Biographical Sketch of Pope the Ufurer. 259 For the SPORTING/MAGAZINE. T BIOGRAPHY. POPE the USURER. HE end of last month died in the Fleet Prison, Beujas min Pope, Efq. in the 67th year of his age, after fuffering an im prifonment of eleven years and about three months. Mr. Pope was nearly as remarkable a character as that of old Elwes, of ufurious and penu rious memory. He was origi nally a tanner in Southwark, and dealt fo largely and extenfively in this branch, that his stock in trade was for many years fuppo fed to be worth 60 or 70 thousand pounds. embarked for America, was 2 years in the northern part, and 3 more in South America, travelling as a Spaniard, which he was enabled to do from the extreme facility he had in that language. The climate, profpect, and fome other circumftances of Peru, enchanted him fo much, that he hired a farm, and refided near a year in it. His next tour was to the eaft; he paffed fucceffively thro' all the territories in Africa to the south of the Mediterranean, Egypt, Syria, &c. and all the dominions of the Grand Signior; went twice through Perfia, once through the northern, and once through the fouthern provinces; over India, Indoftan, and part of Siam and Pegu; and made feveral excurfions to the boundaries of China, for several months each time. He afterwards, on his return, ftopped at the Cape of Good Hope, penetrated far into Africa, and on his return to the Cape took the opportunity of a flip that went to Batavia, and from thence viewed most of the islands in the Great Indian Archipelago. Returning to Europe, he landed at Cadiz, and paffed in a ftraightings of our Courts of Law, when line from that place to Mofcow, in his way to Kamfchatka. He was in correfpondence with feveral Cornifh gentlemen, with whom he was at college, fo late as the year 1783, when he was fuppofed to be preparing for Si. beria. A gentleman who faw him at Mofcow in that year, re-in prefented him as healthy, vigor ous, and in all refpects as hearty as other people at 46, though he was then in the 66th year. His friends have not yet ceafed to hope, although 11 years have elapfed, that he may have fettled in fome remote part of the world, from which the difficulty of conveyance prevents their hearing. VOL. IV. No. XXIII. In the latter part of his time in this trade, and when he was well known to be worth a plumb, he took to the lending of money, difcounting, and buying annui ties, mortgages, &c. In this branch of bufinefs, it appears Mr. Pope was not fo fuccessful as in his former trade; for the name of Pope the ufurer every now and then appears in the proceed our fages in the law commonly, differed widely from Mr. Pope in their opinion of his practices in this branch of business The moft remarkable, and the last instance of this fort was, when he was caft in 10,000l. damages for fome ufurious or illegal practices, fome money tranfactions with Sir Alexander Leith. This was generally thought a Smart Sentence, and perhaps the well known, and well fcouted character of the man, contributed not a little towards it. Mr. Pope himfelf thought it fo op« : preffive and unjust, that he never in all his life afterwards left off complaining loudly of it, and a LI .even ways bought by weight, that is, had the heaviest of fix, eight, or ten for his money. even printed a cafe, setting forth the hardship and great lofs he fuffered. At first, Mr. Pope, to be up with his plaintiff, went abroad to France with all his effects and property, where a man in his advanced years, ample fortune, and without any family but his wife, a moft worthy and well refpected woman, might certain-thefe points he was not much at ly have lived very comfortably; but Mr. Pope abroad, was removed from his friends and customers; and his money being idle, which was always confidered by him as a great misfortune, he refolved to come home; and to fhew his refentment (as he faid to all this oppreffion) fubmitted to imprisonment rather than pay the money. This he did moft heroically, and has fuffered the long imprisonment of eleven years and three months. In all this time, near twelve years, he has never had a joint of meat on his table; his greatest luxury was a groat plate from the cook's fhop, and that ferved him for two meals generally; but in a lofs; for his family, though living at a great distance, knowing of his penurious difpofition, fent to him frequently a very comfortable and proper fupply; and on these occafions, he has even been known, fometimes, to give fome leavings to his errand girl, or fome diftreffed object. To do juftice to fo eccentric a character as Mr. Pope, it is proper to ftate, that, while in trade, he had early begun the benevolent practice of giving away, every week, a ftone, and better, of meat among his workmen and poor neighbours; and this prac. tice he never left off, not even when he was every day weighing his candle, or looking after the measure of his fmall beer. In many tranfactions Mr. Pope fuffered