EMBELLISHMENTS. " GOING TO BUSINESS." DESIGNED AND ENGRAVED BY H. BECKWITH. THE RACE FOR THE ST. LEGER ENGRAVED BY J. H, ENGLEHEART, FROM A PAINTING BY A, H. ALKEN. CONTENTS. Page. THE MIST AND THE MOOR—BY HORNYWINK MY LIFE AND ADVENTURES-BY HARRY HIEOVER . THE RACE FOR THE ST. LEGER, 1851 (NEWMINSTER'S YEAR) LETTERS FROM MY UNCLE SCRIBBLE THE UNSUCCESSFUL MAN; OR, PASSAGES IN THE LIFE OF TILBURY NOGO, ESQ.-BY FOXGLOVE. ERNEST ATHERLEY; OR, SCENES AT HOME AND ABROAD. THE TWELFTII OF AUGUST—ANOTHER WORD FROM THE YORK REALITIES, AND DONCASTER SHADOWS---BY GAYHURST. 205 MY FIRST FIRST-OF-SEPTEMBER-BY JUVENIS A CALM DAY AT COWES—BY AN IDLE MAN TURF REGISTER :-NEWMARKETJULY MEETING — WORCESTER SUMMER MEETING — LANCASTER — ODIHAM — ILSLEY-LIVER- POOL JULY MEETING-IPSWICH-STAMFORD-KNUTSFORD- Marchool H. (Horiai: 22 & 23 RACES IN SEPTEMBER. 1 Weymouth ..., .... 21 & Mori eth ............. 1 & 2 | Rochester and Chatham 8 & 9 I eicester ............ 22 & 23 Stirling .............. 2 & 3 / Airdrie .............. 9 & 10 | Liverpool H.(Hoylake) . 22 Newport Mon mouthsh.) 2 Weston Zoyland and Bridge | Manchester Autumn.. 23 & Marlborough S w ater ....... ......... 10 Newmarket F. 0... 28, 29 & 30 Bridgnorth............. .... 3 Doncaster .... 14, 15, 16 & 17 1 Kilkenny ......... . .. Cheadle ....... ......., 6 & 7 Redditch ................ 20 Cashel ......... Curragh .... 7 & 8 Tenby ............ 21 & 22 Chesterfield.......... 23 & Warwick .... ..... 7 & 8 Ongar ... .. 21 | Weaverthorpe ..... Whitehaven............ 7 &c. | Johnstown.............. 21 | Western Meeting...... 30, &c. Southport ............ 8 & 9 | Eglintin Club.... 21, 22 & 28 REGATTAS (IN SEPTEMBER. Lancaster .... 2 | Newcastle & Gateshead 13 & 14 | London Arundel Y. C. .... Royal London Y. C. ...... 9 Vale of Leven &Lochlomond 15 | chestekborde ing..." ........ deld. THE RACING IN AUGUST. BY CRAVEN, “ The pleasure we delight in physics pain." SHAKSPEARE. The muse, whose numbers are for all time, has also a philosophy for all occasion. Tested by an eminent modern instance, the poet's morality here quoted seems, so to speak, “ to the matter made.” Note his panacea for penance “ The pleasure we delight in physics pain.” Let the Ring be the dispensing chemist, the practice, that recommended by the celebrated Doctor Sangrado, “ bleeding and hotwater "-betting's essential elements--and none need despair of ease. Observe, “physics" is used in the vernacular as relates to drastic results. The odds are gentlemanly aperients--pills to purge melancholy, unpolluted by stimulants, once, we are assured, ingredients bad recourse to in serious cases. ..... “ My name is John Collins, head waiter at Limmer's, At the corner of Conduit Street, Hanover Square, To solace young gentlemen laden with care.” Now your patient at death's threshold with ennui of Baden or Aix, Brighton or Harrowgate, hies him to Tattersall's or Beeton's, to his tout or liberal-list house, and his cure is certain. He is “taken in and done for," as prescribed by landladies of boarding estab. lishments for persons desirous of being settled. To physic pain, take all yon can get of the market prices about this year's Leger and next year's Derby, with an infusion of the Autumn handicaps, and you make sure of an efficient Hygeian amalgam upon classic authority; that is, provided you back nothing, and lay against every. thing. " Better to roam in fields for health unbought, Than fee the doctor for a nauseous draught." ..... “They fool me to the top o' my bent.” Goodwood's golden woof was yet unwoven when, by press of time, the thread of our last month's narrative was broken. The fabric is too fine to be now “taken up.” Is not that the technical expression ? Less gorgeous, but very gay and gallant, was the web weft upon the Downs of once Imperial Brighton. Brighthelmstone that was ! Subtle things are Olympic tissues; Sphynx's riddles are regal reminiscences---sealed chapters of the book and volume of the brain. How past, present, and future are linked together with electric wires! How soothly sings the Swan of Avon! sweetest when the dirge is sympathetic " The good die first, There is a disease known to our insular catalogue of maladies called a “galloping consumption.” Being unable to find a phrase expressive of the present position of our national turf, I fall back upon it to point out, by its antithesis, the epidemic of English horse-racing at these presents. ...... A galloping plethora is not euphonious. Well, with half a dozen meetings a week to distract him by their embarras de richesses, your leg, like the cat in the tripe shop, beheld a bran new scheme broached for his welcome upon the verdant sward of Sussex. By way of befitting “boots” to Goodwood, a new stand-grand stand, I should have said—with a new grand service of officials, was got up at Brighton. In short, altogether a spic-and-span novel concern, at which the hearts, or the substitutes for those appendages to the animal machine worn by them inside their ribs, of the list chevaliers summersaulted with delight. Rogues grin, and honest men make their game. Sir James Graham banished roulette from “the races”; and presto, substituting horses for balls, and courses for tables, the same results-multiplied in mischief ten thousand per cent.-- have been got up at every available point of the kingdom. And, herein, which is cause and which effect?