Tingle, and 4 to 1 Longinus. This was a most dashing struggle; the three that were backed running from the distance stride for stride to the chair, where the favourite beat Longinus by a head, the filly getting the third place by a like distance from the second. Chariclea, who made the fourth, gave in at the distance, and did not attempt any more. А Sweepstakes of 5!! sovs. each, with £50 added, half a mile, for two and three-year-olds, had six named, whereof the moiety went. Remnant, with 5 to 6 on him, made his own running, and won with all ease by a couple of lengths. A Sweepstakes of 10 sovs. each (half forfeit! !), with £50 added, for three-year-olds and upwards, T.Y.C., had nine nominations, and half-a-dozen starters. They laid 5 to 4 on Thornhill, 5 to 2 against Taffrail, and 4 to 1 against Besborough. When they were gathering together at the post, Grief bolted, and carried his rider past the chair. He then returned, went up again to start, again bolted, and again ran the whole course; and at last they all got away together; Thornhill winning by a length. The Anglesea Stakes, three subscribers, came off a match between Squire Osbaldeston, on his horse Chat, and Capt. Pettat, on the Duke of Richmond's Buffalo Girl. Tho Squire, with 5 to 2 on him, won in a canter. A Sweepstakes of 50 sovs. each, h. ft., Mr. Shelley's Cumberland walked over for, Whirlwind withdrawing his stake and one paying; and there was time to draw breath after all this strong running. Such bumpers of sport are not quaffed every day in a man's life here's a health to the lord of the feast. . . . .

.....

A fresh shadowy forenoon was a goodly contrast to the burning sunshine which for three successive days had poured its rays upon the Sussex Downs. The crowd, too, was most gratefully mitigated, and the aspect of the finale wore a welcome guise. The racing was ample, and the spirit more chivalrous than any that had previously been called forth. Lord Uxbridge and Mr. John Stanley, it was stated, are the Stewards-elect for 1850. The list opened with-second year of a Sweepstakes of 200 sovs. each, h. ft., for three-year olds, one mile, 3 subscribers; Lord Glasgow's filly by Lanercost, out of Canada, received forfeit. The Settrington Stakes of 25 sovs. each, 10 ft., for two year olds, 34 subscribers, was run a match between Officious and Lord Chesterfield's colt out of Concertina. The odds were 5 to 2 on the filly, who cantered home alone. A Sweepstakes of 10 sovs. each, for three-year-olds and upwards, half a mile, 8 nominations, brought half-adozen to the post, and produced a dead heat between The Moor and Ferule. The conqueror was won by the former, and Flatman was fined "for having started without orders." How was that? It was a bungling business the starting for this race altogether. The Derby Plate of 100 sovereigns, for two-year-olds, one mile, drew forth nine youngsters for this keen handicap. The odds were 5 to 4 against Little Jack, whose weight was 6st. 12lbs. A fine race ended in favour of the crack by a neck. It ought to have been said that even money was laid on The Moor for the first heat of the preceding event, and 7 to 4 on him for the second. Match for £50 each, h. ft., last mile, Malmsbury beat Paultons, after a very sharp set-to, by a head-5 to 4 on the winner-nice times for the fielders! The Chesterfield Cup (handicap), Craven Course, 32 subscribers. For this-albeit a dozen were telegraphed to go-they betted 6 to 5 on Surplice, 5 to 1 against Collingwood, 8 to 1 against Crucible, 9 to 1 against Woolwich, and more points of odds against

