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side of the dam. This principle in breeding was incontestably proved when cocktail races were in vogue. With respect to horses for the purpose of mounting our troops, I would inquire if any cavalry officer would reject a thorough-bred horse fifteen hands three inches high, on short legs, capable of carrying fourteen stone with hounds, and with good action? No, he would be too happy to secure him-what would be the impediment? the value of the animal. Encourage the breeding of such animals, when the increased numbers will reduce the price; not that such horses would ever come to the regulation prices of troopers ; but being more plentiful for higher occupations, those which are now used for those purposes would find their way into the cavalry regiments. If Government desire to induce farmers to breed horses for military service, it may readily be done by increasing the regulation price to such a standard that it will remunerate the breeder. If the Exchequer were drained in premiums, it would not have the desired effect. Prizes would no doubt stimulate breeders to produce horses of any required class; but however suitable those horses might be, they would not find their way to the regiments, so long as a better sale could be effected in other quarters.

These meditations, which have calmly sympathized with the placid stream, although occasionally interrupted by the struggles of a captured trout, being brought to a conclusion, I wind up my line and ramble to another scene.

(To be continued.)

THE RACING SEASON.-AUGUST.

BY CRAVEN.

"Si te forte meæ gravis uret sarcina chartæ
Abjicito....."

HORAT. Lib. i, Epist. 13.

The last course for July having been served at Goodwood like a plat of "saur krout," we will review the entertainment as wound up at Tattersall's on the 31st of that month. Although a very large amount of money changed hands on the Goodwood account, the settling was manifestly slow; many balances stand over, but a belief exists that the greater portion of them will be liquidated at Brighton. Hopes gleanings will make a sorry harvest-home. "Thus bad begins, and worse remains behind." What better could have been expected? Contemporary with the Goodwood suspension of payment, the press gave circulation to a paragraph headed, "The Racing Sweeps in the Provinces." Notwithstanding the very stringent measure introduced by Lord Palmerston into the House of Commons for the suppression of betting-houses and sweeps, and which measure was

adopted by the legislature, there has been a great deal of business done in sweeps in the sporting public-houses in the provinces, especially in Newcastle and other towns in the North of England. The Secretary of State for the Home Department, touching betting-houses and their accessories, might more conveniently have his attention drawn to the City of London, especially to the Ward of Cheap. It is the policy of the practice, not the place, that craves wary walking.......

"For all the employments of life."

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So long as the Ring is an "ad libitum" rendezvous for "all classes,' so long will chicanery triumph and principle go to the wall. So long as men are gulls, so long will sharp-shooters have full bags. "Aidetoi, et Dieu t'aidera.'

On Saturday the 10th of July ult., Her Majesty and Court, in all the brilliant promise of popular reverence and patriotism, inaugurated the Crystal Palace at Sydenham. The cry was Io triumphe! Ere two brief months had sped, the shares of that golden enterprize had fallen twenty per cent.; the £5 coupon, paid "all," being in the market for £4: this gives the capital invested a minus of one-fifth. Estimating the amount already expended on this suburban Palace at £1,750,000-£350,000 is "0," and its buildings and grounds, according to the Times of the 7th ult., "are still in a very unfinished state."

Leaving Plutus for the theme of Pindar, we will take a seat in the gallery of the Commons on Thursday, the 3rd ult., to list a debate before a Committee of Ways and Means, upon THE APPOINTMENT OF THE HONOURABLE F. C. LAWLEY to the Governorship of South Australia. Sir George Grey, in enumerating the claims of the new governor to the situation conferred upon him, said "He had, in early life, an inclination for horse-racing, in common with other men of high station in this country (cheers); and the Duke of Newcastle stated to me, so far from this being a drawback on Mr. Lawley's appointment, in his opinion it constituted no objection, but that on the contrary, it was a recommendation under the circumstances which I am about to state (some laughter from the Opposition). Honourable members may laugh, but I certainly should not have expected from them, the members of a party, who have recognized the late lamented Lord George Bentinck as their leader in this House (Hear, hear), and who have served under the government of Lord Derby (cheers)-I say, I should not have expected from them a sneer, which implied that the tendency I have mentioned was an absolute disqualification for office (cheers).

Commenting on this senatorial appeal, the Times in a leader observed-" Mr. Lawley, it now appears, showed an early predilection for the turf: he had horses, so has the late Prime Minister, so has the present Secretary of State for the Home Department, so has the Secretary at War, so has the First Clerk in Ordinary of the Privy Council, and so had the two last Kings of Great Britain and Ireland. He made bets; he was not successful. This last point must be set to his credit, for it is said that unless a man has almost preternatural intelligence he must lose money on the turf, or win it dishonestly. Now whether connexion with the turf is discreditable or not, is a vexed question."

