'Not if he wins under such circumstances as that. Never thinks of asking for 'em; indeed, he'd be quite ashamed to ask such a thing. And if he don't 'win, the next time he's handicapped his horse goes in for nothing. So, you see, any how, it's a good thing.

'It's not a bad idea; but I never heard it before.'-(Vol. ii. p. 118.)

Once, and once only, we had a hunter in a steeple-chase, and a robbery was perpetrated against us, of a nature still more dishonest than that in the foregoing quotation. Had it not been for a disinclination to be mixed up in a steeple-chase wrangle with persons of disrepute, certain paries in that day, would have had to pay a sharp penalty.

All's well that ends well." Virtue meets its reward, despite of the caution of 'Barren Honour.' Vice and Mrs. Bransby retire from the scene, and even Bob Munster, after having been well dosed, derives profit from having tasted the bitters of money lenders, Jews, and blacklegs.

We lay down the Box for the Season,' with many thanks to the author for the amusement derived from its perusal, and confident that its disclosures, like 'Stable Secrets' by Mr. Mills, will have a healthy tendency in guarding the inexperienced and unwary from becoming an easy prey to those who live, move, and have their being through the polluted sources of knavery and crim.

ROWING.

THE London watermen, who have during the last few years been a most disunited body, have at last made a move in the right direction; and with the view, let us hope, of preventing further inroads into their glory and profit on the part of the Newcastle men, formed themselves into a club, The Pride of the Thames Rowing Club consists entirely of professionals, and Kelley is the captain. Under such auspices it ought to prosper, and we feel sure it has the good wishes of the rowing world; for strictly just as we may be, and virtuously anxious for the best crew to win, it becomes somewhat aggravating to our vanity as Southrons that the best crew should always come from such a very long distance, and carry off the best prizes of the Thames National whenever they put in an appearance. The wordy war between Chambers and Kelley has been going on by fits and starts for some time, but with no result; and we are beginning to get tired of the subject in the newspapers. It seems to us that, if either were very anxious to row, they would make a slight concession, and force the other to make a match; but no such favourable symptoms appear, and the affair will probably end in talk. Cole and Hoare, two promising youngsters, have entered into negotiations with a much more satisfactory result, and are matched to row on the 21st. The match was talked of last year, but Cole's friends did not then think him good enough: he has, however, now greatly improved, and, if well on the day, will have a fair chance. Whoever wins, the race ought to be a splendid one. The only event of interest among professionals hitherto has been between Kilsby and Biffen. They met last year, when Biffen won, and having done some wonderful trials, he was made a hot favourite at

2 and 3 to 1. The talent were, however, quite in the wrong; for Kilsby never gave him a chance, and won any distance. If they row for the rubber,' we should advise Biffen's friends not to work him so hard just before the race, as he came to the post quite stale, and seemed to have lost all the energy and dash he showed in his practice. Kilsby, on the other hand, had been prudently eased for the last day or two, and was as lively as a kitten. He trained at the Feathers,' under Horace Cole, and, with Harry Salter to look after him, was of course in splendid trim.

The amateur rowing clubs have been very industrious during the last few weeks. The London have had an eight-oared race, junior fours, senior sculls, for Mr. Clifford's cup, and the trial eights,' which were started two years ago, with the idea of testing the capabilities of aspirants for Henley honours. The race was this year scarcely up to L. R. C. form, as, though the crews may have contained a deal of good rowing material, it is at present in such a raw state as to be likely to be more available for next year than this year's Henley. The West London have had a couple of races, eights and fours. The latter showed some good rowing on the part of the winning crew, though the others did not appear to great advantage. The Leander, Ariel, Corsair, Twickenham, and the other clubs have also been hard at work, and will no doubt put in an appearance at the forthcoming regattas. We are glad to see several junior clubs arranging matches with each other, as men display more enthusiasm, and devote themselves more thoroughly to these contests than to mere club races. Last year the Ariel and Corsair and Corsair and Excelsior Clubs rowed some capital matches. This year these are to be repeated, also a match between the Excelsior and the Thames, a very rising club. There was a capital race on the 23rd between the University College and Guy's Hospital Clubs. The former, going from the worst station, had a hard race for some distance, but at the point got a length in hand, and afterwards increased it to two, the rowing of the losers being all through very lively and determined. We hope to see many more of these races during the season.

The College eight-oared races at the Universities have begun and ended during the past month. The racing at Oxford commenced on the 4th, and after some hard rowing, Trinity maintained its position as head of the river. The Cambridge races began a week later, Third Trinity starting at the top of the tree with a host of confident partisans: they, however, had to succumb to Trinity Hall, who held the place of honour with great ease during the week. They will probably go to Henley, as will the Trinity (Oxford) boat, and if they meet, we fancy the dark blue will repeat their Mortlake victory of last March. The Henley meeting is fixed for the 23rd and 24th June; it is a long while to look forward to, but as it will be all over before our next number is in print, we must give our crude ideas as to who will put in an appearance. For the Grand Challenge Cup, the London and Kingston Clubs are already at

