to limit a horse to a certain time, when he has no competitor; but the allowance is always sufficiently ample to make it a mere canter. The same nobleman's mare, Wet Day, by Priam, out of Whimsey, went sola for the pool. After which, a Silver Cup, and a Harness, were given to the neighbouring farmers, for the best foal and mare. A very shady meeting terminated in an adjournment to the Spâ meeting, which takes place in a few days. AN AMATEur. MONTHLY MEMORABILIA. IN future, the Newmarket July Meetings will commence on the first Tuesday in the month; and the Liverpool July Meetings on the Wednesday of the following week. The character of Brighton, as a Race Meeting, is every year growing "small by degrees;" if something be not done in the way of redemption, the day will soon arrive when it will have lost the power of becoming less. Look at the list for the Meeting just past, if assurance be needed: does it resemble a record of pleasure?-Not a solitary Sweepstakes is there nothing but a beggarly account of fifties, in mile and two-mile heats. Surely, the Aristocratic Club that has taken its interests in hand, will yet do better for it. It is said that some two and three-year-old stakes have been made for next year, and that the Brighton Stakes have received some twenty names of influential persons on the turf. If so, there are hopes-left to its "kinsfolks and acquaintance"-Brighton will speedily be where Guildford is, hors de combat. We regret to state that a most severe accident occurred to Connelly, the jockey, when riding Mr. Wortley's Longwaist colt for the County Plate, at the late Oxford races. The fellow who had charge of the rope to prevent persons riding into the course, not having lowered it when the horses were running for the second heat, Mr. Wortley's colt was thrown with dreadful violence, falling upon his unfortunate rider, and crushing him in a shocking manner. His face was dreadfully injured, and he received a concussion of the brain. After lying insensible for a couple of days, he rallied sufficiently to recognise those about him, and hopes are entertained that he will ultimately recover. He has our sympathy and best wishes. Henry Neale, the jockey, is engaged to train and ride for the Emperor of Russia; he was to have left Newmarket for St. Petersburg about the end of last month. According to the newspaper accounts, the odds were 100 to 1 agst. Capt. Williamson's Stickler, that won the Member's Plate at the late Blandford Races. A TOLERABLY GOOD STAKE:-Goodwood, 1841.-Sweepstakes of 500 sovs. each, 200 ft., for two-year-old-colts, 8 st. 10b; fillies, 8 st. 7 lb; 3 tb allowed, &c. (one allowance); T.Y.C. Duke of Lichfield's c. by Bay Middleton, out of Portrait's dam (3 lb). Lord G. Bentinck's Flytrap (3 lb). Lord Eglinton's The Blue Bonnet (3H). Duke of Beaufort's c. by Camel, out of Miss Craven's dam (3 lb). Colonel Peel's Brother to Vulture. Duke of Bedford's c. by The Tulip, out of Mona (3 Hb). Mr. Byng's Tom Noddy (3b). (The stakes are open to Lord Kelburne). By the death of Mr. Briskham, of York, St. Cloud and Henri Quatre are disqualified for the Derby, Jessica (late Chutty) for the Oaks, and Muladdin and Ethorn for the St. Leger, 1841; all his other nominations are also void, as a matter of course. Lord Rivers has sold his celebrated stallion Agreeable, by Emilius, out of Surprise, the dam of St. Francis, to William W. Hawkins, Esq., of Alresford Hall, near Colchester: price 500 sovereigns. The Marquis of Westminster has sold his ch. c. the Lord Mayor, by Pantaloon, out of Honeymoon, for 1,000 sovereigns. Mrs. Massey has sold her b. g. Tubalcain, four-years old, to Mr. Collett, for 400 guineas. Lord George Bentinck has purchased Pluto of Mr. Goodman. A most disgusting exhibition took place in the course of the last month, at a place called Jackson's Hunting Grounds, in the neighbourhood of Paddington. A man, of the name of Burke, known for some performances on horseback against time, undertook to ride a horse twenty miles, and over twenty hurdles five feet high, within an hour, for a bet of fifty pounds. The fellow lost, as he deserved, after having ridden the wretched animal, on which he made his inhuman attempt, to a stand still. The mare, who died in a day or two after, was bought out of an omnibus for fifteen pounds for the purpose: a more disgraceful business for all concerned in it, has not polluted the annals of sporting for years. THE CHASE. The gentlemen