others. The favourite cut out the pace, so long as it was indifferent. The Duke of Richmond's Helter-skelter then led, being in front to the distance, where Woolwich made his demonstration, got to the head, kept there, and finally won by a length-his weight 6st. Crucible, the second, carried half a stone less. The winner of the Derby and St. Leger had 9st. up-he was surely out of form-or does not the course at Goodwood agree with him? The Nassau Stakes of 50 sovs. each, for three-year-old fillies-with a little volume of penalties-16 subscribers, and four runners, introduced Clarissa to the ring, with 5 to 4 on her, 5 to 2 against Highland Fling, and 3 to 1 against Grace. The distance was the New Mile. It was not a pretty looking race, but towards the finish they got closer together, the favourite winning by a length. The Queen's Plate was run a match between Fire Eater and Glenalvon (4lbs. over weight). The former was backed at 5 to 2 on him, but the latter "took the lead, and kept it”—a slashing finish—but "Exeter wins." It was as good as a cordial to see the sporting Marquis's reception of this slice of luck. The Trant Stakes (amateur), 13 subscribers, put up five cavaliers, who rode four heats-one of them "dead" between three! -Were you quite sure, Mr. Clark? Mr. Elwes being at length declared to have won upon Besborough. This closed the Goodwood Meeting“every inch a Prince's." To say nothing of the gorgeous trophies, upwards of fifteen thousand pounds in stakes were run for. The betting was all against the professionals, but what of that? There is a book opened to lay £10,000 to £5 against the "double event" on the Cesarewitch and Cambridgeshire; and some quarter of a million has been done on that venture already!

Provincial racing greatly prevailed during the past month, the mere name of the meetings, however, being "too numerous to insert" in such a notice as this. Brighton had its share of holiday patronage; and the turf part of the affair promises far better than it did. There is a Club in process of formation, for the purpose of promoting the meeting-a scheme which has my hearty good wishes. Ths first move is in a right direction; may a wise policy and a gracious spirit preside while they “play out the play." The interval between Goodwood and York was filled up by six-and-twenty meetings in Great Britain, while in Ireland the turf had a better share of countenance than for many previous years. The popularity of our truly national sport spreads fast and far. In the colonies racing has assumed an importance it never before aspired to. Jockeys are wanted in Africa: What do you say to that, Smelfungus?

The York August Meeting serves to wind up the racing of the month brilliantly. It is the sporting cynosure of one of the most sporting districts in the kingdom, more especially in relation to the turf. On its recent anniversary, the début of certain new stakes shed a new éclât, as well as fresh promise for the future. The Yorkshire Oaks bids well for prospective popularity. Small stakes, which insure large entries, are fast coming into fashion, and this novelty belongs to that class. The autumnal races at old Ebor are put on the scene with every appliance and means towards the insurance of success. The details are in the hands of those most suited by character and experience to carry them out scientifically; and the locality is proverbially olympic. It is, perhaps, not to be regretted that their "course," on the occasion to which this notice refers, did not run smooth." The condition of racing

"conditions" is extremely defective; and, as nothing is ever done in public affairs until they are pronounced to be "too bad," with one voice by everybody at the same time, the misunderstanding which arose out of the penalties declared for the Yorkshire Oaks will most probably be productive of good hereafter. The conditions run thus :-" For three-year-old fillies 8st. 7ib. each; the winner of the Oaks at Epsom 7lb., second 3lb. extra; the winner of any three-year-old stake value £500, 4lb. extra." It was submitted and insisted by Mr. Jaques and Mr. Meiklam that Lady Evelyn, having won the Oaks at Epsom, was liable not only to the 7lbs. penalty attached to that result, but also to the 4lbs. penalty for having won "any three-year-old stake of the value of £500." No doubt this construction was put upon the wording of the articles bond fide by those gentlemen, who held that the penalties were accumalative; but no doubt such is not the proper reading, according to the spirit of their common-sense interpretation. A three-yearold filly that has won any stake of the value of £500 is held to be four pounds better than those of her year; but the winner of the Oaks -a stake worth much more than £500, is held to be seven pounds better than those of her year. This is certainly the construction a man conversant with racing would put upon the words as they stood; what the writer intended they should convey is, of course, quite another thing.

