, 1880-12-26
WONDERFUL WAGERS.
A Fashionable Amusement in the
Times Of Charles james Fox-Soluo
Of the Curious Bets That Were Made
on YnrIouR Curioua Slihfecfk.

Of the Curious Bets That Were Made
on Various Curious Subjects.
From 1restlpan's History Of Foz.
There exists at Brooks Club a curious me-
mortal Of the society in which Fox lived and
Of the constant and minute attention which
that society bestowed upon all his proceed
fngs. As far back as the reign of William
the Third, foreigners had observed that on
matters great and small the only sure test Of
English opinions was the state OF the odds.
Our ancestors were men of their hands,
more ready with sword and purse than with
word and pen,--who regarded duel as the
most authoritative solution of an argument
10 drag through newspapers and law courts
the lengthentng scandal of a dispute which a
single Interview in one of the parks would
settle with credit, II not with satisfaction, to
both parties was not more repugnant to their
idea of what was becoming and convenient
than to spend twenty minutes i'll confutlng q
man who had 50 little faith in his own view that
But by the time George the Third was on
the throne persons OF rank and position were
tired Of being challenged to stake their money
by freQuenters OF public coffee-houses whose
eapssty to Pay vas d9}5bfu and about
ing dissolution and the destination of the next
blue ribbon they did not care farthing.
The first London clubs Of the model to which
that name is now exclusively. applied, were
instituted, among other kindred purposes,
fashion with. central office for making
wagers, and registry for recording them
And SO 1t comes about that the betting books
at Brooks has an interest Of its own which
III the country. The entries in its pages,
most CHARACTERISTIC OF the time and the men,
standing, each in their proper order, between
the covers within which they were originally
written Uniform In their general charac-
ter, but with variety of detail us incxhausti-
bic as the circumstances OF our national
history aud the changes in our national
manners,-form volume which is to an ordi-
nary collection OF autographs what the ''Liber
Veritatis ~ Of Claude is to portfolio OF de-
tached sketches by the great masters. Fifty
guineas that Thurl0w gets teicrship Of the
Excheguer for his son; fifty guineas that
Mile. Helne1 does not dance at the Opera
ol;e nouse next next winter; fifty guineas that 1000
fifty guineas that Lord Leicester gives his
first vote in opposition and hits eight ont OF
his first ten pheasalts; three hundred to fifty
from noblelpan who appreciated the priyi~
shire, Lord Choimondcley, and two given
commoners are married before him; five
g11ineas down, to receive a hundred If the
Duke ot Queensbury dies before half all hour
alter IN the afternoon of the eth Of June,
I13, 2 hundred guineas on the Duke of
Queensbury's life against Lord Palmerston's;
hundred guineas that Lord Derby does not
@n;neos 1e{;gaen a. t7. e.ectol ana numoreu
1namhaTss of tko r,,,h hV ulausuaily qlscteel
ara dnas nj " ,t,.e tno, ~. uat soue one IN tneT
ds1 da1 uoeT ~ ,os e zen years rom te present
and dnTia 1 pettg tba i Mas nosteSI III war tmg'
ana ana aItnng a.!t,l3 tne pe!lod white notorl~
Sas Sa ..d eilninai ~ T., renamed untned Or un-
,,snl nanseu; aot tne ulsclpies OF George Seiwyn
" meae % meoef s!peu 9l calcnla1lnR the chances
~ peopIe % u}!ng elseWhere than N their beds
Inc Inc oia yellow leaves are scored thick with
be,s PEI tha1 % pne OF me PerIeaus would be
1hangeq, tnat neither OF them would be !
na,lseo. ana that Mrs: Kudd would be ad- |
nted ,ted t,;t',;' 70 pn' lnas Dr Dodd would be ex
esu!eM wltnln 1Ia t"o mohths; tnat ne you'd
aantlefPaIe Tue Ealiows by suicide, and that If
!, ne klllea M himself It would be BY pistol and
a not os pGiSqn. 2a. FitzpatIlck, living at higher
game, tal9 hve hundred gu1neas to ten that |
none ! ., or the Caolnet were beheaded by that
= bay .nlse M years; ana another gentleman who
0eeven 0e4 nnil me Meaneholy contlngeney to DO
not only possible out probable, was free,
SPOKEN Sp enough 70 name the Minister, Still !
1oluer tS1ea spirits dld not shrink from placing