This is a digital copy of a book that was preserved for generations on library shelves before it was carefully scanned by Google as part of a project to make the world's books discoverable online.
It has survived long enough for the copyright to expire and the book to enter the public domain. A public domain book is one that was never subject to copyright or whose legal copyright term has expired. Whether a book is in the public domain may vary country to country. Public domain books are our gateways to the past, representing a wealth of history, culture and knowledge that's often difficult to discover.
Marks, notations and other marginalia present in the original volume will appear in this file - a reminder of this book's long journey from the publisher to a library and finally to you.
Usage guidelines
Google is proud to partner with libraries to digitize public domain materials and make them widely accessible. Public domain books belong to the public and we are merely their custodians. Nevertheless, this work is expensive, so in order to keep providing this resource, we have taken steps to prevent abuse by commercial parties, including placing technical restrictions on automated querying.
We also ask that you:
+ Make non-commercial use of the files We designed Google Book Search for use by individuals, and we request that you use these files for personal, non-commercial purposes.
+ Refrain from automated querying Do not send automated queries of any sort to Google's system: If you are conducting research on machine translation, optical character recognition or other areas where access to a large amount of text is helpful, please contact us. We encourage the use of public domain materials for these purposes and may be able to help.
+ Maintain attribution The Google "watermark" you see on each file is essential for informing people about this project and helping them find additional materials through Google Book Search. Please do not remove it.
+ Keep it legal Whatever your use, remember that you are responsible for ensuring that what you are doing is legal. Do not assume that just because we believe a book is in the public domain for users in the United States, that the work is also in the public domain for users in other countries. Whether a book is still in copyright varies from country to country, and we can't offer guidance on whether any specific use of any specific book is allowed. Please do not assume that a book's appearance in Google Book Search means it can be used in any manner anywhere in the world. Copyright infringement liability can be quite severe.
About Google Book Search
Google's mission is to organize the world's information and to make it universally accessible and useful. Google Book Search helps readers discover the world's books while helping authors and publishers reach new audiences. You can search through the full text of this book on the web
at|http : //books . google . com/
J^t^fisf^^
3{\
%L 'J^^
I8f S
THE NEW YORK
PUBLIC UBI^RY
AfTOM, LENOK AHO TILOSN rOUMOATWNf.
1910 _ L
BAILY'S MAGAZINE
OF
<$poirti8 anil pasttmes.
VOLUME THE SIXTY-FOURTH. No8. 426—430. JULY TO DECEMBEB, 1895.
LONDON :
VINTON AND CO., LIMITED,
9, NEW BBIDOE STREET, LUDOATE CrEC;IJ5;,K.<!,
1895.
THB NEW YORK
PUBLIC UBRARY
505670
ArrO«l. LENOX AND
ILLl^¥R;|^It?i^S
STEEL ENGRAVINGS. page
Alexander, Mr. Frands -..-.- 161
Balkeley, Colonel Charles Bivers .... 241
Cooper, Abraham, Mr., B.A. 21
Corlett, Mr. John - ' 1
Elmhirst, Captain E. Pennell - - - - 821
Le Gallais, Captain P. W. 81
Marshall, Mr. Benjamin 97
Bunning Amuck 278
Salmon 118
Taking Wild Horses 428
The Chase and the Boad 257
Waring, Thomas, Mr., on Peter .... 22
Wood, General Sir Evelyn, V.C. - - - - 401
Yeo, Bichard Title
MISCELLANEOUS.
Baseball, Plan of 864
Bend Or 860
Craven Vagabond, The 16
Donovan 856
Glimpse of the Past, A 88'
Hack Hunter, The 196
Henderson, Mr. Charles Cooper .... 176
Launcelot and Maroon 180
Lawley, Major the Hon. B. T. • • - - 488
Lily Agnes 853
Mimi 288
Oakley Dandy, The 187
Orme 858
Perrott, James 120
Priam Winning the Gold Cup at Goodwood, 1881 • 88
Bed Deer 261
Betuming from the Fight 178
Bifle Bullets 178
Bifleman Presenting — I. - 101
Bifleman Presenting — II. 108
Stud Farm 191
Stud Farm, Plans of 192
Shotover 854
The Chase 424
-TJie.Qha«wi8 0ver 888
WAitog'IcM: the Master 887
CONTENTS.
PAOB
Animal Painters : —
Abraham Cooper, R.A. --.--.. 21
Benjamin Marshall ... ... - - 97
Charles Cooper Henderson 176
John Wootton .... . - . . 836
Samuel Aiken, Henry Aiken, Henry Gordon Aiken - 257
Samuel Howitt - - - - - - - - 421
Amateur Cricket at the Universities 109
America Cup, The 266
Apotheosis of Hunting, An - - - d81
Autocrat of the Kiver, An (Illustrated) 112
Autumn Polo - 204
Baseball (with Plan) - 864
Best of the Best, The --------- 23
Bicycle for Ladies, The 26
Billiards 448
Biographies :
Alexander, Mr. Francis - - - - - - . - 161
Bulkeley, Colonel Charles Bivers 241
Corlett, Mr. John 1
Ehnhirst, Captain E. Pennell ...--. 821
Le Gallais, Captain P. W. - 81
Wood, General Sir Evelyn, V.C. 401
Yeo, Richard 461
Buying and Hiring Hunters for Leicestershire - - - - 95
Can't You Leave it AIouq 7 425
Chester Cup of 1844 (Illustrated) 261
Close of the Polo Season - - 106
Cod Fisheries of Lofoden, The - - 458
Correspondence - - 77, 157, 817
Cotswold Trout Stream, A - - - - - - - 125
Cricket 42, 180, 207
Day's Sea Fishing, A - - 168
Dogs in Norway 57
Drawn Matches H89
Drop Scene on a Great Success, The .-.-.. 253
Fallingin 199
Grandfather Pike 47
Great Cavaby Soldier, A - - -. 408
Great Racehorse, A (Illustrated) 88
Hack Hunters (Illustrated) - 196
Hare in Norway, The - - 805
Hound Breeding (Illustrated) ------- 16
How Do Our Sires Work Out? 448
GONTBNTB. PAOK
Hunting in the Neilgherries 488
Hunting Season 1895-6 880
Humber Shore-Shooting 289
Imprisoned Cub, The 244
International Athletics 378
John Jones, The late 228
Jumping at Horse Shows 857
Last Race, The (Verses) 275
" Lepping *' Lucubrations 267
Mail Coach, A (lUustrated) 88
Mimi (Illustrated) 288
«* Moonlighting" of Cattle in Australia 867
Mr. Gladstone's Coaching Days 84
Muddling Run, A (Verses) 442
** Neque . . . Post Equitem Sedet Atra Cura " (Verses)- - 15 Notes on the Rifle (Dlustrated) - - - 11, 99, 170, 276, 848, 487
November for Grayling - 874
Ocean Lanes .-- 4
October Sport 260
On the Wrong Side 848
Otter Hunt, An - - - 91
Our New Legislators 186
*« Our Van " 64, 146, 224, 808, 889, 462
Outsider Wins, An 281
Partridge Shooting Gossip 166
Perrott, the Dartmoor Guide f Illustrated) 120
Peterborough Hound Shows (Illustrated) - - - - - 187
Pigeon Shooting - -114
Public School Cricket in 1895 174
Racing in the Antipodes 49
Racing Subalterns ---61
Running Amuck (Illustrated) 278
Single, to Oblige 299
Some Curious Habits of Wildfowl 295
Some Noted Stallions and Mares (Illustrated) .... 353
Some of the Troubles of the M.F.H. 405
Some Yachting Notes - 216
Sport and Sportsmen in the United States 428
Sportsman's Library, The - . - . 63, 148, 290, 885, 461
St. Leger Favourites (Illustrated) 178
Stock-riding in Australia as it Was 271
Stud Farm, The (Illustrated) 191
Summary of Prominent Results - - 78, 168, 288, 819, 898, 478
«* There is Only One Cure," &c. (Verses) 136
Two Bad Shots - - - 458
Two London Bankers 828
Up a Tree 869
Veterinary Progress 29
Where is the Old Millwheel? 182
Who- Whoop ! (Verses) ' - - 427
Wild Fox, A 416
Willows that Fringe the Brook, The (Verses) - - - - 862
Yachting Notes 860
BAILY'S MAGAZINE
OF
SPORTS AND PASTIMJES
No. 425
JULY 1895
Vol. LXIV
CONTENTS.
PAGE
Sporting Diary for the Month ix
Mr. John Corlett 1
Ocaan Lanee 4
Notes on the Rifle.— H. The Spin of .
the Bnllet 11
^Keqne . . . Port Equitem Sedet
Atra Cura" 15
Hound BreedinflT (lUurtrated) 16
Animal Painters. — II. Abraham
Cooper (Illnstrated) 21
The Beet of the Bert 23
The Bipyde for Ladies 26
Veierinazy Progre6S.--III 29
A Great Bacehorse (Blostrated) ... 83
A Mail Coach (lUnstrated) 39
Cricket 42
''Grandfather Pike" 47
Bacin^ in the Antipodes 49
The Sportsman's Library 63
Days in Norway Racing SubaltemaTI
« Out Van"
A Coaching Meet of *^
Manchest^
Sundries
Richmond Horse Show
Polo Pony Show
Polo Champion Cup . . .
Hnnt Pictores
Hunting Mems.
57 61
Workers" 64 66
67
70
70
SxK)rt at the Univerbitiee 70
Rowing 73
Golf 76
African Exhibition at the Cxystal
Palace 77
Correspondence 77
Summary of Prominent Results 78
Portrait (Steel Engraving) of Mr. John Coblett ; Portrait of Abbahak Cooper, R.A. ; Engravings of Hound, Mail Coach, &c., &c.
%* B JILT'S MAGAZINE u the only periodical of its class tJtat evsry mcnth pretenU to its readera a stMl mgraved plate. In future tkie feature vrill he continiud, vhiU the othw iUustratioM vill be inoreaeed and the tize of the Magcuine enlarged.
Mr. John Corlett.
THEface that looks outso pleasantly and inquiringly firom the opposite page is snrely one of the best-known not only on all racecourses but in many of our London thoroughfares — shall we say Fleet Street and the Strand, for choice, the latter near Romano's about the luncheon hour. The writer thinks that Romano's about 1.80 or 2 p.m. is a very decided " good thing." Not that our friend is wedded to one restaurant or one house for the midday meal — ^he is too catholic- minded for that. From the Nim- rod Club to the Ship and Turtle^
VOL. LXIV. — ^NO, 425.
from Verrey's to the Caf6 Royal, from the Cheshire Cheese to the East Room — his ubiquitous taste finds grateful solace.
That the popular ^< Master " has had his career traced by many pens goes without saying. We shall make no scruple, though we have gone to the fountain-head at Charl- ton Court for some particulars, in using the information that our brethren of the pen have given to the world. But from our friend's own lips we knew in the long ago that his father was trumpet-major in the Carabiniers, and that he had
BAILY 8 MAGAZINE*
[July
an uncle in the 16th Lanoers, who was killed at Aliwal. Bom at Win- thorpe, near Nottingham, in 1841, John Corlett started in life as a clerk in a commerdal house in London, and took up his residence at Garshalton, near to which place lived the well-known Dr. Short- house, the founder of the Sporting Times, and the inveterate reviler of . ** the accursed blood of Blacklock." The subject of our biography must have been a bom sportsman so far as racing was concerned, for he began to scribble after office hours, and, becoming intimate with Dr. Short- house, was asked by that gentleman to write an article for the Sporting Times, which he did in 1865. And here we may remark that our friend, in adc'ition to a charming style, has a wonclorful gift in his remark- able memorv. It has been said of him — and, indeed, we have heard tales from his own lips — ^that his memory can bring back the past, and hu accounts containing the incidents of a race that had taken place twenty or thirty years ago — where the winner came to the front, and where the favourite dropped away, a startling bit of jockey ship, and the game struggle at the finish — are on that ac- count invaluable. Equally good is his memory in politics, in which he takes a very deep interest; indeed, we should -say his two mistresses are ihe Turf and the political arena, and wLich he loves &e better we have not yet discovered. He subsequently joined the staff of the Sportsman when « < Yigilant's * Note Book " became (as it still is, though penned by a different hand) an authority in the racing world. About 1874, the Sporting Times, which had not been altogether a ruccess in the hands of Dr. Shorthouse, came into pos- session of Captain Wallace, late of the Scots Grevs, and was by him sold to Mr. Corlett for the paltry sum
of £50. We forget what the paper was like at that time ; but it must have sunk very low to be so vjdued. It fell into the hands of a man who made it a paper per se, and his own fortune into the bargain.
Of ready wit, and brisk at repartee, Mr. Corlett was sin- gularly fortunate in gathering round him not only men of good judgment in racing matters, but men of the world— of Picca- dilly and the West End, He de- termined that the S. T. should be something more than a racing paper; it should also chronicle *' a Ufe in London " other than that of our forefathers. The '< bucks " and " dandies " who wore top boots, breeches, and frilled shirts, had departed with the watchmen they had misused- and knocked about. Another world had arisen, of Gaiety and Criterion bars, chorus girls, stage doors (always, we fancy, a great cult), dancing clubs and boxing clubs, &c., &c. The '* Johnnies *' and << mashers " were the priests of the new cult, and they preached sitting up late and drinking more than was good for them. How could it fail but that a paper directed to the chronicling of that world should have an immense circula- tion, and readers innumerable in every clime where the English language is spoken? Under the new rSgime it leapt into popularity at once. Some of the original contributors have, alas 1 sunk under the strain, for it was the pace that killed. Mr. B. Shirley Brooks (" Peter Blobbs "), Dr. Pope, Staff- Surgeon B.A. {'' Jope "), little WiUie Goldberg (" The Shifter "), C.C. Bhys("C.C.B."), with others have departed from the scene ; but Miss Phyllis Broughton (** Our Only Joy"), the Countess of Orkney (" The Child "), Miss Bessie Bell- wood (" Catherine Ann "), Mr. W. Yardley ("Bill of the Play"),
18950
MB. JOHN OOELETT.
8
Mr. Spencer Mott ("Gubbins") Major A. Drummond (" The Wind- sor Warrior "), Lieut. - Colonel Newnbam Davis ('< The Dwarf of Blood "), and many another for whom we cannot find space sur- vive to instruct and amuse us.
^ But the John Gorlett of private life— that is, the man we have to deal vrith — what of him ? Said one of our most able and brilliant writers in the racing world to our- selves not very long ago, " I regard Gorlett as a representative English- man." No truer words were ever spoken. He has been and is a true Englishman. He said to us long ago, when his eldest son was yet a boy, '^ I intend him for the army, and my ambition is to see him in the regiment wherein his grandfather was trnmpet-iliajor. Do you think the officers would look down on him?" Our reply was prompt: " Not if they were gentlemen, but we cannot answer for the snobs." That boy, now a man, passed Sand- hurst with honour. He was one of the five successful competitors for direct appointment from Sandhurst to the Indian Staff Corps, and, after seeing about two years' service in the East, he returned home on leave, but had not been here long when he received orders to rejoin his r^;iment, the 18th Bengal Lancers, to which, after serving on the Staff, he had been appointed. He did not get the orders from the Lidia Office until Friday morning, the 5th of April, and at night he caught the mail boat for Brindisi — a smart piece of work, auguring well for theyoung fellow.
We know what John Corlett has done to and for many a man who had gone under in the battle of life; how he found excuses for giving them employment, and took care that they should feel he appre- ciated their work. A truly lovable character, and, as we have de- scribed some of his doings, we will
let him tell in his own words what he has not done. *' 1 never won or lost five pounds at a game of chance in my life ; I never saw a prize-fight; I never witnessed a foot-race for money; I never saw a professional strike a ball at billiards; I never saw a trotting match ; and I never attended an Archdiaconal Conference." But the Master of " Bottombarley " (so called because Charlton Court is near to Headcom) is no sneerer at religion. One of his tastes is an- tiquarian. To know all the old churches in his neighbourhood ; to study and compare their different styles, and to have ecclesiastical architecture, if not at his fingers' ends, very much in his head ; to live the life of a country gentle- man ; to take a holiday in his yacht ; and to race what his audacious staff term a few << hair trunks " — are among his pleasures. We have been told that what our friend chiefly likes is to see his quaintly- furnished dining - room full of guests sampling the contents of a very far-famed cellar. SmaU blame to him I We hope to share in that pleasure some day, but our many occupations have hitherto prevented us accepting the many invitations to Charlton Court.
Mr. Corlett has married a wife who is an older friend of ours than he is himself, and has two sons and^hree charming daughters. He is very proud, and deservedly so, of his elder boy, and watches his career as only a fond &ther can. We shall hope to meet our friend at Ascot; exchange, doubtless, the same old joke about our mutual luncheon capabilities, for which Ascot offers a great field; but we shall keep in our memoiy, apart from the roar of the Bmg, the clatter of knife and fork, the pop- ping of corks, and the clink of glasses, the fact of kind words and heartfelt sympathy.
BAILT'B ICAOAZINB.
[July
Ocean Lanes.
By Hon. F. Lawley.
At this season of the year the im-' pulse " to go down to the sea in ships" is ahnost universal. I remember to have heard the late Earl of Wilton remark, when he was Commodore of the Royal Yacht Squadron, that he owed the vigorous health and long life he was permitted to enjoy solely to many ocean cruises made by him on board the various yachts which he had owned during his forty or fifty years of connection with the sea. The noble owner of the Palatine— his last yacht — was not much given to quoting English poetry, a feat, indeed, for which his far from retentive memory and total lack of imagination hardly quaUfiedhim. Yet to a congenial listener he was fond of repeating (not too accurately) the famous opening lines of Lord Byron's " Corsair," aJthough he seldom got farther than — 0*er the glad waters of the dark blue
Our thoughts as BREATHLESS as our souls
are free. " Breathless," I need hardly re- mind my classic readers, being substituted for " boundless.*' It is difficult to calculate how * many of Her Majesty's lieges will pass the next few days or weeks afloat. Some of them on board their own yachts, and others as passengers upon one of those magnificent ^' ocean greyhounds " which are, in my opinion, the proudest and grandest achievements of man's daring skill that these islands have produced during the present reign. Of course, the greatest and most frequented of old Father Ocean's racecourses, or ** stadia," is the. three thousand miles of stormy
water interposed by the boisterous waves of the North Atlantic be- tween the Old and New Worlds. Not that the swift passenger steamers of which I have just spoken are confined to the watery highway which divides Liverpool and Southampton from New York and Boston. In every great steam- ship line carryingthe '' Union Jack " the tendency of their owners, their builders, and navigators is per- petually in the direction of in- creased and ever-increasing speed. For instance, the voyages &om England to Bombay, or to Aus- tralia, or the West Indies, or the Cape, are never-ceasing and con- stantly-repeated ** record break- ers," so much so, indeed, that it becomes impossible even for the elect to remember how many hours and minutes have been struck off from the astoundingly short time in which ports distant from each other by thousands of miles are able to communicate and shake hands by interchanging passengers.
I propose in the next few pages to resuscitate, if it be only for a brief hour or two, and among a restricted circle of readers, the memoryof amanwhO; under happier circumstances, would have lived in nautical history as long as Christo- pher Columbus or Captain Cook, the latter of whom, accompanied in the Endeavour by Sir Joseph Banks (as at a much later date Captain Fitzroy, R.N., was by Charles Darwin in the Beagle), circum- navigated the globe for scientific purposes. The hero whose praises and merits I would fain recite is that celebrated marine physiologist Captain or Commodore Matthew Fontaine Maury, of the United
1805.3
OCKAN LAl^S.
