MONTHLY MISCELLANY. THE TURF IN THE ANTIPODES.—" The Sydney Herald of August 28th., 1841 contains the following account of Turf doings in that, as Paddy calls it," The fifth quarter of the globe." HOMEBUSH SPRING MEETING.-Tuesday, August 24, 1841. The Australian Stakes of 15 sovs each, h. ft. with 200 sovs. added from the fund, for all horses bred in the Colony of New South Wales, weight for age, heats, twice round the course, 1 5 2 4 3 3 4 Mr. C. Smith's ch. f. Bee's-wing by St. John, 2 yrs. old, 6st. 7lb 1 Mr. Bundock's b. g. Planet, by Satellite, aged, 10st. 7lb. Mr. Rouse's b. g. Jorrocks, by Whisker, aged, 10st 5lb.. Captain O'Connell's br. c. Eucalyptus, by Gratis, 3 yrs. old, 8st. 7lb. Mr. Reeve's b. g. Plutus, by Trumpet, 5 yrs. old, 10st. 1lb. Betting 2 to 1 agst Jorrocks, 5 to 2 agst Bee's-wing, 3 to 1 agst Eucalyptus, and 6 to 1 agst the others. 2 5 In the first heat Eucalyptus took the lead, which he retained for the first half mile, when he was passed by Jorrocks, the rest well laid up, they maintained this order till passing the stand the first time, when the chesnut filly made play, went in front, was never headed and won easy. Second heat, Planet cut out the running for the first round, when the filly again went a head and won cleverly. Time-1st heat, 5 min. 10 sec.; 2nd heat, 5 min. 12 sec.; distance run two miles and a half and 140 yards. The Publicans' Purse of 50 sovs. added to a Sweepstakes of 5 sovs. each for all horses, weight for age, heats, once round and a distance. ..... 1 1 2 2 4 3 5 3 3 5 Mr. Scott's b. h. Mentor, by Toss, 5 yrs. old, 10st. 4lb. Mr. Kater's b. m. The Gigler, by Tomboy, 4 yrs. old, 9st. 3lb. Mr. Jenner's b. g. Doncaster, by Trumpet, 3 yrs. old, 8st. 4lb... Mr. Smith's b. f. Rakish Kit, by Emigrant, 3 yrs. old, 8st. 4lb... Mr. Pryce's b. g. Selim, by Toss, 5 yrs. old, 10st. 1lb. Betting even on Mentor, 5 to 1 agst. The Gigler, and 7 to 1 agst. the rest. In both heats Mentor kept the lead the whole way, and won easy-distance one mile and a quarter and 310 yards. Time-1st heat, 2 min. 41 sec.; second heat, 2 min. 44 sec. The Welter Stakes of 10 sovs. each, with 100 sovs, added from the fund, for all horses carrying 11st. 7lb.-Three times round.-Gentlemen riders. Capt. Hunter's ch. g. Prince, by Camerton, aged.—Mr. Pryce .... ... ..... 1 0 0 Mr. Glennie's b. g. Prince, by Toss, aged Mr Singleton's g. g. Block, aged Mr. Kater's Frederick was entered but did not start. Betting even on Prince. In this race Captain Hunter's Prince cut out the running at such a pace, that before reaching the stand the second round, Block was hors de combat; at the top of the hill the third round, Mr. Glennie's Prince also cried enough; and at Tattenham corner, Gohanna made a struggle for the lead, and bolted, thus leaving Prince an easy victory. Distance three miles and three quarters and 210 yards. Time-8 min. 5 secs. Thursday, August 26.-The Champion Cup, value 100 sovs, for all horses; weight for age.-Heats, twice round and a distance. .. Mr. Smith's g. f. Bee's-wing, by St. John, 2 yrs. old, 6st. 7lb. 2 1 1 ...... 4 3 2 1 5 3 2 dr 4 dr Capt. O'Connell's br. c. Eucalyptus, by Gratis, 3 yrs. old, 8st. 7lb. 5 Mr. Kater's b. m. The Gigler, by Tombov, 4 yrs. old, 9st. 3lb 3 Capt. Hunter's ch. g. Prince, by Camerton, aged, 10st. 5lb..... Mr. Kater's Cap-a-pie and Mr. Rouse's Plutus, were also entered, but did not start. Betting, 5 to 3 against Bee's-wing, 3 to 1 against Prince, nothing else named. The first heat was closely contested throughout by Prince, Bee's-wing, and The Gigler; the former winning by a length, and Bee's-wing beating The Gigler by a neck only. In the second heat, with every appearance of the same result, when about a quarter of a mile from home, Prince broke down, and a hard contest again ensued between Bee's-wing and The Gigler, the former winning by half a length. For the third heat, The Gigler being lame did not start, and Bee's-wing took the lead and kept it, winning easy; though Planet, who had been saved for this heat, did his best to reach her. Distance run, two and a half miles, 380 yards-time, 1st. heat, 5 minutes 25 seconds-2nd. heat, 3 minutes 30 seconds-3rd. heat, 5 minutes 40 seconds. Sweepstakes of 10 sovs. each; for three years old-Colts, 9st 2lb.; Fillies, 8st. 13lb.; heats, once round and a distance. Mr. E. Cox's ch. f. Penelope, walked over. The Ladies' Purse, value 50 sovs. added to a Sweepstakes of 5 sovs. each, for all horses carrying 11st.; twice round and a distance. Gentlemen riders. Mr. Scott's b. b. Mentor, 5 yrs. old.