some of the very best judges to select him as their "principal," to stand their greatest stake upon, and his disappearance on the eventful day caused many a woful look on the Epsom downs: I am decidedly of opinion that had this horse kept right he would have shown in the foremost rank at the finish of the Derby race. The running of Mustee (who was a tolerable second to Achmet for the 2000gs.) gave "honest John" and his noble confederate a pretty correct line to go by, but unfortunately for them Mustee died the following week at "home quarters," and Defender and Wintonian were not to be found when wanted. The Newmarket Stakes sent Rat-trap to the head of the poll in the Derby betting, and the style with which he caught and cut down his opponents (a pretty fair sample of the Newmarket three yr. olds,) certainly justified his friends in entertaining considerable hopes of him for the Derby; yet this form and cowardly disposition (which at least ought to have been known to his immediate party), were a sufficient reason to make his admirers hedge their money at a good profit; and which his spirited owner gladly availed himself of at about one-tenth of the odds he had backed his horse for.

The Chester Meeting afforded the usual quantum of sport, but if I omit the Trade Cup (won by General Chassé at a high weight), the races upon the whole were confined to second-rate horses only; these however, by dint of good handicapping, and a fair sprinkling of public money, caused not only much sport to the amateur, but also opened an "exchange" for speculation to the legs in that part of the country.

The Second Spring Newmarket Meeting afforded a solitary interesting race-the Rowley Mile Plate. In 1826 this race was won by Lord Egremont's Lapdog, who afterwards won the Derby at about Phosphorus's odds; and in 1828 the Duke of Grafton's Turquoise won it and the Oaks, also at very long odds, being the only two winners of this and either of the great Epsom races during ten years—yet this race is called a criterion for the Derby! To keep up its character, however, Phosphoruscarried this plate and the Derby off; although for the former he was declared short of work and in physic; and for the latter, stated to be lame-this makes good the old turf adage "'tis dangerous to be safe." This race told the Boyces that they had made a SLIGHT mistake in their trials.

The Derby of 1837 had, alas for the backers of horses! many untoward events, in short I never recollect so many good favourites being sent to the right about as was the case this season. Amongst the principal ones we had Jereed, Achmet, Benedict, Defender, and Wintonian, backed at 9 to 1 and less; then come Flare-up, Cartoon, Delusion, Sambo, and Lord Stafford in the second

NO. LXXXI.-VOL, XIV.

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class, all backed for good round sums at 20 to 1 and even less ;—it only remains to be stated that with the exception of Benedict, (who would have been much better in his box at Ascot Heath,) not one even started for the stakes-tell it not to the backers of horses! There was a similar fatality, only on a smaller scale, in the same race in 1826, when The General, Panic, &c., did not show; at the start there was 6 to 4 against Mr. Forth's Premier, and, if my memory be correct, he was the first beaten in the race.

Phosphorus was well known by his noble owner and his trainer to be, what is called, a wear-and-tear horse, yet wanting a turn of speed for the short flat courses at Newmarket. At Epsom he was quite at home, and had he continued as well as his friends could have wished, he would have figured at somewhere about 8 to 1 against; indeed his performances entitled him to this position in the odds, if we take the supposed chance of Rat-trap at 6 to 4-his price at starting. Notwithstanding a limping sort of going on the morning of the race, I have reason to believe, that the trainer of Phosphorus never imagined his chance completely out; and honest John (who had the option of riding him or Wisdom,) looked "unutterable things" when informed that Phosphorus had won. The little-leg losers on Caravan, having been by far too sanguine on their favourite, "vented their venal spleen" on the jockey, as is too frequently the case with the unfortunate second in a great race. It would indeed be superfluous on my part to say one word on the excellent character and superior horsemanship of Arthur Pavis, and I shall only state that, not only Lord Suffield, but every real judge of racing, considered the horse admirably ridden. The places of the other favourites in the race. tallied, not only with their previous public running, but generally with the opinions of both owners and trainers.

Of the Oaks it will be sufficient to observe, that a more wretched lot of three yr. old fillies never showed in the Warren; yet the race, with probably the exception of Egeria, (who will not run in a crowd, much to Mr. Thornhill's loss this season,) was carried off by the best of the "kit," as old Richards terms it. If ever Miss Letty and Egeria run a match at Newmarket at equal weights, I think the Oaks running will prove that the "race is not always to the swift."

Ascot Heath Races are in a state of improvement, and the sport upon the whole this season was good without calling for any particular remark. Mango won his two races cleverly, and Touchstone closed his career as a racer by winning, in glorious style, the Gold Cup against Slane, whose running during the year has proved him to be a very good racer, and his defeat certainly adds another feather to old Touchstone's cap, for the latter trotted in!

The Newton Meeting brought the Prime Warden into some notice amongst his select friends, by winning his two races in an easy manner; yet

I cannot omit to mention that his admirers were much too fond, as they might easily have ascertained, by a reference to the defeated, that as a Leger trial race it was but a sorry one. Mr. E. Peel kept up his previous good fortune (and no gentleman deserves it more,) amongst the youngsters in this circuit, by winning the two yr. old stakes cleverly with Ninny, whose performances justly entitle her owner to form considerable expectations for the Oaks.

At Newcastle, Slashing Harry and Abraham Newland kept their numerous friends in countenance by winning cleverly; while the partisans of Henriade and the Albany colt exhibited strong symptoms of uneasiness, from which, however, they partially recovered before the eventful Tuesday in the Doncaster week. Bee's-wing won the Cup in a canter, and his Grace of Leeds, carried off, much to the joy of a numerous and respectable company, the Tyro Stakes with that promising filly, Barbarina, against rather a largish field.

