strong a course between Barnet and

St. Albans. It was a challenge of the Captain's against all England, taken up by Mr. Thorn producing a man. The keeper bagged nine hares, seven pheasants, and eleven partridges; and Captain Thornhill killed sixteen partridges, five pheasants, and six hares, making a tie. Each competitor had a pony and a brace of dogs. A renewal of the match between the same parties took place on Thursday, October 21st, the bet being doubled between Mr. Thorn, for his keeper, and the Captain. The spot selected to start from in this match was within four miles of Maidenhead Thicket, on the road to Oxford, and each had his pony and his adversary's friend as an umpire. Captain Thornhill bent his course towards Hare-hatch, on the Reading road, and had good "pheasant sport," and from thence went on to Hurst Manor, a distance of about twentysix miles. He had thirty-two shots, and bagged eleven pheasants, fourteen partridges, and five hares. Strong directed his course towards Henley Mills, close to General Conway's Park, and from thence he crossed the Thames to the Oxfordshire hills, and closed his day's labour there. He bagged nine hares, seventeen partridges, and three pheasants in twentyeight shots, and lost the match by one only. There were some heavy even-money bets on the result.

Another shooting match took place on September 1st, 1825, at Hatfield, the Marquis of Salisbury having betted Sir John Sebright he would name four gentlemen who should kill one hundred brace of birds in one day, only one gun in use at a time. Sir C. Cuyler, the Hon. M. De Roos, Mr. Delmé Ratcliffe, and

Samuel Whitbread, M.P., were named as the men. Sir C. Cuyler took the field at six o'clock, and on the Marquis' farm killed twenty-four brace in one hour and a quarter. Mr. Whitbread followed in the Home Park, and in an hour and a half killed eleven brace and a half. Sir C. Cuyler then shot on Pope's Manor for one hour and twenty minutes, and killed twenty-seven brace and a half. Mr. Whitbread reentered the Park, and in one hour and a half killed fourteen brace. Mr. Ratcliffe shot upon Pope's Manor for twenty minutes, and killed eight brace. M. De Roos, in the Park, one hour, killing sixteen brace. Mr. Delmé Ratcliffe afterwards killed in twenty-five minutes ten brace more, when he was informed the match was already won, sufficient being killed. It should be observed that no parts of the Park were beat where the birds might be supposed to be tame. The Marquis of Salisbury, Colonel Robarts, and others witnessed the whole of the sport.

The account of this sporting day concludes with the remark that Sir John Sebright discharged the bet with great promptness and good-humour.

At the beginning of the nineteenth century, after Captain Barclay had won his bet of walking a thousand miles in a thousand successive hours, eccentric wagers were all the fashion. Not the least curious was the one which was proposed by an old woman, a nurse in one of the City hospitals, who offered, for the bet of a pound of Scott's snuff, to keep awake with any one for a twelvemonth to come, without winking or blinking.

Eighty or ninety years ago pigeon-shooting was a very popular amusement, whilst not, as now, supposed to be a cruel form of sport-if sport is a permissible word in connection with pigeons shot from traps.

Perhaps this was because it was not unusual for a number of the birds to escape unscathed. What might be termed a perfectly humane pigeon match took place on the Bowling Green, Guildford, in January, 1822.

On the occasion in question, four local sportsmen of considerable repute as shots met to shoot at two birds each from a trap, sixteen yards distance, for a good jollification for themselves and a dozen of friends, to be provided at the expense of the two who killed the fewest birds. Extraordinary as it may appear, every bird escaped untouched but the last, which, by accident, was pinioned, and fell out of bounds. The competitors, apparently quite delighted, retired to the Bowling Green Inn and partook of an excellent dinner. After "Success to the Trigger and a number of other appropriate toasts had circulated very freely, they again sallied forth to wage war with the poor pigeons, by way of shooting off their ties, and determining the match; but whether the rosy god had played them an ugly trick, and caused them to see double, or some wicked wight had bent their gun barrels, sure enough the pigeons again escaped, and stole home to the dove-cot from whence they were that morning conveyed, with no other injury than a single fright.

In the early part of the nineteenth century the Old