The Express.
London, England, 1860-03-26 00:00:00

DRAYS OH JOHN DAY.

The above event, which took plsee oar Wednes-
day last, is thus noticed by " Argus " of the Poet :
"John Day, the Lyndhurst of the Turf, expired coWed-
nseday, after having been in • declining state for many
months. John Day was the aie of ' Grandfather Day,' as
he was designated, from the number of the family ; and
oath of your leaden as have visited Danebeiry will recollect
his picture over the mentelpieee in the dining-room, wherein
he es taken mounted en an old pony, and enveloped in a
peat coat and shawl. He was • man of strict, but at times
convivial habits ; and, often when he eoeM hardly sit upon
his horse, he would impress up= his son's mind the impen.
our necessity of always doing that which was right, and espe-
cially the virtue of sobriety. la this latter respect =ahem
carried oat his wishes to their tallest extent, for Father
Mathew himself could hardly have desired • more obedient
pupil, as perhaps he never took more than two glasses of
wine in his life at one time. Besought up in his father's
stables, he was initiated into all the mesas of the rare.
horse ; and worked, without repining, as hardas any factory
lad, gaining every day that experience which proved an
useful to him, and laid the foundation of his fame and for-
tune. So useful, indeed, did he become to the old man,
that when he wanted to be married, he offered him
five hundred pounds to break eff the enment.
But love was strung= than gold; he refused to break his
contract with the effect el his affections—the best-woman,
be assured me, that ever lived (although the wife he had
then was • very good one)—and, with only 101. between
earth and sky, and attired in • simple stable jacket, be led
her to the altar. With this additional inducement to bestir
himself he succeeded so fir that in the find year after his
ran** he bad got teeether 3001. This was a great sum
m those days, when jockey. had to ride from sixty or seventy
melee • day with their saddle-bags before them on their
penis', merely for their ' the= ' and 'five,' as they ex.
preaserely termed their fees. Nevertheless, John accom-
plished it, and used to boast with great glee that in the first
race he ever rode in his life, which was on • pony in Wales,
he fell off. His first engagement was to ride light weights
for George the Fourth, at a salary of four guineas per an-
' num and two suits of clothes ; and his lard one was
with Mr. Howard, as private trainer, on very lucra-
tive teems. The first race that brought him into notice
was when he rode against Buckle for the Two Thou-
send and beat him by having the first run of him
at the Bide, I :bete, as he said, directing him, when
he saw Buckle preparing to go with his horse to go first.
From that time he never looked back, and by degrees esta-
blished • reputation of the highest order as • jockey as well
se • trainer. No man worked harder, or brought up his
children better, and his stables were filled with horses.
Lord Palmerston was one of his first supporters, and for
him, lassidse numerous plates, be won the Correwitch with
Mona. For Lord George Beetle= he trained somey:ez
and won on Crucifix all her great races ; but they dim
at last, and his lordship transferred his stud to Rent, vowo
Sig vengeance against the whole of the Day family, tad the(
feud threatened to become one of • Corsican nature,zz.
the following or Gaper year Old John was so prejudiced
against Lord Georges Derby colt of that name that he stood.
war 40,0001. &garnet him ; and Lord George, who had desired
his trainer to give his horse sovereigns if he could only win the
Derby,had him at five to one,resolutely refusing to hedge with
IJohn Day until the last moment, when, at the intercedes=
of some of his friends, he partially let him out. When this
bad been done, John, more deed than alive, smOt his
friendJahn Boot; who, after telling him how fish he
was to bet so, seed him what he had beard Gaper mould
do, to which be replied ' They say he is as good as Melody,
at 1211i.' 'Thee he has no chance whatever,' was the re-
joinder. God be praised ejaeuleted in fervent tense
the old man ; and John Scott left him comparatively happy
4...tir him Gothrestone was better than Knight of the
who lied beat= Melody by a heed the day before.
in the Craven. The result is now matter of history, as
Cothendone was first and Gaper fourth, the oliPmin, as soon
as all danger was over, maintaieing he knew he could not
stay. The neerow escape he had, however, eared him of
taking liberties with people's horses ; and he never again
let his temper get the best of him. As • judge of • yearling
be had no equal, and, although moven is bin trials, if his
animals stood they invariably was, ar were there or there-
Omuta. He betted largely, and said he could not
do without it with so large • family, to whom be set an
exhilent example by the propriety of his life and the In-
dustry of his habits. Few men were more regular in their
at church ; and while he was never known to
we • strew= expletive than ' beggar my limbs,' he took
the utmost care to prevent the boys in his stable from using
bad language. From his dress he was frequently taken for
• clergyman, and his manner of addreming • nobleman on
the turf after he had won • race proved him to be a
thorough man of the world. With all the upper clean= he
was an immense favourite, Lord Derby being just as partial
to blur as Lord Pawnees ; and when hi charities and
other good qualities are added up, they will far outweigh
any foibles he might. have had; and those who judge him
harshly I hope ma have as much to fall back upon as
Honest John, to w this hurried tribute is paid by one
who appreciated his talent, and was always rally to do him
the justice he deserved."

PROPOSAL, POR &WORM OP TEE POOR-LAW
BOARD. —The board el semolina of the Prestwich Union,
which includes apart of Manchester, recently appointed a
committee to consider the present powers of the Poor-law
Board, and to make suggestions for an improvement of its
11.1131thia4llii011. The committee drew up • report, which
has been unanimously adopted by the guardians, in the
course of which they remark that the Poor-law Board "is
now becoming a despotism in the worst form, and each as
can no longer be tolerated iu • free country." la accord-
ance with suggestions made in the report the guardians have
petitioned the House of Commons, setting forth their opinion
that tha Preeident of the Poor-law Board should be perms-
nisity appointed; that the power of appointiand discharging
a edam and servants, and firing their mlaries, should be
anciently vested in the suntans or overseers ; that the
office of poor-law impactor may be abolished as UZLINCES-
wry ; and justices of the pesos be authorised to inspect the
workhouses sad schools, though not to act as CZ offeio
guardians ; also that appeals mann surcharge or tlnaMw-
anew should be transferred to the county court or quarter-
seedone, and that orders from tke Poor-law Board should
first be submitted to boards of suartlians, a majority of
which should have • veto. The petition further claims a
more diacretionary power for the guardians as to the kind
and conditions d read, and recommends that the guardians
themselves be sleeted far sot Ins than three years, in a
similar manner to town councillors, inasmuch as the annual
election does not allow sufficient time for practical acquaint-
ms with the duties. dome minor prepositions are also
em-
`bodied ia the petition.