looking at them here, and enjoying the beauty of the scenery till I came to a weir. Above this some logs of timber were floating, and beside them several monstrous chub were tumbling about, and rubbing themselves against them: this sent me posting home immediately for my tackle. I found, however, that, like salmon playing in coloured water, these chub were inclined only to disport themselves; and, in spite of the most artistic throwing, I could not induce one of them to touch my fly. I then changed my position to where there was no appearance of fish on the surface, but where, the water being deep, it struck me there might be as good as those observable below. I soon had a rise, and hooked and killed a chub of immense size, and then, to my astonishment, two more as large. There appeared to be no small ones here. The water was perfectly calm and clear, and, using one fly only, which I made to drop in the way that had proved so successful at Carlsbad, I got several enormous ones to come up in a manner that was beautiful, showing their glittering sides as they broke the calm surface. A German came to me just as R had landed one of them, and taking the thin top of my fly rod between his finger and thumb, bent it backwards and forwards, and asked me "How I could catch anything with it when it was so slight?" I explained to him that fish never handled a rod as he did he appeared, however, to have an idea that they did something of the sort. My sport was now glorious, these large chub being very strong as strong as trout of a similar size, though they struggled in a different way, and it was continued till my fly, the last fly of the kind on my hook, became completely worn out, and so many had been killed that it puzzled me to know what to do with them. Having filled my landing net as full as it would hold, for I had not taken time to unpack my basket, I adjourned to a mill in the locality, and presented them to the miller's wife, who was glad to receive them, and then brought her, accompanied by her husband, to where the remainder were lying on the grass. As they were taking them up, they muttered to each other many commendations of my success, eyeing at the same time me and my rod as they might a magician and his wand.

We left Halle next morning for the Schwarzwald.

SPORTING OLLA PODRIDA.

BY LORD WILLIAM LENNOX.

EQUESTRIAN AND PEDESTRIAN SPORTS IN FRANCE.

1776. About this period there prevailed a great passion for horseracing; it was the Anglo-mania; great bets were depending at every course, and the noblemen turned jockeys, and rode their own horses. When the Count de Lauragais, a fast young nobleman, appeared at Court after a long residence in England, the King coldly inquired where he had been for some time. In England, the Count replied. "What did you do there?" "I learnt there, please your Majesty, to think-"Of horses," retorted the King.

The nation, indeed, frivolous as it was, saw with indignation the behaviour of the Duke de Chartres (Egalité) and the Count d'Artois. These princes not only associated with their grooms, and entered into every species of gaming, but treated the people at the races with the most ineffable contempt and ferocity. With singular activity they used their whips on the spectators as well as on their horses, and not only encouraged the officers to persecute the crowd, but employed such grossness of speech and offensive oaths that showed these princes were not unskilled in the language of the lowest orders of the nation.

It was a truly edifying spectacle to see the Duke de Lauzun running against Monsieur de Fenelon; the last fell from his horse, broke his arm, and lost his wager. The same gentleman betted with another nobleman who could reach Versailles and return to Paris the quickest in a single horse-chaise; the horse of the first died at Sevres, and the other expired in the stable at Paris within a few hours of his return.

These frivolous courtiers, not satisfied with exercising their inhumanity on their horses, exposed themselves to the derision of Paris by other kinds of races. The Dukes de Chartres and Lauzun, and the Marquis Fitzjames, betted 500 louis who could first reach Versailles on foot. Lauzun gave up the race about half-way; Chartres about two-thirds; Fitzjames arrived in an exhausted state, and was saluted as conqueror by the Count d'Artois. He, however, like a hero expiring in the arms of victory, called for a bed, and was immediately bled in the arms, winning his wager, and catching an asthma. It was in this manner the Princes of the Blood, the descendants of Henry the Great, passed their days.

Not satisfied with horse and foot-racing by the courtiers, the Queen. had others by asses. Her Majesty animated by her presence the countrymen in the neighbourhood, and the winner had for his reward 300 livres and a golden thistle; allusion to the plant to which these patient animals are so partial.

FLYERS OF BY GONE DAYS.

Commence we with the pedigree and exploits of Sir Charles Bunbury's ch. h. Diomed.

Diomed was got by Florizel, out of a Spectator mare, bred by Mr. Panton, foaled in 1763, her dam (sister to Horatius) by Blank, grandam (Feathers' dam, and full sister to the grandam of Cygnet and Blossom) by Childers, out of Miss Belvoir, by Grey Grantham-Paget Turk Betty Percival-by Leed's Arabian.