—Mr. Chambre Mr. Kater's Frederick was entered but did not start. 2 on Mentor. 2 Betting 3 to This race was won cleverly by Mentor by a length. Time 5 min. 40 sec. A Handicap of 2 sovs. each, with 50 sovs. added from the fund, for all beaten horses.-Twice round and a distance. This race lay between Jorrocks and Gohanna, nothing else having a shadow of a chance after the first mile. Jorrocks won by two lengths. We cannot conclude our account of this meeting without congratulating the race committee, and the stewards in particular, on the excellency of their arrangements, and the true sportsman-like style in which the races were conducted. Under such management these races cannot fail to prosper. The course was admirably kept, the attendance on both days was very numerous, and every person seemed delighted with the amusements. We would respectfully advise the stewards to take under their more particular consideration the weights to be carried by two yr. olds at their spring meetings;-it is our opinion that Bee's-wing ought to have carried at least seven pounds more-verbum sat. We hear that this promising filly has since been sold for £400-but she will either deceive us or her friends for the St. Leger Stakes in March. REVIEWS OF NEW PUBLICATIONS. THE FARMER'S ENCYCLOPEDIA, by Cuthbert W. Johnson. From Part IX. of this valuable work now lying before us, we make the following selection to show the general style and treatment of the subjects. "The Teeswater Sheep was bred originally on the banks of the Tees; it came from the stock of the old Lincolnshire, and like them it is nearly extinct. It was a tall clumsy animal, polled, and with white face and legs; they were crossed by the Dislley sheep, because a smaller and a better breed, and few traces of them are now to be found. "The Lincolnshire Sheep.-Culley described the old breed of Lincolnshire sheep half a century since, as having "no horns," white faces, long, thin, and weak carcases; the ewes weighing from fourteen to twenty pounds per quarter, the three year old wethers from twenty to thirty pounds; thick rough white legs, large bones, thick pelts, and long wool, from ten to eighteen inches, and weighing from eight to fourteen pounds per fleece, and covering a slow-feeding, coarse-grained carcase of mutton. (Culley on Live Stock, p. 111.) Culley, however, ran into the opposite extreme; if the Lincolnshire farmers bred only for the wool, he regarded only the mutton. A cross between the two produced a very profitable and much improved animal. "The Cotswold Sheep have been long celebrated for the fineness of their wool. In 1467, a flock of these sheep were carried into Spain by licence from Edward IV. Gervas Markham, in the time of Queen Elizabeth, describes them as long-woolled and large boned breed. Few of the original Cotswold breed, however, now remain; they have been gradually improved by crossing with the Leicester sheep, and it is this half-bred Cotswold and Leicester which now chiefly tenants the Gloucestershire and Worcestershire farms. The old Cotswold sheep are described by Mr. Youatt, as being taller and longer than the improved breed, comparatively flat-sided, deficient in the fore-quarter, but full in the hind-quarter, not fattening so early, but yielding a longer and heavier fleece.' (Youatt on Sheep, p. 340.) The mutton of this breed is well described by Mr. Ellman, as fine-grained