well, for the diggings turned out nuggets. What pretty moves always introduce the winter betting on the Derby to a discerning public! There was a comical wind up for a plate over the D. I. course : something like what might have occurred had Billy Button met Jim Robinson in a match across the Flat.

There was a list that looked threatening for Friday ; but a row about the first event served to circulate the blood " to make 'em fight, and do 'em good,” as Mr. Wilson Croker sang, in the days when he cultivated such conceits, “ a long time ago." A foreigner was the artist in the present instance ; but as it is not probable he will ever repeat his performance in this country, his specification is of no consequence. The Nursery Stakes, as related to the getting up of the jockeys, was generally booked as a rather green composition. Some severe, and certainly not less deserving, strictures upon “ turning horses loose" for races were made anent this weighting, by a gentleman that I rejoice to see is becoming a convert to the mischievous influence of a system of turf protection. I have ever denounced the handicap as a fatal inroad upon the principle of horse-racing in every acceptance of the word. It is a premium for all kinds of stable trickery, and a discount against the breeder of first-class, and consequently expensive, race horses- the fountains of our peerless thorough-blood. For this criterion of course precedence one two-year-old received almost four stone from another of the same year. For the second series of this Nursery affair, there was a “gnashing of teeth,” which arose out of the “scratching” of one of the lot. whose new proprietor saw cause and precedent for doing as he liked with his own. For my poor part, I am not ashamed to confess that I have little sympathy to spare for people who burn their fingers when their neighbour's pot boils over. Racers are not posters ; neither are plates and stakes “jobs,” which confer upon your public a right to tell over the routine of nominations in the card, and call, as John ostler used, for “the next turn out.” I could kiss the most excellent wretch ”—Punch !-pleasantist, “ wisest, discreetest, best —what time thou pokest thy fun at Pretence, matriculating for the yacht service on the paddle-box of the river steamer that goes down to the sea at Margate " of a Sunday," and anon haply to show up the beau ideal of the true Tattersalldemalion, deep in the Danebury division—sonorous of " Scott's lot,” and sanguine in the hope that the day may come " when he shall keep a donkey of his own.” Apropos of the beau ideal, accept a “ Bell ”-vue of the aforesaid Nursery Stakes : second edition......

“ Then came into play the start for the second class of the Nursery candidates, for which Michaelmas Maid, having been 'sold,' failed to put in an appearance, and consequently her backers were 'sold' also. People will say savage things when they lose their money without having the chance of a race; but' scratching' has so long been the order of the day among all grades, that backers of horses have only themselves to blame when they invest their money on the horses of persons on whom they cannot depend; they had better wait till the numbers are up on the day of running.

" There was quite as much to complain of when Mr. Mare's filly by Lanercost is one day of the week absolutely last in a selling stake, and then having been turned loose in the Nursery because she had previously run so badly, becomes not only the first favourite but wins the race without the semblance of a struggle! But the very system of handicapping offers a premium for chicanery. To run straight to the winning-post is to ensure having the utmost ounce possible placed on your horse's back, but to be clever in throwing dust in the handicapper's eyes-à la this filly of Mr. Mare's and many other3-is to have a stone or more in hand, whereby you are enabled to make winning a certainty.” The Audley End Stakes Weathergage won without an effort, beating Adine, with dollops of weight in, who beat Daniel O'Rourke, who won the Derby! Of materials such as this is manufactured the sauce piquante that gives such an exquisite flavour to horse-racing.

Saturday, finis legitimate of the turf season, had a long bill of fare, so to it went the guests betimes. There was a large batch of matches, and some pretty sport out of it. But it was miserable work after all : horrid cut-throat weather over-head, and beneath the foot a quagmire in which it sank out of sight. They talk of improvements ; but, like the sewers' job in the metropolis, the dirty work is likely to be a long time on hand...... “ The money spent on that foolish abortion, the socalled trial enclosure, would have more than sufficed to have carried into effect these proposed improvements”-roads on the Flat, with saddling stables, new betting rings, and so forth—-" and, as it is, the debris of the embankment may be used for the materials of the new road ; for as another thousand pounds is not likely to be voted to carry out what is requisite to complete the trial course in accordance with the original intentions, the sooner the heath is rid of the disfigurement the better.” ...... Thus a sporting weekly spake of the proposed scheme of “ protection” at Newmarket. The very word is in evil odour : “ you may nose it in the lobby.”

