evening of the day, however, was, I understand, delightfully spentLord Rancliffe in the chair; and from a specimen I saw on the following day, of one of those who had contributed to the jovial party, I had reason to believe that the element which had been so indulged in, in the morning, over the country, was the last thing thought of in the sharp burst in the evening, over the mahogany.

But one parting word on steeple-racing and its abominations. As I was walking in the streets of Leicester with a friend, in April last, he exclaimed, "Ah! here is Cap (not Captain) Tomlin returning, with Mr. Hitchcock's Dusty Bob, from Grantham Steeple-chase," where he had been riding him. "Well, Tomlin," said he to him, "did you win?" Now, reader, mark and digest this answer. "No," replied Tomlin; "I got his head past the winning-post, but could not get his tail." The fact is, the poor brute fell exhausted at the post, and he could not be dragged past it! Another horse is also stated to have fallen in the race from distress. "But," continued Mr. Tomlin, "the Marquis (of Waterford) has bought the horse; he gave 350 guineas for him before the race, and (just like his Lordship) gave Mr. Hitchcock permission to start him for the stakes, and to keep them if he won them." "But," said my friend, "Dusty Bob is no horse for the Marquis; he is not well enough bred for him;" and so the event proved. And a word, also, touching Mr. Cap Tomlin. He is so designated, first, because he rides in a cap; next, to distinguish him from Mr. Tomlyn, of Lye Lodge, the conspicuous rider, sportsman, and seller of good hunters in Lord Lonsdale's country; and he is employed by the Melton men and others, a la Dick Christian, to ride and make their young horses, with hounds. He has iron nerves, with a beautiful hand. But, Dick Christian, and that other splendid horseman, Mr. Wright, of Harborough (of whom it will be recollected I made honourable mention in the account of what was called the "Grand Leicestershire Steeple-chase," won by the late Sir Harry Goodricke's Magic), what business had they, now in the sear of their age, to be riding in the Spalding Steeple-race? Both were seriously injured, and when I saw Dick Christian at Croxton Park, with his arm in a sling, I could not help telling him "it served him right." Then, again, that any man should venture a sovereign on a steeple-race is, to me, most extraordinary, seeing, as we have seen, that even in that of this year at Cheltenham, where the country is better fitted for such work than most others, there were no less than seven mishaps, to say nothing of its being in the power of any one rider to throw away his chance, without the probability, I might say possibility, of being detected. A certain young nobleman, however, stood, at one time, to the losing of £500 on the Northampton "Grand Steeple-race;" but, by the advice of friends, he hedged to the greater part of his engagements, and was a winner of £50 by the event.

The recurrence to this event reminds me that I forgot to mention one circumstance which afforded much amusement to the crowd, on their return to the town. This was an attempt, by Mr. Stubbs, to set Mr. Allan M'Donough at a fence. His last effort was a very high gate (with the ground as hard as a rock), but the gallant son of Erin was not to be beaten. Both cleared it in beautiful style, and like workmen, which they are.

(To be continued.)

and as I entered the scene of last night's transactions, the changes and chances of this mortal life were never more truly exhibited: the murderous weapon of the past night (the poker) lay inactive on the fender; the spot where the aged veteran lay in his gore (carefully washed), was occupied by two youths in dressing-gowns, and a large well-fed and indolent-looking Newfoundland dog; in the middle of the room, where the grand assaut d'armes had taken place, was a large breakfast-table, surrounded by a laughing group of country gentlemen; while around its borders hovered (pretty much like a ghost upon the Stygian banks) a jock, who, always declaring that he was obliged to fast, in order to come to weight, generally contrived to procure a very excellent subsistence by tasting all the dishes as they came up, merely, as he said, "just to see that the blackguard cook sent things up correctly to his friends." The door was opened with a bang, and in entered the jock par excellence; his dress was even more like the night-watcher of a menagerie than upon the former day. It consisted of a fur cap, very like those worn by old hands in the debtors' prisons, answering the double purpose of a nightcap, and head protector in a racket-court. A mad dog might have licked his face without incurring a convulsion the total absence of all trace of recent watery influence putting out of the question any apology for the hydrophobiacal spasm. The existence of a shirt was rendered rather doubtful, by the folds of a red comforter; and, closely buttoned up, a furry sort of coat, torn in various places, opening in front, disclosed a pair of blue fur-cloth trousers, with brown worsted socks, and shoes. In his hand was a long jockey whip, topped with silver; in his mouth a short pipe (dhudheen), black as the chimney of a steam-boat, and as greasy as its close connexion, in his pocket, with tobacco, goose-grease, and various other unguents, would ensure. He took a quick glance around, and, fixing his grey eye upon the youths in the corner, deliberately established himself close to them, and, like the gardener at the bees' finale, gave them the benefit of the departing smoke.