and full-sized, but capable of great improvement by proper crossing. The Cotswold,' he adds, differ from the Southdown in several particulars; the skin of the Cotswold is much thicker than the Southdown; the head long and thin; ears wide and not too thin, having no wool but a tuft on the poll; wool below the hock considered objectionable. On the Cotswold they never allow two rams to run together.' He thinks twin ewes have much more to do with getting twins than twin rams; both however should be attended to, as well as a still more important particular, their keep. (Baxter's Lib. of Agr.) "The Dartmoor Sheep. The short or rather middle-woolled sheep of Devonshire,' says Mr. Youatt,' a few of which are still seen in South Devon, and on the greater part of the hills in the northern district, but most numerously on the forests of Dartmoor and Exmoor, are everywhere of nearly the same character, and betray on a smaller scale a great affinity with the Dorsets; have white faces and legs; some with and some without horns; small in the head and neck, and generally small boned; carcase narrow and flat-sided, weighing when fat from nine to twelve pounds per quarter; the fleece three or four pounds in weight in the yolk; wool short, with a coarse and hairy top."" (On Sheep, p. 251.) "A COMPENDIUM OF THE VETERINARY ART, by James White. Seventeenth Edition, entirely reconstructed, with considerable additions and alterations, bringing the work up to the present state of Veterinary Science, by W. C. Spooner. London, Longman & Co." This is a most valuable work, full of information, of the most useful kind, and made available to all to whom it can prove beneficial. The words Seventeenth Edition, show it to be sufficiently well-established in public favour, to need no further recommendation from us than the mere announcement of the new features of this Edition. The most important of these, is the embodying of the three volumes in one. In accomplishing this, considerable alterations have been found necessary; much superfluous matter has been removed; and in arranging the work more systematically, it has, in many instances, been found necessary to re-write the subject entirely, as the better method of incorporating the Author's ideas with the desired improvements. Besides this, many articles, altogether new, have been supplied, which will be found to add both to the interest and value of the work. FINE ARTS. PORTRAIT OF CHRISTOPHER WILSON, ESQ. Engraved by F. C. Lewis, from a Painting by Harry Hall of Newmarket. Since we received this proof, death has cut off from amongst us the worthy subject it so well pourtrays. The well-known Father of the Turf sunk under the effects of a lingering illness, on Wednesday, the 25th of June. To all to whom his many virtues had endeared him, the very excellent and characteristic likeness of this Print will prove a grateful memory The CHESHIRE HUNT. Engraved by C. G. Lewis, from a Picture by Henry Calvert.-Agnew, Manchester; and Rudolph Ackermann, London. This is a capital picture, and to say that it is well worthy to take its place beside Grant's Royal and Melton Hunts, we hold to be no mean praise. The figures are very skilfully grouped, and the liknesses, in those cases where our personal knowledge enables us to judge,—are striking. The portraits are forty-three in number, and likenesses of several of the leading hounds are introduced in the foreground of the Picture. What an advance in Sporting Art (if we may use the term) do not these pictures testify; and well do the words of the descriptive poem, which accompanies the explanatory key, express our own feelings, when they say Still distant the day yet in ages to come, When the gorse is uprooted, the fox-bound is dumb ; Let the pencil be dipped in the hues of the chase, Should the time-honoured race of our fox-hunter's end, They shall say, when this canvass the pastime recalls, They were loved in their lives-they were wept in the grave! |