Slates Navy, who, of all the sailors I I have encountered in many parts of the world, was undoubtedly the greatest, and, withal, the most modest of geniuses. I was resi- dent in the United States during the four or fiye years preceding the outbreak of their gigantic Civil War, the whole of which I subse- quently witnessed with rapt atten- tion— the first year in the Northern States, and the last three in the Southern. It has always appeared to me that the most self-sacrificing and disinterested act committed within my recollection of human afifairs by any distinguished man was that for which sufficient credit has, on the " Ya Victis " principle, never been accorded to Robert £. Lee and Matthew F. Maury. While the big war cloud was gathering, to burst in thunder upon the 11th of April, 1861— the day when the first shot fired in anger was hurled by the Confederates against the small Federal garrison, commanded by Major Anderson, which held Fort Sumter, the key to the harbour of Charleston, in South Carolina, every conceivable temptation to remain true to the Union was freely offered by the authorities at Washington to several of the most meritorious and distinguished soldiers and sailors who were Southerners by birth, to keep them from joining the ranks of the Seceders. Above all others, the sons of that proud and manly old State, Virginia, the birthplace of Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Monroe, James Madison, and John Tyler, were so highly valued by the Unionists that General Winfield Scott, himself a Virginian, is well known to have onered General Bobert E. Lee the supreme com- mand of the Northern Armies if he would but adhere to the old flag. From my subsequent personal acquaintance with General Bobert
E. Lee, commencing in 1862, and ending when he capitulated at Appomattox Courthouse three years later, I have little doubt that he never entertained the slightest hope or expectation that the war would end otherwise than as it did. Within sight of the Capitol, of the White House, and of all the public buildings of Washington City, stood Arlington House, the much- loved Virginian home of General Lee, which he well knew would instantly be occupied by Federal troops if he joined the rebels. In point of fact, Arlington House, and the beautiful park and grounds surrounding it, were subse- quently converted into all kinds of uses — first, for instance, into the headquarters of General McDowell, who was defeated at Bull Bun; secondly, into an army hospital; thirdly, into a museum filled with war trophies ; while, fourthly, the grounds in which the house stood became a vast cemetery wherein the remains of countless negroes who died of disease or wounds were laid to rest. When, in short, General Lee bade adieu to his favourite home on the southern bank of the Potomac, it was destined that never again should its silent corri- dors and halls re-echo the familiar sound of his footsteps.
The case of Commodore M. F. Maury affords a still more remark- able instance of his disregard of the personal consequences which must, as he could not fail to be aware, befall and overtake his family and himself if he followed his native State, Virginia, into rebellion. When the Civil War broke out. General Lee was, as regards European fame, an un- known man. Commodore Maury, on the other hand, had already given to mankind two works of ineffable value and world- widefajne ; the first being his "Winds and Currents Charts and Sailing Direc-
6
BAILT'8 ICAaiZDnB.
[JULT
tions," published from the Observa- tory at Washington, which he created and of which he was super- intendent ; and the second, ** The Physical Geography of the Sea and its Meteorology," which was instantly pronounced by Humboldt and Quetelet to be one of the most fascinating and instructive books that ever saw the light. Noticing the work in an article overflowing with panegyrics the Edinburgh Review wrote: — ** The extent of scientific informa- tion contained in this volume, written in the easiest and most unpretentious of styles, cannot at all be gathered from a mere enumeration of the subjects of which it treats. It would be speak- ing of it in a very general way to say that it treats of the sea, its nature, currents, actinometry, and climates, of the bed and bottom of the Atlantic, of the influence of the Oulf Stream upon climates and conmaerce. It treats, also, of the atmosphere, winds, storms, mon- soons, calm - belts, sea-breezes, rain, and rivers of the Arctic regions and open Polar sea, the Antarctic regions and their clima- toJogy." One thing, however, the Ediriywrgh Beview has omitted to mention — the "Ocean Lanes," in- vented by Commodore Mauray, which I have selected for my sub- ject, and which I shall presently show entitle their originator to the profound and perpetual grati- tude of the owners of lovely yachts, such as the YaUnrie and Vigilant, no less than of the countless pas- sengers who cross the stormiest and most dangerous ocean in the world on board one of those miraclos of convenience, comfort, and celerity, the Lucania, Cam- pania, Majestic, Teutonic, and many another courser of the deep, as to which the prevaiUng opinion of business - oppressed passengers from all parts of the world is
that the passage is over far more quickly than is good for their health or compatible with their desires.
It will be seen that during the winter of 1860 and 1861, which witnessed the gathering of the political storm destined to end in the temporary disruption of the American Union and in the destruc- tion of hundreds of thousands of lives, Commodore Maury must have been sorely puzzled to decide under which banner — ^the Stars and Stripes or the Stars and Bars — ^he should take service in the coming fight. Personally he was as much opposed to war and as peace-loving as Oeneral Lee, and, in addition, his literary and philosophic acquire- ments were more esteemed and appreciated in Europe than in his native land. Had he chosen to gtilp down the troublesome prompt- ings and remonstrances of duty and conscience, he might easily have adopted a middle course, and ap- plied for permission, which would not have been refused him, to take temporary service in Russia, which was offered to him, either as a guest or as a sailor, in the following gracious terms by the Grand Duke Constantine, brother of the Czar : —
" St. Petersburg,"^ " July 27th, <' My dear Captain Mau "The news of your J a Navy which owes so ] great and successful made a very painful impression on me and my companions-in-arms. Your indefatigable researches have unveiled the great laws ruling the winds and currents of the ocean, and have placed your name among those ever to be mentioned with gratitude and respect, not only by professional men, but by all who pride themselves upon the noble attainments of the human race.
18950
OCEAN LAMfiS.
" In Russia we have been taught to honour in your person disin- terested and eminent services to science and mankind. I deem myself called upon, therefore, to invite you to take up your residence in this country, where you may peacefully continue your favourite and most beneficent occupations. As regards your material wel&re, everything will be done by me to make your new home comfortable imd agreeable, while simultaneously the necessary means will be offered you to enable you to persist in your scientific pursuits on a scale greater and more generous than any you have hitherto been accustomed to. — ^Believe me your sincere friend and well-wisher,
** CONSTANTINE,
" Orand Admiral of Bussia."
In Commodore Maury*s answer, better than in anything I could write, will be found a key to his simple and unselfish character. It ran as follows : —
" Richmond, Virginia, << October 29th, 1861.
''Admiral, —
" Your letter, which only reached me a few days since, has fiUed me with emotion. Induce- ments are held out in it such as none but the most magnanimous of nations could offer and such as nothing but a stem sense of duty on my part can withstand.
''It is becoming, however, that I should frankly state my present surroundings. The State of Vir- ginia gave me birth; within her borders, among many kind friends, my children have been reared. In her green bosom are the graves of my forefathers ; the political whirl- pool from which you kindly seek to rescue me has already plunged her into a fierce and bloody war. When President Lincoln, on the 15th of last April, issued his pro-
clamation calling upon Virginia to furnish her proportion of 76,000 men to force South Carolina back into the Union, Virgi5ua decided that her dignity, safety, and honour required her to withdSraw from the Union herself, and to call upon all her sons to come to her aid.
" I recognised the sacredness of this call, and tendered her my sword. Her soil is invaded; the enemy is at her very gates. The path of duty and honour lies plainly before me. When the in- vader is expelled I promise myself the pleasure of hastening to Russia to express to your Imperial Highness the respect, gratitude, and esteem with which your generous and kindly forethought has inspired me.
" I have the honour to subscribe myself, Sir, your Imperial High- ness's most obedient servant, " M. P. Maubt, "Commander, "Confederate States Navy."
Almost simultaneously a similar invitation reached him from France, which was also declined. What he must have felt on leaving Washing- ton Observatory, where he was surrounded by all the mechanical appliances, astronomical instru- ments, and other conveniences, which soon become to a scientific man dearer than life itself, we can easily divine from his letters. One of them, dated "Richmond, Vir- ginia, April 20th, 1861," runs as follows : —
"Dear Friend, —
' ' When your last letter reached me, I was just leaving Washington. I quitted mv beautiful home there with a full heart, and with eyes overflowing. My want of money pesters me greatly. Pray help me if you can to put my affairs in better train."
It will thus be seen that from
8
BAILT'S ICAGAZINE.
[JULr
the very outset of the war Maury must have clearly understood the madness of the rash step which he had so recklessly adopted. Although the Great Bepublic which he had served so long and so well had not been to him a very generous benefac- tress, he was never a man to care much about money. When he had to drain to the dregs the cup of misery which he had deliberately prepared for his own lips, no fond regrets, no vain repinings, ever escaped him. Even when accused, in the bitterness of partisan re- proaches levelled at him by his enemies on the Northern side, of treachery to his old employer, he calmly replied from Richmond in these words : —
" I only saw last night the re- marks of the Boston Traveller about Captain Maury's < traitorous con- duct,* shown by his desertion, and his removal of buoys, &c. It is all a lie 1 I resigned and left the Ob- servatory on Saturday, April 20, 1861 • I worked as hard and as faithfully for Uncle Sam down to three o'clock on that day as I ever did before, and then I turned the public property, and aU the records of my office, regularly over to Lieut. Whiting, the proper officer in charge.''
Let us now change the venue and contemplate one of the greatest perils of the Atlantic, for the extinction, or at any rate the reduction, of which Commodore Maury has done more than all the other sailors that ever crossed it. No one who is an old and experi- enced Atlantic traveller can have failed, often, to hear, as he lies in his berth at night, a hurried foot- fall or scamper upon the deck above him, accompanied by a loud cry of '' Harda-port!" It is more fre- quently heard in the Channel or on nearingland than in mid-ocean, and augurs that the mighty iron monster rushing aheadat full speed
through the darksome waves is on the eve of coming into collision with some other vessel, or perhaps of running her down. The theory of landsmen is that a big ship many thousands of tons in burden has nothing to fear from a lighter sister who is rash or blind enough to get in her way. An ounce of practical experience is, however, worth many tons of theory, and this is what actually happened to the U.S. mail steamer Arctic, of the Collins Line, in the September of 1854. As she was returning from Liverpool to New York she came into collision on the Banks of Newfoundland with a little French sailing vessel of 100 tons, called the Vesta, which was none the worse for the shock, and sailed merrily and unconsciously away for the French coast, which, in due course, she made in perfect safety. Within four hours of the collision, however, the big steamer foundered, and went down, fataUy wounded by her puny antagonist, whose sharp bows cut a big bole in the monster's side. The story was told to me on my first Transatlantic trip, in August, 1856, and has never faded from my memory. On September 20th, 1854, the Arctic (8,000 tons), with more than 200 passengers on board, including some very distinguished Americans, sailed from Liverpool for New York. On the 28th, when distant about sixty-five miles from Cape Bace, that iron finger thrust into the storm- lashed ocean which thunders against the stem and rock-bound coast of Newfoundland, the Arctic and the Vesta — a pigmy and a giantess — ^ran into each other in a dense fog. The shock caused by the collision was so slight that little damage was supposed to have resulted from it to either. Never- theless, in four hours the big vessel disappeared beneath the ocean, while her gay and gladsome little
1896.]
OCEAN LAKES.
assailant vanished into space, spanking along under half a gale of wind towards her distant home in the sunny land which gave her birth. Now comes my story, which I learnt from the life of the gentle- man who hadundergone the experi- ence which he narrated to me. Among the Arctic's passengers was a Mr. Smith, a wealthy Glasgow mer- chant, who turned the four hours of respite accorded to him before the Arctic sank to excellent ac- count. Mr. Smith's additional name, to which, fortified by the example of the Bev. Sydney Smith, he had annexed a prefix, was, if I remember right, some- thing like " Galwey "; but it is so long ago since we met that upon this point my memory is hazy. Be that as it may, he told me that from the very first he disregarded the assurances of the captain and crew that there was no danger, and began at once to make preparations for the worst. Foreseeing that the boats would have to accommodate more women than they could hold, and that they would probably be swamped, with the exception of one big boat, which, in fact, was the only survivor, Mr. ** Galwey " Smith got hold of three planks, which he lashed firmly together with ropes, until he had converted them into a Innd of raft. Upon the top of this frail structure he fastened the wicker basket, lined with tin, into which the dirty plates used at dinner in the saloon were stowed away by the stewards, and some time before the Arctic went down he contrived to lower his raft into the sea, and to clamber on board from the ship's ladder amidships. So hope- less did the effort to save his life appear to his imperilled fellow- passengers that no one attempted to shi^ the fate which seemed certain to overtake him. Indeed, as he drifted away from the sinking
ship the chance of his escaping seemed to him so infinitesimally small that he never expected to see the morrow's sun rise above the stormy waves, which dashed him and his fragile conveyance to and fro with a violence presaging that every moment might be his last.
Fortunately, the wind and currents bore him to the south, in the direction of the main track followed by ships plying between Europe and America, and vice verad. Moreover, he had taken the pre- caution of lashing round his shoulders a tin basin with a handle to it, which he employed to bale out the dirty plate basket in which he was seated. Night was followed by day, and day again by night, before rescue came to the forlorn and half-starved castaway. At last, towards the close of the third day, a Baltimore clipper hove in sight, and came so close that for a moment he thought she was about to run him down. Waving his hat frantically, and tying his handkerchief to the handle of his tin basin, he at last succeeded in catching the attention of the look- out man. By that time the sea had gone down considerably, and in a few minutes a well-manned boat rescued him from a watery grave. Before leaving the raft he earnestly begged his preservers to take the friendly basket on board to which he owed his life. Of course, his wish was granted, and for many subsequent years (and for aught I know at the present moment if Mr. Smith is still living) an ottoman in his pretty drawing-room in Glasgow stood, or stands, as a memento, in the centre of which the precious life-saving basket is concealed.
I have dwelt at some length upon the loss of the Arctic in 1854, for that sad catastrophe led Captain Maury to reflect how the danger of collision between two vessels
10
BAILT S ICAOAZINX.
[JULT
going in different directions might be averted or reduced to a mini- mnm. ** The constantly increasing amount of collisions," he wrote, '' which has adyanced much beyond the ratio of the use of steam, has led to many plans for averting it, t)f which the best is that suggested to me by Mr. B. B. Forbes, of Boston, viz., that there should, be one track or lane for steamers going to, and another for those coming from, North America. This suggestion I have endeavoured to .work out." He recommended that, in the longitude of the Grand Banks of Newfound- land, the lane to be followed by ships bound for Europe should be 200 miles to the south of the lane fol- lowed by ships bound for America, for these reasons : — '< The shortest possible distance for a steamer run- ning from Liverpool to Sandy Hook is 8,009 miles; but the average distance actually accomplished is 8,069, and the distance in the middle of the westward lane is 8,088. There is also another re- commendation in favour of the lane to the west, which is this — it lies along the northern edge of the Gulf Stream, where the eddy sets westward at the rate of a knot an hour. On the average I assume that the set of this eddy will amount to twelve miles a day for three and a-half days, or, say, forty miles. In this way the average length of the passage will be shortened by three or four hours, with less risk of collision and less danger from Cape Bace, that formidable tyrant of the North Atlantic."
Needless were it to add that, since the above words, and many others of a like nature, but too technical to be repeated here, were written by Captain Maury in 1854, the lane system which he inau- gurated has been developed by the managers of the Cunard and White Star Lines to a degree of perfec-
tion which would have delighted its author. Nothing more saga- cious and exhaustive thap the sailing orders laid down by these two great steamship companies for the guidance and instruction of the captains and officers navigating their splendid vessels was ever devised by human brains. Thanks to the ''lane system,*' and to many other precautions resulting from long and sometimes sad expe- rience, the Atlantic is navigated at present with such comfort and safety that many a brain-weary toiler could find no better tonic or restorative than to devote a fort- night to running across to New York and returning in the next steamer. How many of these vast improvements, involving greater speed, comfort, and safety, are due to Captain Maury's initiative the world will never know. His life, familiar with degrading poverty from its outset to its close, teaches the old, sad lesson that genius too often spells ruin and decay to its possessor, or that, as Dr. Johnsoii puts it in his incomparable translation of Juvenal's Tliird Satire: ' This moimfiil truth is everywhere
confessed. Slow rises worth by poverty depresaed.
With one parting instance of Captain Maury's7 almost super- natural sagacity I will bring these remarks to a close. The extract I am about to quote is from <' A Life of Matthew Fontaine Maury, U.S.N, and C.S.N.," compUed by his daughter, Mrs. Corbin, and published by Messrs. Sampson Low and Co. in 1888. It is a book which no sailor should omit to read, although it has no index, and no list of chapters with their contents — a blemish which, in my opinion, should never be permitted to disfigure a work of reference, for without an index it resembles, and is as useless as, a
1895.]
ship without a rudder. The pas- sage in question is as follows : —
" When the San Francisco, with hundreds of United States troops on board, foundered in an Atlantic hnrricane, and the rumour reached New York that she was in need of help, everyone looked to Maury as the only man in the country who could tell where to find the drifting wreck. To him the Secretary of the Navy sent for information. He
NOTES ON THE RIFLE.
11
at once set to work, and showed how the wind and currents acting upon a helpless wreck would com- bine to drift her ^ just here,' point- ing to a spot on the chart, and making a cross-mark with the blue pencil in his hand. Just there the relief was sent, and just there the survivors of the wreck were picked up. This was but one incidental result of Maury's life-long ^tudy of winds and currents."
Notes on the Rifle.
By Hon. T. P. Pbemantlb. n.— THE SPIN OF THE BULLET.
Wonderful as it is that a projec- tile, large or small, should be so far under control as to be compelled to keep a perfectly consistent course during a long flight, while it battles with an enormous resistance — that of the air — ^the oldest and simplest analogy, the simile of a spinning- top, is perhaps the best that can be made use of to illustrate its motion. Very mysteriously does the action of the centrifugal force developed in the body of the top serve first to bring it into equili- brium on the point upon which it turns, and then t^ maintain it up- right, and apparently motionless, for a while. At last the double friction, that of the surface of the top against the air and of it^ point against the ground, so diminishes its speed of spin that, after swaying round and round, it at last falls and rolls away in its dying struggles. The gyroscope, in which the top is pivoted so as to spin in a ring, and keeps the ring balanced ipon a point, shows in an even more remarkable way the strong resistance made by a body spinning at a high velocity to any change in the direction of its axis. This
principle was applied by Professor Piazzi Smith to providing a tele- scope, for use at sea, with a mount- ing which should remain ste&«ly and maintain its position inde- pendently of any motion of the vessel. It is thiis same force (to compare small things with great) which preserves the plane of the earth's motion round the sun, and keeps the direction of its axis (but for certain effects of the attraction of the sun, moon, and planets) constant.
To discharge a projectile into the air, and at the same time to give it, round its axis lying in the direction of its flight, a spin suffi- cient to coerce it into keeping a steady course, is the particular virtue of the spirally - grooved barrel. No means so simple or so sure for accomplishing this end has ever yet been invented, nor, we may suppose, ever will be. Devices for spinning the bullet in other ways have over and over again been tried, and in many cases it would seem as if special pains had been taken to find a troublesome method of doing it — and then doing it in- effectually. One ingenious inventor
12
BAILT's ICAOAZINB.
