thing before in my life, and I never felt so much ashamed of myself as I do about that job."

"Perhaps you took an extra glass over night, and could not see anything so small and bright as a Diamond?" said Vare, jocosely.

"No, sir; nothing of the sort," replied Captain Pivot.

"But did I not hear Captain Pilch say you were with him the night before the match, until eleven o'clock?" inquired Vare.

"It was just ten o'clock, sir, when I left your captain that night, and then came aboard here and turned in."

"Is the report true, Captain Pivot, that you have lost money on the Sooloo by not winning the Cup?" inquired Charley.

"Certainly not, sir," replied the Captain; " I had not a shilling depending on the result of the match, beyond the gift you promised me if I won the Cup. I always think a captain of a racing yacht has no business to bet on the race, nor to back any particular yacht, either for or against."

"I quite agree with you," Captain Pivot, said Charley; "but as it appears you were present at the Ship Inn, when several bets were made on the match, I suppose that is how the conclusion came to be drawn."

66

“I heard several bets laid," replied the Captain; " but neither I nor Captain Pilch took any, although several were offered us.'

We saw some

"Did you go last night to see the settling affair?" inquired Charley. "Oh, yes, sir; I went, and the mate went with me. devilish long faces, I assure you," said the Captain. "Were they heavy bets?" inquired Harry.

"From a crown to a pound, sir," replied the Captain; "the tens to one 'on the Sooloo were the nippers.'

"Did they blame you at all for being the cause of their having to pay the nippers'?" inquired Charley.

"Yes, they did, sir," replied the Captain," and some of them told me to my face they believed I did it purposely."

"And what did you say in reply?" said Charley.

"I laughed at them, and asked if they thought it was done cleverly," said the Captain.

"Indeed!" said Charley, "I am rather surprised that you should jest about the accident in that way, though."

And here the examination of Captain Pivot ended; and the two yachtsmen and their lawyer proceeded aboard the Diamond. All three had narrowly watched the countenance of Captain Pivot during the whole conversation, but neither had detected the slightest betrayal of guilt in his features or deportment.

"Good morning, sir," said Captain Pilch, as the boat was pulled alongside the Diamond, and the two yachtsmen and their attendant stepped aboard," and good morning to you, sir," added the Captain, addressing himself to Mr. Scupper.

"Good morning, Captain Pilch," said Charley." So you've repaired the damages, I see," said he, turning his eyes on the mainsail which hung loosely over the boom.

"Yes, sir," replied the Captain, "we've sewed up Captain Pivot's peep-hole."

"Ah! peep-hole, indeed!" said Charley; "I wish he had not peeped on your deck so cleverly though."

Harry now proceeded to question Captain Pilch in the same manner as Mr. Scupper had done Captain Pivot: but the result of those inquiries was far from satisfactory, and left several traces of suspicion upon the minds of all three of the examiners. Pilch, when closely questioned, did not deny having a few bets on the match; and that he won a little money by the result. He did not go aboard the Diamond until an hour after he left Captain Pivot; and seemed unable to give a satisfactory account of himself during that hour.

From the Diamond the yachtsmen and their lawyer proceeded to the "Ship Inn," where they made further inquiries; and found Captain Pilch had taken several bets that were offered at "ten to one" on the Sooloo; and had been heard to say-" he would have the Cup if he had to cheat the devil out of it."

With this information they proceeded again to Captain Pivot, intending to question him, and also the crew, as to their opinion with regard to the fouling; and if they thought it intentional on the part of Captain Pilch.

"What do you think of the case now?" inquired Charley of his friend Vare.

"Well, Scupper," replied he, "I begin to suspect foul play on the part of my own captain, not on your's. I was aboard the Diamond at the time of the accident, but did not observe the danger of the foul until I heard you call out to Captain Pivot to put his helm hard-a-port ; and almost at the same instant your bowsprit came slap through my mainsail."

