1806 Abraham Wood, 435 59 91 1809 Abraham Wood, 440 56 92 [A] Over the Beacon Course. [B] Run with one minute interval between the two starts. CHAPTER IV. CAPTAIN BARCLAY’S PUBLIC AND PRIVATE MATCHES. Captain Barclay early displayed a strong predilection for the manly sports, and when only fifteen years of age, he entered into a match with a gentleman in London to walk six miles within an hour, fair TOE AND HEEL, for one hundred guineas, which he accomplished on the Croydon road, in the month of August 1796. His next performance took place two years after, (August 1798) and he was equally successful. He matched himself against Ferguson, a celebrated walking clerk in the city, to go from Fenchurch Street, London, to the 10th mile-stone beyond Windsor, and back. Capt. Barclay performed the distance (seventy miles), notwithstanding the heat of the weather, in fourteen hours, beating the clerk several miles. In December the year following, he accomplished one hundred and fifty miles in two days, having walked from Fenchurch Street to Birmingham, round by Cambridge. A few days afterwards, he returned in the same time by the way of Oxford. In November 1800, he walked sixty-four miles in twelve hours, including the time requisite for taking refreshment. He started from Ury at twelve at night, and went to Ellon in Aberdeenshire, where he breakfasted, and returned by twelve mid-day. This walk was performed as a trial preparatory to a match he had undertaken to accomplish in December following. He had engaged to go ninety miles in twenty-one hours and a half, for a bet of five hundred guineas, with Mr. Fletcher of Ballingshoe, a gentleman of TURF notoriety; but unfortunately, he caught cold after one of his SWEATS while training, and became so ill, that he was unable to start on the day appointed, and the match of course was lost. Capt. Barclay, next year, 1801, appeared very conspicuously in the annals of the sporting world. He again betted with Mr. Fletcher, that he would walk ninety miles in twenty-one and a half successive hours. The bet was two thousand guineas, and the ground chosen for the performance of the match was the line of road from Brechin to Forfar, in the county of Angus. He accomplished sixty-seven miles in thirteen hours; but having incautiously drank some brandy, he became instantly sick, and consequently unable to proceed. He now renounced the bet, and the umpire retired; but after two hours rest, he completely recovered, and could easily have finished the remainder of the distance within the time. In June the same year, he walked from Ury to Boroughbridge in Yorkshire, in five days, a distance of three hundred miles, notwithstanding the heat of the weather, which was then very oppressive.