[Jttlt
proposed that the projectile should be made hollow, and fitted over the outside of the barrel, which was to be rifled externally. Another wished to make the projectile some- what in the shape of a quoit or a disc, and to give the same kind of spin as is given to a flat stone in throwing '< ducks and drakes/' Far more reasonable was the idea of a third, that there might be fitted into the breech of a muzzle- loader a small, square pillar, slightly twisted, over which a square hole in the bullet might fit, and which would serve to give it rota- tion. But the favourite device of perverse ingenuity — as the records of the Patent Office attest — has been to attach to the bullet some form of metallic feathering by which the resistance of the air might be made to give the rotation. The nearest approach to solving the problem satisfactorily on these lines was made some fifteen years ago by Dr. Maoleod, who succeeded in pro- ducing a flat-headed bullet, which could be fired with some accuracy from a smooth-bore barrel. The rotation was imparted by four tapered holes running the length ■ of the bullet, and spindly inclined to its longer axis. This bullet gave good results in a 12-bore gun up to 100 yards, but not further. The radical defect of all such sys- tems is that the speed of spin which the air can be made to give is in- sufficient to maintain accuracy during a long flight. In the last few years the need for a gun which will fire shot in the usual way, and can also be depended on to make accurate shooting with ball at fair sporting distances, has been met by the invention of guns which are smooth-bores with a couple of inches of rifling in the muzzle end of the barrel (such as the well- known "Paradox"), or have a very slight grooving running the whole length of the barrel. The
proper slant or pitch for the groov- ing, on which the rate of spin of the ball must depend, was long a ground of contention. Early in the century there was much dif- ference of opinion as to whether a whole, a half, or a quarter turn in the length of the barrel was the most satisfactory. In old days the slighter turn was in general favour for shooting, and was also found to be less troublesome in loading from the muzzle. But the author of " Scloppetaria " in 1808 declares himself in favour of a more rapid spiral than that in com- mon use, as giving better results at distances beyond 100 or 150 yards than the other. He maintained, however, curiously enough, that the spin is imparted to the ball, not by any motion that it receives from the grooving, but by the pressure of the air during its flight upon the spiral indenta- tions impressed upon it before it left the barrel. This elementary fallacy a very little experiment would have dissipated.
What,then,are theconsiderations which determine the proper amount of rotation to be given to the bullet ? It must be enough to carry the bullet safely over the critical point at which it clears the muzzle and receives the full effect of the pent-up gases which were behind it urging it up the barrel, and which, as soon as it is freed, rush around and past it with a velocity many times greater than its own. If a long bullet be fired from a smooth-bore, this rush of gases turns it at once head-over- heels, as anyone^ knows who has tried the experiment. The writer remembers trying it when at school with a toy cannon, and being astonished to find that the bullet not only struck the door of the room (at which it had been directed) sideways, but penetrated it and buried itself in the panelling
1896.]
NOTES ON THE BIFLE.
18
on the other side of the passage outside, whereby the legs (for the shot was luckily aimed low) of a boy passing by were pat for an instant in much jeopardy. In some experiments for penetration with modem military rifles, in which it was desired to simulate the strik- ing effects of bullets at long ranges hy firing them with reduced charges, it was found tiiat with a less muzzle velocity than about 1,000 ft. per second (the velocity of the full chaise being about 2,000 ft.) the spin was not enough to prevent a bullet being turned over as it left the muzzle. So great, indeed, is the blast of the gases upon the bullet, that there is good reason to think that its speed is slightly increased by the parting «< kick " which it thus receives after it has actually left the rifle.
The spin which is enough to start a bullet well on its course — not with a "wobbly" motion, but steadily, like a top when " asleep *' — is enough to maintain its steadiness of flight for all practicable ranges. But it must be remembered that the speed of spin depends quite as much upon the velocity of the bullet as upon the rate of spiral. Thus, the old Enfield rifle, having a velocity of 1,800 ft. per second, and the grooving being of such a pitch as to make one complete turn in 6(t. 6in., its bullet spun 200 times in each second. The experiments of Sir Joseph Whit- worth showed that with a longer projectile a more rapid rate of spin was needed to ensure steadiness. He tried many different pitches of spiral, and relates with satisfaction how he once penetrated 7 in. of elm with a hardened six-sided bullet, fitting a barrel of *45 in. bore rifled with one turn in each inch of its length. As a result mainly of his experiments, the bore of the Martini-Henry was fixed at *45 in., and its pitch of rifling at one turn
in 22 in. This, with a muzzle velocity of 1,300 ft. per second, gives a rate of spin of 714 turns in one second. But we move faster in these days, and the Lee-Metford rifle, *808 bore, with 2,000 ft. muzzle velocity, spins its bullet no fewer than 2,400 times in each second, while the latest foreign magazine rifle of *256 bore gives a spin of a good deal more than 8,000 times a second, a figure which sounds almost incredible.
It may well be asked. How is it possible to give so very rapid a spin without straining the bullet and tearing it to pieces? The answer is, that the pitch of the grooving is very little more in the Lee-Metford with its one turn in 10 in. than it is in the "match rifle '• of -461 calibre which is rifled with one turn in 16i in., and that there is practically no greater strain on the bullet while it follows the grooves in the one than in the other. The explanation of this apparent paradox lies in the fact that the pitch of the spiral merely affects a diversion of the surface of the bullet at a certain angle from the straight course which it would naturally pursue in the barrel as it moves forward. It is, therefore, proportional to the calibre, and one turn in thirty-three calibres or 10 in. in the Lee-Metford represents an angular value but little in excess of that which obtains in the "match rifle." The spiral of the 110- ton gun bears just about the same proportion to its calibre. It is to be observed that in flying through the air the ball is very much re- tarded, and very quickly loses it& velocity, but that the speed of spin is much less quickly lost. It has been found that bullets which started from a barrel grooved with one turn in 16^ in. were still, after a flight of 2,000 yards, during which most of their velocity had been lost, spinning fast enough tO'
14
baily's vaoazinb.
[JXTIiT
make one turn in every 6 in. of progressive flight, as shown by the marks impressed on them by a wooden target through which they
It was one of the early theories that the apparent advantage in range which a rifle has over a emooth-bore was due to the ballet by its spinning more easily boring its way through the air. Even at the present day the great power of penetration possessed by modem rifles is sometimes ignorantly attributed to the same imaginary cause. The confused analogy with a boring tool is, however, quite fallacious. A bullet has no cutting ec^es, and, even if it had, it turns but once in several inches of flight, which would not avail much when, for instance, it punches a hole in a quarter-inch plate of hardened steel.
The round ball of old days had 80 little bearing on the grooving that any attempt to give a hiffh rate of spin was apt to lead to the ball ** stripping,'* or being driven over the grooves instead of along them. Soft lead and deep grooving were consequently accepted as necessities. On the introduction of the long bullet with a hollow base, which it was found could be expanded into the rifling by the sharp blow of the exploding powder behind it, it remained a general principle that the lead ought to be pure and soft to assist this process, the grooves being still compara- tively deep. For it is one of the first essentials in a rifle that the bullet should fill the bore entirely as it passes up it, so that there may be no leakage whatever of the powder gases past it. It was Mr. Metford who discovered that tins result could be obtained with much more ease and certainty by using a bullet of hardened lead, and keeping the grooves quite shdlow; and this method, which
had other advantages, such as that of reducing the friction in the barrel, brought about a revolution in the practice of rifle-makers. Mr. Met- ford found that it was possible for experimental purposes to give a proper spin to a bullet with rifling only one-thousandth of an inch deep; and pointed out that Sir Joseph Whitworth's system of fitting a six-sided bullet into a six- sided barrel necessitated rifling enough to spin a six-pounder shot. The lower part of the hardened bullet was wrapped in a jacket of thin paper to prevent the lead from being rubbed upon the bore, and it was found that no lubrication was necessary.
In powerful military and sporting rifles of the very small bore now in use, such as the Lee-Metford — beside which the well-known -880 rook rifle seems a big-bore — the principle of having a hardened surface to the bullet is carried still farther. So great is the stress, and so high the speed, that the friction becomes too heavy if a bullet of ttie ordinary hardened lead is driven through the barrel, and it is partially melted. A com- pound bullet is tiierefore used, and its leaden core is encased in a thimble of scnne harder material, such as copper, nickel, or even steel. But as the bullet thus stifliened cannot well be expanded into the grooving, it is made in the first place rather larger than the bore, and is forced into it under very heavy pressure from the powder.
The form of the grooving is of much importance, ec^gNedally when the old black powder is used. To obtain the best resolts it is essen- tial that each bullet as it passes up the barrel should sweep oefore it all the residuum of fouling left by the previous shot, so that there may never be any accumulation of it. Thisresult can only be obtained if the grooving is fairly shallow
1895.]
' NEQUE
POST EQUITEM SEDBT ATBA CUBA.'
15
and free from sharp corners where the dirt may lurk, and which the ballet cannot thoroughly command. In this respect some methods of rifling (such, for instance, as the Henry) are sadly unscientific.
With modem smokeless powder, on the other hand, it would seem to matter less what the precise form of grooving is, because the deposit of fouling which they leave is very slight.
"Neque . . Post Equitem Sedet Atra Cura."
When life is sluggish, and pulses How cool and sweet the caressing slow. When the mind has a morbid turn. When the heart is burdened with untold woe. When the aspect of all is stem,
There i a cure for the ill, a balm for the mind. In a sail on the tossing surf; B"t better than braving the stormy wind Is a gallop on springy turf.
Black Care will fly as your courser's stride Makes thunder on the sward, And the glorious rush of a racing ride Makes earth with heaven accord.
air.
Wafted through vaults of green I And the fern-fronds brushedby our horses' feet Scarce let the paths be seen.
The nodding << bells" were an azure maze. To rival the azure sky ; A carpet blue, where the sunlight rays Played with the shadows shy.
I remember the stretch on the homeward track. How we almost galloped abreast For a stride or two; but the horse fell back, Though he did his level best.
Ir^emberthemerryburstthatday I "member the sense that held my
Of a joy too good to last ;
We rode on the green park ground.
In the glorious air of a balmy May — I remember my horse's bound
As he strove to follow the flying mare. When ^e rushed ten lengths to the fore — For a burden lithe, and as light as air. Was the girl that the bay mare bore.
How the woods flew by I and the gleaming grass, Swept by our horses' stride ; Like a sheet of emerald seemed to pass, And heave as a rolling tide.
And the pace we galloped clove in twain The air through which we passed.
With the glorious ether overhead. And the swell of the sward below. With the magic rush of our horses' tread. All sorrow was forced to go.
And 1 marvelled to see the bay mare's pace. And the length of her sweeping stride. With the " form " of the sort that love to race With an almost human pride.
16
BAILY'S UA.QAZISK.
[JuifT
How still as a rock her rider rode,
Nor checked the flying mare, As she skimmed the park with her fairy load ; In truth, 'twas a well-matched pair.
Then I felt as I never felt before, That the spring of a gallant horse
On the yielding turf of field or moor Is a cure for all remorse ;
That the baser part of a nobler whole Will vanish in empty air In a dashing ride with a kindred soul. Be it man or maiden fair.
BOLAND BlVINOTON.
Hound Breeding.
In these golden days, when not only has merit to be tested to its highest pitch, and its record kept in the strictest form, but also com- peted for in every conceivable way, we may begin to pride ourselves on the attainment of a perfection which was denied to our ancestors. Is such really the case ? or do we still grope towards the greater light of true knowledge which coming centuries may a£E6rd us ? These are questions quite un- answerable, and we must be content in taking up what is perhaps already a well-worn subject, the breeding of hounds, to discuss what may now be considered the truest attributes of our foxhounds. Perhaps when form alone is con- sidered we cannot do better than study the excellent portrait of Vagabond which adorns our frontispiece, the champion at Peterborough in 1894 ; and, further, to prove that like begets like, we have only to note that the sire of this Graven hound. Hermit, was himself the champion in his day, and his grandsire. Harper (both Warwickshire hounds), also won there in his day. Volatile, the dam of Vagabond, herself a beauti- ful hound, produced the second two couple of prize puppies at Peterborough in 1898.
It would be easy to go further back into Vagabond's pedigree for
several generations, and by this stud lore to prove how excellence of form can be preserved and per- petuated through many generations by careful and systematic breeding. All thanks to the Peterborough annual show for telling us this ! Instituted by dear old Tom Par- rington most fittingly in Yorkshire, it migrated to the Midlands in 1878, and has ever since been the rendezvous of hound - lovers and a host of devoted hunting men and women; and if no higher praise can be claimed for it, there certainly is abundant proof of its maintaining the standard of beauty, form, power, and size of our hounds, attributes which we can never afford to despise, whatever may be written or thought to the contrary. It is a foundation on which to build; a certain means on which to graft, if you can, the invaluable gifts of nose, sense, and endurance ; a starting - point for a young Master to begin what has often proved a lifelong enjoyment, viz., the making of a first-rate kennel of hounds. I say "lifelong" advisedly, for to breed a really good pack, all of the same class, sorty, sizeable, of one family as it were, and uniform in their work as in the kennel, is a test of staying powers in the hound man to which none but our best have attained. Men with long purses have
>
<
H
S:
1)
O ft.
I
t
a s
« .«
bought fine packs of hounds, and ongrafted them into their own ; but it takes years to merge those hounds with their own into one pack. I will go a step further, and say that nothing but the happiest com- bination of circumstances can tmable a man to breed, and, when bred, to maintain, a first-rate pack of hounds. Granted he is an ex- cellent judge, and a stickler in patience and perseverance, he most also have immense local in- daence to command an indefinite number of walks for his puppies, have a huntsman who will be de- voted to seconding his endeavours, and a country almost his freehold. It will be invidious to name the countries thus happily situated, where hounds can be bred as they should be. There are none too many of them. The Belvoir claim an unbroken record from 1750, the Badminton from 1762, the Berke- ley an almost as ancient one, whilst Meynell is always considered to have been the father of Leicester- shire hunting, Lord Darlington of that in the North, as Squire Draper wasinEssex; and,if huntingrecords were searched, each country could produce its first Ung, and proudly hold him forth as their progenitor of success. It is not, however, the purpose of this article to go into ancient history, al- though it is very tempting, when speaking of hound types, to dwell on many such as the Shrop- ahire and Warwickshire Trojan, and the Brocklesby and Belvoir Ballywood. Portraits of such as these should always be in the mind's eye of hound - breeders. Qrantley Berkeley, I think it is, tells us that ''the real &ct is, the more carefully a foxhound has been Ined, the nearer he will approach the perfection of his nature ; and that the fewer blots there are in the lood from which he has descended, /ha finer will be his nose and the
VOL. I.XIT. — ^KO. 425.
HOUND BBSSDINO.
17
greater his industry ' ' — and we must remember that this practical writer was not altogether a foxhound man: he hunted anything and everything in his time — ^haw, fox, stag, otter, or badger. His theory was that you could teach a young foxhound to hunt anything, and that the only thing which required skill and management was to '* teach him to hunt one and the right thing in preference to others." And so it is now. You may breed the finest pack of hounds in the world, and spoil them by letting them hunt after their own devices, which. means inculcating vices not easy to eradicate. I could give in- stances of this, but prefer that the reader should do this for himself, and profit thereby.
It may be tridy said that it is not given to all Masters of Hounds to breed Vagabonds or their like. I have been guilty of advo- cating the breeding of hounds adapted to the country in which they are to hunt, and I do so most strongly still. Such hounds as those now constituting the Cottes- more and the Quorn are most admirably adapted foe their work over fine pastures. However much they may be pressed on by the eag^er crowds that go galloping in their wake, a more carefully-bred pack than the Cottesmore at the present time I have seldom seen, and, whether competitors at Peter- borough this year or not, they have few superiors in their own bright sphere. The Quorn were always noted — ^at least, they have been ever since Tom Firr has had a hand in their management — for workman- like style and behaviour, and the great things they accomplished last season have not decreased their prestige. The addition of tiie Brocklesby dog pack, which Lord Lonsdale has purchased, must, next season, evenin agreater degreee,help the Quorn hounds towai^ perfect
18
bailt's UAQAzmm.
[JXTLT
tion. The Pytcbley are now, thanks mainly to the pains which Mr. Langham for many years took in their breeding, a very clever pack for their country. Paradox (for all that his colour is unfashionable) has left his great mark here, and Will Goodall is justly proud of. haying a pack which can keep his quick crowd well in the rear when there is a bit of a scent. What finer packs for their country are there than the Badminton, the Berkeley, the Bramham, the Atherstone, the Oakley, the Brocklesby, Lord Middleton's, the York and Ainsty, the Black- moor Vale, the Vale of White Horse (Mr. Butt Miller's), and many others that I could name? and yet I could take these into countries where they would be fairly outdone by packs less fashion- ably bred which now hunt them, and do BO with extraordinary success. It was only a short time back that I was discussing this subject with a Master of many years' standing in a rough country, who, without a shadow of brag, assured me that for carrying a head through wood- lands, and thereby driving their foxes before* them into the open, he knew no hounds that compared with those of the Welsh cross, and in this he gave me several instances, which my own experi- ence corroborated. We have heard much during the last winter of Welsh hounds, owing to Mr. Lort Phillips having lent some of his hounds to Mr. Wroughton to try in the Pytchley country, and 1 have it on the personal authority of " Brooksby " that neither were they outpaced nor outworked, nor did they decamp at the sight of the crowd — in fact, they ably assisted to kill their fox. How much more effectively must they do this in their own countries, where the difficulties of the situation are merely an aid in showing their
wonderful nose power, as well as drive. I trust the day is not far distant when prizes will be offered for Welsh and cross-bred hounds at Peterborough. It would, at all events, give an opportunity for many Masters, who have not the chance of seeing them in the field, to look over such hounds. Already harriers are admitted to the show, and surely Welsh hounds can claim as ancient pedigrees, although authenticated by no stud book, as even our protdgd Vagabond. One of your most valued contributors, under the cognomen of "N.," writing in your pages in April, 1886, on Bough Hounds, after describing their good qualities, says : '< An excellent cross is that between a pure English foxhound bitch and the Welsh rough hound, the latter in all cases being the father. The produce are generally rough, beautifully - formed hounds, with the elegant throat and shoulders and better loin of the English hound. The three handsomest rough hounds I ever saw in my life were out of a foxhound bitch by a thoroughbred rough Welsh hound ; a couple of them, Frantic and Frugal, were brilliant black- tan-and- white, with long wire hair ; the third. Barmaid, was a rough, thick-set, long-eared, badger-pied bitch. The three had all the dash of the foxhound, with the rough- ness of their sire. They hunted the drag of a fox up to his kennel, where they found him. On one occasion they ran through a por- tion of three counties, as reported in the Times newspaper, killing an old greyhound fox by themselves at night. 1 have hunted^with various packs in my time, but never heard anything so beautiful as the single crash of melody as it floated up the hill-side from the Welsh pack." From my own per- sonal experience I can verify all that " N." says, and trust that Mr.
1896.]
HOUHD BBESDDia.