work; the London crew, under Mr. Playford's tutelage, have had Mat Taylor rowing stroke in their twelve, and it is a treat to see him row a spurt with a fine strong crew to back him up; but we fancy the Londoners will not be good enough to bring the big prize to Putney this year. For the Stewards' Cup, they will have three out of last year's four, Mr. Hood's place being now filled by Mr. May, and if they do not train all the strength out of themselves as they did last year, they will be pretty well up at the finish. At present nothing is done about the second four, so we cannot say whether the London Rowing Club will be represented in the Wyfold, and they will leave the Diamond Sculls to the Universities. The Kingston Club will, no doubt, get a good eight out of the University men for the great race, and do their utmost to keep the Wyfold Cup at Kingston, with what success we cannot say at present, though, if their crew is as good as last year's, they have a great chance of beating their London antagonists for the great race. Diamond Sculls will bring together Messrs. Woodgate and Parker from Oxford, and, we hope, Lawes of Cambridge. Mr. Michell, of Magdalen, Oxford, too, having won the University sculls in Mr. Parker's absence, may be disposed to try his luck, as it is a shorter course than the Putney one where Parker beat him last year. If this lot meet it will be a most interesting race, and no gift to either; but if all's well with each, we expect to see the present amateur champion lead the way at the finish. The Pairs and other minor events of the Regatta we cannot say anything about at present.

The

Close after Henley comes Walton Regatta, on the 2nd July, which is always a most agreeable day's sport, and will, no doubt, bring crews from the London, Kingston, and West London Clubs, and, let us hope, several others. Barnes Regatta, which, from the character of the racing, and the splendid Challenge Cup offered for fours, is justly considered the chief Metropolitan Regatta, is fixed for the 30th July, and will doubtless show good entries, all styles of rowing men, from gigs upwards, being anxious to score a win at Barnes. Kingston and Kew Regattas are, we believe, not yet fixed, but we hope to see good days' sports at both these pleasant places. Bedford and a host of provincial regattas are also fixed, but these are, no doubt, of less general interest to our readers.

THE OTTER KING.

MACGILLIVRAY informs us that in Scotland, the white or the spotted otter is considered to be the King of the Otters. The former is doubtless an albino, or lusus naturæ; but the latter is usually an old otter dotted by ticks, to which the animal is very liable. Of these the writer of the following lines has killed many specimens, beautifully marked, like a flea-bitten grey horse, while of the former he has only killed one, which he found on the river Dart, in the Forest of Dartmoor.

Bowhays is the owner of a well-known pack of otter hounds in

East Devon. Pisciculturists, fishermen, and the public at large owe him at least a tribute of thanks for the energy, ability, and success with which, for so many years, he has pursued the salmon's greatest

I'll never eat of bread;
Nor climb into my couch, until
The Otter King is dead.'
Then striding out in rough mid-
stream,

With bugle-horn in hand;
"No rest, I trow, the game shall
know,

While here I take my stand.'
Breathless at length, and pressed full

OUR VAN.'

THE INVOICE.-The May Meetings and Mortality.

MAY may have been a merry month to the general public, but to the general backers of favourites it has been quite the reverse; and the frequenters of the Meetings in Exeter Hall could not have had longer faces than some of those we have seen at the Corner on Mondays and Thursdays. The Metropolis is now in the full swing of its gaiety, and the Sporting man's hours and energies are taxed as severely as those of the little busy bee,' but we fear with scarcely the same moral result.

Chester

'Where nags are squared on principles

That very seldom fail,

Till the public's grown so weary,

It declines to fill the pail,'

was the first place on our circuit; but the Cause list' was so poor, that very few of the great guns' went down, unless they had special retainers' in the neighbourhood. Nor can they be blamed for the course they adopted; for the racing being sacrificed entirely to the Victualling interest an afternoon on the Rhodee has become as tedious and irksome as waiting for bail in a spunging-house. The minor dishes, most of the good judges left untouched; but many of them found in the Cup as deadly a draught as Socrates in olden times. In fact, the number of horses that crossed The Herring Pond' had never been exceeded; and it would have required a Kensal-Green sexton, of many years' standing, to have enumerated the corpses, and a most experienced racing surgeon to have detected the living from the dead. The dread of contracting contagion kept the general public off until the last moment, when they poured in their supplies, and allayed the grumbling of the book-makers. Since Macaroni's Derby Day, we never saw so many raintraps hoisted on a race-course before, and the Rhodee looked as if covered over by one gigantic umbrella. With the ground as heavy as on the Pontine Marshes, it is not surprising the young'uns should have had to succumb to the old'uns, and the veteran Flash in the Pan, flashed by every horse as the winner, to the astonishment of the whole world, with the exception of the Epsom folks, who had been warned in the morning that in all probability plenty of employment would be furnished to the milliners of the place, by the silk dresses that would be given away on the occasion. As throughout the season, the Prophets were floored to a man, with the exception of those great amateurs' John of Malton' and John of Middleham,' who sent Flash in the Pan to their respective friends, wholly irrespective of remuneration either in postage stamps or commission. Thus, Mr. Hughes's long-expected good thing, for which his followers waited, as ardently and patiently as the disciples in the belief of the Millennium, came off at last. And many who thought old Flash was destined to give increased speed to Mr. Arthur Heathcote's Stag-hounds, were not a little surprised to find him turn up in a new character. John Day's pair found their way, like Scotchmen in England, into 'good places,' for which he received a vote of thanks from the House of Lords. Immediately after the race, the swells retreated in great force upon the Metropolis, leaving the quaint old City completely in possession of the Book-makers, who having only themselves to prey upon, could do little execution with their pencils, and had to employ themselves in counting up the killed and wounded. Next year, we are glad to learn that the delay between the acts will be curtailed in their VOL. VIII. NO. 52.