On going aboard the Sooloo, the first man we questioned was the mate; who said he had never had but one opinion as regards the accident; which was that no blame was attached to any one but Captain Pilch; "and," said the mate," no one can ever convince me but Captain Pilch artfully contrived to get the Diamond in our way that we might foul her, and lose our chance in the match. I have said so all along, and I still adhere to it. He had no business whatever to cross our bows; and just as I laid hold of the peak halliards I saw him turn his eye upon us; and when I next looked, just as Mr. Scupper called out, to my surprise, there was the Diamond right on to us. Everybody aboard here says it was our Captain's fault; but I say quite different; it was Captain Pilch's fault and nobody's else."

Another examination of Captain Pivot convinced us of his entire innocence in the disreputable affair; and we told him of our suspicions of the other. He appeared unwilling at first to believe Pilch guilty; but when we told him of the bets he had taken, and other circumstances, his opinion was changed, and he said

"I assure you, sir, I was perfectly flabbergasted when you called out that the Diamond was right across our bows; because a few seconds before, our course was quite clear; and just as the mainsail was being run up, and when I could not see what was going on to leeward, she must have darted across us; and all I can say is, that if Captain Pilch played that trick intentionally, it was as artful and cunning a scheme of doing us out of the cup as ever I heard of; and

I hope to G-d you'll show him up, sir; for the man that would do such a thing deserves to be towed astern of a steam-boat over a sea of boiling-hot water."

A few questions were put to Joe Strand; but he was so full of his philosophy, and attributed the whole to sheer bad luck,' that very little light could be thrown upon the subject from his statement.

"She's an unlucky craft, sir, that's what she is," said Joe: "I've always said so; her keel was laid down under an unlucky star, or an unlucky planet, I don't know which; but the 'lossifers could tell ye, sir, and tell ye the name of it too. Now 'spose an' we had'nt run into the Diamond-it's ten to one but we should have run into something else, or run ashore, or carried away something, or met with a much worse misfortune. I never thought we should win the cup, although I knew very well we could sail faster than any of 'em."

Such were Joe's concluding remarks, and he would very probably have gone on in the same strain half an hour longer, had we not cut short his yarn, by requesting him to get the gig ready, and prepare to take us ashore.

It now only remained to examine the men aboard the Diamond. But we found there were only two of the crew, beside the mate, who could give any evidence upon the case; all having had their attention directed, at the time, to setting sail with all possible alacrity. One man was looking out at the moment, and said he could not imagine why Captain Pilch got in the way of the Sooloo, when there was more room on the other tack. The pilot, who was the other witness, said he suggested to Captain Pilch to stand on the other tack, but he muttered something which he (pilot) did not understand, and shot across the bows of the Sooloo; the crew of which was at that moment hoisting her mainsail.

Further investigation now appeared unnecessary, and the two yachtsmen and their lawyer went aboard the Diamond: and, in presence of the whole crew, accused Captain Pilch of gross and disreputable conduct in wilfully causing the Sooloo to foul the Diamond, by which the former lost her claim to the prize. Harry Vare alluded to Pilch's betting transactions, which alone, he said, would be a sufficient offence to induce him to discharge him; but he had been guilty of that which was a disgrace to any man, particularly one occupying the position he did aboard the Diamond. He was requested to take his kit, and leave the yacht immediately; and told that the whole affair would be publicly laid before the members of the Yacht Club; and he would be for ever precluded from sailing aboard any yacht in a sailing-match.

THE SPORTS OF THE PEOPLE.

BY CECIL.

