range of his gun; but so closely did he venture on his experiments, that two of the balls passed close to a policeman's ear. We regret to announce a fatal accident to Lieutenant Vigors, of the 87th regiment, when riding his mare Princess, in the first of " the Irish Grand Military Steeple Chases;" it occurred at an up fence, having a rather wide grip beyond. Mr. Vigors, at the time, had a lead of about forty yards, and going at the fence at his top speed, the mare missed her hind legs on the bank. The force at which she was going threw her rider a summerset into the next field, and he alighted on his back with his head downwards in the grip, the mare rolling on the top of him the next moment, crushing his chest and head, and he breathed his last in about an hour afterwards. Mr. Vigors had been thirteen years in the service, and was generally beloved both by officers and men. In connection with the above the following paragraph has appeared in some of the papers, which we insert without vouching for its authenticity: REMARKABLE DREAM.-The late Lieutenant Vigors, whose melancholy death while riding at the Dublin Garrison Steeple Chase has already been noticed, was sojourning with his relative, Mr. Doyne, the banker, at his residence in Merrion Square, Dublin. On the morning of the chase Miss Vigors (a lady of inature years), told Mr. Vigors that she had had a horrible dream the previous night concerning him, and importuned him not to ride his intended race that day, but he passed off the caution as a joke. After breakfast he called on a friend who had promised him the loan of a cab to ride to the moor of Meath; here again he met Miss Doyne, who repeated her admonition, adding that, from her dream, she was led to think some great evil would befal him, and begged him not to ride on that day. As he still unheeded her, Miss Doyne became so uneasy that she sent her servant after him to the course, with orders that, the moment the race in which Mr. Vigors rode was over, to return with the result. The melancholy death of her young relative proved her forebodings to be but too true. "CATCH A WEASEL ASLEEP."-As Mr. Compton, of Southfield, near Lea, Wilts, was walking through a field, in the parish, with his gun, his attention was engaged by a hawk hovering over what he imagined to be a mouse: after due deliberation he suddenly made a dart at his intended victim, which proved to be a weasel. The old adage, "Catch a weasel asleep," held good in this instance; he was, however, soon "wide awake," and instantly seized the hawk by the head: a severe struggle here ensued, though, at last, the hawk succeeded in disengaging himself and got away; but, nothing daunted, he returned to the conflict as game as at first-the struggle re-commenced, and, very soon after, the weasel was seen dragging the hawk towards the hedge, when Mr. Compton shot him and found the hawk quite dead, with his head bitten through in several places. FLY FISHING.-Salmon rods are becoming in requisition in the neighbourhood of Worcester, and many fine fish have been seen sporting in the waters of the Severn. A silver medal is offered by the members of the Worcester Anglers' Society to the fortunate mem→ ber who takes the first fresh run salmon, this season, with a fly. It is now a long while since one of these kings of fresh water has been taken in that neighbourhood with the angle. THE DOG DAYS.-The dog stealers are making hay while the sun shines, and, during the last month, obtained large sums from the Marchioness of Westmeath and the Bishop of Ely, for the restoration of dogs stolen in the usual way. MATCH EXTRAORDINARY AT OSTEND.-A match has been made between some English and Flemish gentlemen, residing at Ostend, in which the former have agreed to find one London waterman to row against four Flemish men, who are to be allowed a coxswain, for £100 aside. The distance to be rowed from Ostend to Bruges. This took place on the 25th of April, but we had not heard the result in time for the present number. Newell was chosen as "The Champion of England." "THE WISDOM'S IN THE WIG."