The Bath, Bibury-Club, Stockbridge, Cheltenham, and Winchester meetings, afforded scarcely an average of sport if compared with the last six or seven years. At Bath, Cheltenham, and Winchester, the Newmarket horse Slane met but slow followers for tolerably rich stakes, and as a matter of course won as he pleased. Volunteer made his debut at the Bibury Club Meeting by winning in a canter, and he immediately followed up his good fortune by winning easily the Two-yr.-old Stakes at Stockbridge and Winchester. He is a nice horse and likely to train on; he is in the Derby.

Of the July Meeting at Newmarket, a very few words will be necessary. Ion, decidedly the best of the two yr. olds out during the week, was not up to concert pitch, or the July would not have gone into Lord Exeter's pocket, nor the Chesterfield Stakes into the noble Lord's of that name; for between Ion and the winners of these races, there is a "pretty considerable" gap in point of merit. I should like to stand the gallant Colonel's chance for the Derby with the Early Bird thrown in.

At Liverpool every thing went off to the "heart's content" of the numerous and highly respectable company. It would be well if some racing managers copied the "rules and regulations," of the committee of the Liverpool July races, and acted with the same indefatigable spirit; indeed, barring one Provincial meeting, (and to that, all others must bow,) there is nothing equal to this meeting, whether the consideration be management, company, or sport. The two Cups were won by Mr. Ramsay's Inheritor, who had been "bottled up" for the occasion, beating in both races that nice and honest creature Birdlime. Cardinal Puff defeated Slashing Harry by a head, after some clumsy manoeuvring on

the part of Scott, to make it appear a race of difficulty-but the ruse did not take with the betting men, and consequently nothing was got by the motion.

The Goodwood races were decidedly the "lion" of the year; in short every thing appears to be combined at this delightful place to make sport, and please the visitors. The noble duke, aided by one of the most influential members of the Jockey Club, made a splendid "bill of fare," and by judicious management one day was equal to another in point of interesting and speculative races. The Goodwood Stakes told the too often told tale that the "field is always a good horse," and the Cup proved that a certain clever party can make mistakes, as well as others, and stand their stake upon the wrong horse. The new fangled proviso of allowances, if not placed, did not seem to have the desired effect, and it caused some dissatisfaction in more quarters than one. Colonel Peel acted in a very fair and open manner by declaring that Slane only started for the Cup to get the allowance. That Slane would have been very near winning the Cup, if he had been sufficiently prepared, was the opinion of many good judges, and it is by no means clear to me that this event would have interrupted his victory on the following day, even when I consider the extra weight he must have carried―he won the Shield in a canter. Grey Momus won his races in good style, and was backed at 12 to 1 for the Derby; but from subsequent running the takers have the worst of it, and the Grey's place in the odds is taken by another nag in the same stable, which is unusually full of horses; the opinion of some is that Grey Momus will come again. My note book affords little information of the York Meetings, beyond a great scarcity of horses and some curious rumours respecting one or two of the Leger nags. It is by no means pleasing to be continually harping on my daughter," yet I cannot refrain from mentioning the fact of the York races being in a sad state for want of proper managers, not that the present ones are incompetent-but that there is a chariness in their offers, and a tardiness in their movements, is beyond dispute.

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I cannot bring to my memory a more dull Doncaster week than the one of 1837, whether the number of horses or their inferiority in point of quality be the question. Mango's running, both in public and private, was quite as good as anything in the North; and Mr. Greville, than whom no gentleman on the turf can draw a better line, was pretty well convinced he should be there or thereabouts, and in consequence backed his horse freely and won a good stake, as did also his noble confederate. It is impossible to say how Epirus's chance might have terminated but for the unfortunate accident; I know John Scott entertained a most favourable opinion of his merits, and I for one of thousands regret the circumstance, and more on account of William Scott, who it seems will

never be hailed again as a winner on the course-there is however this consolation for him, he has won five Legers, two Derby's, and one Oaks.

The superiority of Bee's-wing over the crack Leger horses of the year, went a great way towards proving my assertion, made in the Spring, that the three-year olds as a lot were very moderate. The two-year olds were unusually promising, and Don John certainly showed himself as the first of his year. Cobham is likewise very likely to make many friend being a remarkably nice goer, and in a fashionable stable.

At Heaton Park the same liberality as last year prevailed; the running however was not so good, nor were the Stakes so valuable. Don John was again in force, and won in a manner calculated to raise very sanguine expectations on the part of his noble owner. Most of the all-aged races were without the slightest interest beyond the moment.

The Newmarket October Meetings were rendered highly interesting by the great speculations entered into, particularly the two-yr-old races. Mango's running proved, what his spiritied owner always told his friends, "that although Mango might want a turn of speed, yet he could manage a distance with any of his age." Of the youngsters out during the three meetings none left off more deserving of patronage than D'Egville; but lon, Paganini, and Grey Momus are not without friends, and their running certainly affords their admirers considerable hopes.

Taking as a criterion the pages of the Racing Calendar, the sporting world may rest assured that racing is on the increase; and the numerous Stakes lately closed, show a striking improvement in the value and character of the different speculative races. Indeed I hesitate not to pronounce, that provided the engagements are conducted upon a more open, clear, and consequently satisfactory, principle, the turf will become as flourishing as it ever was, even in its most palmy state. December 11th. 1837. UNCLE TOBY.

A TRIP TO BATH BY A NIGHT COACH.

WISHING to go down to Bath the other evening, I repaired to the Swan-with-two-Necks and there booked myself for the box-seat on Cooper's coach; considering it the fastest and best regulated night-coach, and also, because it is driven by Parr, who is a good waggoner and generally manages to amuse his box passenger till he gets down to Thatcham, where he is succeeded by Charley Higgs.

As soon as we reached Piccadilly, the usual number of Jews selling cheap knives with twenty blades, sponges, pocket-books, newspapers, &c.