an old hunter. His forelegs were bandaged, but as this is "a way they have" at Russley, it may mean nothing; and as he was deficient in preparation, he will probably improve on the form he showed here, but we do not fancy he will ever make a great performer. We had never seen Sunshine before, and so hastened to pay our court to her as soon as we entered the paddock. This was rather a difficult matter, as she was striding up and down under the hedge at a tremendous pace, and kept us quite on the trot. She is a grand-looking mare, with great power and symmetry; but there was a decidedly soft look about her that told of a hurried preparation, and there can be no doubt that about three weeks more work would have made her a different animal. Bright Weather, Bright Weather, a big white-faced chesnut, was in the paddock, but did not start. Little Pâté was quite the public favourite. She is a very pretty symmetrical filly, only just lacking size to be quite at the top of the tree, and her condition was simply perfect. Considering that she ran twenty-three races last year, and took part in about half-a-dozen more at the beginning of this season, and yet was perfectly sound and fresh, it is pretty plain that early racing cannot be quite as fatal to an animal as has been represented. After a long search we found Joseph Dawson quietly putting Hester to rights, in a field on the Durdans estate. The filly looked well, though not so cool and free from excitement as she was at Newmarket. Still her backers were perfectly satisfied with her appearance, and went away and backed her against the field like men. She is one of the most beautiful fillies ever seen, and but for her drooping quarters would have attained perfection. Gertrude looked light and weedy, and was uncommonly fine-drawn; while Gamos has grown into a big, leggy, flat-sided mare, and looks like a thorough non stayer, so after her Bath performance no one paid her any attention. Carfax, on the other hand, is a really fine filly, and it is a pity she is not as good as she looks. The most we can say for Hawthorndale is that she could probably give Cockney Boy 14lb. The fillies certainly beat the colts easily enough, as far as appearance was concerned, for one could not have selected a quartet from the Derby field that would borne comparison with Hester, Sunshine, Carfax, and Pâté. We adopted the same plan as on Wednesday, and after seeing the start, which took place at the very first attempt, ran to our place on the hill. Hester was disposed of even sooner than her companion in misfortune-Macgregor-for after rounding Tattenham Corner she was really never in it. At the distance the three placed were very level, and it appeared anybody's race; then Pâté gave way, and in the last hundred yards Gamos settled Sunshine, with a little in hand. To our mind Sunshine was beaten simply from being above herself. She ran as gamely as ever, but she could not come again and again, as she did in the Middle Park, for no amount of gameness can make up for want of condition. She was pullling double a short distance from home, and looked like coming in alone; but, like many generous animals, the moment she has done pulling she is beaten. We never saw so many blank faces as there were after the race. It is perfectly hopeless to try to reconcile Gamos's Epsom victory with her miserable performance at Bath. Mr. Graham does not seem inclined to unbosom himself to the public, so we shall have to wait in the hope that future performances will throw some light on the subject.

The Grand Prix was a great failure as far as our horses were concerned, for Prince of Wales, Nobleman, Coutts, and Recorder were very poor representatives of England. The race will never be a really international one while it takes place between Epsom and Ascot; added to which, there is undoubtedly a very strong feeling against Sunday racing in this country. It is a pity that Sornette is not in the Leger, for she would give Kingcraft and Macgregor all their work to beat her. The hard ground did not materially reduce the size of the Ascot fields, though it deprived us of a second view of Kingcraft, and induced Prince Pless for some unaccountable reason to withdraw Blue Gown from the Cup, for which he seemed to have an excellent chance, and send him to Lyons, to carry 10st. 7lb. over a course like a brickfield. The result was just what might have been expected, and we feel very sorry that the l'rince has made such a poor beginning with his plucky 5,000 guinea purchase. Sir Joseph Hawley had quite Mr. Merry's Epsom luck, and could only manage to win a single race throughout the week; though he certainly did not spare his horses, and was especially hard on Rosicrucian and Asterope. The Russley stable was in capital form on Tuesday and Wednesday, winning four good races; but it could do nothing later in the week. However, Mr. Merry will probably have the winter favourite once more; as though Perth, owing to his unlucky Windsor accident, may not run again, King of the Forest completely wiped out his Epsom defeat, and his performance in the Queen's Stand Plate was about the smartest thing of the year. Perfume, Digby Grand, and Pâté, can all gallop over the T.Y.C., but they stood no chance with the winner. This proves King of the Forest to be uncommonly speedy, and from the severity of the Ascot course it is pretty certain that he can stay; but it is one more instance of the hopelessness of the older horses trying to cope with two-year-olds at the present weight for age. We hope the Jockey Club will soon take this matter seriously in hand, and thoroughly revise the scale, when we shall see horses remain much longer on the turf, instead of retiring to the stud as five-year-olds.