many frauds and impoGitions in prifou; as he had not that fcope of customers in his corfined state, and always bent upon making the most of his money, he was more eafily impofed upon; fo that he is fuppofed to have loft by fuch means, more money than would have paid his debt and cofts, large as they In the course of this time, Mr. Pope's affairs wore very different complexions, and at one time he might have got his liberty for a thoufand pounds; but be remained inflexible, and fent them word, That this would be acknowledging the juftness of their debt, which he would die fooner than do, and he kept his word. Mr. Pope, in prifon, had many opportunities of indulging thofe propenfities he had all his life been remarkable for; he looked always at the pint pot of fmall beer before he paid for it, to fee that it was full; a measure that in him was fomewhat excufabie, as the pint lafted him generally two days, water being his common drink; and as to strong beer, it used to be a note of admiration, among his fellow pri. foners, when he drank any with them at their apartments: but as for his fending for any for himfelf of that he never was guilty. ling last year, between His three-farthing candle he al-Bradford, in Yorkshire, and Ken were. To the EDITORS of the SPORTING GENTLEMEN, A FRIEND who was tra dal, Decifions on the Game Laws. 261 received on condition of mutu. ally drinking healths, and our ac cepting a ribbon a-piece. I got upon the top of the coach to look. at them as long as I could. Mar row bones and clevers could not dal, was witnefs to a fcene of mirth and feftivity which took place in one of the delight- | ful villages with which that country abounds, in confequence of the nuptials of two villagers. What induces me more parti-exprefs half the hilarity which cularly to fend it you is, that it will introduce to the notice of your Sporting readers, a race which I much doubt whether they ever before heard of: it is called THE RACE OF KISSES. As my friends defcriptive talents far exceed mine, I fhall give his own words. "Ruftic happiness was afloat; the girls faces were tinged beyond their native bloom, and the maidens' blush enlivened the lilies around them. The mens legs and arms were as bufy as if they had hung on wires. In an inftant half a dozen youths pulled off their fhoes and fockings, when I noticed their legs had been previously girt with partycoloured ribbons. On being started by the bride, they spanked off as hard as they could, amidst the whoops of the young and old. This, I understand, is. a race of kiffes: and he who firft reaches the bride's houfe, is rewarded with a kifs and a ribbon. If they were to have been rewarded by a bag of gold, they could not have looked more ea ger; they took different roads, without heeding the rough ftones they had to encounter; and which we were told, were previoufly agreed upon, in proportion to the known fwiftness of the candidates. We regretted that we could not stay to fee the refult of this hymeneal race; and left them in the midst of their mirth, after a donation which would not. we witneffed : and when the I am lan admirer of your indefatigable zeal for the promotion of sporting knowledge, and fhall therefore deem myfelf bound to collect fuch materials as I think worthy of notice, and become an occafional The KING V. BLUNDELL. PROSECUTION was pre Aferred against Mr. Blundell, for fhooting at, and deftroying game without licence or certifi cate; but is was proved that this man went out with a party for the purpofe of fhooting rabbits. only, but that the dogs started a hare, at which one of the party hot; but at the fame time it was proved, that this Blundell had no gun whatever, nor did any one of the dogs belong to him, wherefore the jury gave their verdict for the defendent. The KING Grove. take from it, but which was only Commiffioners of Stamps against L12 Mr. 362 Female Jockey Club.. Mr. Grove, a butcher, at Hart-author finding nothing further to ley-row, 'for the recovery of two penalties, one of 51, for using a gun and dogs for the purpose of deftroying game, and not being qualified; the other of 201. for not having taken out a certificate. The only witnefs in fupport of the profecution, was Sir H. P. St. John Mildmay, who not being able to prove that the defendant had killed any game, or that he was really in purfut of game, and it being contended that he had a right to ufe his dogs and gun for the purpose of killing rabbits, woodcocks, &c. the jury found a verdict for the defendent, acquitting him of all the penalties, and of every expence. FEMALE JOCKEY CLUB, Its PUBLISHER profecuted for a LIBEL on Lady ELIZABETH LUTTRELL. N TUESDAY, July the 29th, was tried at Guildhall, an action, brought by Lady Elizabeth Luttrell, (fifter to the Duchefs of Cumberland) against D. Eaton, bookfeller, for publishing a libel on her cha racter, in a pamphlet entitled "The Female Jockey Club." Mr. Erskine, as counfel for the crown, prefaced his fpeech with