LITERATURE.

Globe, Volume I, Issue 31, 6 July 1874, Page 4

LITERATURE.

THE LATE CAPTAIN BARCLAY-ALLA.R-DICE AND ONE THOUSAND MILES IN ONE THOUSAND HOURS. Continued. He ran bis first G 7 miles in 13 hours, arid then became unwell, owing to unfortunately taking some bad brandy ; and thinking "his chance hopeless, gave up the match. Two hours afterwards he was all right, and could have easily run the other 23 miles in the remaining 6 \ hours had he not previously given up and the umpires accordingly left. So here was the nice little sum of £5250. exclusive of expenses, dropped to one gentleman within six months ! After coming of age on August 25th, 1801, and succeeding to the family estates, he was determined to 'do or die' about the 90 miles in 21 \ hours match. So confident was he this time that he gave way to Mr Fletcher in allowing him to choose November, a month of equinoctial gales and fogs ; and, as Captain Allardice wanted to get his money back, the stakes were increased to 5000 guineas a-side, the backer of time naturally feeling equally confident after two successive failures No stone was left unturned by the Captain, and, early in September, he placed himself in entirely new hands ; Mr Smith, a knowing old farmer on Lord Faulconberg's estate at Oulston, near Easingwold, being chosen as trainer. So well did matters now progress now progress, that in a " dark " trial in Lord Faulconberg's park, at the end ot October, the Captain ran 110 miles in 19h 27m, 'ov at the rate of 5 miles 5 furlongs and 53 yards per hour. This was considered good enough for anything, so every available bet was immediately snapped up, and the agreed on eight days' notice to start was given by Mr Ffetcher. A mile was carefully measured bythe umpires 16 miles from York, on the high road to Hull, and a post set up at each end for the pedestrian to turn round. As Mr Fletcher fixed his own time of year, the Captain had choice of ground, and wisely fixed on a mile of gentle slopes to relieve his muscles. Lamps were placed on both sides of the course to give light during the dark hours. Precisely at midnight, 9-10th November, 1801, six stop-watches were compared, set, and sealed up in a box at the winning end of the course, and he at once started on his journey. His first two miles occupied 25m 10 sec, and he continued at about the same rate for 16 miles, when a halt of some ten minutes was made in a house adjoining the course for refreshment and change of clothing. His dress was flannel shirts, trousers, and nightcaps, lambswool stockings and thick-soled leather shoes : diet, broiled fowls and mutton steaks, with old ale as drink. After 15 miles more a similar halt for like purposes was made at 7 a.m., and he appeared dull from the damp night air. After sunrise, however, the weather became fair and fine for the rest of the match, and the betting was 2 to 1 and 7 to 4 in his favor. His average rate was now 12min 40sec per mile, and he went 26 miles more before a third halt became necessary. Ejfty miles were covered in 11 hours, the betting then being 5 to 1 on him, and rising to 7 to 1 when 60 miles had been achieved, and he came up as fresh as paint after his fourth rest. During the next 10 miles his average rate was 12rain 45sec per mile, and at 70 miles the fifth adjournment to his place of rest took place. After changing he went 8 miles more, when the betting rose to 10 to 1 on him, The seventh and last halt was made at the end of the 84th mile (15 to 1 offered on him) and he gallantly completed the 90 miles at 8:22:4 p.m.. on Nov 10th, 1801, in 20h 22miu 4seo, thus having lh 7iniu 56scc to spare. Thus by sheer pluck and perseverance, did Captain Allardice win back his previous losings to Mr Fletcher. In fact, he finished so strong and well that he could probably have gone 20 or 30 miles further. His trainer's son went the last 30 miles with him ; thousands of people accompanied him on foot and horseback, and all traffic on the road willingly made way for him.

In the year 1803 he entered the 23d Eoyal Welsh Fusiliers, but all our researches in old Army List have failed to fix the exact dates of his various commissions, since it is doubtful whether he did not afterwards exchange into another regiment, and during the continental wars of those days there were so many Barclays in our military service. After his above-mentioned big match he found no foeman worthy of his steel for nearly two years, till, in June, 1803, he ran a mile and a half match with Burke, the wellknswn pugilist, whom he beat easily. We have been unable to ascertain the amount of the stakes or the time ; but the latter was probably the then fastest on record for that distance. After running from London to Newmarket (about 64 miles) in 10 hours, in July, he did nothing else till the last month of the same year (1803). He had given undeniable proof of his staying powers, but few thought he possessed speed. He however, fancied otherwise, and made a quarter mile match with J. Ward Esq., then one of the most noted amateur sprinters of the day. It came off in Hyde Park, London, Mr Fletcher Eeid and the Hon B. Craven being the umpires. The betting was 2 to 1 on Mr Ward, who kept in front for yards, when Captain Allardice drew level, and thus they ran until 40 yards from home, when Mr Ward was clean run out, and the Captain won by 10 yards in fifty-six seconds, then the fastest time on record. Thus did the Captain prove he was quite as good a sprinter as distance runner. In March, 1804, he matched himself for 200 gs, to run 23 miles in three hours, to start in Hertfordshire and finish at the Royal Exchange, but he became unwell, and had to forfeit what would have been a certainty bar accidents. So wide-spread had his fame as a stayer now become that it was useless his trying to get a long-journey match on, so he confined himself to sprinting and mile running. On 16th August, 1804, when quartered with his regiment at East Bourn, in Suffolk, he ran two miles in llmin 57sec, the first mile occupying five minutes, and he backing himself to do the distance in 12 minutes. The slowness of his time is accounted for by heavy rains having made the " going " bad, and a high wind being against him. No one has hitherto tried his powers at a mile, so Captain Marston, of the 48th Regiment (considered the best amateur miler of the day), challenged him, and a match was accordingly made, for 100 guineas a-side, which came off at East Bourn on September 18th 1804. Mr Fletcher Reid was chosen referee, and a deal of money depended on the result. Captain Allardice waited on his man for the first part of the distance, then came away, and won as he liked, in srain 7sec, on a very hot day. John Ireland, of Manchester, probably the best juniper that ever

