at

If you dry your powder between two hot-plates, as we have often done, beware of over-heating your apparatus. Never, under any circumstances, allow the muzzle of your gun to be turned towards any living creature, save the one you wish to kill, which we suppose to be neither your friend, your dog, nor even a grazing horse or sheep. If a bull run you and you cannot escape, we should except him from the category of beings to be preserved. Our deceased and much-respected sporting friend, whom we have introduced, narrowly escaped death from an old acquaintance, and veteran in shooting. The master of the harrier pack, so famed for his seat and good judgment "across country," was an excellent angler, and fished "cavalierly" from the back of the shooting pony, when the gout induced him (we mean the rider) to give up wading. When he wished to "saddle" rather than land his fish, he used an old "beaver" as his landing-net; and thus bowing to his constituents placed them in his creel. One day his wading pony was grazing, and himself seated on a bank of the Coquet, with legs astride to suit his position, as a partridge shooting friend arrived with his gun under his arm, and the barrels pointing downwards. A conversation of course ensued, and the seated angler objected to the position of the muzzles, which objection was immediately met by a statement, that during thirty years shooting he had never had an accident. A few minutes elapsed, at the expiration of which, both barrels discharged their contents between our friend's knees, throwing up a cloud of sand and débris to interrupt the conversation. Both somewhat pale with fright, looked at each other when the cloud had dispersed, and were thankful that their close proximity had prevented the charges from spreading. The pony continued grazing, and the dogs dropped to shot-and for once, both sportsmen were glad that nothing was bagged. We have had our own escapes too, especially Providential, when we used to shoot in company with a friend who persevered in carrying his gun with the hammers down upon the nipples. Whenever we reprimanded him concerning this dangerous practice, he put on half-cock, but in a few minutes he returned to his old plan, and we began to consider our life in imminent jeopardy. Well, we were not far out in our calculation; as in ten minutes after his asseveration, that he was an uncommonly safe man to shoot with, off go both barrels resting on his arm; by accident, as he said. No doubt it was accident, but then if we had not taken the precaution of keeping the right-side of him, where should we have been after the explosion on the left? Half an hour after this we had cleared a fence, and landed on "terra firma," when another blaze took place behind us, attended with no worse result than the singeing of a portion of our left whisker. Too near to be pleasant, thought we; ere parting company for the day with so careless a practitioner of gunnery. Yet this man was an excellent shot, and had had much experience, but from shooting long alone he had imbibed careless habits. We have often stood aghast as we saw him load the discharged barrel, with the loaded one at full-cock staring him in the face, and afraid to make any comment till the dangerous operation was completed, lest we should bring about the catastrophe which we wished to prevent. We are glad to hear that he is more occupied now in fox hunting and coursing than in gun practice. He is a reckless and daring rider, and amongst his purls he has not broken his neck, but if he will not take precautions about shooting, we fully

expect to see a paragraph in The Times, or some local journal, declaring that he has blown himself to pieces. After all precautions, "accidents will happen in the best regulated families;" the scear may give way in the act of loading, but it is highly improbable; ordinary caution would almost annihilate gun accidents, and there is no honour or glory attached to killing a friend, or committing suicide in the pursuit of game.

Your gun, in a great measure, must decide the charge of powder and shot, but never fall into the habit of overshotting-but rather increase the powder. Our own charge is from two and a-half to three drachms of powder, and one ounce of shot: we never increase the shot, and consequently we kill at long distances. Many persons hardly allow their bird to fly a yard, and the result is, either a clean miss, or such mangled game that it is neither fit for their own eating nor that of their friends. Birds without heads, or with every bone smashed into splinters, are not handsome objects to send as a present. After the season has advanced a little, there is not much fear that birds will become mangled mummies, being well able to take care of themselves, and towards the end of the season they will fly as if they never meant to alight again till they had crossed the Atlantic.

We hope in a short time to hear of brilliant success amongst the partridges, and every variety of game in its season. Such will, we doubt not, attend hundreds of our brother sportsmen, while many young beginners will blaze away without doing much execution, and will be able to appreciate the difficulty of stopping a rabbit as he pops about in thick cover. Good sight and steady nerve are indispensable in shooting, but with these qualities birds will soon fall mechanically: "fast going" hares will roll head over heels, rabbits be checked in mid air as they jump a drill, and snipes will be whipped down as soon as they are flushed. With regard to the two methods of shooting snipes, we always adopt the snap system, taking him as he flies straight, and before he has time to commence his gyrations. With a good share of ground to shoot over, and of health to enjoy it, we wish you sport to your heart's content, and remember that "Nil desperandum" should ever be the sportsman's

motto.

