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Last Quar., 1 day, at 17 min. past 5 morning.
New Moon, 7 day, at 33 min. past 9 afternoon.
First Quar., 14 day, at 46 min. past 5 afternoon.
Full Moon, 22 day, at 12 min. past 9 afternoon.
Last Quar., 30 day, at 18 min. past 2 afternoon.

OCCURRENCES.

Sun rises and sets.

h. m. d.

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h. m. h. m. 7 0 7 25

s 7 4624 Morning.
7 55 8 20
r 4 2825 0 29 0935

1 T BUDLEIGH SALTERTON REGATT.r 4 252311 29 2 F SOUTHWOLD REGATTA 3 S Stow Green Horse Fair 4 Tenth Sunday after Trinity, s 7 4226 0 4310 10 10 45 5 M Cr.-M. C. C. v. Leam., at Leam.r 4 3127 1 3211 25 Midnt. 6 T Worcester, & Huntingdon Races. s 7 3928 2 34 No tide

7 W Brighton Races.

8 T Royal Northern Regatta

9 F Brighton Club Races.

10 S Final Race for the Sculls.

r 4 34 N

SETS afternoon.

35

1 2 1 30 s 7 35 18 3 1 55 2 20 r 4 37 2 8 35 2 45 3 10

11 Elebenth Sunday af. Trinity.r 4 40 12 M Cr.-Kent v. England, at Cant. s 7 28 13 T Eglinton Park Races.

r4 43

610 19 5 50 6 10

s 7 32 3

9 3 3 35 3 55

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14 W Bath Re. Reading & Boulogne Ra.s 7 24 15 T Seamer Horse Fair.

16 F

17 S

710 47

Morning.

0 3210 4011 20

18 Twelfth Sunday after Trinity.s 7 1611 19 M Cr.-M. C. C. v. Sussex, ar 4 5312 1 1911 55 No tide 20 T Blackcock shooting b. [Brighton. s 7 12 13 2 13 0 25 0 50

21 W York Races. Plymouth Races. r 4 5614 3 10 1 15 1 35

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27 T Derby Races. Taunton Races. r5 620 9 7 4 35 4 55 28 W Custom-h. Regat. Egham Races. s 6 29 Canterbury, and Paisley Races. r 5 30 F Cr.-Zingari v.Stamford, at Stam.s 6

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THE RACING IN JULY.

BY CRAVEN.

"Difficilis, querulus, laudator temporis acti."

HORAT. De Arte Poetica.

Whether the year 1850 be or be not the middle of the nineteenth eentury, it is a point of time which may conveniently form a startingpost for the purposes of retrospective and prospective thought. How fares it at these presents with the theory and the fact of life? Are the children of this generation wiser than were their fathers? and shall knowledge keep pace with the hour, as the present passes onward into the future? Of some such sort as this would be the musing of philosophy and of practical policy. Similar contemplation is profitable in relation to the entire economy of moral and material being. But—

“Non cuivis homini contingit adire Corinthum."

Still, albeit our modest Muse lays no claim to the glories of the midnight oil; though it may not be urged that our

"Meditation most affects

The pensive secrecy of desert cell;"

nevertheless there come within the province of our reflections questions which concern the students of lighter lore. For instance, there exists a very popular prejudice, which assigns degeneracy to the horses of the modern turf. It would be to no purpose to institute an inquiry into the origin of this "myth." There it is-" which nobody can deny "-one of the conventionalisms generally accepted, wholly irrespective of proof, data, or the testimony of "competent false witnesses.' The Olympic heroes of the good old times (an epoch which no one will confound with the classic age)—are Childers, surnamed "Flying," and Eclipse. Partly in discharge of a promise made last month, and partly for the intrinsic interest of the theme itself, with the reader's leave we will break a lance with these doughty champions.

It so fell out that a short time since the merits of Flying Childers and Eclipse formed the subject of a conversation between the writer and Mr. Herring, the celebrated animal painter-the Rubens of the British racer. It soon became obvious that the artist was speaking by the book." That authority, in form of a copious and very interesting MS. of his own writing, Mr. Herring was kind enough to place at my disposal, and from it the following characteristic biographical memoranda are collated. It will not be out of place to introduce them here, where "all who run may read."