-the list swindle, which is the demand ? or “meetings," multiplied fifty per cent. already, which are the supply? I wish I could say that racing, from being a sport, had even become a trade; if by that latter word is meant or understood a passage of legitimate and social intercourse for profit and convenience. But it has been turned to no such respectable account; the magistrates of London have declared from the bench of criminal justice that the list system-for which professional racing is the pander—is peopling the metropolitan prisons with young delinquents, for whose debauchery from honest principles male pimps ply in their streets, as do the harlots in their more honourable calling. Why has she turf been suffered to be turned to a purpose so base as this? Why do the gentry of the land-by whom alone it is, or can be, upheld-why do they indirectly countenance a public scandal being wronght out of that which deserves to be a deserving national pastime? I am prepared for such sophisms as, that with the increase of society and the prevalence of prosperity, the advance of a great popular sport is naturally explained. ... The men I addressthe experienced proprietors of racing studs, the habitués of our courses—will not impugn my facts; neither, as I am sure, my motives. There is but one “Ring.” Tattersall's furnishes only one set or company of turf brokers, now become necessary agents of its policy. The principle of hedging stakes-the necessary monetary negociations which the practical working of a racing establishment now involves as absolutely as funded capital—these sporting financial facts have given existence to a class of " commissioners,” as conventionally recognized in their calling-save the pun!-as the members of the Stock Exchange in their vocation. No meeting, of the most ordinary pretension, can move without them. The marvels of steam-travelling enable these industrious men to close their books in Scotland at night, and to open them on the South-coast line the following morning. Hence the fatal facility of which sheer adventure is availing itself to an extent pregnant with great social damage and danger. Out of such means and appliances it has come to pass that, for this instant September, 1852, there are more public race-meetings advertised than there are days in the month! How is this brought about? by the spirit of a generous sport? No! it is the bastard offspring of illegitimate excitement and chicane. As premised, a regular “Races" were manufactured, on the seaboard downs of Sussex, for the first week in August. The customary thievery and levanting being duly disposed of at the Corner, on Monday afternoon, the “talents” arrived, some on Tuesday, some on Wednesday, to regulate their bile in the regions which crown the rural village of Kemp-town. Some men are fascinated by mortar; some hug horses —aye, in their heart of hearts ! sume harbour in such places bipeds as costly—and as capricious; and all of us pay for our whistle. Is it not well spoken. then “The pleasure we delight in physics pain"? whereof the modern prose exponent thus clinches the aphorism : “What's the odds, so long as you're happy ?” What ups and downs there are in every one's experience of life! I have lived to see Frascati's disappear, and the antique barn-stand upon Brighton Downs replaced by quite a professional turf bazaar. Who knows what fate awaits Crocky's? There's a good stroke of business doing, just now, in the amateur theological line. Imagine that you have flown (a prettier expression than fy'd) to the centre of attraction, about 2 p.m. of the 4th ult. In their various capacities, you observe, all have been working—we quote from Bell. Scene: The grand stand, as aforesaid. “ The ride to the course was rendered particularly disagreeable from the dust"-supply of water short; pro. bably the tide didn't serve...“ We heard frequent complaints of the steepness of the lawn, and it is not to be gainsaid that it must have been fatiguing work for those whose avocations rendered it inconvenient to change the venue ; but it may be questioned if this objection was not more than counterbalanced by the excellent view that is now obtained of the racing. Objectionable or not, there is no help for it but pulling down and rebuilding.” Now, in justice 10 our old friend the barn, it is proper to observe that it furnished the company with ocular demonstration of everything enacted upon the racing arena... “ The dust, owing partly to the nature of the soil, and partly to the geniuses who turfed the lawn having afterwards strewed mould over it, was annoying in the extreme.” No doubt the absence of the watering-pot had also a finger in the dirt-pie...“ The Epsom plan was adopted of separating the daily from the weekly ticket-holders, which gave rise to considerable dissatisfaction among the former, who, in order to obtain admission into the sanctum'" (lucus à non lucendo “of the betting enclosure, had to pay an additional seven shillings and sixpence for a privilege which it was contended ought to be equally enjoyed by those who attended one day, as well as those who stayed out the three"...Poor old barn! such scanty hospitality was never dreamt of in thy venerable philosophy... The correct cards recited six issues for the settling. One of these, the Trialprologue to the play-having first produced a dead heat between Little Savage and Knight of the Thistle, the former won-by a close |