GOODWOOD RACES,
RACES, 1857.

BY LORD WILLIAM LENNOX.

It was prognosticated, some years ago, by a class of persons who covertly wish to run down all national sports, that the lamented death of the late Lord George Bentinck would produce a direful effect upon the above meeting. It is perfectly true that the nobleman in question exerted his most strenuous endeavours to raise Goodwood races to their present pre-eminent position: it was through his unwearied zeal to the cause, that stringent regulations were passed to cleanse, as far as possible, the scum and filth of the Augean stable: it was through his steady perseverance that the subscriptions to the several stakes exceeded each

year the amount of the preceding one: it was to his comprehensive mind that the improvements in the Stand and the Course may be traced. Without then wishing to do an injustice to the memory of one, who for firmness of purpose, nobleness of character, princely liberality, and uncompromising hostility to the tricks of the lower turfites and black-legs, cannot be equalled, we cannot go to the length of saying that the races in question have suffered to any great extent by the loss of the aristocratic Napoleon of the Turf.

If we required any proof of the above assertion, we should find it in the fact that the races of 1857, under the distinguished stewardship of the Duke of Beaufort, and W. S. Stirling Crawfurd, Esq., have in every respect kept up their high character. Two more popular men than the above-mentioned nobleman and commoner could not be named. The Duke is a warm supporter of our English national sports, and as a master of hounds, an owner of race horses, an amateur whip, few can exceed this descendant of the Plantagenets. Mr. Crawford's name

is associated with all the glories of the Quorn, of which he is a most distinguished member.

The trial of strength between England, France, and America, imparted an additional interest to the Cup Day. Pryor and Prioress came to England with a great Transatlantic reputation, while Monarque and Florin were not unknown to fame. Both parties were confident of success, and although the "red and white stripes" were not successful, they well sustained the honour of their country, as we shall presently show, Monarque, who ran third for the cup last year, won it on this occasion, after one of the most exciting races on record: it is a trophy the French may well be proud of, and we heartily congratulate them on their success. We now proceed to give an analysis of the week's sport :

First Day.

Seven races; forty-eight horses started; value of stakes £4,320

Six races, one walk over; eighty-nine horses started;

value of stakes

Second Day.

Third Day.

Eight races, two walks over; fifty-two horses started; value of stakes

£3,685

£5,895

Fourth Day.

Seven races; sixty-four horses started; value of stakes

Thirty-four horses started for the Stewards' Cup, an almost unprecedented

number.

The company assembled during the meeting was greater than upon any former occasion, the receipts of the Grand Stand being more than the preceding year by thirty-one pounds. Among the distinguished foreigners who enjoyed the hospitalities of Goodwood House, may be mentioned the Count de Paris, eldest son of the ill-fated Duc d'Orleans; the Queen of the Netherlands; Monsieur Lupin, the owner of Florin; and Mr. R. Ten Broeck, of New York. The Duke of Bedford was

kept away by the recent demise of the kind-hearted Duchess, as were Lord and Lady Chesterfield by the lamented death of General Anson.

There was but one cause of complaint during the whole meeting, and that is beyond the power of the authorities to suppress; the remedy rests alone with those who are the victims. We allude to a new fraternity, called "Welchers." It consists of sundry broken-down individuals, who enter the betting ring, make bets, give false names, pounce for payment upon those who lose to them, and carefully avoid all settlement with the There can be no doubt misguided men to whom they are indebted. that the system is nefarious; but as the fact of giving a false name, and refusing to pay, does not amount to a criminal charge, the police cannot interfere. The stewards could, upon a case being fully proved, warn the guilty party off the course; but a more simple and effectual plan would be for persons to refuse to bet with those not known to the ring; and if this principle were fully carried out, the "Welchers," like the Moor of Venice, would find their "occupation gone." There are always men of character and honour among the bookmakers, and in the long run it will be found much more profitable to take a point under the odds to ensure a payment from a solvent creditor, than to be carried away by a more tempting offer of some needy and unprincipled adventurer, who will either repudiate his debt, or make a declaration of "no effects" when called upon to settle his account. If the respectable members of the profession wish to get rid of the black sheep, they will congregate together close to the ring, where strangers anxious to invest their money will have no difficulty in finding or ascertaining their names; by adopting the above plans, the "Welchers" will have to seek some other line of business, and the scandal hitherto attached to such proceedings, especially when played off upon foreigners, will be removed. We fear at the late Goodwood meeting many honourable citizens of the New World were victimised by the rascally scum of the old country.

