Manor, both on and off the stage. follows:

The former paragraph ran as

"ATHERLEY MANOR PRIVATE THEATRICALS."

"The first amateur performance took place last evening, and was most fully and fashionably attended. The theatre is a perfect bijou, reminding us of that of the Palace of Versailles. 'The Critic' and Midas' were admirably acted; and when we say that the entire representation was worthy of the metropolitan boards, we only repeat that which was the unanimous feeling of the assembled party. Where all were excellent it would be invidious to select any for especial praise. We cannot, however, refrain from noticing the exertions of the noble manager, who, both as an actor, author, and manager, acquitted himself to the entire satisfaction of the corps dramatique and audience. We extract a portion of the occasional address, which contains a fair censure at the degeneracy of the London boards, written during Franconi's reign. It was admirable delivered by the Hon. Lionel Warneford.

"Muse o'er the glories of the bygone scene,

When stately Siddons-soul-inspiring Kean-
Majestic Kemble, held their potent spell :
"Thou last of all the Romans, fare-thee-well.'
Plaintive O'Neil; Jordan, fair nature's child,

In long-link'd sweetness tuned her wood-notes wild.
Thy temples, too, profaned by song and dance,
With throats from Italy and feet from France.'

We censure not the aid of foreign art

In tuneful strains, which captivate the heart.

Impassioned Norma-proud Assyria's queen-
Gentle Boleyna-stern Lucrezia's mien
Delight our senses. Though, alas! they doom
Two cherished muses to an early tomb.
Cull other laurels for Apollo's praise-
Leave Covent Garden to its native bays.

Shade, too, of Drury! rise, redeem the past,
And let thy steeds in stalls, not parts be cast :

Nor turn to sawdust and equestrian name

Those boards where Garrick earned his matchless fame.
'A horse! a horse!' let Richard cry in vain;
Nor yield him fifty from Franconi's train
Let not proud' Harry' urge his courser free-
And Sister Anne' real mounted warriors see.
Or let the circus banner be unfurled-
'Ig-noble horsemanship to witch the world.'
Mounted on Pegasus, thou can't refuse
To dub thyself sole temple of the mews.
But there are those in this degenerate age
Whose sunny smiles revive the drooping stage;
Who offer homage to dramatic fame,

And nobly foster Shakspeare's honoured name.

Hail to Victoria! 'Daughter of the Isles'—

Our much loved monarch, who state care beguiles

With scenes from Avon's bard. Long may she sway

O'er loyal hearts; long, long may we obey."

The other paragraph was thus headed :—

"ELOPEMENT IN HIGH LIFE.

"The gaieties at Atherley Manor were wound up by an extraordinary performance: the Elopement and Gretna Green being the pieces selected: the principal performers were Mr. Coolhurst and Mise H- -n. The fashionable amateur, who had previously represented Mercury in the burletta of Midas,' was so captivated with the charms of Venus, that he proposed a flight from Mount Olympus to the Scottish border. The fair fugitive is co-heiress to the Dowager Lady

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In order to enlighten our readers, we must remark that our free-andeasy friend having been slighted by the great heiress, Miss Lynam, had turned his thoughts to the lesser one, Miss Harberton; and thinking a bird in the hand, especially a golden one, better than two in the bush, like another Cæsar, saw and conquered." The arrangements for the elopement had been carried on during the last rehearsal, and the chaise that was to have conveyed Mr. Shadrach Samuels back to Coventry was retained for the lovers. Mercury and Venus having changed their aërial garments for more substantial clothing, easily reached the carriage without observation; and it was not until the last scene of "Midas," that the flight was discovered. A penitential letter, and Gale's assurance that according to the "human stud-book," as he called the peerage, the Coolhursts were lineally descended from one of those noble Crusaders who had accompanied Richard Cœur de Lion to Ascalon, shortly appeased the pedigree mania of the Dowager. Indeed, this lover of ancient genealogy was once heard to declare, that "after all, she did not see much harm in private theatricals"-a sentiment which we trust will be responded to by our readers.

