it supports, etc., etc., but still, facts they remain. Although the individual farmer may not feel its direct benefit to himself, and will not-when smarting under some recent cause of irritation or actual loss-see the good it does to agriculturists collectively, I am yet convinced that farming interests would certainly not benefit by the abolition of fox-hunting, if they did not indeed very considerably suffer thereby. When, however, the temporary storm of correspondence referred to at the commencement of this letter has abated, I trust and anticipate that the hunting horizon may, if it be not altogether cloudless, be far clearer than it has been of late. It certainly rests with hunting men themselves to make it so, for as in a sunny and favourable haytime a dilatory farmer will often delay to get his fodder safely ricked, until a threatening shower has acted as a spur to his latent energies, so has it been, I fear, to some extent with us hunting men up till now.

Let us then hasten to profit by the lesson to be learnt from the present temporary fall in the hunting barometer. Nothing really detrimental to the interests of sport has as yet occurred. Still, a stitch in time saves nine, and a feather shows the way of the wind. If some such course as I have now suggested be adopted without delay, I unhesitatingly prophecy that the wind will soon veer back into its old favourable quarter, and a lengthy spell of genuine good feeling ensue.

CUNEUS.

The Coming Boat Race.

ON Wednesday, March 26th, the forty-first race between Oxford and Cambridge will be rowed. It will be noticed that the old-fashioned idea of rowing the race on a Saturday will not be adhered to this year, and the reason for the change of day is on account of the tide, which on Saturday, the 29th, would serve very early in the morning, and would necessitate a start being made at 7.30 a.m-undoubtedly an inconvenient hour for both oarsmen and spectators, so the two presidents have acted wisely in making the alteration. But to turn to the rowing. If we glance down the list of the Cambridge crew we find that there is plenty of weight in the boat, but that Muttlebury is the only old Blue available. The Light Blue president has been in the winning crew since 1886, and should he again prove successful he will establish a record, as no oarsman has ever had the good fortune to win the Boat Race five times-in fact, only three other men have rowed on more than four occasions.

G. Elin at stroke is quite a novice at the game, and is also

a light man for the place, especially over the trying Putney course; but he has the reputation of being a good stayer, and of setting a long and easy stroke. His style is good, and he appears to be giving satisfaction, but care must be taken not to overwork him.

G. Francklyn at No. 7 is considered one of the best freshmen seen at Cambridge for some years. He learnt to row at

Eton under the careful tuition of Mr. Donaldson. I am told there is doubt as to his being able to stand training; but from his performance in the Trial Eights last December, I do not believe that there is much amiss with him, as I know no better test of a man's capabilities than a hard race over the Ely course. Muttlebury will row No. 6, where he is sure to render a good account of himself; but at present he weighs considerably over 14 stone, a clear proof that he has still to get into condition. Duffield, Rowlatt, and Sladen all figured in the Trinity Hall crew that failed so lamentably in the Summer Eights last year. They are powerful men, but rough in their style, and their notions of making the most of their strength seem rather vague.

He

Fison, the champion sculler of the Cam, is improving. has had no previous experience in a racing eight, so his performance so far may be considered a satisfactory one.

Storrs at bow is good, and well worth his place. Taken as a whole, the crew is rather clumsy, but the men will probably show to more advantage when rowing a faster stroke. Mr. Hutchinson, of the Thames Rowing Club, will coach the crew all through the training.

The Oxonians so far have proved disappointing. There is not that steadiness or decision about either their rowing or paddling that one might expect from a crew containing as it does so many oarsmen of experience. Fletcher at stroke shows promise. He is a big man for the place, but not clumsy. His chief fault at present is a decided tendency to hang over the stretcher when full forward; in fact, he does not mark either end of his stroke sufficiently, and is therefore rather a hard man to follow. He rowed exceedingly well in the Christ Church boat at Henley last year, so deserves a place in the crew. Guy Nickalls is rowing No. 7. I cannot help thinking that he would prove of more service to his crew had he placed himself farther down the boat.

His rowing just lacks those points which are so essential in a good No. 7, namely, a steady swing forward, coupled with an easy style. Rowe might have been given a trial in the place, as his good qualities seem somewhat lost at No. 3. Drake is quite out of form. His beginning is faulty, and he fails to give Fletcher proper support. Lord Ampthill rows hard, but like the president, is inclined to tear at the finish, and so hurry the bow side out of the water. Hornby may turn out well; he is

strong and painstaking, but hardly class enough for a University oarsman. Puxley is neat, and Holland at bow is in his right place.

Individually the men are good, but not so as a crew. The bodies rush forward much too fast, owing to the men pulling themselves up by their straps, instead of keeping the feet firm on the stretchers, and thereby allowing the body-swing to bring up the slides. In Mr. Bulley, the Oxonians have a most efficient coach; but he will only be able to give his advice while the crew remain on the home waters.

As to the probable result of the race, it will be time to offer an opinion when the two crews have made their appearance on the tideway. I may mention that the race will start about 4.30 in the afternoon.