obferving that the whole compofition, of which the attack on the character of Lady Elizabeth Luttrell compofed a part, was the most virulent, the moft abufive, and the moft scandalous, the prefent, or perhaps, any age, had ever produced. It was a fequel to another infamous work by the fame author, which by it only could be excelied, by infamy and fcandal. The "Jockey Club" had ranfacked the male world, and after abufing every thing valuable, the befpatter with his venom, had turned his attention to the fe male part of fociety. The fe male Jockey Club was written for the ovowed purpose of wound> ing the feelings, and hurting the reputation of several of the most virtuous, most amiable, and most refpectable women in the coun try. Among thefe Lady Elixabeth Luttrel! had been selected as worthy of becoming, in a pecu liar degree, an object for the envenomed fhafts of malignant ran cour. But Lady Elizabeth had not alone to complain of himthe greatest and most amiable females in the nation, could not by their virtues be shielded from his virulence. The Queen herfelf, the auguft confort of our moft gracious Sovereign, could not find herself by her rank, or the well-deferved love of the Englif people, fecured from falfhood and mitreprefentation. Mr. Guerney, as counsel for the defendent, addreffed the jury in a fpeech at fome length, and endeavoured to draw a diftinction between the defendant, who was the publisher only, and a Mr. Charles Pigott, who, he faid, was the author. As the indictment, however, charges him with publishing it with a malicious intention, he conceived that it was not proved, It was impoffible for a bookfeller to read over every line of each work he published with a lawyer's eye. eye. I that were impofed on them, it would lock up the hus man faculties, and fcience would be fhorn of its brightest beams. Lord Kenyon was clearly of opinion, that this was a grofs li bel; but he defired the jury to orms their own opinion upon he fubje&t. The Of the Race and Antiquity of Hounds. The jury retired, and were out above an hour and an half, and returned their verdict of publishing this book, which is a libel." Lord Kenyon verdi&-Guilty Guilty Take the Gentlemen of the jury really upon this evi deuce, it would have been a reproach to the administration of juftice, if the verdict in this cafe had not been guilty. No man living, feeling the obligation ef an oath, could poflibly entertain a doubt of it." It is only neceffary to add, that the libel fuggefted that her ladyfhip had lived a wicked and scan dalous life, and had indulged herself in a criminal intercourfe with different men, &c. To the EDITORS of the SPORTING GENTLEMEN, T HE old book from which I 263 of the RACE and ANTIQUITIE of HOUUNDS, and vwho firft brought theme into FRAUNCE I HAVE thought good diligently to looke, (as well in to the works of antiquitie as alfo in thofe of our tyme) from whence the first race of hounds did come into France, and I never found chronicle nor hiftorie that feemeth to 1peake of greater continu ance than one which I faw in Bryttaine, wrytten by one whofe namme war John of Monmouth, an Englishman; the which doth treat, how after the piteous and dreadfull deftruction of Troy, neus arrived in Italie with his fonne Afcanius, (which was afterwards king of the Latines) and begatte a fonne named Silvius, of whome Brutus defcended, which loved hunting exceedingly. Now it came to paffe, that Sylvius and Brutus beyng, one day in a forest, hunting a harte, they were over taken with night, and feeing the harte país before them, almofte pente by the hounds, they went towards him, to kill him, but fortune was fuche to Brutus, (as God woulde) that whilefte he meante to kill the barte by glaun have copied the under defCription of the various kinds of hounds, fell into my hands fome time back, It is entitled "The Noble Art of Venerie, or Hunting" printed in the year 1550. I have not attempted to modernize the language, thinking, if it is deem-cing of his arrowe, he killed his ed worthy of infertion in your entertaining performance, the original will be most approved of. One matter only, I beg further to mention, and that is, it will, in my opinion, clear up many doubts that have arifen refpecting the origin, and who firft brought hounds into England. I am, Gentlemen, Dublin, 1. C. A. B. We rather think this is the work mentioned by our correspondent OBER. WATOR, fee page 206 of our laft. father Silvius, which thing cau fed the people to be moved and to mutine against him, thinkin that he had done it of malice and defire, to revgne, and to have the fuch forte, that to avoyde their governmente of the realme. In great furie and indignation, Bru tus was confirained to go out of the countries, and undertook a voyage to Greece, to delyver cer tayne Trojans, his companions and allyes, whiche were vet there detayned in captivitye fince the deftruction of Troye; which voyage he accomplished by force of armes; and when he had deli |