quhilkis of the saidis horses that sall happin to cum first over the said scoir at the said calsayheid, the awner yairof sall have the said sadill, stok thairof and covering; and the awner of the secund horse, that sall happin to cum secundlie over the said scoir, sall have the furnisching of the said sadill then presentit: the ryders allwayis of the saidis horses keipand thair wechtis they war weyit of befoir their furthdrawing, and na vther wayis.

The anxiety of the authorities of Paisley, in favor of a pastime so much in contrast with what are now supposed the characteristic pursuits of the citizens of that community, may be perhaps accounted for by the taste and influence of their provost, the Earl of Abercorne. The "act" last quoted is drawn with the skill of a connoisseur, probably from the special dictation of that nobleman, and may have assisted in calling from the legislature a few months afterwards the testimony against turf sports which has been quoted. At all events, the interposition of the law does not appear to have checked the Earl's propensities to this species of gambling; for about the very day in which the statute was passed, he, in open breach of its enactments, became a party to the following indenture :—

THE MAITLAND CLUB.

DECEMBER, M.DCCC.XXXIV.

THE EARL OF GLASGOW,

PRESIDENT.

HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS THE DUKE OF SUSSEX.

ROBERT ADAM, ESQ.

JOHN BAIN, ESQ.

5 ROBERT BELL, ESQ.

SIR DAVID HUNTER BLAIR, BART.

WALTER BUCHANAN, ESQ.

THE MARQUIS OF BUTE.

ALEXANDER CAMPBELL, ESQ.

10 ARCHIBALD CAMPBELL, ESQ. LORD JOHN CAMPBELL.

JOHN DONALD CARRICK, ESQ.

LORD COCKBURN.

JAMES DENNISTON, ESQ.

15 JAMES DOBIE, ESQ.

RICHARD DUNCAN, ESQ.

WILLIAM JAMES DUNCAN, ESQ.

JAMES DUNLOP, ESQ.

JAMES EWING, ESQ. LL. D.

20 KIRKMAN FINLAY, ESQ.

REV. WILLIAM FLEMING, D. D.

WILLIAM MALCOLM FLEMING, ESQ.

JOHN FULLARTON, ESQ.

JOHN B. GRACIE, ESQ.

25 RIGHT HON. THOMAS GRENVILLE.

JAMES HILL, ESQ.

LAURENCE HILL, ESQ.

GEORGE HOUSTOUN, ESQ.

JOHN KERR, ESQ.

30 ROBERT ALEXANDER KIDSTON, ESQ.
GEORGE RITCHIE KINLOCH, ESQ.

JOHN GIBSON LOCKHART, ESQ. LL. B.
ALEXANDER MACDONALD, ESQ.

WILLIAM MACDOWALL, ESQ.

35 THE VERY REV. PRINCIPAL MACFARLAN, D.D. ANDREW MACGEORGE, ESQ.

ALEXANDER MACGRIGOR, ESQ.

DONALD MACINTYRE, ESQ.

JOHN WHITEFOORD MACKENZIE, ESQ.

40 GEORGE MACINTOSH, ESQ.

ALEXANDER MACNEILL, ESQ.

JAMES MAIDMENT, ESQ.

THOMAS MAITLAND, ESQ.

WILLIAM MEIKLEHAM, ESQ.

45 WILLIAM HENRY MILLER, ESQ.

WILLIAM MOTHERWELL, ESQ.

WILLIAM MURE, ESQ.

ALEXANDER OSWALD, ESQ.

JOHN MACMICHAN PAGAN, ESQ. M.D.

50 WILLIAM PATRICK, ESQ.