19
Smart will bring before Ae Hound Gonunittee at Peterborough the suggestion which I venture to make, of offering next year a couple of prizes for hounds of Welsh blood from a recognised pack of foxhounds. It may not succeed for the first year, but eventually it will be the means of giving encourage- ment to a breed of hounds, which has its place by Nature in the sport of fox-hunting. And now let us hark back once more to our subject proper. Thanks to the indefatigable labour of my friend Mr. Cecil Legard, we are now able to trace the blood of no less than seventy-one packs of hounds, and, although the reitera- tion of hound-names makes it somewhat puzzling at first to follow the most fashionable strains, it requires no great amount of hound knowledge to trace how Bel- voir's Gambler, Warwickshire's Her- mit, Oakley's Bhymer, or Milton's Gomus have been used with advan- tage. These we have only taken to exemplify our argument. The Belvoir tan is still in the ascendant, and without a doubt no . pack on the flags can altogether match this oldest-established pack, near as the Warwickshire and some others may approach it. Hitherto the Duke of Butland has declined to com- pete in public ; perhaps, however, we may soon see the day when his Grace and others will not disdain to throw down the gauntlet here in the interests of hunting. We shall probably have the Warwick- shire in competition, as, after all, Lord Willoughby de Broke will not be one of the judges. ECtherto the Warwickshire have been so invincible that many provincial packs have been afraid to show, Let them, however, take heart of grace, for what can be a greater encouragement to breed and show first - rate hounds than the example of Vagabond himself.
coming as he did from a far from fashionable pack, the Graven ? All honour to Major Bicardo for having bred him. The harriers and beagles are somewhtkt of a new departure at Peterborough, and add interest to the show. Worcestershire is often to the front here, and the Squire of Bentley Manor is never happier than when in this show- yard.
Apart altogether from its hound- breeding aspect, what a summer reunion for hunting men has Peter- borough become! Local puppy shows may afford |pleasure to tibose immediately interested, but here the arena expands, competition widens, and local ideas become dwarfed when compared with merit in its best form. How big we all think ourselves until we meet with a bigger man, and are fain to learn that we are after all only pigmies. Our year's entry looks beautiful on its own flags. It is only when put alongside its betters that we are obliged to take due note of its faults. Thus we live and learn, and I will undertake to say that no hunting man worthy of the name leaves this annual hound show without having picked up some wrinkles, and being wiser in many ways. If in nothing else, you find yourself rubbing up against most knowledgable men ; and it would be hard indeed if some of their ex- perience did not imbue you with new ideas, or put you in the way of practising them. Not only is it a gathering of hunt- ing men as M.F.H.'s and M.H.'s, but it is of transcendent interest as a gathering of hunt servants — ^<and spoils your men," I once heard a narrow-minded Master ejaculate, at which I narrowly missed losing my temper. Whv, if you have a huntsman or whip that you cannot trust to go from home to Peterborough and back, with or without hounds, is he such
BAILT 8 MAGAZINE.
[JUI-T
a man as you can trust with your hounds all through the rest of the year ? Is he likely to be spoilt by being in the society of nearly all our best professional huntsmen and whippers-in, and looking over their hounds? Why, speaking in a personal sense, I always feel proud of being in such good company as we meet at Peterborough in the way of huntsmen. Not one of them but what knows his place, and enlightens your mind on hounds and hunting. You will forgive him for being egotistical about his own pack. He, too, whilst uphold- ing his own pets, will inwardly" have to confess, perhaps, that his rivals have outdone him this time. As between huntsmen themselves, I am confident that this summer meeting is of the utmost benefit. They not only compare notes ; they judge each others' hounds, and choose the blood they will advise their master to patronise in the next season, and they above all learn to work up to the highest standard. Of the onlookers at Peterborough what shall we say? Not a tithe of those who profess a fondness for hunting can appreciate the troubles of a Master or huntsman in breed- ing those hounds they see before them. Litters carried off by the '* yellows," distemper thinning
their best litters, accidents at walk, toes down amongst their most promising young hounds, cuts from barbed wire, and a hundred-and-one other troubles which beset the best kennel manage- ment— all to be overcome before success can be gained here. Not that readers of Bailt require to be reminded of these things. Does it not help a man to be a sportsman, if he is not one already, to see, not only the immense interest that is nowadays taken in breeding hounds, but ako the per- fection to which they are brought ? Does he not seem to breathe an air of sport — the grand sport of hunt- ing— that as autumn comes round wUl carry hinif nolens volenSf into its maddening delights ? If he does not catch the scarlet fever of hunting he must indeed be out of place at Peterborough. It is only a simple confession to say that I did many years ago imbibe strongly of hunt- ing lore here, and as I look over those choice specimens of the chase, I once more enter to the heart's core into those words of Bromley- Davenport's —
And we know by the notes of tiiat
modified choma. How straight we must ride if we wish
to be there.
BORDEREB.
h
^.
1M.1
21
Animal Painters,
II. — ABRAHAM COOPER, R.A. By Sib Walteb Gilbet, Babt.
Undeb this heading I hope to give a genes of brief articles coxmeoted witti tiie lives of English painters whose works appertaw to animal life and sport, and who lived between the years 1700 and 1850.
In the first of the articles — J. P. Herring, sen., bom in 1795 — in the last nnmber of Bailt, I briefly mentioned, as a matter of interest, that, np to the year I7OO there were bat few English artists, and scarcely a trace can be found of an Englishman who painted animal life or sporting subjects.
The portrait opposite is that of the celebrated animal painter Abraham Cooper, R.A., reproduced £Fom a plate taken from an old painting by J. Jackson, R.A., and given in Volume 70 of the Sporfing MagazifUf published in December, 1827.
Abraham Cooper was bom in Bed Lion Street, Hblbom,' in the month of September,' 1787, where his father carried on the business of a tobacconist. At school he evinced some talent for drawing, embellishing his copy-books with sketches of horses, dogs, and ships. Astley's Theatre at that time was managed by his uncle, Mr. Davis, where for a time Cooper wes engaged, and it was not until he arrived at the age of twenty-two that he turned his whole attention to the fine arts.
The first mention of a horse picture by him occurs in the year 1809. The subject was a favourite old horse called Frolic, the pro- peri^ of Mr. Henry Meux, of Ealing. The likeness of the horse was so excellent for a first attempt that it gave mxioh pleasure to the owner, who placed it in his coUec-
.tion, with a promise that nothing should induce him to part with it, and from that time Mr. Meux became the. painter's patron and friend.
With a desire to educate his mind, and to follow the fine arts as a pro- fession, Cooper, while studying the first rudiments of his art, read, at the same tin^e, the published authorities qf the day on oil- painting. His attention was thus directed to the works of Benjamin Marshall, his senior by twenty years, and he sought through his uncle, Mr. Davis, of equestrian celebrity, an introduction to that celebrated - hor^e - painter. Mr. Marshall received him, not as a rival, but as a friend, generously offering him admission at all times to his studio; while, in his desire to promote his young friend's future, he talked over old days with him, remarking especially on the folly he (Marshall) was about to carry out in quitting Beaumont Street, London, where he was so deservedly held in public esteem as a portrait- painter, and burying himself at Newmarket, confining his talents solely to animal painting. '< Stop, stop, though ! " he said ; <* I have good reason for so doing. I discover many a man will give me 50 guineas for painting his horse who thinks 10 guineas too much to pay for painting his wife."
Ffom this time Cooper con- tinued to study with assiduity, and every fresh attempt convinced his patrons that he possessed superior talents. In this respect he met with better encouragement from his friends than artists usually experience; by his own exertions and his gentle, manly bearing, he
a2
BAILT'8 KAOAZINB.
[Jott
at the same time obtained intro- duotions to most of. the leading men of the day connected with art. In 1812 Abraham Cooper became a member of the Artists' Benevolent Fund, was nominated one of its Guardians, and, in -acknowledgment of his attention to the duties o{ that excellent instiflation, was subsequently ap- po^ltecl its Chairman, which posi- tion he held for five years.
Between 1812 and 1869 the number of Cooper's pictures ex- hibited at the Boyal Academy was 882. In 1816 he was awarded 150 guineas for lus sketch << The Battle of Ligny," and in 1817 was elected an Associate. In 1819 he ex- hibited ^<The Battle of Marston Moor," and in the following year was awarded the full honour of Academician.
For years after this his exhibits at the Boyal Academy were nume- rous. Amongst other works he con- tributed, in 1858, three battle-pieces, which attracted attention — " Wel- lington's Blrst Victory," ** Morton rescuing Lord Avondale from the fury of Burley," and " Hors de Com- bat.'' The last-named was thus described by an art critic at the time: <'An old standard-beajrer ib leaning on his white charger, which extends its weaiy limbs on the ground ; the man is worn and spent by a hard day's fight, which has left pretty evident marks on his person ; the white horse is wonderfully painted, texture preserved, and the tired, relaxed expression shows at once this master's knowledge of horse life."
He was also constantly employed by the proprietors of the Sporting Magazine in the execution of subjects for that monthly pub- lication ; and, upon reference to the volumes between the years 1811 — 1869 there will be found 119 en- gravings from his works. His numerous small paintings,
and the exquisitely fine plates exe- cuted from them by the celebrated John Scott and other engravers and etchers, will long keep Abra- ham Cooper's name in remem- brance. The talent he possessed for catching the peculiarities and character of animals, and all inci- dents connected with sport, greatly assisted blm in his works, wMle hj^ oil paintings of horses, shooting, and sport are especially good in composition.
Among the collectors of his works were the first sportsmen and patrons of art in England, includ- ing His Majesty George IV. ; the Dukes of Grafton, Bedford, and Marlborough ; Marquis of StaJBford ; Earls of Essex, Carlisle, Egremont, Upper Ossory, and Brownlow; Lords Bibblesdale, Arundel, Towns- end, Ducie, Eerr, Bentinck, and Holland; the Hon. G. Berkeley; Sirs M. W. Bidley, B. C. Hoare, G. T. Hampson, J. Swinbum, and GreyEgerton; Colonel Udney; Messrs. Henry Meux, G. W.Taylor, H. Combe, E. Marjoribanks, George Morant, J. G. Lambton, F. Preeling, J. Archer-Houblon, B. Alston, T. Milles, B. Frank- land, John Turner, T. Nash N. W. Bidley Colbome, and D. Marjoribanks. Abraham Cooper died at Greenwich in 1868.
Mb. Thomas Warino. By Abraham Cooper, B.A.
The picture of Mr. Thomas Waring, of Chelsfield, Kent, on Peter, with his harriers, is an ex- cellent example of the work of Abraham Cooper, B.A. It is a reproduction of an engraving exe- cuted by W. B. Scott in the year 1887. The following particulars were written by the celebrated sporting writer " Nimrod," at the time the engraving was published: — "Mr. Waring, as Master of Harriers, hunts the country be- tween Famingham and Sevenoaks,
f
L-
■,('
THE BEST OF THE BEST.
1895.]
in Sent. The horse upon which he is mounted may be called a pattern-card for the purpose for which he is wanted. From the great obliquity of shoulder he must be a good and safe fencer, and from the setting-on of his head, and his apparently placid disposition^ it is
28
no wonder that he is a fiivourite. His hounds, as Mrt Cooper has represented them, are thorough- bred harriers, without a cross of the foxhound, not rounded in the ear, and conveying to us the idea of being well calcidated to hunt."
The Best of the Best.
The laudatares temporis acti, as wei old stagers are called by modem critics, some of whom have never lexmt even the granmiar of the performances which they record, are fond of bringing to mind great deeds of the past. Fortunately, we have before us now two veterans of our greatest national sport, one aged nearly forty-seven andtheother fifty-three. They are both so well known all over the world that a prefix to their names would be almost an impertinence, and it is needless to say that those names are Gilbert Grace and Alfred Shaw. "What will Wellington do, I wonder?" asked a young sub. in the Peninsular. " You should not speak so familiarly of your general in command, even behind his back," remarked the Iron Duke, who had just ridden up unex- pectedly, and could not help hear- ing the remark. " I beg your grace's pardon," stammered the young officer ; " but I never heard any title given to Ceesar or Napo- leon, as there never was a second of the same class, and I treated your name with the same respect." It would be fulsome and vulgar to attempt to heap praise on either of the two eminent cricketers whom I have named, but we have it in evidence that both of them, after nearly a third of a century of active service, have astonished the whole world by their feats.
At the date of writing this, June 4th, the Doctor's (for we must fall back on the familiar name) little account in the first-class champion matches is — Gloucester v. Somerset, 288 ; V. Kent, 257 and 78 not out ; v. Middlesex,169 — a pretty good record to begin a season with in the month of May. Alfred Shaw, in Sussex V. Notts, in May last, after a retirement for several seasons (having come back for a couple of matches in 1894),bowled for Sussex, his adopted county, against his old county on their own ground, and sent down 501 balls, 31 maiden overs, for 168 runs and four wickets. He told me at Lord's last year he thought he missed two or three little bones which used to be useful out of his right hand, but I think this must be fancy. We, the " old bores " who saw him in the zenith of his glory, declare him to have been unsurpassed in his day, and believe now that he would stick up most of the batsmen in England ; that is to say, unless they felt and believed that their wicket would be in danger to every ball almost which he bowled, and unless they had the coolness and skill to meet it, they would be " ready money " to him. Now let us consider what these two cricketers have done for the game.
The Doctor tells us in his book that he was imbued by his father, and also equally earnestly by his
2i
bailt's xagazine.
[July
mother, with the spirit of patience and perseverance. He has added to these qualities himself pnnctn- ality and%ht-heartedness, and has, in spite of all the '' sensation " which is inseparable from great matches of importance, come out of the pavilion like a schoolboy who has thrown his books aside on a bright smnmer holiday, having often under very adverse circumstances kept his pluck up and, in the lan- guage of the old prize-ring,*' come up smiling." Gloucester has been at zero, or nearly at that low level, in the old list of champion matches when it was confined to nine, and at one time to eight, counties. This was sure to be the case as regards a county whose eleven was mainly supported by a brilliant trio of brothers— himself, *< E. M.," and "G. F.," the last of whom was unfortunately suddenly taken from us in 1880; and now, when forty-seven years of age, the Doctor has three times led his county to victory in the first month of this season. His doings are known all over the world, and at any rate in the United King- dom, Canada, America, and Aus- tralia his face and figure must be as familiar as they are in England. As an all-round man — as captain, batsman, fieldsman (at "point" in particular) —he has had no rival. I once only saw him keep wicket, and it struck me that he was as good as most.
No one ever heard him run down or dispute the excellence of men of the past. On the contrary, he always maintains that Bill Beld- ham, whose career extended from 1787 to 1821, and who was fre- quently the " given man " in im- portant matches, and Fuller Pilch, who had almost as long *<an innings" before the public from 1820 till 1854, or thereabouts, must have known and practised the <* straight bat *' as much as the
best man of to-day. And of Fuller Pilch he speaks in his book (quoting from memory): <<His star was set ; mine was in the ascendant ; but the light of battle was still in hi^ face and I could see what manner of man he had been." The Doctor used to meet Pilch during the Can- terbury week. I must remind the Doctor of one secret about himself wtiich might have escaped his memory. Many years ago, at or about Christmas, I met the Doctor in Parliament Street, and asked him '' where the match was ? " and he replied, <<At the Westminster Hospital." He was studying then for his anatomical examinatioxi. It was luncheon-time, and our meet- ing was just outside the Whitehall Club, and what more natural than that he should come in with me to lunch, or more natural that after lunch the talk should be about cricket ? I need hardly say that a challenge which I left at the club butler's desk, ''that my guest would play any eleven in the club a single - wicket match," was not answered when they saw who my guest was. I asked him if he thought it harder work to get up the studies for his diploma with so much interruption by cricket in the summer. He said that cricket helped work somewhat, as he was dissecting a hand and trying to find out any sinews which would aid him in getting an extra spin on the ball. Well, now, if the Doctor is not at the top of the tree, who is ? No fear of his falling and hurt- ing himself, as all England are waiting below to catch him. In other words, the Duke of Beaufort and the leading men of his own county have expressed a wish to show the Doctor their gratitude for the brilliancy of his performance and his promotion and love of the game, and the Marylebone Club, the Press, and the public have joined heartily. With such a
a8»6.]
THB BEST OF THB BEST.
26
beginning, it would be an imperti- nence for anyone to do anything but wait for the certain saccess of the scheme. Perhaps it might not be thought inopportune if an echo from the crowd was repeated here. The remark has been heard in the crowd scores of times, "Why, sir, if there was a testimonial to the Doctor, there are hundreds and thousands who would be proud to give something, if it were only a ' tanner,'or eyen less." I believe the echo. Solicitations for subscriptions would be odious ; opportunities for « throwing a stone on the cairn " would be much appreciated by many of the humblest spectators, who would feel an honest pride in helping.
Now as regards Alfred Shaw. He is a grand representative of a class who have much disappeared in later years, since the "flip of the wrist" and catherine-wheel bowling have been allowed, and a '' tear on the wicket " has much superseded the steady "siege of the wickets" which was brought to perfection gradually since round- arm bowling came in in 1828. We all know now that the M.C.C. have refused very wisely to define a throw, as if the definition was put in print it would require the umpire to have the eyes of Argus and a perfect knowledge of anatomy to no-ball a man by a scientific decision as to the motion of the arm. 2^ow all that is required is to find umpires who see a man throw as clearly as if he was throwing at a bird, over-hand or round-arm, to call "no ball"; but that class of umpire is like the "dodo," so now a man who chooses throws, and when he takes his benefit lie will find his '< game-bag " much lighter than if he was known as a perfectly fair bowler. The throwers are well known, but umpires will not see them. Alfred Shaw wasi and is, as fair a bowler as ever handled
a cricket ball, and he belonged to a school who are fast disappearing, whose style was a steady attack on the wicket by bowling different lengths and different pace at will, but almost invariably straight on the stumps, so that the batsman had to do something with every ball, and if he did that " some- thing " wrong, the chances were that there would be a " /taccident before or behind the wicket," as old William Lillywhite used to say. Many and many a duel have the Doctor and Alfred Shaw had as bowler and batsman, and a great treat it was to see — from behind the wicket. Shaw knew well how to place his field, and it was very interesting to see the Doctor, almost tired of playing the ball down or placing her on either side without any runs, beyond an occasional one or two, evidently making up his mind for punishment, and at the last moment being driven to de- fend his wicket. I think those who saw that saw "the best of the best," especially at Tom Heame's benefit in North v. South at Lord's, on which occasion the Doctor scored a trifle over fifty in each of his hands, but very slowly. The Rev. A. B.Ward, President of Cam- bridge University Club, was sitting next me all through that match and he said it was the finest exhi- bition of cricket he ever saw.
The great match at Nottingham, when Shaw bowled the 501 balls, must have been a repetition of our favourite tournament of the past to a great extent. I think younger England may score as regards see- ing what we never did, namely, 726 runs in one innings of a first-rate county, and 1,881 balls bowled in one innings, as was the case at Nottingham. Alfred Shaw was one of a deadly quartette of bowlers of different styles and different eras — William Lillywhite, round-arm, the height of the shoulder;
BAILT*8 KiLGAZDIE.
[JlTLT
William Clarke, under-arm but over-hand, who oame most promi- nently into notice in 1845, when he almost paralysed the old Kent eleven at Canterbury in Kent v. England; V. E. Walker, under- arm but over-hand, who got the whole of the Surrey eleven in << Surrey v. England " at the Oval in their first innings, a little over thirty years Sigcplta scoring 20 not out and 108 with his bat, to say nothing of his fielding short mid- on and mid-off to his own bowling; and Alfred Shaw himself. These four bowlers put the wicket in danger almost every ball, and wore batsmen out. It was the deadly length and straightness which did the mischief, The Doctor, happily for us, is always before us, and any- one who cares about learning the game has only to get a place behind the wicket and watch him batting, bowling, or in the field. Shaw is little seen now, but if he were to establish a school of bowling in London, and amateurs would condescend to go and learn, and
work as hard at the art as Sir Frederick Bathurst, Charles Taylor, Harvey Fellows, Oeorge Yonge, Alfred Mynn, and the other cele- brated amateur bowlers of the past did, it would be a grand thing for cricket. The amateur bowlers whom I have named bowled not only for the Gentlemen, but fre- quently for All England.
