Pugilistica: The History of British Boxing, Volume 1 (of 3) / Containing Lives of the Most Celebrated Pugilists; Full Reports of Their Battles from Contemporary Newspapers, With Authentic Portraits, Personal Anecdotes, and Sketches of the Principal Patrons of the Prize Ring, Forming a Complete History of the Ring from Fig and Broughton, 1719-40, to the Last Championship Battle Between King and Heenan, in December 1863

139. See note A., Appendix to Period IV. Captain Barclay, Allardyce of Ury.

140. In “Boxiana,” this house is elegantly metamorphosed into “The Prad and Swimmer,” the original name not being thought sufficiently incongruous.

141. “On the Champion’s quitting his trade of coal-merchant for that of victualler, at the sign of the King’s Arms.

142. This speech was thus poetically paraphrased in a weekly journal, from which we quote a few of the lines:—

“THE CHAMPION’S RETIREMENT.

143. This has since been done, as is shown in our engraving.

144. This fight is omitted from “Fistiana,” and the name of Burrows given as Molineaux’s first opponent.

145. Pierce Egan makes it “Sturton” Island in this and other places.

146. This is the newspaper report. Pierce Egan, in his diffuse life of Richmond, passes it over entirely, until he comes to Richmond’s victory (in August, 1809) over Maddox, when he alludes to it as “turn-up five years previously.”

147. Jack Holmes was for many years a well known public character. In “Fistiana” he is described as beaten by Tom (Paddington) Jones in 1786. This was another Holmes, not “the Coachman.” The latter’s only recorded battles are, that with Tom Tough (Blake), and that with Richmond reported above.

148. “Boxiana” says, in an undated and unplaced line and a half, “Richmond now entered into an unequal contest with Tom Cribb.”

149. This is a blunder in “Boxiana” (if ever the battle did take place), for 1808, and is so corrected in “Fistiana.”

150. See Tom Moore’s Poem, “Tom Cribb’s Memorial to Congress.”

151. “The Fancy,” a selection from the Poetical Remains of the late Peter Corcoran, of Gray’s Inn, Student at Law.—Pseudonymous.

152. The term “navvy” or “navigator,” now applied to the labourers who do the earthworks, embankments, and excavations of our railways, seems anomalous; it, however, was derived from the fact that the early canals, which these men dug, were called “navigations,” not only in common speech, but in legal documents and Acts or Parliament. Those who worked on the “navigation” were called “navigators.” The name has remained, though a viaduct has taken the place of an aqueduct.

153. This is Pierce Egan’s report. Shelton was 5 feet 10 inches; Burn (who is always by him called Burns) 6 feet 1 inch. Johnson was a trifle under 5 feet 9 inches, Perrins 6 feet   inches in his stocking feet. See ante, p. 61.

154. He was a backer of pugilists, and kept the Goat, in Lower Grosvenor Street.

155. This term perhaps may not be generally understood. To “hocus” a man is to put something into his drink of a narcotic quality, that renders him unfit for action. On the morning alluded to, Randall, in company with some “friends,” partook of a bottle of red wine mulled, into which, he asserted, the sleepy potion must have been introduced by some scoundrel of the company.

156. He vanquished the great black, Molineaux, and a wonderful old man, Richmond, who was a fighter at the age of nearly 60.

157. See “Boxiana,” vol. ii., 135.

158. This may serve to settle a disputed point as to the colour of “the Belcher,” which has been wrongly said, in a reply to a correspondent in a leading sporting journal, to have been “a blue bird’s-eye.” Principal and seconds were here Bristol men.

159. Death’s Doings.

160. Another of the too-late battles. Martin closed his real ring career, in 1824, by a drawn battle with Jem Burn.

161. Mr. John Jackson.

162. Now the Victoria, in the Waterloo Road.

163. Poet Laureate to the Fancy.—Ed.

164. See Note A, p. 258.

165. Egan says, “Pentikin, a Scotch baker.” Certainly Scotchmen have almost a monopoly of London baking, but the reporter of the day makes Pentikin a Cornish man.

166. This is set down in “Fistiana” as a victory to Nosworthy.

167. Since the above lines were penned, Alfred Henry Holt, after several years’ service on the Morning Advertiser, Bell’s Life in London, and latterly on the Sportsman, has fallen in the struggle of an exciting and laborious profession, at the early age of thirty-nine years. He died of heart disease somewhat suddenly on the 20th of November, 1865, and lies buried in Nunhead Cemetery, leaving a widow and a son (Henry), who follows the profession of his father and grandfather, and now holds the trustworthy position of Secretary and Scorer to the International Gun Clubs of Brighton, London, and Mentone, or Nice.

168. Tom Reynolds, born at Middleton, county Armagh, Ireland, 1792, was brought up in Covent Garden Market, where, in after years, he was a potato merchant. “Boxiana,” vol. ii., pp. 429-441; vol. iii., pp. 458-462, gives the usual number of victories to the youthful “Tight Irish Boy,” over “big” unknown men, and a turn-up in the Fleet Prison with George Head, (in which Reynolds was defeated in nine minutes, says “Fistiana,” while Pierce Egan says he was victorious). Tom’s greatest exploit, however, was his conquest of Aby Belasco in one hour and twenty minutes, at Moulsey, July 23, 1817. It was a game battle on both sides. His next battle was with Church, in September of the same year, at the same place, which he also won in half an hour. His subsequent affairs were a draw with Johnson (the broom-dasher), at Canterbury, November 11, 1817; beat J. Dunn, fifty-four minutes, twelve rounds, Kildare, July 4, 1820; beat Simmonds, seven rounds, Macclesfield, August 21, 1820; fought a draw with Dick Davis, £200 a-side, Manchester, July 18, 1825. Reynolds died in Dublin, May 15, 1832, in his forty-first year.

169. Mr. John Jackson.

170. Dick Curtis, his brother.

171. Afterwards the renowned cavalry officer under the Iron Duke in the Peninsula, and slain at Waterloo.—Ed.