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Few people, perhaps, are acquainted with the racing career of Flying Childers-it commenced in the spring of 1721 and closed in the autumn of 1722, during which interval he ran twice. The following two performances are all of which any record is in existence...... Newmarket, April 16th, 1721, the Duke of Devonshire's b. h. Childers (the term Flying is not used), by Darley's Arabian, out of Betty Leedes, by Careless, beat the Duke of Bolton's Speedwell, 8st. each; four miles; five thousand guineas, h. ft.... October, 1722, the Duke of Devonshire's Childers, seven years old, beat Lord Drogheda's Chanter, twelve years old, 10st. each; six miles....... Both these races were matches, and form the catalogue of Flying Childers's achievements, who made his début on the course at six years old, and took his leave of it in the succeeding season. "Lawrence," observes Mr. Herring, "in his History of the Horse,' falls into an error in describing Flying Childers as a chestnut horse he was a dark bay." His statement that according to tradition the horse was not at first trained for the turf, but that his speed and power were discovered in the course of a very severe run with foxhounds, Mr. Herring does not so summarily dispose of. He says, "This I will not attempt to contradict. Mr. Leonard Childers used to assert confidently that he was merely used as a hack to carry the letterbag between Cantley Hall and the post-office at Doncaster. An intimate friend of the Mr. Childers who bred this flying son of Betty Leedes, however, having on several occasions had opportunities of observing his superior action, suggested the propriety of putting him into training, a course which for some time was not adopted. The friend continuing incessant in his importunity, the hackney was at length sent to Newmarket-with what fortune we have seen. Mr. Leonard Childers was accustomed to say, he did not deny the statement that the animal had been hunted, but that he had never heard of it till he read it in Lawrence's history. The record of the squire is more worthy than that of the historian, for the late Leonard Childers was an enthusiast in all that related to horses, and there can be little doubt of his having carefully investigated all that concerned so renowned a branch of his equestrian genealogical tree." These are scanty materials for so eminent a biography.

We proceed with our extracts from Mr. Herring's MS.:

Eclipse, it would seem, ran his maiden race at Epsom, April 2nd, 1769, and won a £50 plate, being then five years old; four mile heats, carrying 8st.; and beating, at two heats, Gower, five years old, who was distanced in the second heat. Gower ran but twice, and was beaten both times. Ascot Heath, May 29th, Eclipse won the Noblemen and Gentlemen's Plate of £50, 9st. 3lb.; beating Cream de Barb at two heats; two miles. Cream de Barb ran eleven times and won five. At Winchester, June 13th, Eclipse won the King's 100 gs., 12st.; four-mile heats; beating Slouch, Chigger, Juba, Caliban, and Clanvil; the last two were distanced in the first heat. Slouch ran three times, and was twice beaten; Chigger ran fifteen times, and was ten times beaten; Juba ran five times, and was beaten four; Caliban ran eight times, and was beaten four; Clanvil ran but twice, and was beaten both times. At Winchester, June 15th, £50; Eclipse walked over. At Salisbury, June 28th, Eclipse walked over for the King's 100gs. At Salisbury, June 29th, Eclipse won the City Plate, being a large silver bowl, and 30 gs. added: 10st.; four-mile heats; beating Sulphur. Sulphur was but 14 hands one

inch high, and ran nineteen times and was beaten nine. At Canterbury, July 25th, Eclipse walked over for the King's 100gs. At Lewes, July 27th, Eclipse won the King's 100 gs.; 12st.; four-mile heats, at two heats; beating Kingston, who ran three times and won once. At Lichfield, September 19th, Eclipse won the King's 100 gs.; 8st. 7lb.; three-mile heats, at two heats; beating Tardy, who ran eight times and won four. At Newmarket, April 16th, 1770, Eclipse, six years old, 8st. 7lbs., beat Bucephalus; 600 gs. to 400 gs. Bucephalus ran three times and won twice. At Newmarket, April 19th, Eclipse won the King's 100 gs.; 12st.; four-mile heats, R.C.; beating Pensioner, Diana, and Chigger. Pensioner ran five times, and was beat each time; Diana only started in this race; Chigger ran fifteen times, and won but five. At Guildford, Eclipse walked over for the King's 100 gs., June 4. At Nottingham, July 3, Eclipse walked over for the King's 100gs. At York, Aug. 20th, Eclipse walked over for the King's 100gs. At York, Aug. 23rd, Eclipse won the Gt. Subscription of £319 10s.; 8st. 71b.; four miles; beating Tortoise and Bellario, 9st. each. Tortoise ran twenty times, and won nine, and W. O. twice; Bellario ran forty times, and won sixteen, and W. O. once. At Lincoln, Sep. 3rd., Eclipse W. O. for the King's 100gs. At Newmarket F. O. M., Oct. 3rd, Eclipse won £150; 8st. 10lb.; B.C.; beating Corsican. Corsican ran twelve times, and was beaten nine. At Newmarket, Oct. 4th, Eclipse W. O. for the King's 100gs.