We must say a word of the Doctor's brilliant cricket brother, E. M., who may be called the '<Ben Gaunt" of cricket, and whose theory is that bowling was meant to be hit and scored from, and who set the example of pulling off balls to the "on," regardless of scientific theories; a wonderful field, the grandest "point" ever seen, and a dauntless cricketer — and often an artful bowler. Finis coronat opus ; and the Prince of Wales, the patron of all sports, has most kindly and gracefully sent a personal letter of congratulation to the Doctor, at a time when His Boyal Highness's hands must have been over-full of public work. F. G.
The Bicycle for Ladies*
Woman is constantly enlarging the sphere of her activity, and her par- ticipation in sports and pastimes hitherto regarded as the exclusive province of man is a gratifying circumstance to all who are in- terested in the welfare of the fair sex. << Married and done for " is a phrase which is distinctly uncom- plimentary to the latter when it is applied to men who have taken this serious step in life, yet it not in- frequently represents with accu- racy a consequence of marriage which befalls many men who have as bachelors held a conspicuous place in the more vigorous out- door recreative pursuits of English-
men. The abandonment of these pleasures may sometimes be dic- tated by prudential reasons ; others, in the presence of accumulating duties, find it necessary to forego their favourite amusements in view of reduced opportunities for indul- gences of this kind ; but, in all pro- bability, the greater number feel impelled by unselfish considera- tions to relinquish their fqrmer pursuits, these being of such a nature that they are unable to be shared by the wife. How many young men, too, are wont to solace themselves with the mild blandish- ments of croquet or lawn tennis because sisters, cousins, and others
1806.]
THX BIGTOLB FOB LADISB*
27
with claims upon their attentions, haye been unable to join them in more robust exercises. We have witnessed of late years a relaxation of the rigour with which the disa- bilities of women iiave been en- forced, and the judicious participa- tion of the latter in such new p3utimes as are adapted to the capabilities of the sex will meet with a widespread welcome.
There is little room for doubt that, given equal opportunities and training, women would be found scarcely inferior to men in skill and capacity to sustain physical effort. Although the customary restraints imposed upon them in youth are distinctly prejudicial to the de- velopment of muscular power, they have, on the rare occasions when opportunity for its acquisition has been afforded them, proved them- selves capable of attaining quite a creditable athletic condition. The trammels of dress are, however, the birthright of the sex. Flowing drapery, while giving an added dukrm, is distinctly inimical to the freedom of movement demanded in many pursuits. It would seem that if woman is really serious in her desire to share in some of the re- creations hithert(^ regarded as essen- tially masculine; some modification of dress is practically indispensable. Before the public will thoroughly habituate itself to dispensing with petticoats probably a generation must pass away. To effect so great a change is a question of time, for society is conservative to a degree on the subject of woman's dress. It cannot be said, however, that there is anything either immodest or unbecoming in some of tbe so- called <* Rational" costumes which have been designed for the New Woman, and this being so, the only condemnation they can provoke is due to their unconventionality. It is true that some women have been 80 ill-advised as to excite ridicule
and remark by disporting them- selves so arrayed in towns and populous places; but such indis- cretions should be visited upon the offender, as they generally are, and not be allowed to prejudice the movement, though this is unfor- tunately an almost inevitable con- sequence.
When the old-fashioned bicycle with a high wheel was the most perfect form of pedo- motive machinery that mechanical in- genuity had then devised, the closest approximation to its design that was available for the use of ladies was found in the tricycle. The extra weight, however, of the extended framework and third wbeel made this a very poor substitute, and the extent to which it was employed by ladies was very limited, and for that reason, perhaps, the tandem form of tricycle enjoyed a greater popu- larity. It was the advent of the present type of Safety bicycle which first inspired women with the hope that bicycling might eventually be brought within their reach and minister to their wants in a prac- tical manner. The difficulties of mounting, however, seemed almost Insuperable, but with perseverance and skill they were soon over- come. Still, for some years the demand for ladies' machines was so small that little attention was bestowed upon them. With the exception of dropping the frame and supplying a dress guard, the earlier bicycles were ill-adapted for ladies' use. It was only when a great advance was made in ease of propulsion and comfort by the invention of the pneumatic tyre that the bicycle came to be regarded as fulfilling all the requirements, necessities, and expectations of the new class of riders. Since then the use of the bicycle by ladies has advanced by leaps and bounds, and such are the fascinations that
28
BAILT'B MkQAZDxk.
[July
follow the attainment of pro- ficiency in the art that it would be difficolt to assign any limit to the extension of the pursuit. That it is no fleeting &ncy, dependent upon an evanescent enthusiasm or the vagaries of fashion, is proved by the history of bicycling. For twenty-five years past there has been a steady and consistent in- crease in the popularity of the pastime, in spite of the unparalleled opposition it has experienced, until at the present time it has taken rank with cricket and football, and has assumed a truly national character.
The initial obstacles to be en- countered before bicycling can be fairly enjoyed are of a somewhat formidable character, and are no doubt sujficient to deter many ladies from making the attempt. It is only when a thorough mastery has been obtained over the machine, and practice has given the novice confidence and strength of limb, that riding really becomes a pleasure. Until such time the un- wonted exercise and the unskilful waste of strength makes the effort laborious. The art of balancing is not difficult to acquire, though the learner almost invariably feels after the first lesson that it must be a physical impossibility. On the second attempt, perhaps, some momentary successes are achieved, alternating with involun- tary wild plunges to the left and right. After this progress is much more rapid. As a preliminary step towards learning the bicycle a very useful preparation may be obtained by a short course of riding on a tricycle. In this way the beginner accustoms herself to the pedalling (which is the same on both machines), to the use of the handles, and to the sensation of the move- ment. Then, when an attempt is made with the bicycle, the whole attention can be concentrated upon
the balancing, which will be acquired more easily than it would be if the situation were entirely novel. The first matter which should engage the attention of the learner is that of position. The idea — which is a prevalent one — ^that the hideous and ungainly attitude so often assumed is indispensable should be at once dismissed. It is a purely voluntary infliction, adopted by racing men, and slavishly imitated by ignorant riders under the erroneous impression that it is necessary for the attainment of speed. Given a properly-designed road machine, the means of adjust- ment available are such as to enable the rider to assume a grace- ful and comfortable position in the saddle. The general run of the saddle should be horizontal, and its point should be three or four inches behind a vertical line passing through the pedal shaft or axle. The height of the saddle should be such as to just enable the waist or flat of the foot to be placed upon the pedal when at its lowest point. When the proper position of the saddle has been determined, the handles should be fixed in a posi- tion from which they can be easily reached when the rider is sitting in an erect and comfortable attitude. What should be aimed at is to secure an easy and restful pose of the whole body, and modifications of the position of the saddle and handles should be made until this is attained. The toe should project but slightly over the pedal, and on no account should the middle of the foot be used. Assistance in learning is almost indispensable, as without it the rider would ex- perience many falls and injure both herself and the bicycle. A smooth, level stretch of unfrequented road should be selected, and the aid of a strong friend enlisted. The assistant should get a grip of the back of the saddle with the right
1896.]
VETEBINABY PBOOBESS.
29
hand, holding the handle with the other, and gradually, as progress is made, leaving to the rider the control of the steering. Those who are able to do so should join either the Queen's Club or the newly - formed Trafalgar Bicycle Club. At both of these facilities are offered to ladies for the learn- ing and practice of bicycling. The latter has recently been formed, under distinguished patronage, and is established at Catherine Lodge, Trafalgar Square, Chelsea. In the garden of the club grounds is a covered track 180 yards in cir- cumference, on which exercise can be taken in all weathers. In the Square is another and much larger open-air track. Machines may be hired or purchased there, and competent instructors are always available. At the Queen's Club, West Kensington, provision is made for the acquisition by mem- bers of the art of bicycling. Tuition may also be obtained, independently of any club, at
various places. Goy, the agent, has a practice-ground, and gives instruction at the London Athletic Club, Stamford Bridge, Chelsea.
The earlier rides on the road should be cautiously undertaken, and on no account should the descent of steep hills be attempted until the rider has complete con- trol of the machine. A brake must always form part of the bicycle, and care should be taken to see that it is kept in order, and is operative. In ordinary circum- stances it is best to check the machine by back-pedalling, but a brake is necessary for emergencies. The rule of the road, viz., to over- take on the right, and pass on the left, should be strictly observed. The law, moreover, enjoins the use of a lamp between one hour after sunset and one hour before sun- rise, and the bicyclist is also com- pelled to give warning by means of a bell or whistle in overtaking anyone riding, driving, or walking in the road. E.
Veterinary Progress.
By M. H. Hayes, F.R.C.V.8., late Captain " The Buflfa '
{Author of *• Veterinary
Notes for Horse-Owners,^* Horse^* de,).
No. m.
' The Points of the
About a month ago I received an invitation from Dr. Bell Taylor, the celebrated eye surgeon, to attend a demonstration which he intended to give in the Nottinghcbn Eye Infirmary on his new method of performing the operation on cataract. I may explain that cataract is opacity, more or less complete, of the lens which is be- hind the pupil of the eye, and which forms the image on the retina. As every one of us who has pressed the button and let the
camera do the rest {vide the kodak advertisements) knows, the focus in photography depends on the dis- tance between the sensitive plate (which corresponds to the retina) and the lens. The distance in the camera luctda of the eye is prac- ticallv .fixed, the necessary focus- sing being accomplished by change of shape in the lens. That incur- able disease, old age, may be said to be a process of hardening of our tissues ; so the older we get, the less effective becomes the focussing
80
BAILT'S HAOAZOfS.
power of our eyes, upon which ttie oon^tion of civilised life throws many grieyous strains. The result of this is that the poor, oyer- wrought lens of the eye offcen becomes covered with blurs and flaws long before the brain has ceased to need its help.
Dr. Taylor's kind invitation was specially prized by me, for I had long wanted to know the best way for operating on cataract-afflicted eyes in horses and dogs, and to find out if a successful operation on such eyes would restore their sight to an appreciably useful ex- tent. Dr. Taylor's method, from the several operations he performed before the meeting, is beautifully simple, safe, and Uioroughly con- servative ; for the only wound he makes heals up within a fortnight or so, without, in the large majority of cases, leaving any scar or other lesion behind. He showed us a large number of former patients who had undergone the operation, and who had thereby acquired an amount of useful sight which was sufficient without glasses for ordinary requirements ; read- ing, of course, excepted. He tells me that, judging by the success of the operation in human beings, there is a strong probability of its being equally so in horses and dogs. As there is no interference with the integrity of the iris (in which coloured curtain the pupil forms an opening for the admission of light), the supply of light can be regulated as in a nor- mal eye. This is an indication of veterinary progress by which I hope to obtain good results in the near future. I may mention that Dr. Randolph (see Veterinttrian, Msay, 1895) has performed two successful operations on cataract in the dog, though by a method different to that employed by Dr. Taylor. He writes as follows : — ** At the end of three weeks I made the following
[JlTLT
test :— I arranged several chairs in such a manner as to form a zigzag path leading from one room through a narrow door into the adjoining room, and then went into the ad- joining room and called the dog. He came along the path laid out for him without a pause. This he did several times without striking a chair. I then placed a chair in the doorway and called him, and he jumped over the chair to me without the slightest hesitation.'* Bespecting the other dog, he says : *' At this time it was impossible to detect anything wrong with the dog's vision. He moved about with freedom and rapidity, and ten days later his master, Mr. W. T. Wilson, of this city, wrote me that he had taken the dog out on a hunt, and had found him just as efficient as ever, in so feur as his hunting qualities were concerned, and that he jumped fences and ditches as readily as the other dogs in the field."
Formerly cataract was a very frequent cause of blindness in English and Irish horses, on account of the insane love which grooms entertained for hot stables. The atmosphere of such equine abodes was naturally loaded withammonia, which, as we all know, has a very irritating effect on the eyes of man or beast. The truth of the maxim that the more the temperature of a stable exceeds that of the outside air, the more unhealthy will that stable be, should be impressed on every groom. Indigestion, from encouraging the retention in the system of deleterious products, no doubt predisposes to cataract, which is a particularly common malady among pet dogs, especially those of kind-hearted ladies. The operation ought to be easy in the horse, for he bears chloroform ad- mirably, and can be secured be- tween pillar reins for a sufficiently long time to allow the wound to
TBTEBINABT PROOSESS.
1895.]
heal. Dogs, on the contrary, bear ehloroform so badly that it is not safe to give it to them. Even supposing that ^th ether ^e might be able to operate on a canine patient, there will be some difficulty in preventing him from rubbing or scratching the sick eye. All of us who have lived in dose companionship with dogs know that, as a species, they are terribly nervous animals. During their waking hours they are tor- mented by every unusual sight and sound, and their sleep is rendered hideous by most awful nightmares. They feel pain in anticipation as acutely as the most highly-strung men and women. Anticipation or thought of pain about to be in- flicted tortures the sensitive mind far more acutely than actual bodily pain. For this reason I abhor experimental surgical operations in the dog, who, being cheap, poor wretch t is the special victim of vivisectionists. We are told that all such opera- tions in the name of science are done while the dog is under the influence of chloroform ; but I, and everyone else who is acquainted with the action of this drug on the dog regard this statement, to be an untruth, which becomes de- liberate when coming from the mouth of either doctor or veteri- nary surgeon. If it be necessary for the needs of science, by all means vivisect horses, which have little or no fear in anticipation, and which can live under ihe in- fluence of chloroform for a com- paratively long time; but leave alone the one animal of all others whose affection for us is greater by far than that for his own kind.
One serious want in veterinary education (I leave the medical pro- fession to look after their own scions) is instruction in compara- tive psychology, which is the science that gives us facts and
81
ideas about the mental capacity of animals as compared to our own. So important do I consider it for horsemen to be in sympathy with horses, that when preparing a new edition of my <' Illustrated Horse- Breaking," which will bepubUshed this month, I devoted nearly a third of the book in explaining the limits within which the instinct and intelligence of the horse act. If men would only understand that animals have feelings like unto our own, I think they would treat them more mercifully. To quote from Dr. Bell Taylor's pamphlet, "Vivi- section : Is It Justifiable?" we learn that Majendie, lecturing to his class on one ^ occasion with a toy greyhound fawning on his knee, remarked: "Gentlemen, the skin is a sensitive organ." He then slashed his pet with a sharp bistoury ; the creature uttered a piercing cry. "That scream, gentlemen," said the eminent pro- fessor, "proves the truth of my assertion." Dr. Shaw, in a speech before the Boyal College of Sur- geons of Ireland, relates that — "The operator began by treat- ing the animal kindly, and, winning his love and confidence. When these were secured he cut off an ear of the dog, who looked astonished, but manifested no resentment. Next day he cut off a paw, and a few days afterwards another. Thus he went on from one outrage to another, slashing and stabbing till the experiment was complete. It was astonishing how much the animal endured be- fore his confidence was gone and his love turned to hate. After the second paw was removed, he con- tinued to gaze up into his master's face and to liek the hand that maimed him." Dr. Taylor tells us of an experiment which was per* formed in this country. " The dog, alarmed at the awful preparations, sat up and begged for its life of each
82
BAILT 8 HAGAZINE.
assistant in turn. The students, moved at this pathetic appeal, endeavoured to save the poor crea- ture, and offered to buy it, or do anything in order that it might be set free, but in vain." Again, I say that its acute sense of pain, both in anticipation and in reality, its love and devotion to man, and its incapacity for remaining a long time under chloroform, should exempt the dog from vivisec- tion. I make bold to say that there have been more than a thousand vivisection experiments made for every one 7^05* vwrtem examination in animals; and yet the results to be obtained from comparing symptoms shown during illness with the lesions laid bare on the dissecting table after death are infinitely more valuable for the furtherance of veterinary progress than the results of vivisection.
A story illustrative of deficiency of knowledge abouthorses is current in Leicestershire of 9knouveau riche^ who, while hunting one day, was informed that his horse was lame. As he understood nothing about the examination of horses for sound- ness, he thought it best to get off and lead the horse home. Having arrived at Melton Mowbray after a ten or twelve mile walk, he was both astonished and annoyed to find that his groom instantly re- moved the lameness by '< picking up *'th6 horse's foot and extracting a stone which had wedged itself, as usual, between the web of the shoe and the frog. The other day I wanted to make one of my horses temporarily lame, so that I might take photographs show- ing the gait of lameness. I had the three occupants of my very modest stable out ; but as they were all shod in accordance with veterinary pi^ogress, I was not
[July
able to make a stone stick in any of their feet. I then took to the forge one of them which required to be shod, and had ordinary shoes put on her, with the result that I could easily put a stone in her foot. I did this in my paddock, but found that she went sound. Thinking that the failure of the experiment was due to the softness of the ground, I had her led out some miles to the meeting of four roads, which ran respectively north, east, south, and west, so that I might obtain very short-exposure (rJirth second) photographs with the full advantageof themiddaysun. Having made every preparation, I jammed a stone in between web and frog, but without any effect, for the mare would not go lame. I then tried a stone which projected at least half- an-inch below the level of the shoe, but could get only a result which was due to the difference in height of the two bearing surfaces (those of the two fore - legs), and which would be imperceptible in a photograph ; and then (only then) did it occur to me that it was useless trying such an experiment with a mare whose feet were so hard and strong (thanks to veterinary progress) Uiat she could trot wiuiout flinching over a layer of broken and freshly- laid-down stones, such as those which are used for repairing roads. I always keep the feet of mv horses as hard and dry as practicable, and if any of the frogs feel soft I harden them with a few applications of turpenture, without waiting for thrush to appear. I can then ride or drive the animal without the fear that if, by some very un- toward chance he picks up a stone, he will fall down, owing to painful pressure on an ill- protected sole.
1896.]
88
A Great Racehorse.
Bj John Ebnt.
""Thk merit of one racehorse as compared with that of another has long been, and probably will always continue to be, a theme provocative of discnssion never likely to be satisfied. Whatever their opinions may be, some people endeavour to flabstantiate them by the time test — a rotten reed, in my opinion, for I have never been able to ascertain what time is equivalent to certain weights. We know what effect, flay, 7 lb. or 10 lb. extra has upon a horse; but it frequently happens that inferior horses will run a mile and a-half in shorter time than a better horse will take to cover the
. distance. My own idea is that
before we can say that any parti- cular race is a quick or a slow one it is necessary to have regard to the manner in which that race is ran, as sometimes a race in which ahorse gallops right away from the &11 of the flag occupies more time than when the best pace is reserved for the finish, owing to the horses running themselves out, and there- fore completing the distance slowly; whereas what is termed a slowly- ran race is often a quick one by the watch, owing to the horses finishing strongly.
To thoroughly weigh these con- siderations so as to be able to deduce any reasonable conclusion fiom them requires among other things sound judgment and a per- fect knowledge of pace by skOful jockeys. The importation of so many racehorses by American I sportsmen, who pay great attention ' to, and believe in, the time test, wUl, no doubt, give a stimulus to our national and ever-admired sport, and it is possible that our friends from the other side may afford us some instruction in the
VOL. LXIV. — ^NO. 425.
art of timing, which, if really possible on English racecourses, and if really an advantage, would be as welcome to us as are the sportsmen and their horses.