In 1780, at Newmarket Second Spring Meeting, Diomed, then 3 years old, won a Sweepstakes of 500 gs. each, h. ft., 8st., D. I., beating ch. c. by Herod; Diadem, brother to Mopsqueezer, Aladdin, and a b. by Northumberland, paying forfeit.

At Epsom, Diomed won the Derby Stakes of 50 gs. each, h. ft., last mile of the course; colts 8st., fillies 7st. 11lbs.; 36 subs.; beating a field of eight horses.

At Newmarket July Meeting walked over for a Sweepstakes of 100 gs. each.

At Newmarket First October Meeting, Diomed received 400 gs. forfeit; on the following day he won a Plate of £80; on the Friday he received 100 gs. forfeit.

At the Second Newmarket Meeting he won a Subscription Plate of

160 gs.

In 1781, Diomed received 250 gs. forfeit from Mr. Stapleton's brother to Mopsqueezer, and won the Fortescue Stakes of 30 gs. each, 11 subs., and the Claret Stakes of 2,100 gs. at Newmarket.

In 1782, Diomed's running went off; he paid 100 gs. forfeit to Sir John Lade's g. c. Crop.

In 1783, Diomed won the King's Plate at Guildford, carrying 12st., beating Lottery, who won the first in three four-mile heats.

RESULT OF DIOMED'S RUNNING.

In 1780, he started seven times and won seven.
Value of stakes

....

5,165 gs.

In 1781, he started five times, winning three
and losing two. Value of stakes .. 2,680 gs.
In 1782, he paid forfeit once and never started.
In 1783, he started seven times, was beat six,
and won one. Value of stakes

.....

100 gs.

"WHAT SHAPE A GOODE HORSE OUGHT TO HAVE.

"A goode horse shoulde have a black, smothe, drie, large, round, and hollow hove, and if it be soft and tender, and brode about the heles, it is the greater sign of lightness.

"The reason is, for that the horse, from the day of hys foling, tredeth lighte upon the grounde, for he is afray'd to trust to his hoves, being as yet verye tender, and therefore he strayneth his fore legges and back the more. The crownes above his hoves shoulde be small and heavy.

"Hys pastors short, and that neyther too lowe nor yeat too high; so shall he be strong beneath, and not apt to founder.

"Hys joyntes great, with longe feawterlocks behynde, whiche is a sign of force.

"Hys legges straight and brode; hys knees great, leane, and playne; hys thyes full of sinews, the bones whereof should be short, equal, just, and well-proportioned, and the brawnes thereof, when he standeth with hys legges together, ought to be muche more distaunt one from another above, towards the breast, than beneath.

"Hys shoulders longe, large, and full of fleashe; hys breast large and rounde; hys necke rather longe than short, greate towards the breaste, bending in the midst, and slender towards the heade; hys ears small or rather sharpe; hys forehead leane and large; hys eyes black and greate; the hollowness of hys browes well filled and shooting outwarde; hys jaws slender and leane; hys nostells so open and puffed uppe as you may see the redde within, apt to receive air; his mouth greate; and finally hys whole heade together would be like a shepe's heade. Hys wythers should not only be sharpe-pointed, but also righte and straight, so as a man may plainlye see from them the departure of his shoulders; hys back should be shorte and that neither risinge nor fallinge, but even and playne; hys sides shold be long and large, with a small space between the hyndermost ribbe and the huckle bone; hys belly orderlye hid under hys ribbs; hys flanks not gaunte, but full; hys tayle should be full of hairs and long, downe to the grounde; finallye all hys

THE APPROACHING GROUSE SEASON ON THE GRAMPIANS.

147

members should be correspondent to the greatness of his bodye, fashioned much like a stag, somewhat lower before than behind.

"THYNGES WHICH MAKE A PERFECT HORSEMAN.