The November racing opened with Epsom Autumn Meeting! When is the Winter Meeting to take place ? Imagine a holiday festival for the Cockney, al fresco ! to commence November the 4th (the particular point of time when Englishmen, as we are informed, hang and drown themselves) on the downs of Surrey. Last year I assisted at one of these temptations of Providence, and live to tell it. Need it be said that the issue was an eminent failure? The policy was of course to get up something that should pay everybody, except your publicwhich represents the piper. So the features were handicaps constructed to suit the meanest capacity. The Beddington Stakes, with 32 subscriptions of £10 each, half forfeit, for two-year-olds, was the first of these contrivances. This was won by a famous courser, a female, hight Tobolski, with 5 st. 7 lbs. on her back, or three stone less than the racing weight of that age, and at the latter end of the year. Now, where would be the inducement to give £30,000 for another Emilius when you may go to Smithfield and buy a cripple that will run at equal main and chance with him for “ The Great London and Westminster Bo-kickers' Stakes-handicap--with a bonus of a bushel of tickets added by the libel'd list-gentlemen of those cities and suburbs”

-for twenty shillings? The Epsom Autumn Handicap, with 57 nominations, produced a race between seven, wherein the discrepancies of luggage carried by the three-year-olds respectively ranged over a margin of three stone. There is no limit to industrious progresstherefore no reason why weights should not be reduced so as to meet the pressure of bad stock, till compensation is actually afforded. If a bandicapper follows an unfortunate through a twelvemonth of Calendars, and finds that it cannot gallop with 4 st. up, let him try 14 lbs. Some of the monkeys at the Hippodrome of Paris are quite artists in the saddle, and the Rules and Orders of the Jockey Club do not apply to the race of the rider-jockey or jocko-" nullo discrimine agetur." The winner of the aforesaid Autumnal November Handicap carried 6 st. 12 lbs., was called Candlewick, and five years of age. The dessert came off on Friday, and consisted mainly of hurdle races and steeple-chases, whereof the latter is fast travelling towards the social status in which bull-baiting and dog-fighting are classed. The character of the Scramble -Steeple-Chase-- was thus written in the columns of Bell's Life of the 7th ult. : “ The affair turned out one of the most disgraceful and barefaced robberies ever committed...... A clearer case of 'roping' was never witnessed, and Mr. - 's” (we omit the gentleman's name) “ return to the scale was accompanied by such an outbreak of indignation that we are surprised he escaped Lynch law.” And then it pays the following compliment to the management :-" The principal event of the day was kept back to the last, for the evident purpose of serving the books, and before its conclusion darkness had almost set in !"

We are not going-grace to the courteous reader's patience to wade through all the “ Autumnal ” Meetings that took place about this time. That celebrated at Worcester was worthy the occasion. It was bitter bad, with episodes in keeping. One horse was killed, and a worse fate imprecated upon more than one of the sporting leatherplating "gents." Warwick and Leamington sports, announced for the 16th ult., were honestly denominated the November Meeting. Alas! that it was “in a concatenation accordingly.” Many memories have I of anniversaries hard by the stronghold of the king-maker, where the Olympic arena reminded me of Moore's “ Lake of the Dismal Swamp." The last bated no iota of the amphibious characteristics of its most moist antecedents. Horrible was the carnage of “silk attire." Terrible were the casualties by land and by water. Direful was the damage done to all, save the fortunate promoters of the mischief...... "O! world of slippery turns !"......

The brighter aspect of the prospect presents new acquisitions to the great national sport. Lord Londsborough and Sir Robert Clifton are to make compensation for the retirement of Lord Ribblesdale, whose career has been but a short one, and not a fortunate. If strength of materiel and popularity gaining ground, to which there seems no limit, are to be regarded as good omens for the turf, then did it never promise such abundant produce as in the present. But may it not be that the growth is too rank, and the forcing too intense to be wholesome? Those fungi, the list-houses, are indeed rotting off, and its illegitimate offspring, the Steeple-chase, will soon cease to trouble it. Still it stands not where it did. The pride of place that once made it so chivalrous, so fair a modern successor of the lofty order equestrian of the olden time, has yielded precedence to the spirit of speculative enterprise-the especial " form and pressure” of the age. Will the pursuit of profit mingle sympathetically with the chace of pleasure? Must sporting, like commerce, be broker's business? Keen chapmen now deal in race-courses as mercantile media. It seems to me that, like the sweeps and the lotteries and the lists, these trading caterers of Cups and Plates angur ill for the character and condition of the rurf.

“ Timeo DanaoS, ET DONA FERENTES,”