While upon the subject of betting, we cannot refrain from mentioning the high-mindedness and noble conduct of several American gentlemen, who, feeling that their names were unknown in England, expressed their wish to place the amount they risked in the hands of some English sportsman of character. The above gentlemanlike trait, added to the straightforward manner in which the owners of the horses from the United States acted, was duly appreciated by all; and although Mr. R. Ten Broeck did not carry off the gold cup, he won "golden opinions" from every one who had the good fortune to form his acquaintance. The two transatlantic flyers ran extremely well under all the circumstances of the case they had to contend with the horrors of a sea voyage; they had to fight against change of climate, food, and water; and one of them had lately suffered greatly from & cough. To add to these disadvantages, the riders, albeit good jockeys, were not as much "at home" on the course, as others who had ridden there for years: they did not know the difference of the ground, the nature of the turns, and sundry little items which, in the aggregate, amount to a considerable advantage. All we can say is, in the words of the dramatist, if Mr. R. Ten Broeck could not "command success," he did more-he "deserved it." As the cup is not doomed to grace the sideboard of the hospitable competitor at New York, we are happy that it will find its way to Paris. Our worthy allies, who fought side by side with us in the late glorious campaign in the Crimea, now emulate us in field sports; and delighted

shall we be to continue this friendly rivalry. Count Frederick de Lagrange, the owner of the winning horse, is truly popular on both sides of the water, and most deservedly so.

In conclusion, we hope that the cup, in 1858, will be contended for by the representatives of America, France, and England, and to adopt an axiom of the latter country, that "with a clear stage and no favour, the best horse will win."

SPORTING INCIDENTS IN THE SOUTH OF FRANCE.

BY ROVER,

The doctor has sounded the chest of his consumptive patient for the last time; his fiat has gone forth; and the orders have been given, which will transport his patient far from England's fogs, to a country where the sun is ever supposed to shine, and eternal summer to reign throughout the live-long year. Is there a family in merry England, that has not had, at some time or other, a relative who has been in a position such as this, and been compelled to exchange the old manorhouse, the Christmas festivities, and all-yes, all that makes life delightful to a genuine English heart-for a lodging amongst strangers, whose climate is alone to fill up the gap caused by the separation from all most dear? Is there not in each family, that thus accompanies their ailing relative, at the least one member, to whom the fox-hound's cry, the woodcock's rapid flight, and the rise of the wary trout is far more welcome than the strains that invite the mazy dance, or the easy do-nothing existence that a cloudless sky is apt to engender? Let such a one take eomfort from the fact that in every nook and corner of this terrestial sphere the sporting goddess ever finds some kind of employment for her enthusiastic and persevering votaries.

To this general rule, Pau, the capital of Béarn, and the resort of invalids, is no exception; and, though the first of November must see the rod of the angler shelved for a short three months' rest, still there remains the pursuit of the wild fox over the uncultivated wastes in the immediate vicinity. No inferior pack is the one which strikes terror into the vulpine race that abound throughout the country; and, though a cloth of unusual dimensions would not perhaps cover them when running, and a connoisseur might object to some difference in size, yet stout must be the animal that the speed of the Oakley and the stamina of the Cambridgeshire cannot bring to hand in less than an hour. Let but one of the writers upon scent spend but one winter here, and straigtway he will return more mystified than ever; for a bad scenting day is a thing almost unknown; the hottest and the coldest day being alike favourable to hounds on these perplexing landes. So as we jog along to try some distant hill-side, the oft-propounded question of " Will there be a scent to-day ?" is seldom, if ever, put; and all anxiety is at an end, when some old hound opens on the scent of our wily friend. Over the open landes he takes us, where bank succeeds bank, garnished with yawning ditch on either side: and right well do the little thorough