EMBELLISHMENTS. BROMSGROVE - RIPON - STALYBRIDGE-MARLBOROUGH-HOYLAKE-BARNET- STIRLING-PEMBROKESHIRE- ROCHDALE-DEVON AND s 3 50 r 7 54 1M Bury St. Edmunds Fair. 2 T Sputty Fair. 3 W ROOTE HUNT STEEPLE CHASE. r 7 49 4 T MORPETH COURSING MEETING. s 3 51 5 FRIDGWAY COURSING MEETING. r 7 52 6 S Spalding Fair. 7 8 0 45 8 2 8 35 Second Sunday in Advent. 8M NMKT. CHMPN, C. M. Leicester s 3 49 9 9 T Grouse-shooting ends. [Fairr 7 5610 10 W CALEDONIAN COURSING MEET. s 3 4911 11 T TARLETON OPEN COURS. MT. r 7 58 12 12 F Stourport Fair. 13 S Frodsham Fair. 14 Third Sunday in Advent. 15 M Bridgenorth & Oakham Fairs. s 3 49 13 6 24 16 T Cambridge Term ends. [CHASES 3 49 17 6 53 3 28 3 44 17 W Oxf. T. ends. S. DEVON STEEPLEr 8 418 7 56 4 14 16 18 T MARCH C. M. Amesbury F. s 3 4919 8 59 4 32 4 52 19 FALTCAR OPEN COURS. MEET. r 8 52010 3 5 10 5 28 20 S Corwen Fair. [Shortest Days 3 21 Fourth Sunday in Advent.r 8 22 M Newport Pagnell Fair. s 3 5021 11 8 North Berwick & Dirleton.. 3 Newmarket Champion Hornby Park (Catterick), North Derby (Cromford), Morpeth (Mitford), and Great Smeaton, not fixed. 10 NEWMARKET HOUGHTON MEETING. BY CRAVEN. This was a race-week, both in the letter and the spirit; it extended over six good days, and produced a vast amount of good sport. Indeed, the only objection that might be urged against it was that perhaps it gave us too much of a good thing. There are among the disciples of Young England those who contend that the races at Newmarket are too much after the toujours perdrix system. If there be such a thing as making a toil of a pleasure, to bet all day and a considerable portion of the night should seem to belong to the category. Neither did the hunger and thirst after business satisfy themselves here, for a vast number of common "Hades" were in full operation, and every contrivance of ordinary gambling was in grim requisition. Thus was there not alone the perdrix, but the pigeons and the hawks-in short, a whole aviary at work. It is a source of congratulation that this latter nuisance attracted the notice of the Jockey Club, who, "through their clerk," called the magistrates' attention to a matter in the which they ought to have ministered to themselves. One would have thought these gentlemen, living in a rural district so renowned for sporting subtleties, would have required no hint as to the mischief done by the family of accipitres; but again, it may be urged their toleration of the "hells" arose out of their instinctive leaning towards the preservation of game. The last week at Newmarket was ushered in with its coming events casting their shadows before--that is, those issues whereupon the too-confiding public had previously put their money to a considerable tune. The close of the Second October saw the wane of the melody; and now all was discord. Now it was announced that the lion of the Cambridgeshire-the Baron-was actually the property of another party-whence people entertained a doubt whether it was meant that he should win his engagement or not; while Alarm still remained in the hands of his Derby proprietor, who stated it was uncertain whether his horse would start for his Newmarket engagement or not. The first case excited the indignation of the sporting circles-the latter only their dissatisfaction. For myself, I cannot see one "cent" of difference between losing cash by means of a horse which comes to the post, and one that remains in the stable. It was said Mr. Greville threw out the possibility of his not running Alarm, because the public had stolen a march on him in backing his horse before he himself had "got on." Alarm was first favourite for the Derby on his merits— and when it was known that he was in form, he had a right to be backed at the odds current on him for the Cambridgeshire Handicap -at the weight he had to carry. The fact of his being "fit" of course was made known through the touts; and then came the rush to get on him. The layers round were soon stalled off, and "hinc ille lachrymæ." There can, however, henceforth be no scintilla of the radiance of honour obscured by the owner of a first favourite for any great race-for which the public have backed him, from his public form, for all their money-coming forward on the eve of the race, and announcing his intention of starting his horse or letting it alone, according to circumstances. I say, henceforward this must be regarded as in accordance with the chivalrous observance of the honourable obligations of horse-racing. Yet I cannot but imagine if Sting continued the ostensible property of my talented friend of Mitchellgrove up to the 25th of May next-did he, on the afternoon of that day, step forth at Tattersall's, and proclaim the possibility of his prohibiting the appearance of his horse at Epsom on the afternoon of the 27th then next ensuing that there would incontinently be a considerable shindy. I say I believe people would call him-on the strength of that notification-an old thief, an old vagabond, a septegenarian swindler, a murderer, upon the authority of Shakspeare, who declares you take a man's life "when ye do take the means whereby he lives." And I am not sure but I should subscribe to that opinion. The official treatment of the sale of the Baron was in this wise: In a paper of the day it was stated that Mr. Greville being put into possession of that fact on the conclusion of the Second October Meeting, and also that the horse had become the property of persons