In this dire dilemma, why should not the leading journal refer its "vexed question" to the seventy members of the Jockey Club, comprising one King, five Dukes, four Marquises, eighteen Earls, five Viscounts, six Lords, five Baronets, cum multis aliis of high degree? It would be no encroachment upon privilege as shewn in the certificate issued at Tattersall's, on the 7th ult. :-"We, the undersigned members of the committee of the room, hereby express our opinion, that all persons indebted to Mr. Arnold, for Epsom or previously, are bound to pay Mr. Hughes, who has his account up to that time. C. GREVILLE, H. Rous." To explain this, it is necessary to state that owing to ill-health Mr. Arnold, on the 25th of June, appointed Mr. Hughes to settle his Derby account for him; but, in the exercise of his office, Mr. Hughes met with so many procrastinating excuses, that he was at length compelled to submit the case to the committee of the room. The consequence will be, that they who persist in refusing to settle with Mr. Hughes, will be held in the category of defaulters, and will be liable to "the rules and regulations" in that case made and provided.

The issue of all this is, that an anonymous press-gang has begun to run a muck at horse-racing. But if that noble national sport is to progress in improvement, it will be through the agency of grace and experienced position.

"Haud tali auxilio, nec defensoribus istis."

The catalogue of meetings for August numbering thirty-five, it will be impossible to give more than an epitome of some of them.

Before we join the Race revels, we will look at the casus in quo of the Derby, 1845. On Monday, June the 12th, Mr. Bowes' grey colt, The Bonnie Morn, was at 50 to l against him; on Monday, July the 3rd, he was backed at 20 to 1-apropos of these two sides of the medal, at page 77 of last month's Reviews will be found this brief comment. Relating to the policy at Tattersall's on the evening of June 12th aforesaid, his Græculus Esuriens-stable companion, Bonnie Morn-to get on whom, Mr. Bowes's alter aliter Aurifer, everybody was eager during the previous week, was sent to the "right about "- -"which," said the Reviewer, "in process of time they will discover was not about right.'" On Monday, August the 7th, the only nominations backed for the next year's Derby were Dirk Hatteraick, 14 to 1; The Bonnie Morn, 22 to 1; Aurifer, 50 to 1. Now, adopting public performance as the safest racing criterion, which of these has been proved to be the best? Was it not the winner of the July Stakes, 10 to 1 on him, in a canter by six lengths, "if seeing is believing "?

A word more by the way. At Reading Races, on the last day being the call for philanthropy, seeing that Mr. Drinkald's Donum ran for the Caversham with 4st. 12lbs. on his back. If the system of" feathering" should go on falling like the price of the Crystal Palace shares, it will be indispensable for all to require jockeys to address themselves to the author of the " Amber Witch," who, in the romance of "Sidoni the Sorceress," speaks of "a little manikin, not three hands high, that started from behind a beer barrel, riding on a three-legged hare; he was dressed all in black, except little red boots which he had on, and he rode up and down the corridor, stared

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at my fool, made faces at him, then rode off again, hop! hop! hop! till he vanished behind the barrel." This is the race that must shortly supersede the Salters, Wellses, Olivers, Fordhams, Lees, Coventrys, Brays, Priors, Fosters, Hedwicks, et hoc genus omne.

While the London and Brighton is flying, with a south-bound Olympic freight, to the pleasant waters of the Sussex sea-coaststill, albeit the palmy days of yachting (as yachting should be) are passed-memories, such as those with which mellow Moschus is so rich, turn "a longing, lingering look" upon " lang syne”

Τὰν ὅλα τὰν γλανκὰν ὅταν ωνεμος ἀτρέμα βάλλω.

Lewes Races commenced on Thursday the 10th ult., under the stewardship of Lord Chesterfield, and two other patrons of the Turf. Mr. Topham has taken speculative interest in them, as the lessee of Epsom has in their neighbours, Brighton Races. The principle of provincial racing is rapidly becoming commercial, not only as relates to dealing in courses, but also to the merchandise with which they are stocked. Ultimately it will spoil the sport, for the time is gone by for trading in pleasure trysts for the million. This is my theory, and practical proof of it shall be quoted as they occur. The performances at the majority of the thirty-five meetings in the past month savour as though of those grand equestrian burlesques which have made Mr. William Cooke so famous at his Westminster Bridge amphitheatre. The high-mettled coursers that have witched the world at Reading, were playing their parts presently on Runnymede...... As Mr. Barry cries, "Here we are again!" Plating over county round courses, and "brilliant scenes in the arena," only differ in the size of the circle, and the difference of the risk. Moulsey Hurst many a fourteen-pound note pays penalty for the peeping; at Westminster Bridge, half-a-crown does all, beer and tobacco included.