lived, and no mean professional niiler, was now sent fur to lower the Captain's colors. The stake was fiOOgs a-side, the date, 12th October, 1801, and the venue again at East Bonrn. Ireland, however, fared no better than his predecessor, and was run to a standstill by the severity of the pace at threequarters of a mile. Captain Allardice ran the full distance in 4min 50scc, then the fastest one mile time on record, and remaining so for 21 years, till J, Metcalf accomplished 4min 30sec. Had the Captain been pressed he would probably have knocked off another 10 seconds. On 19th June, 1805, he was to have run a match on Epsom Racecourse with one Captain Cook for some heavy bets ; but the latter officer not turning up, Captain Allardice walked over and received forfeit. As an instance of the shortcomings of Mr Thorn's book the distance is not mentioned. The 23rd rfusiliers now going abroad with Lord Cathcart's army for the protection of Hanover, Captain Allardice had no more leisure for pedestrianism till he returned, when on 4th August. 1806, he ran Mr Goulbourne, of the Royal Horse Guards, a quarter-mile at Lords' cricket ground. The • betting at starting was 6 to 4 on Mr Goulbourne, who, however, was " nowhere " at the end of 300 yards, the Captain finishing alone in 62 seconds. In the last month of the year he ran 100 miles, from Ury to Crathynaird and back, over bad roads, and at the break of a heavy storm, in 19 hours, being accompanied by his servant, William Cross, who was also a first-rate pedestrian, and three years after ran 100 miles in 19hrs. 17min. on the Stonehaven and Aberdeen road, At Brighton Races in 1807 Captain Allardice's second (the first being the 90 miles in 21 i hours) great public match was made. It was with Abraham Wood, the celebrated Lancashire professional, as to which of the two could run the greatest distance in 24 hours, the Captain to receive 20 miles at the finish, for 500 guineas a-side. Never did Wood's backers assign him a more hopeless task. No man then, or probably ever, living could have given Captain Allardice such a start in a 24 hours' run. As was proved by his 90 miles match, he could have run six miles an hour, or a little over, for the 24 hours, which would make a total of some 150 miles, so Wood must have accomplished from 170 to 175 miles in the time, a feat quite beyond his power. The Captain trained at East Dean, near Brighton, under Gully and Ward, the pugilists. Wood had run 40 miles in 4h 57min in one trial, and 50 miles in 7h on a bad day, and was backed freely in certain quarters. There was an immense assemblage at Newmarket on the chosen day, viz, October 12th, 1807, a measured mile being roped and staked on the London road going towards the Ditch. They started at 8 a.m, the Captain going a steady six miles an hour for six hours, thug making 36 miles during that time, and stopping at half-way to refresh. Wood ran four miles in 29min, eight miles in lh, 15 miles in 2hrs, 20 miles in lh 41min, 22 miles in 3hrs (thus having rubbed off four miles of his start), and 24 miles in 3h 16min, when he stopped five minutes to refresh. After 32 miles he had to be well rubbed down, and now foolishly discarded his shoes, but got his feet so cut that he had to resume them after another four miles. Forty miles were run in 6h 20min, when he resigned, having thus gained four miles only on the Captain, and that all in the first three hours. It afterwards came out that Wood had been drugged with laudanum by his own backers after the first 22 miles, and that they had been betting against him all along, No suspicion attached to Captain Allardice that he or his friends in any way lent themselves to or were aware of such proceedings, but he always afterwards regretted that he had not insisted on some bond fide gentleman making the match for Wood. A Spitalfields publican was his chief backer, and loud were the threats, that he ought to to be indicted for conspiracy. Wood lost £l5O of his own money, and was probably made a dupe of. No end of disputes occurred about the payment of bets, the committee of Tattersall's declaring they ought not to be paid, whilst Sir Charles Bunbury, the regular habitues of iNewmarket, and the editor of the " Sporting Magazine " said they should be paid. In the end, however, all Captain Allardicc's bets, amounting to very large sum, were handed over to him. In December, 1808, he won a 19-mile match against the Duke of Gordon's celebrated runner (name carelessly omitted in Mr Thorn's work), from Gordon Castle to Huntly Lodge. Captain Allardice ran the first nine miles in 50miD, and the whole 19 miles in 2h Bmin, over a hilly road, his opponent being five miles to the bad at the gaol. Captain Allardice's next performance, viz, his world-renowned thousand miles match we reserve for our next issue. (To be continued.)

A brave little boy in Ohio found a broken rail on the railway line, and perceiving the peril in which the train would be placed if it should come dashing past without warning, sat out on the fence for five long liours in the bitter winter cold, in order that he might carry the first news of the accident to his father, who is local editor of a paper published in the neighboring village. The Venus of Milo discussion has again (says " Graphic") cropped up in Parisian art'circles. Archaeologists have long declared the famous Venus to be portion of a group, and it is now asserted that the Mars of the Palace Borghese is the companion figure. Accordingly a cast has been taken of each figure, and the pair joined on one pedestal are now in the Louvre. A committee is to be appointed to decide the question. " It is worth noticing," remarks the "AthcnKjum," "that according to a report made to the Lyons Society of Industrial Sciences, the broom (Sarothavmvs seoparluiri) which grows so abundantly in many parts of this country, and which has been long known to yield a yellow dye and a fibre which has been used as thread, may, by a little care, be made to produce a fibre quite equal to hemp in strength and fineness."