;

"Pawn mee sole and honnir," said he, "I am peositively afflicted at the soight af the fincis; there awre foive wheech no haus can git ovir, aund if he shud by awcseedent do so, I'll lay one hundid to tin he kills his roidir." The two dressing-gowns looked rather aghast at this intelligence: "Pray, sir," said one, with a yellow laugh (i. e., an attempt at an atrabilious grin), " may I ask of what nature they are?" Sare," quoth the jock, "I shall be maust awpe to infawm you. In the

fust pleace, there is a narro tawped deetch, with doikes at both soides. It is too high for awny haus to take it in stroke, aund, if he tuchis it, it is so narro that, really and peositively, a male wran (quere wren) could scarcely sit upon it; the consequins will be, the bank will go from his hind legs; his fore-part will go to the edge of the doike; he will fall back over his ridir, dislocating his spine, and breeking his owne back. I neavir saw bit one fince awf the koind before; a cousin of me owne, Mauc Dawmit, of Caustle Dawmit, wint at it with Hawctir (Hector); Hawctir's back was broken, aund my cousin, Mauc Dawmit only survoived seventeen minnits and forty-two sickinds. He was, peositively, a noice feelo, aund parfictly aweere of his dangir: he lift me, by will, his pony, doubbil-barrillid gun, three saddils, a martingal, four snaffils, and his nathiril son, a maunsterous promising boy, now in the jail of Portumny for rape, and a tithe attack, which the worthees of the law cawl rebellion, bit which actuelly is awnly misgoided pathriotism. The sekind fince was, oreegeenauly, I understaund, a paurk waul; it is only foive feet noine inches high; therefore those who rawprisintid it as six feet all out, were rawthir mistakin. The ground is peticulawly bad cumming at eet; it is rayther boggy, and has a slight fawl. I think I have heard Mr. Fawgison (the best roidir over a stone-wall country in the world) say, that it would be better to ride e haus over a seven fut wall, clane at both soides, than over a four foot one with e fawl, inasmuch as the aunimel is apt to stand too far from it, knee it, turn the turtle, and cause speenal derangemint to the roidir" (here the blue silk dressing-gown, with a choking voice, called for a glass of brandy and soda-water). "The other fincis are re-elly of e more awful description: as to meesilf, I am pawfictly convincid that somebody must be killed; but I meake up my moind to switch evints; but I must be allowid to remawk, that it is rawther haurd, because the steward has an interest in the death of some young gentlemaun who is to roide his owne haus in the reece, that the rest of the roidirs should be put to such cruel breaknecks." Here the harlequin dressing-gown, who had been in extremity for some time, after a vain attempt to whistle "Moll in the wad," arose and staggered out of the room.

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Having looked after him for a moment, the jock also arose and left the room, and went up stairs, diffusing, as he went, an odoriferous blast from his pipe, redolent of that miscalled compound sold, in Ireland, under the name of the "rael Merikau." As his employer's room adjoined mine, I was enabled to hear their colloquy. "Well, my poor fello," said the snob, who was lying very cozily in bed; well, my poor fello, did you stick it into the juveniles ?" "Pawn me honner," said the jock, "it is too bad ontirely; the stewards, by way of being very marciful, have put us across a country, that a wandering pedler could ride his jackass over; me if there's a fince in the ontire that could stop a sucking pig. A nasty stinking set of sand-banks, two dirty four-foot walls, and a canal not fifteen feet wide. Why, every dirty brat will shortly turn steeple-chase roidir. No matter; if I don't kill them two youngsters (that is, if they come out, which I am assured they will); but," said he, after a pause, "'twill be of use letting them win a race now and agin; and I don't see, upon consideration, but that I shall let either of them win if they

can. One of them has and the other has asked

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been speaking to me about roiding for him; me to his house.' "Blood and turf," said the employer, jumping up, "what do you mean? Do you know that I am betting 100 to 20 with one against his horse, and 60 to 12 with the other?" "Well," said the jock, "and what the does that signify to me; I have no share in it." "By all the wigs in the four courts," said the employer, "I never would have betted it, only that I knew, between you and the light-weight, if we could not beat them, we could swear a cross, at all events.' Sir," said the jock, drawing himself up, and discarding all attempts at Englishism (a thing which he had done since he found himself with his employer)" sir, by my sowl, I can till ye that I'd meake a spatch-cock of any man's nose who would attempt to say that I would swear a false oath." Bother, man," said the snob; "what you want is a share of the bets." "Well," said the attaché, “and if I do, what then?" 66 you, you shall have a fourth." "Nevir less than a half; the whole weight of the race, and the book falls upon me, and half I must get, or else let the best man win." "Come, you shall have a third." "No." "Three-eighths." "No, no, no." "Then take the half and be d- d! but, recollect, you must manage the whole; and, if not able to beat their heads off, be ready with the cross.' "Ay, ay, it is all right," quoth the jock; "leave it to me;" and out he strutted, shouting to the boots to bring hethir his "loight tops!"