Rogues and over-rated horses seem to select the Prince of Wales's Stakes to recompense their unhappy owners for previous disappointments; unfortunately, however, the amende honorable generally comes too late, for after losing small fortunes at Newmarket and Epsom, they almost invariably run unbacked at Ascot. Breadalbane, Rustic, and Martyrdom were all animals of this stamp, and King o' Scots is a worthy addition to the illustrious band. He certainly had not much to beat, but he lay in front from start to finish, and never gave anything else a chance. He is just the horse to drive an owner and trainer out of their minds, for we know as a fact, that last year, even when Hester was at her best, he was always superior to her in private. The much-talked of Royal Head, own brother to Ostregar, at length put in an appearance, and showed form that would have made him very dangerous had he been allowed to run in the last Cesarewitch. The four victories of the "spots" were not the least pleasant feature of the meeting, and the way in which King Cole upset the odds laid on that miserable wretch Sunlight, was one of the most remarkable things ever seen. The latter came into the straight with a lead of more than a dozen lengths, while Snowden had been hard on

Lord Zetland's horse almost from the start. The moment Sunlight got among the crowd, and heard the crack of Snowden's whip, with which he certainly managed to make a tremendous noise, he put his ears back, quietly waited till King Cole passed him, and ran about a couple of lengths behind him all the way home. Wheatear showed in very improved form during the meeting, for before her clever victory over Bonny Swell, she made Sunshine do all she knew to win the Coronation, and many of those who saw how Mr. Merry's mare had to gallop to win this race, prefered taking 3 to 1 about Normanby, instead of laying odds on her on the Friday. The careers of Achievement and Sunshine have been almost identical. Achievement ran thirteen times as a two-year-old, and was beaten twice; Sunshine came out ten times, and was beaten once. Both carried the full penalty in the Middle Park Plate, and both ran second; while each was the highest two-year-old winner of her year. Both were second in the Oaks, and the verdict on cach occasion was easily by a length." Achievement was second in two races at Ascot, and Sunshine in one; both won the Coronation; and it only remains to be seen whether Sunshine will continue to emulate the deeds of her predecessor, and pass through the Doncaster ordeal as brightly as she did. The race for the Cup proved two things pretty conclusivelythat Muster cannot get a distance, and that Sabinus on hard ground is about 14lb. superior to Sabinus through mud; while Kingcraft would not have relished giving him the 5lb. allowance at Epsom. Trocadéro well deserved to win the Alexandra Plate after running second for it two years in succession, and it was no mean performance for the old horse to give Siderolite 8lb. over this gruelling course.

Newcastle saw Honesty in his old form over mile courses, with weight no object. Falkland credited Voltigeur and "the spots" with another victory; and two terribly high-bred "Lady's," the half-sisters to Thorwaldsen and Caller Ou, finished first and second in a Biennial. Morphia carried off two events, and Kennington's easy victory in the Plate was remarkable from the fact that he carried 6lbs. more than any three-year-old winner had ever done before. King of the Forest took about £600 by his journey north, and it is many years since "the tykes" have had a look at the Derby favourite. At Windsor Perth would have succeeded in giving Sauntress 11lb., but for his unfortunate breakdown; however, he has well paid his way, even if he never runs again. Little Steppe had no chance with Sauntering Alma, and as later in the day Barrier gave the latter 24lb. and lost her, he must be an uncommonly smart colt. Lady of Lyons, an own sister to King of the Forest, made short work of her field in the Windsor Handicap, as she well might, with only 6st. 11lb. on her back, and having been tried better than Sunlight. What can be said of 'Ampton, except that the Kennington party well deserved to be beaten for not allowing the colt even an hour's rest after his Northumberland Plate victory, and that the Thunderbolts were in great force.

In the present unsettled and unsatisfactory state of the Turf, when everybody has got something to say on the subject of reform, and M.P.'s are making long specches in the House, and either displaying the most profound ignorance of their theme, or else being led into great dangers by a "little knowledge," we quite agree with William Day, that "any

