1864: Shows at Chelsea, Islington, Birmingham, and Man-chester 1865: Shows at Islington, Birmingham, and Manchester 1866: Show at Birmingham 1867: Shows at Birmingham and Manchester

On April 18th to 23rd, 1864, was held the Second Show at Ashburnham Hall, Chelsea, with judges as follows: Hon. W. Bruce, Lord Garvach, Hon. C. W. Fitzwilliam, Colonel Onsley, Colonel Scott, Captain Willis, Captain Elliott, Messrs. J. Laing, J. Walker, W. F. Maitland, W. Smith, W. Inchcliffe, G. Seaton, R. Pontet, E. Goater, G. B. Pike, W. Lort, B. B. Williams, and J. Woodhams. There were 933 entries.

Amongst Sporting Dogs there were good entries of Fox-terriers, Greyhounds, and Pointers (large and small); "Champion Classes" were for the first time provided for some breeds.

Amongst Non-Sporting Dogs the best entries were in Bull-dogs, Bull-terriers, Black-and-tans (large and small), "other English" and White English Terriers, and fair entries of Toys of various kinds. "English and Scotch Sheep-dog " were shown together, and "extra" and Large and Small Foreign Dog classes provided.

On May 27th to 31st, 1864, at the Agricultural Hall, Islington, was held the Second International Show, with 1,047 entries; but I have not obtained the names of the judges.

The classes for Harriers (with H.R.H. the then Prince of Wales amongst the winners for the first time, I believe), Greyhounds, Pointers (large and small), Setters, Retrievers, and Spaniels filled well; and there were decent, but not large, entries all through the Non-Sporting Division, amongst which, on this occasion, were classed "Kennel- or Fox-terriers," in which J. Wootton was first and second with Jock and Venom, to Davenport's Tartar, third.

On November 28th to December 1st, 1864, was held at Old Wharf, Broad Street, the Fifth Birmingham Show, with 701 entries, and under the following judges: Fox-hounds and Fox-terriers, Messrs.

C. Tongue and W. Long; for Deer-hounds and Greyhounds, Mr. S. Mallaby; for Pointers, Captain Willis and Mr. J. Sykes; for Setters, Major Irving and Mr. J. Walker; for Retrievers and Spaniels, Major Irving, Mr. J. Sykes, Captain Willis, and Mr. J. Walker; for Other Dogs, Messrs. J. Tailby, J. Monsey, J. Sykes, J. Walker, and Major Irving.

As usual at these shows, the Sporting Division was much the stronger in numbers, best entries being in Fox-hounds, Large and Small Pointers, Setters, Retrievers, and Spaniels. There was a fairly representative entry in Non-Sporting Division, and good lot of Toys were shown.

On December 22nd, 1864, the Fourth Show was held in the Manchester Zoological Gardens with 1,000 entries; but I have not been able to ascertain who acted as judges.

There was a respectable entry all through, the largest being in Large and Small Pointers, Retrievers, Fox-terriers, Scotch and Black-and tan Terriers, and Mastiffs. At this show Mr. Hale's afterwards well-known Dalmatian Crib seems to have made his first appearance.

On June 2nd to 6th, 1865, the Third Great International Show was held in the Agricultural Hall, Islington. There were 1,063 entries.

The judges were as follows: Pointers, Setters, Retrievers, and Spaniels, Messrs. T. Pearce, W. Brailsford, and J. Walker; Foxhounds, Harriers, and Fox-terriers, Messrs. W. Walker, C. Tongue, and T. Walton; all the rest, except Toys, Captain Greville, Messrs. H. Hanley and T. Wcotton; Toys, Messrs. J. Tailby, J. Monsey, and Rowland Hill.

Pointers and Setters, as well as Spaniels, Retrievers, and Greyhounds, were all strong; and there were fair entries of Deer- and Blood-hounds, small lots of Fox-hounds and Harriers, and a fair sprinkling throughout the rest of the classes, as I shall proceed to show.

There was a good lot of Mastiffs, with Mr. E. Hanbury first and second; also of Bulldogs, with Mr. J. Lamphier first and Mr. H. Brown second and third. In Bull-terriers, Mr. Jim Hinks was first and second. Black-and-tans (large and small) found Mr. H. Brown first and second, and he was also first in a large class of Pugs. In Scotch Terriers over 7 lb., Mr. Peter Eden took first, second, and third.

As many of the entries were downright good, I will give some quotations from the catalogue: Greyhounds, dogs 21, bitches 18; Large Pointers, dogs 32, bitches 12; Small Pointers, dogs 10, bitches 28; English Setters, dogs 32, bitches 17; Gordon Setters, 21 \ Retrievers, dogs 46, bitches 12; Irish or other Water-spaniels, 20; Spaniels, other breeds except Clumber or Water, 26; Mastiffs, 19; Foreign Mastiffs, 27; St. Bernards, 18, with with Rev. J. Cumming Macdona at the head of affairs, as he was so often afterwards; Newfoundlands, 37; Foreign Hounds, 21; Sheep-dogs, 18; Bull-dogs, over 10 lb. 19, under 20 lb. 18; Bull-terriers, over 10 lb. 36, under 10 lb. 18; Dalmatians, 11; Fox-terriers (dogs and bitches shown together), 34; Pomeranians, 25; White Smooth Terriers, 14; Black-and-tans, over 7 lb. 22, under 7 lb. 32; Skyes, 53; Scotch Terriers, over 7 lb. 27, under 7 lb. 19; Pugs, 21; King Charles Spaniels, over 10 lb. 5, under 10 lb. 35; Italian Greyhounds; 11 Blenheims, 17; Maltese (with Mr. Mandeville's well-known Fido first), 28; White Scotch Terriers, 28; and Toys of all kinds under 5 lb., 57.

It must be borne in mind that in no class in the show were the prizes less than £5, £3, and £2; in many of them £7, £5, and £5; in nearly all the Sporting classes £10, £5, and £3, and in some of the Fox-hound classes as much as £15, £10, and £5; and in one class (for three couples of Fox-hounds) £20 and pair of silver spurs to huntsman, £15 and engraved whip to huntsman, with a third prize of £10. Such prize money we do not see in these days, nor do we often see such entries. I think it would make some of our judges "rub their eyes" if asked to tackle them.

Going through the old catalogue to make the quotations in last chapter for the benefit of the present-day exhibitors, which, I trust, will be interesting to some of them, made me think of my sensations when I faced a class ("any variety, confined to Londoners") of 145 at the People's Palace, E., some years ago, an account of which I gave in "All about Dogs."