I have in my own mind little doubt that the Americans form an estimate of the relative merits of our racehorses, as compared with their own, from the returns made of the times taken to complete some of our more important races as well as their own.
I have often been appealed to for my opinion as to which is the best racehorse I have ever known, and without hesitation I answer, Priam. He was a rich dark bay, with black legs and slight tips of white upon each hind heel. His shape, temper, soundness, and hardy con* stitution were unquestionable, and he was equally good over all distances, from the T.T.C. to four miles. In Priam's day there were but few T.Y.O. races and two-year- old stakes, and what there were reached a trivial value only ; but, as Priam never ran in a T.Y.O. race, my opinion of his speed was questioned until reference was made to his recovering the many lengths he lost in starting for the Derby ; but " like a swal- low he shot past some of his most formidable opponents before they had gone 400 yards, and got upon terms with the leading division.:' The Chiffneys were always of the opinion that Priam possessed great speed.
Priam, moreover, in addition to uniting in himself so many attri- butes of a racehorse, was remark- ably well bred, being by Emilius (a son of Orville), a Derby winner, while Orville won the St. Leger, and each of these horses had 'a
34
BAELT S HAOAZOni.
[JUL-W
most suooessful Turf career, and afterwards gained a great stud reputation. Then Priam's dam was Gressida, sister to the famous Eleanor, who won the Derby and Oaks for Sir Charles Bunbury, so that on both sides his blood was of undeniable excellence. His breeder, Sir John Shelley, sold him as a yearling to Mr. William Ghiffhey for 1,000 guineas, at the same time that he owned Zinganee, a great horse, as he proved himself to be by win- ning the Newmarket Stakes and running third to Cadland and The C5olonel in the Derby of 1828, though only the two first were placed by the judge. Zinganee, however, was then suffering from a sore throat, and had a bad dis- charge at the nostrils.
Priam's first appearance on a racecourse was in the Biddlesworth Stakes, at Newmarket, on the Monday in the Graven week in 1880, when he won, beating five others, after running unkindly, or, as some would term it, "green," through lack of tuition. He then carried off the Golumn Stakes on the following Wednesday from Lord Exeter's Augustus and half- a-dozen others. At the New- market First Spring Meeting Priam walked over for a couple of sweepstakes, one for lOOsovs. each, and the other for 800 sovs. each, half forfeit, and next walked to Epsom, winning the Derby in 1880 by two lengths after no fewer than thirteen false starts, and losing a consider- able amount of ground when the actual start took place. This state of things was not at that time an altogether unusual one in the case of great favourites under the de- fective system of starting that then prevailed. We next hear of Priam winning a hundred-" sov.** sweepstakes over the Old Mile at Ascot, beating a couple of others, though carrying a 7 lb. penalty for winning the Derby.
Having gained the Blue Biband of the Turf, Priam was reserved for the St. Leger, in which he ran second to Mr. Beardsworth's Bir- mingham, beating six-and-twenty others. How fearfully heavy the ground was on that memorable Leger day! In many places the water stood on the course like so many miniature lakes. For some days before the race rain had fallen heavily, and, as if this were not enough, a violent thunderstorm broke over Doncaster about the- time the Leger was due to start. Whether this in any way affectecF Priam's running I cannot say. Unfortunately Priam and Birming* ham never met again, as at that time the Northern and Southern racehorses were kept pretty welt distinct, and, except at Doncaster, seldom raced together either in the North or in the South.
On the following Thursday, when the ground was in better condition^ Priam beat Lord Eelbume's (after- wards the Earl of Glasgow) Be- triever, a four-year-old, at 6 lb., over a mile and a-half for 500sovs.,^ and Betriever afterwards won the cup, beating Medora, Fleur-de-Lis, Laurel, and other good horses. The result of this race caused Lord Eelbume to be so dissatisiiect with the manner in which Harry Edwards rode Betriever in the match, that, more mo^ he did not fail to express his sentiments in emphatic words. On walking over for the Gascoigne Stakes on the same day, Priam finished his engagements for the season.
The spring of 1881 saw Priam victorious in the Graven Stakes at Newmarket, he, in the same week, winning the Port Stakes over the T.M.M., whereupon Ghiffhey dis- posed of him to Lord Chesterfield for 8,000 guineas, and his new- owner, with characteristic im- petuosity, ^t once proceeded to
A GREAT BACXHORSE.
1885.]
match Priam against Sir Mark Wood's Luoetta for £200, T.M.M., at even weights. A bold match it seemed, for Luoetta had in the previous year won the Ascot €k>ld Cup, beating The Colonel (who had run a dead-heat with Cadland for the Derby), Green Mantle (winner of the Oaks), and Zinganee (who bad carried off the Gup in the pre- vious year, when he defeated Mameluke, winner of the Derby of 1827), and other good horses. Among Lucetta's otibier victories were the King's Plate at Newmar- ket, for mares, B.G., and her win- ning this at the time the match was made, and run three days afterwards, proved the mare to be in form ; while, as a further testimony to her excellence, James Bobinson was wont to declare that she was one of the best animals over a distance of ground he ever rode.
This match, then, Priam v, Lncetta, aroused an inmiense amount of interest, many good judges being of opinion that it was not possible for the horse, who was but a four-year-old, to give away a year with any hope of beating, over a distance of two miles, a mare of the calibre of Lucetta. Notwith- standing this expression of opinion, there prevailed unusually heavy bet- ting on the event, the odds being 6 to 4 (the Boeing Calendar says 7 to 4) on Priam, which to the last were freely taken. It was, indeed, a sporting match, not only by reason of the reputation of the competitors themselves, but because such jockeys as Sam Chi&eyand Jem Bobinson were in the saddle. Bobinson, re- lying upon the soundness and stamina of Lucetta, and placing some reliance on her having the ad- vantage of a year over her opponent, made the running at a great pace, Ghiffiiey lying two lengths away with Priam for about a mile, when he fell further back, Bobinson having come to the conclusion that
85
the severity of the pace had told its tale upon Priam, the turn of speed possessed by him being the only thing the mare's backers were afraid of. Ghiffhey, therefore, with rare patience, was content to see Lucetta stealing away from him ; but, when about half a distance from home, he called upon his horse, and, coming with a rush, passed Lucetta, and eventually won by four lengths, to the astonishment of Bobinson and the amazement of all.
Having become the purchaser of this really good horse, Lord Ghester- field was not unnaturally am- bitious of winning some of the cups so much coveted and valued in those days. Chiffney had entered Priam for the Ascot Gup, no doubt as a sort of protest against the con- dition which precluded anyone who was not a member of the Jockey Glub, or of one or other of the chief clubs, from nominating a horse for the race. Now, however, that the horse had changed hands. Lord Chesterfield sent Priam to Ascot in the hope that he might be allowed to run, but his expectation was not fulfilled, so he then turned his attention to winning the Good- wood Gup, one of the trophies most esteemed by the owners of race- horses of that day.
At that time, in the absence of any regular means of conveying horses from one place to another, they had to travel by road from their training ground to the scene of the race, and from one meeting to another. In Priam's case Lord George Bentinck persuaded Lord Ohesterfield to send the horse direct from Ascot to Goodwood, so as to avoid travelling back by road to Newmarket and thence into Sussex, pointing out, moreover, that the horse would have the not inconsiderable advantage of taking his gallops on the delightfully soft downs of Goodwood.
88
BAILT'S MkOAZDUE,
[July
ing to regard him as being about the best racehorse I ever knew. Still, when all his great merits are realised, and all his fine perform- ances are carefully weighed, I trust that mj own opinion may be endorsed by a substantial majority of Bailt's readers.
I have no doubt at all that by some the palm would be awarded to Ormonde, an unquestionably good I horse, as the various dis- tances he ran his record may, by some, be ranked as good as, if not superior to, that of Priam. To my mind, however, Ormonde was inferior to Priam ; he was not so severely tested over all courses as was Priam, neither was Ormonde
the elegantly-shaped and perfectly- formed horse that Priam was, especially about his head and neck. About the conformation of Priam, on the other hand, there was a perfect symmetry that attracted the notice of the observer at once. Ladies, who often possess an eye for horses, though unable to give reasons for their selection, were always at once taken by Priam's make and shape. Therefore, and in conclusion, with all the charac- teristics I have enumerated, I must still adhere to my opinion that, from every point of view, Priam was the best racehorse I, in the course of an experience that dates a long time back, have ever known.
A Mail Coach.
SsEiNa that the coach in the illus- tration, which is from a painting by Mr. Palfrey, is lettered for York and London, there ia no need to ask on what road she runs. She is one of the mails on the Great North Boad, a highway famous in the annals of coaching, not only from the vastness of the undertaking which found communication be- tween London and Edinburgh, but also on account of the many famous coachmen and proprietors who at one time and another were connected with it. Mail coaches were the invention of Mr. Palmer, and, after the first one was put on between Bristol and London, there was any amount of opposition to them, and from a few places peti- tions were sent asking that no mail might be put on. The 'cute York- shiremen, on the other hand, saw the great advantage likely to be derived from the mail, and so the good people of York were amongst the very first to ask that the mul- coach system might be extended to
the North via York, and the request was complied with. It was certainly on the North Boad that some of the earliest attempts were made towards fast travelling. Time was doubtless an object on all routes; but it was especially im- portant over long distances, and an extra mile an hour between London and Edinburgh, or even London and York, meant something appreci- able at the end of the journey.
The painter of the picture we have here reproduced has given a very faithful representation of a mail coach as it was in the late <' twenties,'* by which time i^ signs of antiquated vehicles had died out, and mail and stage coaching had reached a pitch that would not have been droamed of thirty years before. The improve- ment in the mails was no less marked than in connection with the stage coaches. As first arranged by the far-seeing Palmer, they were drawn by a pair of horses only, and, indeed, down to the very last some
T'
L*:;
1895.]
A ICAIL COACH.
89
of the mailfl never had more than two horses. Nor had the ooaoh- men and guards scarlet liveries when the mails were first put on ihe road, though they followed in a year or two. The original mails were very badly built, and soon tumbled to pieces, so an improved vehicle had to be devised, and in due course leaders were put on, until at last 4he mail coaches came to be as represented in the illustration^ though it must be remembered that 4hey were not the fastest coaches on the road. Nor, unfortunately, were they exempt from the dangers that beset other coaches, except perhaps that they did not topple over so often through being top- heavy. But they had their share of literal ups and down. In the last century we find a record to the offect that a certain William La wson was committed to York Oastle for having wilfully driven the coach, *ealled the ** Marplot," against the London and York mail, and then flome slight indication of the con- 4Ution of the roads at that time may be gleaned from the fact that the coachman who was driving the mail from Leeds to York towards the end of October, 1794, was thrown off the box through the badness of the road, and was killed on the spot, the wheels having gone over his head. Only a few weeks later all the North mails, as well as those from Lincolnshire and Cambridge, were nearly lost in Cheshunt Wash. The waters were out so much that the coaches were almost submerged, so they had to return to Hoddesdon, the mails being taken round to Hatfield and Bamet by postchaises. They even- tually arrived at the Post Office over four hours behind their usual time. It was mentioned just now that the original mail coaches were very bad, and soon fell to pieces, and one of these vehicles broke ^own on a Sunday morning, the
springs upon which the box rested giving way. This was on the York mail, about a mile from Wansford. The passengers were got out, and while they were helping the guard and coachman to patch up the coach the horses took fright, and ran off with the coach, passing in the course of their career a very narrow bridge. As soon as the coachman found the horses going on he very quickly jumped up be- hind, and, getting hold of the guard's seat, clung there till after the horses had crossed the bridge and were ascending a hill, when they had to slacken their pace, and then he crawled over the coach, dropped down upon one of the wheelers, and, catching hold of the reins, he fortunately managed to stop the horses, otherwise both the vehicle and the team might have come to a more or less bad end.
Much that is interesting in con- nection with mail coaches was stated before a Committee of the House of Commons. Among other things, it appeared that, in 1811, the mails were considered the only coaches in which it was considered safe to travel by night, the well- armed guard and his erratic blunderbuss being considered a perfect protection. Even at that date some of the mails travelled at a very fair pace, for the Portpatrick mail covered the whole distance of 424 miles in 46 h. 8 min., that being the time allowed by the Post Office, the ratie being over eight miles an hour ; the Glasgow mail did the 896 miles in forty-two hours, with an average of nine miles an hour, and to Carlisle the pace was about the same. The Edin- burgh mail used to carry a large proportion of the Scotch mails, and running through Doncaster and York, proceeded through Durham, Newcastle, and a number of Border towns Uke Morpeth, Alnwick, Ber- wick, and Dunbar. The Scotch
40
BAILT*8 lUOAZm.
[JULT
mails oarried were the Perth, Don- dee, Montrose, Aberdeen, Elgiui Invemess, and on toWiok, 762 miles ; then, crossing the narrow peninsula of Caithness, to Thnrso, 788 miles, which was nm in about ninety- six hours. In a pamphlet on Post OfBce reform, published about 1887, Rowland Hill estimated the cost of conveying a letter from London to Edinburgh, the distance being 400 miles, at £5; the cost from London to York being l^ir^. per mile, and l|d. per mile for the remainder of the journey; with 10s. 6d. for guard's wages, and £1 18s. ll|d. for English tolls and other expenses. The whole mail carried by the coach, including the bags, would weigh about 8 cwt.
Li 1887 there were in England fifty-four four-horse and forty- nine pair-horse mails, and the average speed was eight miles seven furlongs per hour. Some, how- ever, did their ten miles five furlongs per hour, and some onlv six miles, and in those days it took 15^ hours for Londoners to reach Shrewsbury, while Exeter necessi- tated a journey of 17 hours, Man- chester 18 or 19 hours, Holyhead nearly 27 hours, and Liverpool 20 hours 50 minutes, a time which would make the hair of the driver of a modem express stand on end. Ireland then boasted of thirty four- horse mails, but ten sufficed for the needs of Scotland. Although the coachmen and guards of the mail coaches were, as a rule, honest, determined fellows, they were sometimes not above trying to make money on their own account, a proceeding which occasionally ended disastrously for them. Thus the Dover mail coach officials got into sad trouble in 1785 for having in some unaccountable manner mixed up the letter-bags with others containing French laces to a considerable amount. A Mr. Tancred, of the Customs House,
promptly impounded the lot, and though the mail proper was, of course, permitted to be delivered, the coach and all its other belongings journeyed to the Borough, to receive the impress of the broad arrow.
Although strict punctuality was stipulated for by the Post Office, it was, of course, not always possible for the mails to keep their time» for many unexpected mishaps, which could neither be foreseen nor guarded against, overtook coaches of all lands. The year 1802 was ushered in by a great amount of bad weather, and in February the gales were of fearful violence. During one of them the York mail, with oiUy two passen- gers outside, and none in, and loaded very high with mail bag» and the month's magazines, was was blown completely over near Halifax; but, fortunately, no one was seriously injured. Travelling at a rate not exceeding seven or eight miles an hour must have beea no joke when it was possible for coach-wheels to sink deep enough into the ground to bring the con- cern over. One instance has already been given of bad roada bring a North mail to grief, and in 1799 the York mail turned over through the wheels sinking into a. hole to the depth of about a foot.. This happened between Stamford and Witham Common ; the guud,. Robert Northern, broke his leg,, but the passengers escaped un- hurt, while about two years later there was another edition of thia accident to the Shrewsbury mail about six miles from Oxford. Again did the mail overturn through the wheels sinking in. The coachman's leg and the guard's arm were broken, but, as in the previous instance, the passengers got off with what is termed a ''shaking."
In coaching, as in everything else, history repeats itself to an ex* traordinary extent. To-day the
1806.]
• A MAIL COACH.
41
driver of the heavy van commonly treats with profound contempt any request on the part of the occupant of a light vehicle to get ont of the way. Mr. Flinch many years ago put into the mouth of a van-driver the speech, *< I don't know nothing about wrong sides; but yer can take my wheel off if yer like," the objector being the driver of a pony cart. Going further back still, we read in the Public Adver- tiser for December 28th, 1786, that on Boxing Day, as several carts were coming towards Edinburgh,fi ve miles from Haddington the Edin- burgh mail came up with them. The mail was then a comparatively new institution, and on the guard sounding his horn as a signal to dear the road, the drivers of the carts, ** knowing their strength," as the paper says, promptly blocked the road, some taking onesideof the road, and others the other, whileone or two kept in the middle of the causeway. The guard then called to them to allow the mail to pass, but the rough of 1786 appears to have been Tery like the rough of a century later, and these particular roughs ** jibed" at the wearers of the scarlet livery, and still blocked the road, whereupon the passengers with one accord desired the guard to alight and do his duty.
It is only doing the coachmen and guards of the mails the barest justice to say that they were in- variably equid to every emergency, and the guard of this Edinburgh mail, taking his blunderbuss in hand, descended from his perch to ta>ke the number of the carts, and on going to the first one the carter jumped off the shafts on which he had been riding and knocked down the guard, who, on regaining his feet, clubbed his blunderbus,andin turn knocked over his assailant. At this juncture one of the passengers came to the guard's assistance, the other carters left
their horses, and a free fight ensued, in which coachman and guard were badly used, but were at length rescued by the passengers. Very great kudos was given to the guard, who, though *' twice beat down with the instrument of death in his hand, never offered to level it at his adversary." While coachman and guard were being well knocked about, the passengers busied themselves by taJdng the names and addresses of the owners of the carts, and expressed their determination of making examples of the ruffians for the benefit of future travellers ; but everybody's business being nobody's business, no steps appear to have been taken. The incident, however, illustrates some of the drawbacks incidental to coach travelling in the olden days, and, in spite of what was said as to the safety of the maib, there is a record of one of the mail coaches bding stopped by highway- men as late as 1682.
Than De Quincey, the mail coach never hadamore strenuous advocate, unless it was John Palmer himself. The essayist was'a perfect enthusiast in coaching, and in his essay on <<The English Mail Coach " he spoke of that <* central intellect that in the midst of vast distances overruled all obstacles into one steady co-opera- tion to a national result, "instancing one case where two mails, starting at the same time from two points six hundred miles apart, met almost constantly at a particular bridge which bisected the total distance. << The mail coach it was," wrote De Quincey, " that distributed over the face of the land, like the opening of apocalyptic vials, the heart-shalong news of Trafalgar, of Salamanca, of Vittoria, of Waterloo, and, it may be added, of the racecourse too, for a traveller has left it on record that on one night not a wink of sleep could he obtain through the guard con- stantly shouting out 'The Cure.'"
42
BAILT'b ICAaAZINC«
[JULT
Cricket.
Aftbb a lapse of olose on thirty years, Surrey have once more thrown down the gauntlet to the Best of England, and once more has the county sustained a severe defeat. We are bv no means satis- fied that the performances of the Surrey eleven last season afforded sufficient justification to their executive for arranging this match, and in these days when county teams are playing almost every day of the season it was certainly a big order to request the other counties to keep the dates of this mat(di clear of engagements in order that BO other engagements might pre- vent the representative cricketers of England from playing for their country against Surrey. A Middlesex match.however, prevented Mr. Stod- dart from appearing in the scratch team, and various causes prevented Messrs. Hewett and Woods ; Gunn and Davidson, Peel and Brown, and one or two others, from accept- ing the invitation extended to them to play for the team captained by Mr. W. G. Grace. Although the executive did not collect quite the team they had originally selected, a powerful combination was put into the field, and had no difficulty in beating the county by an innings and 80 runs. In fact, after the first hour's play Surrey were a beaten side, and, before the excel- lent bowling of Pougher, who has, when bowling for Leicestershire, repeatedly had a signal success against the Surrey batsmen, the heroes of the Oval collapsed in most inglorious fashion.