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The effort has certainly been made to improve the ancient runningground adjacent to Lewes; and, by Jupiter Olympus, so it ought; for it was there, as some twenty years ago I was strolling it, that "Old Brown," the beau ideal of his craft, told me he had seen Eclipse run, or rather, run away. It is not what every turfite can say, that he has set eyes upon one who was even a witness to the achievement of that peerless animal......

Passing Boston Races, which were all heats, and Tonbridge Races, wound up with the Ladies' Plate, in three heats, we will adjourn to the scene of Magna Charta, pausing on the way to ponder on the fortune of great essays. It is the afternoon of Tuesday the 15th ult., and our vis-à-vis is a great sexagenarian, with Hebrew features, and a white choker-an £ s. d. impersonation of the Royal Exchange. Our line was the South Western, Windsor branch; and as we turned off a short distance before reaching Malden, gossip drew from one of the party an interrogatory as to the pecuniary prospects of the People's Palace at Sydenham. "Aish," said the Israelite, "she wash at vive ponds vive zhillings a zhare on de verst ob Duly, and now you zhall buy 'um vor drea ponds zeben zhillings and zixpencc-q. e, d.: shares were at £5 5s, on the 1st of

Mr.

July, and now they may be had for £3 7s. 6d. on account; nothing done for money... Egham Races commenced on Tuesday the 15st ult., with The Betting Stand Plate Handicap of £50, for all ages; Course, three-quarters of a mile. Eleven started, and three placed.......Count Batthyany's Oxus, three years old, 6st. 11lbs. (Stamford), 1; Drinkald's Inder, four years old, 8st. 1lb. (Wells), 2; Mr. Y. King's Matilda, two years old, 5st. 71b. (Bundy), 3. Matilda was the favourite. The winner, by a neck, not named in the market.......The Surrey and Middlesex Stakes of £20 each, half-forfeit, with various conditions, sixteen subscribers; Course, two miles and a distance. Three ran. Mr. Stevens's Sleeping Partner, six years old, 8st. 3lbs. (Wells), 1; the Duke of Bedford's Diomedia, four years old, 8st. 7lbs. (S. Rogers), 2; Mr. Williams's Mouser, three years old, 7st. (J. Goater), 3. Odds 5 to 4 against Diomedia, 7 to 4 against Sleeping Partner: an easy winner by two lengths. The King John Stakes-but, as Sterne says, "shall I go on?" No; let the Calendar speak the rest.

Leaving Egham, nine meetings of small account bring us to a great Northern tryst-The York August Meeting, with stakes consisting of one hundred and seventy-eight-ninety-five-one hundred and eight -one hundred and fifty-eight-and several from forty to sixty subscribers the character of the autumnal sport on Knavesmire, within a mile of antique Ebor. Anticipation was on tip-toe as to Lord Derby's representative for the second year of the First Great North and South of England Biennial Stakes - Acrobat ve Dervish ve Boicardo. This, and mang another case of absorbing interest, will be disposed of in this epitome of its three days. The first of these was Wednesday, the 23rd ult.-herald of a bonus of more than fifteen hundred pounds of public money. The advent of this golden age was inaugurated at Tattersall's on the preceding Monday, by turning Heapy upside down for the Great Ebor Handicap, the Grand Inquisitor being the great card at 5 to 2 against him-a three-year-old, estimated at 5st. 7lbs.: that is to say, 3st. under training weight. Five were in the market. Heapy books at 100 to 3, versus : this brace belongs to the same stable-" birds of a feather can never agree.". For the St. Leger, King Tom-backed at Goodwood for 9 to 4-was here done at 100 to 5; Dervish was at £1000 to 60, and no takers, Removing the venue to Knavesmire, first in the Book Calendar routine was the Dundas Stakes of £50, added to a handicap of £5 each course, one mile and a quarter: eight subscribers, or no race; to close and name on Monday, the 21st of August, to the Clerk of the Course at York; thirteen subscribers; eleven ran, three placed: Mr. E. Gill's Bourgeois, four years old, 6st. 4lbs. (Gill), 1; Mr. E. Harrison's King of Trumps, five years old, 8st. 9lbs. (Cartwright), 2; Mr. Milner's Grapeshot, four years old, 7st. 9lbs. (Ashmall), 3. Betting, 8 to 1 against Bourgeois, who made the running, and in a close struggle he won by a neck. The second year of the First Great North and South of England Biennial Stakes of £10 each, half forfeit, with £200 added, for foals of 1851; colts, 8st. 7lbs. ; fillies, 8st. 2lbs.: course, two miles over the Old Course: the winner of any race in 1853, value £500, to carry 3lbs. extra that year; horses having started in 1853, and not won, allowed 3lbs. that year; the winner of the Derby, 5lbs. extra; of any other stakes, value £500, not having less than eight

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