A NOVEL WAGER.

Timaru Herald, Volume LV, Issue 5739, 2 August 1893, Page 4

A NOVEL WAGER.

One day m the year 1812, tha Bey. Mr Gilbert found himself dining with the York* shire baronet, Sir Mark Byke«. Af'er dinner, th« conversation turned on the extraordinary bizards to which the life of Napoleon wa* exposed, and tiir Mark offered if any one of his guests chose to give him 100 guineas to pay to the eaid guest 1 guinea per diem »o iong hb Napoleon should remain alive. The Rev Mr Gilbert, who would seem to have been vicar of tbe parish, refl»o<ed for a momeut, am) then said : " Done with you, Kir Mark " and jext morning sent the baronet over 10U guineas. Tbe parson had done well for himself. For three yvars did Sir Mark have to fend vim over bis daily guinea, or m other words tbe Key. Mr Ghibart's 100 guineas brought dim m the respectable sum of £1095 tterl ing. The three years beiDg up, however, be affair entered on a new phase The bironec got tired of paying the annui'y and tbinkiDg it very likely that Napoleot might live another 20 years, deolinod to pay anything more. Bnt the clergyman was not a man to be trifled with He at once went to Itw with Sir Mark, whose counsel declared tbat he had been surprised into the bet by hit guest's haiiy acceptance of it ; also that the transaction wa* an illegal one, seeing that the Key. Mr Gilbert, having a beneficial interest m the life of Bonaparte, might, m the event of invasion, be tempted to use till moans for the preservation of tbe life of the enemy of his country. But it was also argued that if the parson had a personal interest m keeping the terror oi tiurope alive, it was undoubtedly the interest of the baronet to have him put out of the way by any means that might offer, whether by bullet or knife. Thus, on the one hand, an undue interest was created m tbe preservation of the life of a public enemy, and on tbe other, t» temptation might be induced to plot the atsasination of Bonaparte, any suspicion of which ought to be carefully guarded ai^inst by the nation at large. Bu"; this weight) deci'ion w«s nor, Brrived at ail «t once. Having been giv-n againtt the Bey Mi Qi'bart that tenaci us pars>n c^rri-d the case from court to court, until at length tbe judges of the Court oi King's Bench » lt-mnly decided o^air.Bi him fortheabovo weighty reasons Were the. judges right or wroDg ? fcSir Mark 8y kaa bao certainly made & foolish bet, but he is rot ttu only one before and since who has done the same thine, and he ought to havo stuck lo his bet. On the other band, the Rot Mr Q-.ibert having received considerably over £lOuO t'u: his 100 guineas might well have bern »aii-fied, and I muoh fear tbat tha whein of th'U suqj must have gone m law expenses.