-Monsieur Perrot (the mancook) caught the general spirit of the affray, and, as he afterwards said of himself, "fought like a famished lion!" When, unluckily, his pistol snapped in the face of a Sioux warrior, who struck him a blow that felled him to the earth. Stepping lightly over the form of his prostrate foe, the savage-grasping a knife in his right hand, and seizing the luckless Frenchman's hair with his left-was about to scalp him, when the knife dropped from his hand, and he stood for a moment petrified with astonishment and horror. The whole head of hair was in his left hand, and the white man sat grinning before him with a smooth and shaven crown. Letting fall what he believed to be the scalp of some devil in human shape, the affrighted Sioux fled from the spot; while Perrot, replacing his wig, muttered half aloud"Bravo! ma bonne perruque! Je te dois mille remercimens !"The Prairie Bird, by the Hon. C. A. Murray. STATE OF THE ODDS, &c. As the Chester Cup will be decided by the time this number appears, and we have two or three friends at the reader's service in the body of it, with every possible particular about what is to be done and what is to win at Epsom, our notice of the long list of quotations shall be but brief. For "the coop," the Good wood stable deservedly heads the poll; the Bath and Newmarket running of horses from that string will bear looking into, and we would rather stand for than against Richmond and Co.-may be "Richmond and Victory." Notwithstanding this formidable pair, nearly everything that has accepted has found friends at some price, and we are happy to add that all hitherto in connection with the race has been quite the re verse of the disreputable affair of last season. For the Derby the changes have not been so great as we might expect to find them, considering the two cracks have both appeared; the premiership, however, is no longer in abeyance, and Ratan, as we now write him, is right to a T, while the Buck has shown "first blood," tasted the steel, and sings small in consequence. During the month Scott's second horse, the colt out of Sister to Grey Momus, has, as we suggested, been christened-" Bay Momus is his name;" and Captain Rous and Mr. Greville have decided that he could not be considered one of "the lot" until put into training, immediately after Doncaster races. Next to Newmarket we should go to the spot, at once, for the Derby winner; at any rate we surely must keep the race south this year, though with but little assistance from "Honest John," pater aut filius. In conclusion we are much grieved in alluding to two very serious accidents in connection with the approaching Derby and Oaks; in the first Lord Orford's outrider, Boots, broke his leg in running a trial, and all but the neck of Wakefield, who was on him; in the second an Oaks mare, called "Aurora," in training at Beverley, fell at exercise, and rolling over the lad who was riding, crushed him in such a frightful manner that he died the same night. He was a son-in-law of Mr. Peck the trainer, and a boy of great promise; his name was Jefferson, and some of our readers may remember his riding occasionally in public. SALE OF BLOOD STOCK. In the Newmarket Craven Meeting, the Duke of Beaufort disposed of PRODUCE. Esmeralda, by Zinganee, in foal to Assassin, engaged in the gs. Ham Stakes Yearling colt by The Saddler, out of Taglioni Ends and odds ..... 100 Yearling colt by Commodore or Albemarle-Emotion.... 10 Colonel Cradock has sold Sally for £1,000 to Mr. Nevin, of Vienna, and she has left for Hamburgh. Lord Exeter's Fraunlien is also going abroad; and Voltri has been purchased by an agent of the King of Sardinia, as a charger, for £500, but he is not to be delivered until after the Derby. JUNE, 1844. EMBELLISHMENTS. "BY HOOK AND BY CROOK."—ENGRAVED BY BECKWITH, FROM A SKETCH BY TOPHAM. HAWKING PARTY RETURNING HOME.-ENGRAVED BY E. HACKER, FROM A PAINTING BY HI. SLOUS. THE LIFE OF A JOCKEY.-BY LORD WILLIAM LENNOX 394 ROAD; OR ANCIENT AND MODERN TRAVEL.-BY RAIL ບ. NIMROD'S ANALYSIS OF 66 THE DIARY OF A HUNTSMAN" BY . 418 . 421 . 427 A SPANISH BULL-FIGHT.-BY A MEMBER OF ST. JAMES'S RENFREWSHIRE AND - THE CALEDONIAN (OPEN)-BRISTOL (DEPTFORD INN)-LYTHAM OPEN-CLYDESDALE--ALTCAR -UNION, SOUTHPORT-CLYDESDALE-FLEETWOOD-COCKNEY AND BRISTOL UNION NEWMARKET LANARKSHIRE AND RENFREWSHIRE-WATERLOO (LIVER POOL) LYTHAM 454 MID 21-35 |