of East Essex are taking active measures to uphold the genuine English sport of the chase, by encouraging the preservation of foxes. A meeting was held at the Cups Hotel, Colchester, on Saturday week, when it was resolved that one pound should be given for every vixen fox and litter of cubs, and ten shillings for every fox found afterwards. A pack of harriers is to be kept by the gentlemen of Bristol, at the Weston kennel, one mile from Bath, this season, to be called "the Bristol and Bitton harriers," to commence hunting in September. A BRIGHTON paper, of the 1st of August, contained the following passage: "Colonel George Wyndham's understrappers boast of having destroyed forty-two foxes this season, at Petworth." Tolerably good sport, considering the time of year. STEEPLE-CHASING.-One of these affairs, on a grand scale, is talked of, to come off within twenty miles of Market Harborough, in the course of next season. This race was got up at the late Horncastle fair, the movers being Messrs. Elmore and Anderson, the sporting London horse-dealers. The conditions are, that the stakes be £100 each, £25 ft.; open to any horse in the world (bar Mr. Elmore's Lottery), 12 st. each, over four miles of a fair hunting country. The subscription for a sum of money, to be added to the stakes, has already been opened, and a good beginning made. The stakes close on the 20th of November next, and £25 must be paid at the time of naming. The ground is to be selected by Mr. Tomline; but it is announced that Mr. Anderson is ready to receive propositions from towns desirous of securing the assemblage in their vicinity;" which looks like "business," and no mistake. CRICKET. -The following is the return of the most important match played during the past month; we regret that want of space compels us to postpone the details to our next Number. SWIMMING. The Glasgow Swimming Society held a meeting on Friday, the 14th ult., when the three silver medals presented by the London Society were contended for in the Clyde, in the presence of many thousand persons. The distance was about 960 yards. The first prize was won by Mr. Andrew Scott, Glasgow champion; the second by his brother, Mr. Stevenson Scott; and the third by Mr. W. Miller. The distance was swam in eighteen minutes. Mr. Andrew Scott is now entitled to compete for the London gold medal, value twenty guineas, at the annual match in London in 1841. During the past month, a duck-hunt of an extraordinary kind took place in the Clyde. A person of the name of Ferguson (long known as having kept the White Horse Tavern, in Glasgow) undertook, for a wager of five pounds, to hunt a duck and catch it, in that part of the river in which the swimming match took place, better known to the people who know Glasgow, as "the Dominies' hole;" when, after a severe and hard struggle on both sides for an hour and twenty minutes, Ferguson came out of the water victorious, with the duck in his hand. NEW-FOREST BLOODHOUNDS.-This noble species of the hound, which is now become nearly extinct throughout the kingdom, is still to be met with in the New-Forest, Hants, where a few couple of them are retained, chiefly for the purpose of keeping the deer within the boundaries of their respective walks. At each of the different lodges, which are distributed over that extensive tract of waste, the several keepers have charge of two or more of these useful animals, and, during the season of stag-hunting, they pack them together, and hunt the red-deer with them. From their olfactory sensibility and their extraordinary fleetness, it is very seldom, indeed, that the chase escapes them. As a remarkable instance of the tenacity of their scent, the following incident may serve to satisfy :-A short time since, a pig was stolen, during the night, from the premises of a man residing at Sway, which is a small village abutting on the New Forest; and, as there was no clue by which the plunderer could be traced, nor any particular person upon whom the owner of the property could rest his suspicions, he was persuaded by a neighbour, in whose company he was, to send to the nearest lodge for the loan of one of these dogs. The animal was sent down to the premises, and, after having made two or three casts around the house, he went off, at a round pace, towards a small, straggling village, called Deering's Town, and, eventually, stopped at the house of a man by the name of Stride, having run upon the