one who's got anything to say should say it." "Our William" was not content with preaching, but practised his own doctrine; the aged "Senex" gave the world the inestimable benefit of about half-a-yard more of his thoughts in the columns of his favourite Daily Telegraph ; Admiral Rous has written two or three of his characteristic letters in answer to some of Sir Joseph Hawley's; and lastly, we were pleased to see Mr. Tattersall's name attached to a long epistle "On Horses, Racing, &c." We expected, a good letter from Mr. Tattersall, and we were not disappointed, for it is decidedly the best that has yet appeared. All his propositions are clearly laid down, fairly argued out, and, as we think, conclusively proved. It is a favourite amusement of the "Senex" school to weep over the degeneracy of the racehorse of the present day; Mr. Tattersall, on the other hand (and we should be inclined to take his opinion even against that of "Senex" himself) says, that so far from degenerating it has improved, and goes on to state that "our horses with their higher early development from careful breeding and high keep from the earliest moment, come to full maturity at a much earlier date than formerly, and that the racehorse of the present day, at the end of his third year (say in October), is as good as the racehorse of former days at six years old. I do not believe, either, that early training or early racing-that is, at two years old-unless carried to excess, injures the horse either as a racehorse or as the progenitor of racehorses." He then instances Blue Gown and The Colonel-grand types of the racehorse and steeplechaser-as examples of animals who were raced as two-year-olds, and have done plenty of hard work ever since, and yet are still thoroughly sound. We are not quite prepared to agree with Mr. Tattersall that there is any reason for prohibiting two-year-olds from running before May 1st; though we do not think it a very important point; but every sensible man must feel that the racing season should not extend beyond the middle of November. Mr. Tattersall strongly protests against the interference of the Legislature with racing reforms, as indeed he well may, after the anomaly we have witnessed of the blind attempting to lead those that see, and he points out that these matters may well be left to the committee appointed by the Jockey Club, in which are several members of the House of Commons. Perhaps the best little bit in the letter is a paragraph on the subject of betting, so true, and so neatly put:-" The wise men came from the East. I think in London they live there still; for in the City they call it business, but we foolish people at the West-end call it betting. The world is so led away by names of things. Both in their way are good enough. It is only the abuse of either that does any harm. But when a crash comes in the City, black Friday there beggars thousands, while in the betting world two or three get their wings singed, and the rest pay what they can well afford to lose." Then comes Mr. Tattersall's long cherished scheme of a racing company or club. The latter indeed is the proper term, for none of the shares will ever be for sale in the public market, and it will be essentially a private affair. It is to be formed as follows: "Let five gentlemen each find five friends with £500 or £1,000 each to put into a racing company. This would represent a capital of £12,500 or £25,000; half to be called up at once, and the other as required, but half down to make it bona fide. Let the five form a board, and appoint three to manage the concern; and I think

I can put them in a way to have a great deal of real amusement for their money, combined with a return. The company not to bet; but if any individual member chose to do so on his own account, that would have nothing to do with the company." Our only doubt is, whether such a company would pay, for we have always understood that nothing but betting could meet the many expenses attendant on maintaining a stud. On expressing this doubt to Mr. Tattersall, however, he assured us that he could prove, that, in several cases, the stakes won by a stable had paid all expenses, and left a handsome profit, and no one could be in a better position to judge of these matters. Of course the management of the company would be all important, for by judicious "placing" very moderate animals often pick up nice little stakes, and we can answer for it, that the gentleman who would be proposed as secretary would make the affair pay if anyone could, and, as an instance of his acumen, we may state that, even after the Two Thousand, he declined to have anything to do with Macgregor for the Derby, but quietly backed Kingcraft. At any rate we are sure that there are many country gentlemen who cannot afford to race on their own account, but who will gladly pay their £500 or £1,000 (with no further liability of any sort) for the pleasure of being part owners of a well-managed stud. In conclusion, Mr. Montague Guest, whose ingenuous proposal to " do away with Tattersall's" was received with so much laughter in the House, does not escape without a little well-deserved castigation, and is finally enlightened to the fact that "the business of Tattersall's is not to bet, but to sell horses."

The result of her Majesty's sale must be considered highly satisfactory, for in spite of all that has been said and written of the decay of the Turf, and, what was still more against a good total, that the yearlings were indubitably a very moderate lot, an average of 193 gs. was obtained. The Marquis of Anglesea bought five, for which he paid 2,620 gs., more than half the sum realized by the whole four-andtwenty. Among the five was the Trumpeter-Ayacanora colt, the premier of the sale. We did not care much for him, as his legs are none of the best; and we fancy that the Marquis missed the pick of the lot when he let the Trumpeter-Hepatica filly, a very nice bay with plenty of bone and quality, go to Mr. T. Brown's nod. The first of the Savernakes hardly came up to the expectations that have been formed of them, and the running of Ely's stock has not made people incline to it; however, it is hardly fair to condemn him yet. After Kingcraft's Derby triumph, we should have fancied that a King Tom would have excited a good deal of competition, yet the four very nice ones which Sir Lydston Newman sent up from Mamhead made poor prices. The Marquis of Anglesey gave the top price (400 gs.) for Startle, a half-sister to High Church, by Crater out of Start Point, and, as far as we could judge, the handsome Sundeelah promises to pay his way at the stud. Seven out of the eight Stanton yearlings were by Saccharometer; but the low prices obtained for six of them must not be taken as any criterion of his merits as a sire, for people are naturally shy of an untried horse.

We were unable to inspect the Middle Park yearlings until the sale day, but report spoke very highly of them, and we were assured that, taking them as a whole, they were superior to any that had been pre