"To make a perfect horseman, three thynges are requisite ; firste, to know howe and when to helpe your horse; secondly, howe and when to correct hym; and thirdly, howe and when to coze and to make much of hym. You may helpe your horse seven manner of wayes; that is to say, with your voyce, with your tong, with your rod, with the bridle, with the caulves of your leggs, with your stirrupe, and with your spurres. Agayne you may correct him in the above wayes, but you can cherish or coze hym but two manner of wayes, that is, eyther with your voyce in speakinge to hym gently, or else by scratchinge hym on the necke with your hand, or with the nether ende of your rod." The author then proceeds in a somewhat prolix manner to explain the different sounds of the "voyce, tong, and lyppes," whether used as 66 a correction, a helpe, or a cherishinge; " recommending, if necessary, a thorough good beating to a refractory horse, by way of saving him further "correctyon," and offering additional practical advice with respect to the art of rydinge.

THE APPROACHING GROUSE SEASON ON THE GRAMPIANS.

BY HAWTHORNE.

"Lands may be fair ayont the sea,
But hieland hills and lochs for me."

"Up sleeper, dreamer up, for now

There's grouse upon the mountain's brow."

The front range of the Grampians, towards the lowlands, has in many places a gradual and pleasant slope into a champaign country, of great extent and fertility; and notwithstanding the forbidding aspect, at first sight, of the mountains themselves, with their covering of heath and rugged rocks, they are intersected in a thousand directions by winding valleys, watered by rivers of the most limpid water, clad with the richest pastures, sheltered by thriving woods that fringe the lovely lakes. The valleys, which exhibit such a variety of natural beauty, also form a contrast with the ruggedness of the surrounding mountains, and present to the eye the most romantic scenery.

On Tuesday, the 14th, we took up our abode for the night close to the foot of the Grampians, intending to make a start on the following morning, to take a survey as to the prospects of the approaching season over the mountains, and, as the novelist would 66 say, ere the bright orb of day had tipped the mountain tops with his red sheet of gold," we had penetrated many miles over the wild scene of our native hills. A more lovely morning could not have greeted our peregrination; and on gaining the summit of a stupendous mountain, we sat down to con

148 THE APPROACHING GROUSE SEASON ON THE GRAMPIANS.

template the solitudes by which we were environed, and felt that ardent glow of enthusiastic delight that fills every Scottish heart in anticipating the pleasures and sports of his beloved Caledonia. The silence which reigned around gave a pleasing melancholy to the bosom of the sportsman not a sound caught the ear save the occasional bleat of the mountain sheep, or the harsh croak of the raven towering to the clouds, and eyeing with suspicion the vast solitudes which he deemed invaded by the hostile stranger. The scene was magnificent, and we remained wrapt in silent admiration at the vast productions of nature by which we were surrounded-those "islets in our inland seɛ, resembling the mighty waves of the ocean, as if they had been washed up one upon the other by the waters of the flood. The scent was good, with just as much breeze as made the air cool and refreshing; and the glorious sun had sunk behind the lofty Ben-Voirlich ere we retraced our steps to the beautiful and peaceful valley below. On that day we saw many a fine brood of the red feathery-footed bird of the moors, also some beautiful broods of black game.

On the 16th we were up with the lark, and found on the part of the mountains that we hunted on this day many fine broods of birds. These broods were not very strong on the wing; but by the 12th of August they will be fully ready for the game-bag

On the 20th we were again on the moors, and hunted the range of mountains to the westward of Glenshee; the show was good, and although not better than we have seen on these moors in former seasons, exceeding the last season by a very considerable majority, as brother Jonathan would say.

A few days ago we had a letter from the Marquis of Breadalbane's head keeper at Taymouth Castle, and he gives a very good account of the grouse family in his locality of country; also that black game are very plentiful, and that they have glorious show of that magnificent bird the cock-o'-the-north," in their dark pine woods.

From the far north our accounts are not so very flattering; many of the broods are small in size, and also in numbers.

Of the Lanarkshire moors we have heard from a keeper who has the charge of a large district of country in that locality, and he mentions that all kinds of game are to be more plentiful this season than they have been for the past two seasons. On the whole, however, I can safely assert from ocular demonstration, that though there is not an over-abundant supply of birds, the forthcoming season may be set down as good; and if the weather continues as favourable as it is, no sportsman will have reason to complain.

My report of the opening-day shall be forthcoming in due time. But I must now " hold hard" lest I should be too late for the current number, by wishing all a safe journey to the mountains, and a glorious morning on the 12th, when

Whistling winds and slaughtering guns
Bring autumn's pleasant weather-

The muircocks crow, o'er moor and dale,
Among the bonny heather."

Grampians, 22nd July, 1857.

P.S. The deer, yes the noble red knights of the mountains wild, were never in better order; the dry winter and fine summer being all