scent for upwards of three miles. Upon the keeper opening the door of the hut, the veracity of the animal's scent was confirmed, for, strange to say, the pig was hanging up within, and, although killed, was identified by its owner. Stride was tried at the then next assizes at Winchester for the robbery, and was found guilty, and afterwards confessed himself the author of it. The lodge from which the dog was brought was under the management of Mr. (keeper) Feltham. Though an old joke, the following has quite enough of flavour left to bear serving up once more :-Coleridge was a remarkably awkward horseman, so much so, as generally to attract notice. He was riding along the turnpike road, in the county of Durham, when a wag, approaching him, noticed his peculiarity, and (quite mistaking his man) thought the rider a fine subject for a little sport; when, as he drew near, he thus accosted Mr. C. :-"I say, young man, did you meet a tailor on the road?"—"Yes," replied Mr. C. (who was never at a loss for a rejoinder), "I did; and he told me if I went a little further I should meet a goose!" The assailant was struck dumb, while the traveller jogged on. ROMANTIC.-It was a warm but delightful day. The beautiful Helen was seated at an open window. The impassioned sun shone full upon her face, while the amorous zephyrs wantonly played among her clustering ringlets. Charles Augustus, her devoted and favourite lover, gallantly offered to close the blinds. No, no, dear Charles," she languishingly responded, "I'd rather have a little sun than no air at all." MATTER-OF-FACT.-" What brings you abroad so early?" said an elderly gentleman to a pretty girl of eighteen, with the wickedest eyes in the world, whom he accidently met in a morning's walk on the chainpier at Brighton. "To tell you the truth, I have come out to get a little sun and air.” "Take my advice," replied the matter-of-fact man, "and get a little husband first." MANNERS MAKE THE MAN.-A stranger in London, having recently lost his way, somewhere in the unknown regions of Seven Dials, said to an awkward-looking fellow, "I want to go to Dover-street.""Well," replied the fellow, walking coolly away, "why the d-1 don't you go there?" LITERATURE AND THE FINE ARTS. HISTORY OF THE BRITISH TURF. By James Christie Whyte, Esq. Two vols. London: Henry Colburn, Great Marlborough-street. 1840. UPON the principle that an author has a right to select his subject, a reviewer is entitled to choose the method of its treatment; whether he shall subject it to an analysis of fact or opinion. In the present instance, it is our purpose to adopt the former course. That a "History of the Turf" is a work which, before to-day, ought to have formed a leading item in the sporting literature of this country, there can be no question. How far the volumes before us are likely to supply the deficiency, it is not our design to pronounce. Therein the reader of this notice must minister to himself. We shall quote a few passages which appear to us best suited to convey a general idea of the undertaking, and merely offer facts as comments upon them. After some allusions to the importance of racing, in a national point of view, in his Introduction, the author observes :— "In no other country in the world exists the same encouragement for breeding and running race-horses, in the number and value of the prizes which tempt the amateur, or follower of the pursuits of the turf, on every side, in constant succession. A few striking facts at once shew this to be the case; and are proud and convincing evidence, at once, of the spirit of enterprise and the wealth and prosperity of the British nation. In three starts, it is possible for a three-year-old filly to win £11,000, and a colt of the same age nearly £9,000; and this, too, in the course of a few successive months." The last sentence of that paragraph is a passage in Nimrod's article on the race-horse, in the "Encyclopædia Britannica," put into other words. Nimrod says: "It is possible that a three-year-old colt might win, at three starts, the enormous sum of 8,850 guineas; and a threeyear-old filly might win the still greater amount of £11,000." What meaning do we gather from this? That a filly, being entitled to start for the Oaks, as well as the Derby and Leger, is in a condition to win a greater amount in three starts than a colt, that can only only run for the two latter. So far well: but what constitutes these eleven thousand |