TWO NOTEWORTHY SALES.-The season of 1890 is evidently going to be an important one for British stock-breeders. Yet two announcements of those already made stand out above the rest. The Portworth Shorthorns are to be sold on June 26th, in consequence of Lord Moreton's removal to Sarsden. The sale of a former Portworth herd is one of the way-marks in the history of the breed; and as much may be said of the Babraham flock of Southdowns. The excitement among sheep-breeders is again to be renewed by the offer, on July 22nd, of the remainder of Mr. H. Webb's Southdowns. The ram and ewe lambs of 1889, at the time of the last sale, were all retained; these will now be offered, as was then promised, as shearlings.

Tandem Driving.

WHICH way are you going?" asked a man on foot of his friend, who had mounted his tandem cart, and was preparing to drive out of his stable-yard. "I don't know yet," was the guarded reply; "as soon as I get into the street, and see which way my leader means to go, I will tell you." "But then he was a duffer," will, no doubt, be the criticism of any tandem driver who may honour this paper with a glance. No, he was not such a great duffer. The speaker was a no less famous coachman than the late Mr. Henry Villebois, whose answer, if an exaggeration of what was likely to occur, at any rate showed that he regarded tandem driving as an amusement in which the leader is sometimes master of the situation. Possibly its dangers have been represented as being greater than they really are; but the fact remains, that tandem driving has somehow or other always been connected with the exploits of hare-brained persons of the Jack Mytton stamp. Nor was the remark of the horse-dealer-mentioned by Major-General Sir C. Teesdale, in his contribution to the Badminton book on "Driving"-by any means complimentary to tandem drivers. "I always look upon a man as drives tandem as a fool," he said; "he makes two hosses do the work of one, and most likely breaks his silly neck." Lady Georgina Curzon, on the contrary, is enthusiastic in her love for tandem, and declines. to believe that its risks are anything out of the common.

The originals of the accompanying illustration are well known to visitors to horse shows, for Mr. Waterhouse frequently exhibits his famous pair, Brunette and Princess, in the harness classes; and when there is a prize for tandems they invariably make a successful appearance. The leader, Princess (by Lord Derby out of Elam's mare-bred by Mr. Fewson, of Hull), was once the property of Mr. John Robinson, the wellknown dealer, of Hull. She has won more than two hundred first prizes at all the principal shows. The wheeler, Brunette, is own sister to Princess; and, like her relative, has taken many prizes. At the Bath Horse Show, in 1889, Mr. Waterhouse's pair took first prize in the tandem class; beating, among others, Mr. Lucas's team, Elegance and Denmark, who had never been beaten before. The decision was a right one, for though Elegance is possibly the showiest of the four horses, her companion, Denmark, is much inferior to her in every way. Princess and Brunette, on the other hand, are a perfect pair. (An old horse-dealer once pointed out to a customer that, although very many people drove two horses, very few drove a pair.) Both are black chestnuts, they are a perfect match in

action, and in size there is but half an inch between them-the wheeler being fifteen hands one and a half inches and the leader fifteen hands two inches. This similarity of colour, action, size, and make and shape took the eye of the Bath judges at once, and their decision was generally approved.

Tandem driving can scarcely be considered popular, for comparatively few tandems are seen; but as the readers of BAILY are aware, a Tandem Club was started in London a few years ago, the outcome, no doubt, of a reviving taste. Of tandem driving it may, however, be said, that it is a stepping-stone to driving four horses, the manner of holding the reins being the same; and there is the same need for expert management of the whip, with this exception-the leader is seldom or never hit on the near side. As a matter of fact, though personally extremely fond of driving tandem, I think that two horses driven abreast in a light T-cart would do more work, do it with greater ease to themselves, and on the whole travel faster than when harnessed tandem fashion, in addition to which there is the greater security of a four-wheeled vehicle. In the hands of an expert coachman the leader is, no doubt, of service in a hilly country. On the flat he will be required to do next to no work. Should he do the least bit too much, he only tires himself, and if he does more still, he only adds to the labour and discomfort of the wheeler. Up-hill is the leader's time for distinguishing himself, and as some sort of compensation for the easy time he has of it on the flat and down-hill, he may be made to do more than his strict share of the work up-hill, just as the wheeler has to do the whole of the holding back when on falling ground. To drive tandem properly, one needs to be ever on the watch that neither horse is doing too much, and to be very quick in anticipating the leader's movements. With perfectly broken horses-so long as nothing occurs to upset the leader and with a leader who will always go up to his bit, the mere steering is a simple business; yet, after all, everyone who drives tandem is really at the mercy of his leader, and no amount of skill or talk will alter the fact. Than the late Captain Bastard there was, perhaps, never a better man behind a tandem; yet on one occasion I remember he found his match. Though by no means the man to overrate his own capabilities, he had been telling some people at a horse show that by dint of watchfulness and care it was generally possible to stop the leader from coming round, and he then proceeded to explain what the coachman should do, if by any chance the leader should look him in the face. The Captain was going to drive one of the teams in the tandem class, and when it was time for him to go in, mounted the cart and essayed to start. The opening of the barrier, the policeman, or something startled the leader, who was round before the expert on the box could move a finger. The whip was judiciously applied, but it only