who were prominent in betting against him for the Cambridgeshire, being himself a backer of the horse for that event, thought the affair called for the interposition of the Jockey Club. Under the influence of that impression he went to the Messrs. Wetherby, and requested them-it was so stated-to lay his complaint before that society, and the Messrs. Wetherby accordingly gave notice to the stewards. Subsequent inquiries led that gentleman to believe that the new owners of the horse had altered their plans, and that instead of preventing the horse from starting, they had determined on running him to win. ("Haud meus hic sermo." I indeed cannot well understand how Mr. Greville was to prefer a charge before his brethren of the Jockey Club, grounded on preventing a horse from starting for a race. I quote from a sporting journal merely). This so completely altered the position of things, that on the meeting of the Club on Monday in the Houghton, Mr. Greville intimated to the Messrs. Wetherby that he had no complaint to prefer. Lord George Bentinck, however, deemed it necessary that the occurrence should not pass sub silentio, especially as insinuations had been thrown out that a young gentleman, who has of late distinguished himself by the extent and spirit of his betting-this, I presume, means Mr. Clifton-had been in some way mixed up in the business. (Lord George Bentinck dealt with the matter like a man of honour and practical good sense, as he does with everything he takes in hand). On the part of that gentleman, he said he was perfectly willing to submit his betting-book to the stewards, and to show by other evidence that, as far as he was concerned, the suspicions excited were totally without foundation. Mr. Greville said he was no party to the insinuations alluded to, and, in fact, was in utter ignorance that they existed. He had no charge of any sort to prefer, and therefore he did not consider that the club was called upon to proceed farther. After some discussion, however, it was deemed proper that some declaration should be publicly made, and, in consequence, the following notice was approved, and posted in the betting-room on the same day : "At a meeting of the Jockey Club held on Monday in the Houghton Meeting, 1845, for the purpose of taking into consideration the circumstances attending the sale of the Baron, and the betting against him for the Cambridgeshire Stakes, it was resolved, That no evidence had been laid before the meeting to induce them to proceed further in the matter, or to impute improper conduct to any parties. "EXETER, "(Signed) "G. BENTINCK." Such was the "ridiculus mus" of the Baron's case. The Houghton of this year of grace was put on the scene the 27th of October last past, to the accompaniment of fine weather. It opened with the catastrophe of the plot, unlike most public performances; but it was necessary to get over such an important race as the Cambridgeshire early, in order to insure a supply of horse-flesh for the remainder of the week's sport. Accordingly, Capt. Phebus having won a 10 SOVS. sweepstakes for three years old and upwards, the Criterion Course, beating five, all placed, and all but the second very badly, and Fair Charlotte in a 25 sovs. handicap for similar ages, the D. M. having run a dead heat with Paultons, the great event succeeded. I am not going to recapitulate the recitative of the ring, but merely to give the striking points of the air, and its variations. The betting ended in making Ould Ireland first favourite. This animal had not long before been at 30 to 1; and when I saw him, I certainly felt that the addition of the 0 to the first figure of his quotation of 3 to 1 would have been his more appropriate place in the odds. How, on earth, did they ever manage to get him to such a price? Next in the market was the Baron. This horse had evidently been fine-drawn since his race for the Cesarewitch. They told me he had a couple of sweats in the preceding week. Neither horse nor jockey showed with any consciousness of victory at the saddling rendezvous. Alarm, third favourite, mounted by Nat, looked roguish, but perfect in the matter of condition; in fact, he was the best of the batch to the eye; and, saving some half dozen, the field for the Cambridgeshire certainly was not of a quality suited to the rating of that race in the catalogue of the turf. It would be hard to pick a worse lot out of eightand-twenty English racers of repute. For instance: but no-to individualize would be invidious. The rank, in fine feathers, paraded at the starting-post for a good half hour, and presented an imposing sight-as far as regarded some of the fancy division, at all events. At the Duke's Stand a dreadful crowd wearied the empyrean with shouts for custom: these to get on, those to get off. But business was slack; so we found it, and straightway repaired to "the top," to see the finish. At the first attempt the start was accomplished-another guess-way of doing things from that once common at Newmarketheath. Here, twenty-eight horses got off in one start, where we have seen twenty-eight starts for one race! It is recorded, that so soon as both flags were down, the whole field took flight in line, running on good terms to the weighing-house at the turn of the lands; the leaders being Best Bover, Jet, and Yardley-nothing palpably astern up to this spot. The hill now began to choke off such as did not like that and the pace to boot, |