O'Kelly's famous courser, like Flying Childers, kept the turf only two seasons. It will be seen that he appeared eighteen times-running for ten events, and walking over for eight. Contrast his career with the performances of some animals of our own day-the catalogue does not purport to be an accurate synopsis of contemporary returns abridged from the Book Calendars.

Catharina, by Whisker, ran one hundred and seventy-one races, winning seventy-six times, and running second thirty-five-sixty-three of her races were heats.......

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"Lawrence asserts," observes Mr. Herring, "that Eclipse won eleven King's plates, the weight for ten of which was 12st., the remainder 10st. whence he derived his information it is not for me to say, but that he is considerably in error it is not very difficult to proveunles he calls walking over winning. He only won four King's hun dreds-three at 12st., four-mile heats, and one (at Lichfield) 8st. 7lbs.,

three-mile heats: he walked over for eight King's plates." There is an old saying" tell me who you go with, and I'll tell you who you are In letter and spirit this is pat to our purpose. Examine Eclipse's company, and you may form a fair estimate of his quality. Neither the portrait of Eclipse by Sartorius, nor that by Stubbs, conveys to the eye the idea of an animal of great physical powers. In both he is represented with light thighs and arms, weak hocks and knees, and anything but muscular gaskins. An anecdote in strict keeping shall close our extracts, it is apropos of a brother of the brush above alluded to.

"Speaking of Stubbs, I was once asked by Sir T. S." (Sir Tatton Sykes?) did I recollect him: I replied, no,' as he died about the year I was born. Well,' said Sir T., when I was at Oxford, we had a very ugly man in the college I was in; he was tall and anything but prepossessing, having an extravagantly large head, which certainly don't help to set off a plain face. The fellow's vanity led him to fancy that he should look well upon canvas. To this we all of course assented-I mean we, his brother collegians. Now it so happened that Stubbs was at this time practising his calling at Oxford, and to him we referred the man with the ugly mug-little supposing that he could paint the human face divine. To Stubbs he went, and the preliminaries arranged, the artist demanded how he desired to be pourtrayed? In what guise he wished to meet immortality? This was a poser. Requesting time to answer so momentous a question, he once more had recourse to his friends. We told him that the matter admitted of no question; that as a student of Alma Mater, it became him to be drawn in canonicals. Thus crammed he returned to the limner' Paint me,' said he, " in my canonicals.' In your canonicals," rejoined Stubbs, thoughtfully, in your what? eh? ah-yes-I see, sir; you mean in your hood and body clothes.'"

*

For the current season, so far as it has gone, many of the principal meetings have fallen, singularly mal apropos for the monthly periodicals. As it was with Epsom in reference to our June number, so it was with Newcastle as related to that for July. This influential northern tryst did not terminate till the 27th of June, the last being the important day. A brief notice of it, however, is absolutely necessary to keep entire the chain of our turf record: the epitome will not venture out of bounds.

"Sunt certi denique fines,

Quos ultra citraque nequit consistere rectum :

Illuc, unde abii, reden.”

The weather was fair, but not so the average of the attendance. The scene opened with ominous languor, supported by a walk over for the Tyne Stakes, by Wish. The second year of the First Triennial Produce, 27 subscribers, brought four to the post. Baroness backed against the field: 5 to 2 against The Prior of Lanercost-the winner by half a head, the favourite second. The Hunters' Stakes-amateur-7 subseribers, came off a trio. The Little Queen, 6 to 4 on her, won in a canter. The Convivial Stakes, 22 subscribers and eight runners, broke the ice. Vanguard won, and Sir Charles Monck's victory elicited a manifestation; he, the horse-as indeed his master-was the favourite.

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