Pedestrianism

120 CAPT. BARCLAY'S PERFORMANCES. were finally settled atTattersal's, when, after a good dealof discussion, it was the opinion of a considerable majority, that the bets ought not to bepaid, as itwas then well known, that liquid laudanum had been administered to Wood by someof his pretended friends,after he had gonetwenty-two miles. The regular frequenters of Newmarket, however, main­ tained, that the bets ought to be paid, al­ though they were of opinion the race was thrown over , or, at any time a manmay get off from his wagers.-—Capt. Barclay's bets, which were considerable, were paid. This match,on the part of Wood and his friends, was entirely hopeless ; forno man in the world could, with the least prospect of success, allow Capt. Barclay twenty miles on a walk to be decided in twenty-four hours. He had previously walked, without the ad­ vantage of training, seventy-eight miles in fourteen hours , and what is still more asto­ nishing, hadperformed sixty-four miles in ten hours .If no accident, therefore, had occurred, it is highly probable, he would have accom-