Keeping an excellent length, and making the ball go across with his arm, Pougher had the satisfaction of seeing catch after catch sent up into the slips, and no less than seven of the Surrey batsmen were disposed of by catches behind the
wicket, four of them through the agency of Banjitsiuhji at short slip. Nine wickets at the cost of 84 runs, with the ground in run- getting order, is an analysis of which Pougher may well be proud, and yet he was only asked to play at the last moment, when upon the previous Saturday afternoon an accident prevented Davidson from appearing. With Surrey out for but 85 runs, the scratch eleven pro- ceeded to improve their position by amassing an innings of 868, to which Albert Ward (who went in at the fall of the first wicket) contributed 168; but it can scarcely be reckoned amongst his best perform- ances, as he was missed off a very easy chance in the slips beiore he had scored double figures. Mr. Jackson made 57 runs, but the Champion, W. G., was a disappoint- ment with only 18. Surrey, thanks to 67 from Lockwood and 49 from their captain, just topped the second hundred in the second innings, and at a very early hour on the third morning Surrey were beaten by an innings and 80 runs. For a county (no matter how suc- cessful it may have been) to chal- lenge the Best of England, and ex- pect other important cricket to be discontinued during the three days of the match, there ought to be some very cogent reason, and we are glad to say that in this case there was a strong motive to make the match financially as great a success as possible, since the proceeds of the gate were to go to Mr. W. W. Bead, and the match was termed "Mr. Bead's Testi- monial Match." To an old- fashioned cricketer it may be rather a startling novelty that a cricketer who has for twenty years played as an amateur should take what is in every particular practi-
1896.] CRICKET.
cally a benefit match ; but it is better in these later days of county cricket to be surprised at nothing, and if the match was a failure so iax as the glorification of Surrey was concerned, it ought to have proved a useful match so far as the beneficiare was concerned, as some thousands of spectators paid the necessary shilling upon the first two days of the entertainment.
The great feature, so far, of the season of 1895 has been the intense enthusiasm aroused throughout the country for Mr. W. G. Grace and his marvellous career as a cricketer. The magnificent scores made by the " CThampion "during May, which re- sultedin thecompletion of his 1,000 runs ere the first month of the season had come to a close, had the most wholesome effect of fiftnning into flame the enthusiasm which all lovers of the noble game have long felt for the greatest cricketerthat the world has ever seen ; moreover, since the '' Ohampion " has by these magnifi- cent performances, and by the phe- nomenal completion of his <' cen- tury of centuries," become, for the time, the chief topic of all classes of society, not only cricketers, but also the o/ ^oAAo/, in a fever of hero - worship, ' are burning to subscribe their contribution to- wards a testimonial to the greatest cricketer of all time. Certainly for days past the prominent feature of one of our leading daily papers has been the '' shilling collection " for Mr. Grace, and whilst many have seen their way to a little cheap self- advertisement by remitting a shilling to the fund and writing a letter dealing more with themselves than with Mr. Grace, their contributions will in the end prove not less useful than the shillings subscribed in a whole-hearted way by those sportsmen who are actuated solely by admiration for the << Master." With the Committee of the Maryle- bone Cricket Club interesting them-
48
selves strongly in the matter ; with eveiy variety of club throughout not only the United Kingdom, but also the Colonies, sparing no pains to collect all that they can ; and with that mighty organ the Press making every effort to further the movement, we shall be indeed sur- prised if a most substantial sum is not realised as a tribute from his fellow-countrymen to one who must stand pre-eminent as the champion cricketer of the century, and who, now in his forty-seventh year, after having held the supremacy for thirty years, is still, by universal consent, regarded as the finest cricketer of the day.
At Lord's, on June 18th, 14th, 15th, the premier club scoredan easy victory over Kent, and Mr. W. G. Grace scored yet another century, making in the second innings ot M.C.C., on a wicket decidedly the worse for wear, the fine score of 125 runs. Another interesting feature of this match was the re- appearance at Lord's of Mr. H. H. Massie, who, some twelve years ago, playing for the AustraUans, created a great impression by his brilliant hitting. Although now by no means in the same practice as of yore, Mr. Massie, in the second innings of M.C.C., gave the specta- tors a taste of his quality by hitting up 86 runs in a very short space of time, and we hope that many a time during the present season this famous cricketer may favour us with further displays of the art which is fftst becoming extinct in English first-class cricket — ^the art of hitting.
We offer our sincerestcongratula- tions to Lord Hawke upon the consistently fine form he has dis- played throughout the season. With his highest score 79, he has up to the middle of June the most useful average of over 84 runs per innings, and, best of all, his runs have always been made in the nick of time and
44
bailt's kagazins.
[JULT-
jnst when they were most wanted. The fallacy of averages must ever be that a man, by seizing his oppor- tunity, and piUng np an enormons score when runs are of no valae to his side, will secure a big average, which really means little service to his county ; whilst another making runs when wanted, and never too many of them, is, when judged by the test of averages, of very little account. So with Lord Hawke, he has not once made a superfluous score, but time after time, in trying circumstances, he has rendered gallant service to the county for which he has done so much and worked so unselfishly, and York- shire is indeed to be congratulated upon being able to count upon the assistance of two such good sports- men and fine cricketers as Lord Hawke and Mr. Jackson.
The near approach of Thursday, July 4th, which is thedate appointed for the commencement of the inter- University match, is sufficient excuse for a few observations upon the merits of the two elevens. It would seem at the first glance as if Oxford, possessing as they do the privilege of claiming the services ofno less than ten old Blues, would prove a more powerful combination than Cambridge, with but four or five of last year's eleven at their command. Oxford certainly com- menced the season in most promising style, and their first three matches, against Somerset, the Gentlemen of England, and Yorkshire, resulted in most creditable victories for the Dark Blues. Subsequent to this, however, the last two trial matches on the home ground saw Kent and the M.C.O. and Ground defeat the team so ably led by Mr. O. J. Mordaunt, although upon the latter occasion, when beaten by five wickets, Oxford had by no means a representative eleven.
Cambridge upon the magnificent wickets at Fenner's cricket ground,
rendered a good account of them- ' selves, and after winning their first* match against Somerset, had but little the worst of a drawn game with Mr. C. I. Thornton's eleven. Their worst performance, however, was probably in the next match, when Mr. Webbe's team of amateurs^ with the assistance of Boberts, the Gloucestershire bowler, defeated the University by the handsome margin of nine wickets, but, in justice to the Cantabs, it must not be forgotten that the team collected by Mr. Webbe was an extremely powerful one, and amongst the run- getters were Mr. W. G. Grace and Messrs. Stoddart and Hewett.
Bain prevented the Yorkshire match at Cambridge from being^ brought to definite conclusion, but in the match v. M.C.C. and Ground the Light Blues did a fine per- formance, and beat a strong team of the Club by an inning and 23- runs. Winning the toss upon & perfect wicket, Uie Undergraduates ran up the huge score of 515, and then, although Mr. Gray, their best bowler, was not playing, their other bowlers, assisted by the crumbled condition of the wicket, were able twice to dispose of their opponents for scores of 252 and 240.
The last of the home trial matches was against Dublin Uni~ versity, who were just defeated in one innings, and again the younger Druce played a three-figure innings. It could scarcely be expected that Cambridge would be able to beat Surrey at the Oval, and, as & matter of fact, they came in for rather severe treatment at the head - quarters of championship cricket. Both Abel and his junior colleague, Holland, pounced upon the opportunity of improving their batting averages against amateur bowling, and the fast Surrey bowl- ing was too much for most of the Cantabs. We question the wisdom
1896.]
C&ICUBT.
45
of the crioket authorities at Gam- bridge in ts^dng their team up to £eniuxigton Oval, as the game is ^waysUkely to prove a severe trial for them, and can scaroely be of any service as a preparation for the match against Oxford. Upon the present occasion the crack Gam- bridge batsman, Mr. N. F. Draoe, i^ad to retire owing to a nasty injury to his thumb, and it is for- tunate indeed for the team that his injury was not more serious.
We have said that the younger Mr. Druce is the crack batsman at "Oambridge, and, indeed, up to the time of writing, he continues to hold his own at the very top of the "batting averages, in a season, too, when batsmen have been more suc- 'Oessful than ever before in the his- tory of the game, and up to June 17th his average amounted to over "94 runs for each of seven com- jpleted innings. Gambridge can boast of other dangerous batsmen in their captain, Mr. W. G. Druce, who has shown consistently good form, and in Mr. Frank Mitchell, the promise of whose sensational 'd^btU last season at Gambridge has never yet been thoroughly justi- fied. Of the Gambridge bowlers Mr. Gray is probably the best, and has improved greatly since last summer ; whilst Messrs. Lowe and Wilson have at times met with success. The Gambridge captain, who last year kept wicket with success, has this season handed over the gloves to Mr. C. D. ^^ Bobinson, who has throughout ^ven eveiy satisfaction, although lie has not yet proved himself such a brilliant performer as the rival Blue, Mr. Lewis, at Oxford. The latter University is fortunate indeed in possessing such a fine stumper, and it is earnestly to be hoped that no injury to his hands will prevent him from doing him- self justice in the great match. Ox- ford also possesses a grand cricketer
in Mr. G. J. Mordaunt, who is this season one of the most success- ful batsmen of the day, and a magnificent fieldsman anywhere. The University at present is, if any- thing, too well stocked with good batsmen, and it is likely that more than one cricketer who would, in a moderate year, have been certain of his Blue, will this season have to suffer disappointment ; at any rate, in Messrs. Mordaunt, Fry, Phillips, Leveson - Gower, Foster, and Warner, there is batting enough for any 'Varsity eleven, and Oxonians may comfort themselves with the reflection that there is an appearance of bowling strength in Messrs. Fry, Arkwright, Gunliffe, and Hartley. A comparison of the two elevens leads one to the conclusion that Oxford have a smarter fielding side and a slight advantage in the bowling department, whilst their batting is certainly not inferior to that of their rivals, and the Dark Blues should, we think, in the absence of distinctly bad luck, prove successful; at the same time it must not be forgotten that amongst the Gantabs are two or three most dangerous batsmen, any one of whom, should he get well set, might work havoc with the Oxford bowling. We fear that after the long drought it is not un- likely that the match may be played in unsettled weather, when the luck of the toss may destroy the interest in a struggle which ought to prove most interesting.
County cricket continues to monopolise well-nigh all the best players and most of the interest of the public.
Lancashire, by their defeat of Yorkshire and their own downfall to Surrey, have given the latter county a decided start in the cham- pionship competition ; but there is plenty of time yet for the favourites to be upset, and the present la^ge field of thirteen competitors has
46
BAILT 8 BCAOAZDnB.
the advantage of oomplicating the oompetition. It appears as if Surrey T^ould again ti^e their old position at the top of the tree, and it is not uninteresting to speculate upon what kind of position in the championship table the Surrey second' eleven would attain to were they also turned loose in the competition. The second eleven have not, we understand, lost a match for many years, and certainly whenever members of the second team have been pro- moted to the Surrey eleven it has generally been with conspicuous success, as in the cases of Hay- ward, Holland, Street, Ayres, and Smith.
The early part of the county season has been memorable for the superb efforts made on behalf of Somerset by their wonderful captain , Mr. Woods, and the unfortunate failure of these efforts to snatch a victory for his county. Up to JiUy 1st Somerset have been beaten by both Universities, by Hamp* shire, Essex, Gloucestershire, and Surrey, whilst the two games which they might have won were lefb unfinished against Middlesex and Sussex, and yet Mr. Woods in these matches scored 48 wickets and made 779 runs, with an average of just under 50 runs per innings, including scores of 180 V. Cambridge, 85 against Surrey (going in when five wickets had fallen for 16 runs), and in one week 109 v. Middle- sex and 215 against Sussex. All cricketers must sympathise with the gallant Australian that such heroic efforts should avail nothing, and that his county should
find itself at the bottom of the ladder.
This is our last opportunity for saying a few words about the pros- pects of the Eton v. Harrow match, to be played at Lord's on July 12th and 18th, and although much may happen to a school team in the course of three or four weeks» appearances at present point to a^ victory for Eton, who are probably much above the average strength, whilst Harrow, although they possess two- fine batsmen in their captain (Stogdan) and Vibart, are lamentably short of bowling talent, a defect for which their very good fielding may hardly be able to atone. The illness of Mr. G. P. Gore, who should have been the Harrow captain this season, ha9 deprived the school of an excellent all-round cricketer, whose loss ie irreparable.
Whilst on the topic of school cricket, and desiring not to wound the susceptibilities of the gentle- men engaged inthe match, we can- not refrain from drawing attentioi^ to the phenomenal number of extras scored in the recent match at Vin- cent Square between Charterhouse and Westminster, when, out of a total of 869 scored by Charter- house, there were no less than 55- byes and 12 leg-byes ; whilst out of the total of 808 runs subscribed by Westminster in their two innings^ there were 51 byes, 12 leg-byes, and 4 wides. Such a large num^ her of extras as 186 in a two^ days' match seems a very tall order, and we must recommend this match to the «01d Buffer" as a leading case on the Absentee Longstop and the Unguarded Boundary. Quid.
1896.]
47
"Grandfather Pike.'
Blue smoke- wreaths from the after- luncheon cigarette float softly up- wards; bees, in the limes above, hum drowsily ; the sunlight filters through the foliage, casting deli- cate patches of fretwork upon the trim-shaven lawn.
How sweet the wafted scent of the wallflowers ! How soothing the in- haled << Lutakia ! " And, surely, what wooing could be more amorously tender than the note of the cushat discoursing so softly to his mate in the leafy oak hard by?
Voices, from the other side of the wall :
''Three sets of tackle o' mine 'e's broken, I tell yer — "
" An' one o* mine ! "
" — Two single 'ooks an' a tri- hangle."
" An' a noo live-bait trace."
''I means to 'ave 'im afore long."
"Dam'imI"
I recognise . the voices of the stud-groom and butler, both ardent, though, maybe, somewhat inexpe- rienced, anglers. Where, I wonder, have they managed to encounter, and be worsted by, this giant of the deep 9 Surely not in the reedy, overgrown stream wending its way so placidly through these fieuned grazing grounds of Northampton- shire, that but a short time back echoed to the hoof-strokes of the cream of the Pytchley as they swept down to it, in close pursuit of the deadly lady pack, who, with their ''hackles" up and a scent breast-high, are running to kill.
Yes ; but the galhmt chesnut pricked his ears and quickened, at the same time shortening his stride, flinging the silver streak behind him with hardly an effort.
The stout fox sank before he could make his point, and they pulled him down in the open.
Those who were unfortunate enough to fathom the depths of the stream sat nursing their horses' heads for an hour at least before help arrived ; for in the Midlands the "wrecker" comes not so swiftly to your assistance as he does in the fair emerald land of Meath ; in fftct, there it is almost uncanny how soon "Larry and the bhoys" arrive upon the scene of disaster, and for a golden recompense have you " out of that " in the twinkling of an eye.
"Coffee, sir?"
The butler and his liveried myrmidon stand beside me.
From the former I elicit the required information as to Orand- father Pike's place of domicile.
" I just see 'is hugly 'ead afore the tackle broke, and 'e's a. whopper. You'll find the rod, sir, an' some baits, ready in the stable- yard."
The rod, when I examine it^ seems to have borne the stress of many seasons, warped, and spliced in two or three places — the lower rings conspicuous by their absence ; the line — water - cord, and in- ferior at that — kinked, and wound loosely on a battered old Notting- ham reel, which revolves only under desperate pressure, and creaking a loud remonstrance ; a. claret cork, perforated by a roach- quill, doing duty for a float, and a No. 1 hook attached to a piece of frayed salmon gut completing the somewhat risky equipment.
But there is a garden watering- pot full of fine, large, fat, and seemingly frivolous minnows; sa hoping for the best, rod in hand, a somewhat decomposed, game - bag on my back, highly redolent of defunct bunny, an ancient, apoplectic, mangy Clum- ber Spaniel bringing up the rear».
48
bailt's kaoazinb
[July
I set off down the brook, the old dog toiling after me, and evi- dently feeling the heat. As I turn to look at him, I seem to breathe once again the bracing air of the Yorkshire moorland, and see the purple heather and the long line of butts standing out against the sky-line. The last drive is over, and it has been the drive of the day. Guns, beaters, and loaders are scattered about busy " picking up," and my hench- man's despairing cry comes back to me, *' They're a-getting all our birds! I'd just as soon 'ave a good cat as this 'ere dog." How sluggishly the stream flows, choked up with weeds and grasses 1 How blue the forget-me-nots on its brink ! A waterhen disappears into the tangled mass of reeds and bul- rushes, a green sandpiper wings its way down stream with twisting, uncertain flight; a little further, and a heron rises, with gorged crop and a harsh dank. Oh for the merry bygone days of "Holmby House," " Sir Giles AUonby," and his stout retainers ! and the falcon ** Diamond," unhooded and cast upwards, cleaving the air, circling high and ever higher, while the good knight and his fair following, with upturned faces, press on with reddened rowel and slackened rein, until, having attained her ooign of vantage, the tiercel falls like a bolt from the blue, and, with her quarry, comes hurtling to the earth.
But here — at the comer — must be the spot where ''Grandfather" has elected to take up his abode. It is a good big pool, considering the size of the brook. The stream eeems to quicken, and hurries into it over a golden shallow, darkened by a dense shoal of minnows; then, sweeping slowly onward in oily eddies, it circles under the over- hanging bank, from which springs A thick mass of leafy thorn bushes.
Pick out the plumpest minnow, and drop him in at the head of the pool. That is '< Naseby " on the distant sky-line, and we turn the clock back again and dream of the wild, impetuous rush of gallant Bupert and his Cavaliers boring through and through the stem lines of grim-visaged Puritans — alas ! only to lose from lack of discipline the vantage they have gained.
Blob ! blob I The float has gone, and we strike with such unnecessary vehemence, that the treacherous water-cord snaps a yard above the quill ! A broad gleam of bronze, a swirl of a massive tail seen for an instant above the surface, and the pool once more resumes its wonted serenity. '' Grandfather" has gone, taking his fifth set of tackle with him. " I suppose it was * Grand- father,' I muse, somewhat sadly, lighting a cigarette. <'HismouUi must be a regular fishing-tackle shop by now!" — ^when, suddenly, the old spaniel, who has been snuffing about the bank, overbalances him- self, and falls with a mighty flop into the pool, round which he swims, imbibinjs; large gulps of the cooling fluid and enjoying himself vastly. As I watch him, up, within a yard of where I am sit- ting, and close under the bank, pops the float, the yard of broken line still hanging above it. << Grandfather, "disturbed from the depths of the pool, has evi- dently swum in. ' He must be still on, and if I can only manage to hitch up the line and retie it, I may get him yet. The dog, thank goodness! has left the water. Taking out the top joint of the rod, and letting out plenty of line in case of a rush, hanging head downwards at full lengti^, my feet tightly wound round the stump of a thorn bush alone preserving me from a headlong plunge, I angle cautiously for the broken end. Joy 1 At last I have it I Another breatii>
1895.]