The three days' sport was ample and excellent. It threw no "shadows before," certainly, as regarded the great issue at Doncaster; but perhaps it assisted some few to the conclusion that a horse, however good, cannot when unsound beat those that, with far less pretensions, are fit. The Italian won the Prince of Wales's Stakes, beating Penang and five others, in a true run race, cleverly. The Colt Sapling was run a match between Mildew and Cantab-the former just the best by a head in the last stride. Honeycomb was backed at 7 to 4, and 2 to 1 on him, for the Ebor St. Leger: he ran the last of the three starters-Elthiron the winner, from the invincible stable. The Yorkshire Oaks, for which Lady Evelyn did not go, in consequence of the dispute about the penalty, brought of the 60 nominations half-a-dozen to the post-7 to 4 on Lady Superior, who ran second for the Epsom Oaks. Lord Zetland's Ellen Middleton won by a head; the Maid of Team Valley second. The favourite was beaten a couple of lengths from the second-was the Epsom running all "a delusion and a snare?" The Cup, Canezou cantered off with; and the Great Ebor Handicap, of its 99 entries, had 15 at the post. They took 3 to 1 about Westow, and backed several others at low figures-the despised of the ring being the Hero and Fernhill, at 40 to 1 against either: they ran first and second, in the order in which they are here set down-there is not a more dangerous customer going than the little chesnut (powney!) The Great Yorkshire Stakes, 165 subscribers, brought out a dozen-even on Nunnykirk. Honeycomb had a "shy" for it, and so had Hotspur and others known to fame. It was won, despite the oracles, by Old Dan Tucker-a close shave, "the black 'un" being second. The Gimcrack (two years old) Stakes, 27 entries, induced half-a-dozen to show. Mildew was backed at even, and he justified the confidence of his party, winning very cleverly by a length-Cantab second...... Such is a slight outline of the principal events, which proved, as did others of minor account, that the wisdom

of the wise, on the turf as in graver matters, is but foolishness. The favourites were beaten in almost every instance where there was a race for it. Business was not brisk-a result the gentlemen of the ring must expect from the novelties in betting recently introduced. The £10,000 to £5 system, on double events, is now the rage, and it is indisputably the most dashing style that has come into fashion of late years, The closing week of August is replete with small race meetings, excellent, no doubt, as regards local consequences, but of no use to those not personally concerned in them. The coming month will be an occasion of moment for Doncaster: the question with the northern Elis is the brief but emphatic one" to be or not to be?" "Nature hath these vicissitudes," says old Ben Johnson, "and makes no man a state of perpetuity."

THE FERRET LAID.

ENGRAVED BY E. HACKER, FROM A PAINTING BY E. CORBET.

66

No man, or woman either, yet "ever loved a dear gazelle" that went quite straight at all times. There is sure to be some little if,” or" but, or want," introduced here and there, just to remind one how all the pleasures of this life are liable to alloy. A hanging, dodging fox-a faint-hearted, queer-tempered two-year-old-a half-broken, over-excited setter-a loose-jointed, top-heavy fly-rod-take any you will, what a damper they give to the several sports with which they are associated! How they will, perhaps when most reckoned on, do those things which they ought not to do, and o'ershadow a day that, with but their permission, might have been all sunshine!

"The Ferret Laid" takes high rank and place with these disagreeables. It is the bellows-blower that wouldn't blow over again, and all the harmony of the accompaniment quite as effectually destroyed. With a good long, lean, ugly, lanky devil of a ferret-with an appetite nobody likes to own how many days old, and a mouth stitched up nobody cares about saying how tight-with a game varmint sheriff's officer of this sort, what a day the juvenile sportsman has before him! How old Charley rattles the poor little bunnies about from every hole and corner they know of! How the well-planted net stays one herehow the ever-watchful "Vixen" grabs another there, and how "Master Francis" whisks about here, there, and everywhere, ready to crack at one and all as they show up, and endangering the lives of Williams the keeper and his little pet terrier at every shot he fires! How anxious, excited, and happy he looks, and what famous work Charley makes for him in his busy, active operations below!

Yet after a while there comes a lull. The rabbits don't seem to bolt half as fast as they did just now-The net has been a sinecure for this last five minutes; Vixen has been "made ready" without any further command quite as long, and the young master had three or four offers equally without cause or effect. To be sure, a rabbit now and then will just show his head and get "bock agen" without a sign of that atra, or rather alba cura, which evidently sat so close behind them at first.