THE STALKER'S RETURN.

ENGRAVED BY H. BECKWITH, FROM A PAINTING BY C. B. SPALDING.

"Ponies have been kept in readiness to take home the deer; they are a hardy race, redundant in mane and tail, and contemners of the bridle. Amongst these was one known by the name of 'The Old Blair Pony,' who had always the honour of bringing home the Duke's deer. It was an office he delighted in; and he was wont to evince his sense of pleasure by rubbing his muzzle in the blood, and by towzling the beast, as Squire Western has it.

The

"Two or three sportsmen discharge their rifles at the gillies' bonnets at the distance of a hundred paces, the gillies wisely pulling them off, and planting themselves in the heather, and not standing the shot themselves as did the Gown-cromb of Badenoch. light-infantry gallop home on their ponies; then follow the shelties, each with a hart corded on his back, with the head and horns uppermost these are attended by a group of hill-men and gillies, in their kilts and plaided tartans; some urging on the ponies with Gaelic admonitions, others holding the rough lurcher in the leash, and tugging him back rudely as he tries to get a lick of the bloodstained deer. Thus they pass merrily through the storm-beaten forest, winding over the bridges, the dark torrent of the Banavie broiling and toiling below them.

"May they enjoy the right good cheer and merry dance that always await them at the castle!"-SCROPE'S "Days of Deer Stalking."

TURF PENCILLING S.

BY THE DRUID.

"A hound and a hawk no longer

Shall be symptoms of disaffection;

A cock-fight shall cease to be breach of the peace,

And a horse-race an insurrection."

SONG OF THE CAVALIERS.

"I am a friend, Sir, to public amusements; for they keep people from vice."DR. JOHNSON TO SIR ADAM FERGUSON.

The Queen Anne's Chronicler-The Two Thousand Guineas-My trip to St. Leonard's-Herstmonceaux foxes-Shooting efforts-Sporting mummies-A few words on the Cracks of the season-Hiett's death.

We couldn't help thinking, as we turned over the leaves of the Parliamentary Gazetteer, and at last lighted on the word "NEWMARKET," that a subject of Queen Anne's had most graphically pictured our own frame of mind when we go off on our druidical wanderings. His reflections, which seem much exaggerated to our modern notions (although there was, we hear, a regular fight in front of the Betting Rooms on the Monday of the First Spring), were on this wise

"Being there in October, I had the opportunity to see the horse races and a great concourse of the nobility and gentry, as well from London as all parts of England, but they were all so intent, so busy, so eager upon the sharping part of the sport, their wagers, their bets, that to me they seemed just so many horse-coursers in Smithfield; descending the highest of them from their high dignity and quality, to the picking of another's pockets, and biting one another as much as possible, and that with so much eagerness, as, it might be said, they acted without respect to faith, honour, or good manners. I was so sick of the jockeying party, that I left the crowd about the posts, and pleased myself with observing the horses; how the creatures yielded to all the arts and management of their masters; how they took their airings in sport, and played with the daily heats, which they run over the course before the grand day, but how as knowing the difference equally with their masters, they would then exert their utmost strength as much as at the time of the race itself, and that to such an extremity, that one or two of them died in the stable, when they came to be rubbed after the first heat."

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Of course we are not going to twaddle on as we have heard a distinguished Stock Exchange "bull," who had, to our certain knowledge, been tossing" the market all day, about the "immoral and feverish tendency of a taste for the Turf, &c." The fact is, we don't care about the odds. We never had but two little "pots" in our life; viz., on Van Tromp for the St. Leger, and Teddington for the Emperor's Plate each at 7 to 1. "Third time was catching time," and the failure of our 100 to 1 hopes on The General for the Cambridgeshire, after we had seen his name telegraphed to "the village" as the winner, quite quenched our little aspirations. Hence, we go to races simply because we see the finest riding and the finest horses in the world, and (thanks to special trains) the greatest number of happy faces. Sneer