The snob shook his head, and, with a grin, saying, "Away goes honour, honesty, and half bets," he rang the bell furiously, and ordered his tiger up. "Jim," said he, "get on the hack, gallop to the Rev. Mr. S- -'s, and tell the worthy gent. that you are sent for the small spurs for his nephew, who is just going to ride a steeple-chase over a desperate country, against the Messrs. H. S. T. A., &c. ; and, as you return, drop up to Mr. L.'s the magistrate's, and tell him that you want the young master's pistols who is going to ride a steeplechase against a very cross gentleman, and wants to be prepared." "Shall I be in a great hurry, sir?" "A one."-" Shall I stab the hack as I go up the lawn?" "Decidedly."-"Shall I be crying?" "To be sure." "All right," said the tiger, and in five minutes he was going out of the yard, full gallop, to get (as he said) a four-pound saddle for his master. In the mean time, I had also descended again to the breakfast-room, where I found the two gentlemen jocks, with a very resuscitated appearance, arising from the report of a good-looking gentleman, with dark hair, and very black eyes, who was declaring that he would ride over the course with his face to the horse's crupper, as soon as in the natural position; and stating that Galway was the only place in Ireland where a man of any spirit could shew himself off, which the snob, upon his entrance, declared to be the case, offering to back the black-eyed gentleman's horse to go from the back of an antiquated mansion, over a castellated turret, without laying iron to it, and throwing a couple of moats into the bargain. Having raised a laugh, he approached the two juvenile jocks, and inquired, with an air of great anxiety, about their horses and their own health; hinted at the size of the fences; and when the dark jock had denied their formidability, laughed as loud as the rest; at the same time winding-up

by declaring that horses, in general, get the worst falls over small fences; to which the Galway jock agreed. The snob then proceeded to offer to back the young ones' nags against the oldsters', and wished to get £100 to £30 that either of them won outright; no person having answered him, he reduced to £100 to £40; and, finally, £100 to £50; at the same time, he turned to the youngest-looking of the two, and said that he should be sorry to take odds against him without allowing him to engage in so profitable a concern; and that he should go halves with him, to which the youngster assented.

The snob made no reply, but commenced giving an accurate imitation, first, of the old gentlemen from whom he had bought the wee horse; and, secondly, of a sporting gentleman from the neighbourhood of Limerick, whose broad mode of pronouncing, pear, pare-repair, raypare, &c. &c., he was very successful in. I remarked that, during the acting, he kept his eye upon the window; and, at length, the tiger appeared, and touched his hat. The snob threw up the window, and the tiger merely said, "I have gotten the saddle, sir, and it is all right." The snob turned to his grinning audience :-" By the holy island of Lambay," said he, "that boy is a rael treasure to me; he can ride 4 st. 12b; I'll fight him against anything of his weight-bar Joe, the chimneysweeper-for £50; he'll nose a bailiff as far off as the turnpike; knows the knock of a dun instinctively; and would sooner tell lies than truth; is intimate with every sheriff's officer in Dublin; and lives almost entirely with the sub-sheriff's servants; can tell when his gig is ordered, and where he is going to, as well as he can himself; was at three abductions; and carried off Miss F. for my old friend, Joe M-11, while he was boxing the two brothers; secured her in an hotel in the Liberties; and brought Joe Mll off, by swearing an alibi for him next morning to the head magistrate; bottled off the pair in the steamer to Glasgow; went with them himself; arrived at twelve o'clock at night; fished out a drunken bailie, and got the housemaid to witness the ceremony; drank boots into fits, and broke the second waiter at pitch and toss; did the kitchen-maid out of a brooch as a love-token; flung the landlord in a swop with a pinchbeck watch; started back, per steam, at midday, and got into Dublin upon the following day, time enough to swear before Sir Wm. Stamer that he had left Joe M -ll only the day before at Tom N-n's, in Roscommon. I forgot to add, that he is very steady upon the ground, and can clean pistols when drunk; and, in one instance, when he lived with my friend Jack Blake, who fought Ned Irwin, he beat Irwin's servant in a private turn-up, in the corner of the field, in seven minutes; and, after his master's affair was over, offered him gentlemanly satisfaction on his his own account;* he never swears a cross without tears; and always goes down on his knees, and crosses himself very devoutly, before he books up, and engages the sympathy of the head steward by most specially attending to his comforts at the ordinaries. I pay him very high wages, it is true; but where can a person find a servant possessing so many amiable and excellent qualities?"

"Ye never tell a story of yon koind, Chorley, me lad, without some purpose, ye kno," said a deep voice behind the speaker, with a strong

* A fact.