The condition and prosperity of kingdoms have been from time immemorial intimately associated with the sports of the people. Two principal causes operate to produce these effects. Rational, innocent, at the same time invigorating amusements, have an important influence upon the character, manners, habits, energy, courage, health, and welfare of those who participate in them. Thus the first cause is represented; and the other accompanies a season of prosperity, when men naturally seek those enjoyments which contribute to their hilarity. How desirable, therefore, that they should be patronized with judgment; those which have an evil tendency discountenanced, and those which are advantageous promoted! The two national sports, hunting and racing, rank first on the list; and respecting the chase, there is not a single coincidence connected therewith that the sternest critic can dispute. Racing has its opponents; and there are some events connected therewith which require a regulating and controlling hand, yet they are few compared with the advantages which it produces. A recent melancholy affair has furnished oppositionists with specious arguments. The disclosure of the affairs of poor Cook are unhappy in the extreme; his end was a truly pitiable one; and although he selected racing as the medium through which his disasters were brought to a conclusion, it is inconsistent to permit that amusement to be brought forward as an argument against that pursuit. Have we not examples of even the most sacred occupations being desecrated by associations with the most sinful crimes? The unfortunate Mr. Cook had a mind devoted to speculation; and if there had been no racing to attract his attention, his propensity would have been directed to some other channel, and the effect would have been similar. Railway schemes have been more destructive to private fortunes than racing ventures; they have, on the other hand, enriched many; and so it ever has been, and ever will be, with all engagements in which speculation can be introduced. The same arguments hold good with respect to Palmer. In him was concentrated every determination to acquire money by any means he could devise: failing in legitimate resources, he had recourse to crimes, one succeeding to another, all devoted to the same object, while desperation urged him on. To assume even that Palmer ever devoted his attention to the turf from love of the sport would be an absurdity; his connection with racing was for the sole purpose of making money, and any other mode of speculation would have been attended with similar results; and it will be equally consistent to ascribe the evils connected with this sad history to the science of chemistry-nay, more so than to the turf. That deadly poison strychnine is a drug the use of which really demands some

restrictions beyond those for which the legislature has provided, more particularly since the evidence of the medical profession. When we contemplate its dreadful properties, the minute portions which will destroy life, and the painful torture which it produces, every humane mind must be horrified to know there is such a fearful compound in existence, even if its use were confined to the destruction of vermin. For when it is necessary to put them to death, humanity demands consideration for their sufferings. On former occasions, in these pages, I have very strongly deprecated the use of strychnine for destroying the most noxious animals, and this melancholy event affords a suitable occasion for recurring to the subject. When I mentioned in this publication for October, 1854, the miraculous escape of a farm labourer and his family from being poisoned by a rabbit impregnated with strychnine ostensibly laid for the destruction of foxes, I expressed an opinion that a bird or animal that had died from strychnine, if consumed by another animal, would cause the destruction also of the latter. I remember having an argument with a friend at the time on that point, and he was of a contrary opinion; but it is quite evident from the investigations and experiments made by the profession that my inference was correct, as I remarked in my former article that "The poison is of that diffusive character, that every portion of the first object becomes impregnated with it, and would consequently impart the effects of the poison to the second." It was given in evidence at Palmer's trial that animals had died after being inoculated with a portion of the contents of a lady's stomach, whose death had been occasioned by strychnine. It was also proved that the presence of strychnine may be detected in the blood, in the liver, in the kidneys, and in other parts. A physician of Canada is reported to have died from the effects of only half a grain; and a learned chemist and toxicologist declared that he can detect the presence of the 50,000th part of a grain! These dreadful consequences are sufficient to deter every well-conducted mind from using this poison, or permitting its use under any circumstance. There is, it is true, a clause in the act passed in the 1st and 2nd of William IV. to provide against laying poison for game; but, unfortunately, like many of our other laws, it is capable of evasion-in other words, it is very difficult to prove a case; but whenever that can be done, offenders should be brought to justice for the benefit of the community, and most especially the sporting and agricultural portions. Strychnine may be laid ostensibly for foxes, rooks, and common vermin, either by means of flesh or grain impregnated therewith; and it is quite as possible that pheasants, partridges, or other birds, even poultry, may consume that grain, as the creatures for which it is intended. Moreover, pheasants are remarkably partial to flesh; therefore whichever medium, whether flesh or grain, be presented, there is a twofold probability that they will be the victims. Hence no person is safe who partakes of a pheasant purchased from a dealer in game, unless there is evidence of its having been killed in the usual manner- by shot; for it might occur that a bird destroyed by poison would be picked up and forwarded with others without a guilty intention on the part of any individual. When we contemplate the vast number of sudden deaths which happen without any ostensible cause, it is far from unreason