BACINO IN THE ANTIPODES.
49
less moment of uncertainty, and all is secure. Warily I drag myself up the bank again. The top joint is replaced, the line slowly tightened. Ten minutes later, and '^ Grandfather " is flopping heavily
upon the bank. Two lengths of gut and one of gimp depending from his yicious-looking jaws prove his identity, and he turned the scale at 12|lb.
n. CUMBBRLAKD BbNTLBT.
Racing in the Antipodes.
A FEW weeks ago I paid my first visit to Newmarket, after a three years' absence in the Antipodes. As 1 looked over the heath, and the gradients of the Rowley Mile, a critical spirit came over me, and I could not but contrast the course and its surroundings with those of Bandwick (the racecourse at Sydney) and Flemington (the Melbourne racecourse), which I had lately visited. Carbine's victory in the Melbourne Gup, under the gigantic impost of 10 St. 4 lb., is still green in the memory of racing men, and although we may find parallels, we can find no greater achievement in our own Turf records. And it would be surprising if the case were different, when we remember that Australia is essentially a horse- loving country, and that the best of our racing blood has found a home there.
As to the courses, a fair and im- partial mind will not, I think, hesitate in its judgment. As a hippodrome, commend us to Flem- ington and Sydney ; but as race- courses, judging of the quality cf the turf and of the value of the course as a test of a horse's merits, they bear no comparison to such courses as Ascot, Stockbridge, or Newmarket. And this is not a mere personal judgment, but that of one of the shrewdest amongst racing men in New South Wales, and one who spent some few years racing in Engkmd. We were discussing racing matters at the Club, and I
volunteered the remark that it seemed to me that, whilst all the arrangements for the sightseer were infinitely better in Australia, the courses I quoted, Newmarket and Stockbridge, were as infinitely superior at home. And my £riend agreed, adding that the turf on the Australian courses would never be improved. And it seems natural to incline to this belief. In Australia the racecourses, such as Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane, have been reclaimed from the bush. In England you have, in certain cases, natural down.
But here my national pride ends, for in England the comforts of racing are the luxuries of the privileged few; in Australia they are the property of the many. And this came home to me most forcibly in my recent visits to Newmarket and Sandown. In Sydney and Melbourne I need never move from my place on their respective grand stands. At Newmarket a hack or a carriage is on most occasions well- nigh a necessity ;' and at Sandown the finish for the two-year-old races (I watched that for the Walton Stakes) is far from the stand. I am not finding fault with the manage- ment, but the spectator who, sovereign in hand, spends a holiday on a racecourse, is anxious to obtain the maximum of pleasure with the minimum of expense, and therefore he likes his racing to be localised, so that he can see all without difficulty or fatigue. But this is a small
WOLm Lzrv,
426.
50
baily's MAOAznni:.
fJutY
matter, and on most racecourses you can see the finish well and easily from the stand. Setting, therefore, this aside, I may take the discomforts of getting to the course, and how well we know them in England ! Who hasn't suffered on the way to Epsom or Ascot? The rush for carriages, the crowd, the jostling, the babel of "C'rect card," and " Fly up, sir ? " the unwashed horde whose ablutions are of almost pre-Adamite date, not to mention the minor annoyances of the '' three* card trick," the banjo genius, and the self-constituted racing adviser. All these travelling companions make serious inroads on our temper and our enjoyment. In Sydney a railway train takes you ^m the town to the course. The Australian courses are free of these troubles, and you leave the train or tram within a few seconds' walk of the paddock. Arrived there, you find a stand which affords you a most excellent view of the race. But it is to the paddock that I would specially invite your attention. Govered stalls have been built round the paddock, a low paling has been placed in front, and men stand at the various gates, who prevent the entrance of strangers. In some cases I found numbers over the stalls, which corresponded with the numbers on the card. The result is excellent. Everybody may watch the saddling of the horses without difficulty, and in perfect safety, whilst the trainer and stable lads are free from any interference. Contrast this picture with the paddocks on English racecourses, where the unfortunate sightseer spends most of the interim between the saddling bell and the time that the horses go down to the post in unprofitable attempts to see some horse in which he is interested. Then the paddocks at Epsom and elsewhere are so large that the search necessitates much weary
trudging and fruitless questionings When the horses had been collect^, in thecase of asmall <'field,"I found the excellent plan followed of a parade at the bottom of the paddock, which enables many to see the horses at dose quarters before they take part in the preliminary canter.
Then the numbers corresponding to the numbers on the cards are printed on the saddle-cloths, and this is an immense convenience to racegoers of all classes. How often have we had to search our cards, as some horse on an English racecourse canters down to the post, for infor- mation, and as colours often only differ in some slight respect, and horses often run in different colours to those stated on the card, our difficulty is the further increased.
Thus much for some of the lessons that suggested themselves to me at Sydney. On the Flemington racecourse I found a plan in yogue which is, I think, worthy of adoption. A complimen- tary race ticket had been given to me. This not only granted me free access to the course and stand, but a free pass over the railway. This I found a great convenience, for I was saved all the discomforts which attend buying a ticket at railway stations. Of recent years the trouble and annoyance of the purchase of railway tickets at stations has been considerably diminished by the appointment of agencies in different parts of London where you may buy tickets.
I would, therefore, suggest an extension of this system. Let the racecourse authorities come to an arrangement with the railway authorities, so that the railway ticket also covers admission to the stand and paddock, and some saving of time and annoyance on a crowded race-day would be gained. It would be a further gain in many cases if such a ticket could be further extended so as to provide
1895.]
RACmO IN THS ANTIPODES.
51
for carriage hire to the course, and thns protect racegoers from the extortionate charges of the race- course Jehu.
Not the least convenient to the sightseer among the many excellent arrangements which are provided for the comfort of visitors is that of the hoisting of a flag near the weighing - room, which denotes that weight has been rightly drawn, or that an objection has been raised, allowed, or overruled. The incon- venience of hanging about a weighing-room for information as to this renders the hoisting of this flag a source of comfort.
Those who would wish to see something of the working of the '^totalizator" system of betting should visit Australia. At Sydney and Melbourne there are no machines, and you must do business with the ring as you do in this country, but at Brisbane and Adelaide, and, I believe, on the New Zealand racecourses, the totalizator is in vogue.
Possibly some slight explanation of this system of betting may be of service. The machine is generally run by some syndicate, who pay a rent for it to the racecourse company, or return to the race- course a percentage of the money received . In Brisbane a percentage of the takings is claimed by Government, so that a gambler may find some comfort from the knowledge that he is assisting the public exchequer.
On the outside of the machine is to be found the numbers of the horses starting for the race, with ihe names of the horses underneath. These numbers are intended to correspond with the numbers on the card. You select a horse, and ask at the office for so many tickets on No. 7 or 5 as the case may be, and receive in exchange for your sovereigns a ticket on whidi is noted the nimiber of the
race and the number of the horse. After the race, if you happen to be lucky you bring your ticket back to the totalizator. Subject to the deductions referred to, all the money received is divided amongst those who hold the winning ticket, and as soon as the officials have calculated the dividend you are paid. I have often seen the advantages of the totalizator discussed, and, so fieur as I could judge of them, they seem to be as follows : —
1. Welshing becomes impos- sible, and you are free of all chance of default of payment.
2. In the case of great outsiders you undoubtedly obtain far better odds. I have Imown a case where only two persons had backed the winner, and a dividend of £150 was paid, odds which never could have been obtained from the bookmakers.
8. As all payments must be cash, heavy habilities cannot be incurred.
4. As persons watch the progress of the betting, and intend following the example of those whom they consider astute or well-informed, no one can bet in large amounts, for your dividendis rapidly diminishing. This prevents heavy plunging.
The alleged disadvantages which were constantly insisted upon by horse breeders and owners are these : —
1. That the horse-owner or trainer has no betting advantages over those of the public.
2. That the facilities thus offered to ready-money betting tend to the demoralisation of many ill able to afford to bet.
I might add a third result. The totalizator is undoubtedly respon- sible for much prevarication, and destroys the good-fellowship of sport. A good sportsman, who has backed his horse, is often only too glad to mention his horse's chances to his friends. This may in some cases be due to a desire to '* hedge," but
62
BAILT'8 KAOAZINE.
|[JtrLT
in most oases it is undoubtedly due to a good-natured desire that friends should share in the success, and this good nature has the merit of being inexpensive, for the owner's odds are not in any way affected by the subsequent bets of friends. But it is different in the case of the totalizator. Every person to whom the owner mentions his ''good thing " necessitates, if the advice be taken, the diminution of his dividend, and few human beings can be found so unselfish as to promote the welfare of their friends at the cost of their own. This undoubtedly results in the loss of that good-fellowship and friendly spirit as between different racing men which you often see in this country. As to the moralist's objection, I think it will be found undeniable that the totalizator assists and encourages the small bettor. He bets so easily and comfortably. Then the totalizator is often placed in the paddock, so that there is not even the trouble of a walk, and those who bet may feel perfectly satisfied as to payment. Contrast this with the risk and trouble of ready-money betting. The possibility of being " welshed " of your gains, and the annoyance and trouble of visits to the ring, are some hindrances to small betting people over here.
As to the honesty of the Turf in Australia, although I frequently discussed the matter with owners of racehorses there, I never was able to come to any decision whether racing is the more honestly carried on there or here.
But undoubtedly the lack of a wealthy leisured class in Australia
as seriously affects the welfare of the Turf in the Antipodes as it does that of the Legislature. If any man would establish and maintain ahigh character on the Turf, it is of primary importance that he should be understood to be well able to afford the expense of owning horses. It is the poor and needy owner whose motives are most often questioned, and, if the truth be Imown, whose horses' running is most often at fault. Pecuniary interests should be ex- cluded from all sport, and, as an old racing man and member of the Jockey Club once said to me, '* We don't want racing men unless they have money. The proper man to race is a man who has a surplus of * some £2,000 from his income, after payment of his expenses, and spends this on racing." The truth is that racinsr, if it is to flourish, must be carried on as a sport, and not as a commercial undertaking, and the only people who can do this are men of leisure and independent means. The jockeyship will be found, I think, much inferior in Australia to that seen here, and yet the general complaint of trainers here is the absence or paucity of good jockeys. Thus much for my contrast, but I cannot bid good-bye to the Australian Turf without paying a very brief tribute to the hospitality shown to strangers. All from the mother country will find the kindest and best of welcomes, and none will, I think, leave Australia with- out bearing with them a pleasant remembrance of the comforts of a day's racing in Australia.
H. V.
1805.1
53
The Spprtsman's Library.
As these lines are beiog written report hath it that sundry rivers are in good condition for fishing, and not a few anglers have started for the waterside armed with the implements of their crafi), and no doubt with "A Mixed Bag,"* handy for reading during the railway journey, or at the midday interval, while a pipe is helping the digestion of luncheon. '' Bed Spinner's " aim has been to give his brother angler ''a modest little book, some- thing that he can slip into the Norfolk jacket pocket, and take out for companionship under haystack or hedgerow, when the rod is spiked in the summer grass, the waders are loosened, and the tired fisherman is taking his midday rest near the waterside, and smoking the pipe of peace." <' Bed Spinner " is the *' Man who did," and possibly when that pipe is drawing freely and the ** Mixed Bag " has been examined, the rod maybe left spiked for a longer time thaii the angler originally intended, for in << Bed Spinner's " pages the reader will assuredly find that return for time expended which might not attend him were he to take his rod in hand and try for those silvery fish which are not at the moment on the rise.
An anonymous rhymester once wrote :
Two HerveyB had a mufcaal wish To please in separate statioDs ;
The one inyented " Sanoe for Fish," The other ** Meditations"—
but '' Bed Spinner " has in his pleasant pages combined the two with conspicuous success. No dry didactics have we under the guise of a story, or the conversation of an
* A Mind Bag. A Medley of Angling Stories 4Uid Sketches. By " Reel Spinner?* London : UoiBceCox.
old man with a young one, though of course the knowledge of the skilled fisherman crops up in almost every page.
As Mr. Barham would say, ''the solicitor's clerk loquitur*' from the first page to the last, and we may take it that there is some ground for the incident which first suggested to the man of law that he should write a book. Curiously enough, a somewhat similar com- bination of circumstances caused Charles Brindley, perhaps better known under his noni de plume of " Harry Hieover," to come before the world as an author. He had attended a sale at Tattersall's, and being somewhat voluble of speech and loud of voice, his utterances on horse matters generally were distinctly audible to a young man who furnished a paper on ''A Morning at Tattersall's " to a daily journal. '' Among the motley company," he wrote, '' was a tight- trouser^ person, who only wanted a straw between his lips to make him the typical stableman. To do him justice, he seemed to be thoroughly posted with matters on which he spoke like a book." The good-natured friend was, of course, forthcoming; the passage in question was pointed out to Brindley, who forthwith set about putting on paper what proved to be the first instalment of a great deal of writing connected with the horse. Thus the smart man of a bygone day gave us one capable writer, so let us accept the fable of ''Bed Spinner," and be thankful that he — the smart man — has been the reason of another.
Our "Mixed Bag" contains a dozen, less one, of " storiettes," not so short as to require the reader to mentally expand them
54
bailt's kaoazine.
[JULT
to render them of interest, nor so long as to need some time for their perusal ; the happy mean has been hit off, and various incidents, piscatorial and social, help to fill pages which will be read with pleasure. Tastes, of course, differ, and it is well that thej should, otherwise there would be even a greater proportion of unread books than there is at present; but among the best of the stories, to our thinking, are " His Oreat Catch,*' '<A Murderous Home Ruler," "A Notorious Pike," "Lottie's Carp," and **A Legendary Gray- ling," though we do not pretend to say that this short list exhausts the good things of the first part.
Of quite a different type, however, are the miscellanies which make up the second part, and, notwith- standing the excellence of the above- mentioned stories, we are inclined to say that we prefer the second part, for in it peeps out to a greater ex- tent than before the angler and the observer of Nature. The course of the year is dealt with in pleasing style, and the angler will with interest mark what "Bed Spinner" has to say upon angling matters as the year glides its course. The fact tiiat the opening essay, " The First Month," originally appeared in Bailt is tantamount to say- ing that we deemed it "good enough." It reminds the fisher- man of the first awakening into life of that sport he loves so well. The young, the robust, and the enthusiastic may, if it please thJBm, wet their lines in January in pursuit of pike and perch, or eke in the far north of salmon — if a great measure of success be not hoped for, and if biting winds and a low thermometer are but details. " Bed Spinner," however, spends his first month in spinning round his revolving book-case untU his fortune be told by the coming uppermost of some well-remembered
work, or possibly of one which for some reason or other has not yet received the attention it deserves. "Do your angling in January in the warm study," is the advice of one who is at once a fisherman and a scholar, and since you cannot well fish and devour literature at one and the same time, do each in proper season.
As leaves and buds appear, their bursting forth is noticed, not merely because the author chances to be an observer of Nature, but because each change in vegeta- tion brings with it another page in the angling almanack. In con- clusion, we may cordially recom- mend this work, which, by the way, is of handy shape. Its pages abound in interest, and are penned with a just appreciation of what the angler and educated man require. It is no mere reproduc- tion of a diary of days wMch are remarkable for nothing, nor does it have any concern with the vdldly improbable, but it is, as we have ventured to designate it, "A Sauce for Fish" and "Medita- tions."
Than the octogenarian whilom owner of "the Little Ab," as the famous steeplechaser Abd-el-Eader was called, we have no greater authority on the breeding of the blood horse, and his " Horse Breeders' Handbook " must have saved breeders a world of trouble. The last two editions appeared in 1889 and 1890, and now we gladly welcome another issue brought up to date. The valuable introduction, which is practically a concise history of horse-breeding, still re- mains to be studied at the reader's leisure, and studied it should be. The pedigrees of some of the horses of a bygone age, which have done so much for the racehorse of to- day, are retained, and then comes an index of the ninety-four prin- cipal stallions advertised for 1695,
1895.]
THB BPOBTSIIAN's LIBBABT.
55
so that the book* is really what it professes to be, a " Horse-breeders' Handbook."
Tabulated pedigrees of the sires available this year are givec, and they, of course, will be of the great- est help to breeders, as showing at once what would takehonrs to gather firom the pages of the General Stud Book, while each pedigree is accom- panied by a short history of the stallion in question, so that any- one proposing to use one can ascertain at a glance his history, and what he achieved in the course of his Turf career.
Mr. Osborne's knowledge of breeding, however, manifests itself in an introduction to this second part — ^that is to say, the pedigrees ^ and performances of the available sires ; and this, we will under- take to say, will be perused with the keenest interest. The first introduc- tion shows how the British thorough- bred has been manufactured, so to speak, while this second essay carries on the subject in connection with the sires of to-day. Since Mr. Osborne last handled his pen for the benefit of breeders, he notes that both studmasters and horses have died. << Death," he writes, ''has claimed two of England's largest and most prominent breeders — the Duchess of Montrose and Mr. Baird ; while the gallant, accomplished, and popular manager of the Queen's stud at Hampton Court, Sir George Maude, who had his heart in his business, was also called to his last home, mourning, as he died, the impending break-up of the Boyal stud." During the five years, too, which have elapsed since the last edition of this work made its appearance, rather over two dozen sires have been lost to the studmaster.
* The H<n%9 Brteden* Handbook. Gontainiiiff » hiatory of the rise and fyrogiesB of the Britiah steed, embellished with portraits of famous noehorses. By Joseph Osborne (" Beacon "> Iiondon : E. Seale. Price 218.
Certainly, however, one of the most interesting sections of the in- troduction is tiiat relating to the breeding of the present race of blood sires, since the Eclipse line comes out so strong, through Eclipse himself, Herod, and Matchem. The blood of Eclipse through PotSos, whence Waxy, Whalebone, Whisker, &c., dominates a great proportion of our sires, while the blood of Herod and Matchem — stout blood it was, too — is unques- tionably dying out in the male line, a circumstance to be regretted; but Mr. Osborne, after classifying the horses, points out how great is the vitality of the blood of Eclipse, and traverses <' the slighting remark" made by Admiral Bous when he said of Eclipse, " We have many now as good." Then , taking the winners of the classic races during the last five years, the author points out tiiat, with the exception of Mimi, every winner was descended from Eclipse through three principal lines. The breeding of all the sires now serving (including Car- bine) is most critically examined, this introduction to the second part being a perfect mine of informa- tion, and can only have been pre- pared at the expenditure of a great deal of time and trouble. Becent sales have shown that there is no market for rubbish, and that good prices are given' only for those yearlings which are well bred. The buyer of this book will have no difficulty in discovering what are the winning strains, and will be able to make choice accordingly. No breeder should be without Mr. Osborne's most useful and* exhaus- tive book«
The study of pedigree and Stud Book is not by any means confined to England. We have on several previous occasions noticed French and German contributions to the literature of the stud, and now
56
BAILT 8 M AOAZINX.
thftt good sportsman who prefers to be known as '' Touchstone " has just brought out another token of his love for horse-breeding, and his careful research.* This book is what the author calls it — a syste- matic r48umi of the eleven volumes of the French Stud Book. In our own Stud Book, under the names of the more prominent sires, is a list of the mares got by them, and it is on this plw that <' Touch- stone " proceeds ; but he has gone further than we have in this direction, and has included all the sires whose names occur in the French Stud Book. The