managed, ere he awoke, to pin him with the boat-hook, and after considerable difficulty to strangle him. It was the largest otter ever caught in Nottinghamshire, measuring four feet six inches, and weighed within an ounce or so of 28 lbs.-Provincial Paper. We recollect, too, within these few weeks, hearing from some other of our country friends of another, so far from wide awake, as to walk into a town and trip up the first lady he met. Really King Otter is becoming as valuable a friend in time of need as the shower of frogs or infuriated ox. The cricketing season has begun in earnest at Oxford, where Hillyer, Dean, Royston and other professors are busily engaged teaching the young idea how to give or take "a shooter." 66 STATE OF THE ODDS, &c. 66 A month so full of action as April could not, of course, be without its effect on the great “ object of interest." The changes, however, either advance" or "retire," have not been so striking as we often see about this period. Many of the second-rate swells, to be sure, have gone right out of the market; while the first-class, on the other hand, continue, with an exception or so, no very great way from the mark they have lately been set at. Planet, from losing the Two Thousand, becomes a little worse, as Conyngham, from winning it, a little better; War Eagle's and Red Hart's two races have brought both to nearly as you were,' though at the same time the chief alterations may be traced to the vanquisher of the one and the vanquished of the other-Cossack going up and Epirote down. The prominent features disclosed here are the extraordinary strength of John Day's stable and the helpless character of John Scott's; and the total of the whole a result more favourable to those horses which have not appeared than to those who have. This may, in some measure, be accounted for by the number of starters which have come out evidently in anything but proper form, so that triumphs have not been accompanied with that éclût or decisive proofs of superiority the large fields alone might lead one to suppose would follow. We rather expect to see some of the beaten cracks of last month belie or at any rate improve on their performances before the end of this. Still, we repeat, the most formidable-looking party is in the untried of the season-Van Tromp, Glentilt, and Co.; as certainly the further we get into it, the greater does the claim of Lord Eglinton become to that high place his horse has held so well since last autumn. Writing as we do under the double disadvantage of Chester "on" and Epsom so long forward, we shall in no way attempt to anticipate; while the retrospective shows a month so full of uncertainty and on-and-off work, that we see no profit in going into a review of it. What we do gather from it is that Van Tromp should be first favourite to the day, though some very touchand-go tactics may be used in picking one against him from John Day's two-Conyngham or Cossack? For the Oaks, Clementina's victory-another of the conquering C's -has given her the premiership past all doubt. William Scott, with very excellent discretion, has disposed of his great gun, Sir Tatton Sykes, Isaac Day having tempted him with something too enormous to be whispered. FALLEN STARS.-But a very short time since, two of the lions of the ring—in rather different spheres, perhaps were Mr. Goodman Levy and Mr. Young-man Clifton; a brace of leviathans who have been hauled into court and hung up to vulgar view during the last month. Mr. Levy went on his "misfortunes," and Mr. Clifton his "minority," and both like Goldsmith's "Ruined spendthrifts, now no longer proud, Put in those pleas, and had their pleas allow'd." EXTRAORDINARY AND FATAL ACCIDENT AT MIDDLEHAM. —On Friday, the 23rd of April, while at exercise at Middleham, Sir John Gerard's mare, Curiosity, and Mr. A. Johnstone's Little Nell, and one of the lads, were struck dead by a flash of lightning. The poor lad was "shivered to pieces, limb from limb." The horses were trained by Dawson. An effort made during the first Spring Meeting to put back the Epsom settling from Tuesday to Monday again was negatived by a very large majority. No betting at Tattersall's on Monday the 26th, the members having left for Chester. LATEST BETTING.-CHESTER.-DERBY.-5 to 1 agst. Cossack, 6 to 1 agst. Van Tromp, 7 to 1 agst. Conyngham, 14 to 1 agst. Glentilt, 20 to 1 agst. Wanota, 20 to 1 agst Mr. Martin, and 33 to 1 agst. Mathematician. OAKS.-7 to 1 agst. Farmer's Daughter. The TRADES' CUP of 200 sovs., added to a Handicap of 25 sovs. each, 15 ft., &c. Two miles and a quarter. Mr. Drinkald's St. Lawrence, aged, 6st. 7lb. (Ford) 1 2 3 Twenty-six others also ran. 25 to 1 agst. the winner. Won by half a neck. 409 ON THE DUTIES OF AN UMPIRE IN COURSING.-BY E. JEF- ENGLISH SPORTS. ANCIENT AND MODERN. BY LORD WIL- afternoon 13 S Second Sunday after Trinity. r 3 45 Non 1 53 2 20 14 M CRIC. at Lord's, M.C.C. v. N. C. s 8 15 1 9 7 2 42 3 0 20 s 8 18 711 57 6 50 7 8 r 3 44 8 Morning. 7 35 8 0 s 8 19 9 0 19 8 30 9 3 0 43 9 35 10 4 7 Third Sunday after Trinity. 21 M CRICKET at Lord's Kent v. Eng. 22 T NEWCASTLE RACES. 23 W NORTHUMBERLAND PLATE DAY. r 3 4510 24 T ROYAL MERSEY YACHT MATCH.S 8 1911 1 11 10 3511 25 F KNIGHTON RACES. 26 S r 3 4512 1 4211 37 s 8 1913 2 19 0 5 0 30 27 Fourth Sunday after Trinity.r 3 4614 3 5 THE RACING IN MAY. BY CRAVEN. The first Monday in May was wont to be the anniversary of Chester Races. This year they were anticipated by a week or more. This was hardly fair; for even when they fell in April, the weather was proverbially foul; and here they were, courting the April showers-the least coy of all water-nymphs. However, so far as the skiey influences went, things were as well as could be expected. But in its social relation, the meeting was much under the original standard. The county families had withdrawn the light of their aristocratic countenance; and the gathering wore more of the plebeian caste than it used in other days. I am anxious not to be misunderstood here: it is no cause for regret that as a popular holiday these races are becoming more a centre of attraction; or that superfine people cease to patronize them, as in times of yore: but the spirit that moves the motley multitude thither, there is reason to fear, is an evil spirit-for the turf. The demon of common gambling-born of the handicapand now so intimately associated with many of the great races, will, ere long, prove a heavy blow and great discouragement to the character of racing as a national sport. Sweeps and lotteries, so long as they were instruments of private companionable speculation, were not only harmless agents, but useful; giving a spirit and a circulation to the taste for a wholesome pastime. But they have become a systematic scheme for individual profit: a means for gain quite as monstrous as any state lottery ever devised or denounced by act of parliament, and a thousand times more mischievous, because the purchase of a ticket is brought within the compass of the meanest exchequer. The amount of money now invested in Derby sweeps alone would excite a profound sensation, were it at all known. I have a country box about fourteen miles from town, where I pass as much of my time as a busy life allows me to give to rural leisure and occupation. The sporting coteries in my neighbourhood, and their sayings and "doings" are, of course, familiar to me as household words; and I believe in my conscience I have not a tradesman who is not himself a large holder every year of tickets in all manner of racing lotteries-an example followed by every member of his household: nor do I employ a labourer who does not in one way or other so sound me touching the policy of a Chester Cup or the like, as to make manifest the secret of his interest. It might be invidious to point to a recent fact-that tickets in sweeps are found convenient change for stolen bank-notes; but if the vast temptation they hold out does not lead to robbery, as an accessory before the act, there is then more virtue and self-control in this world than philosophers give it credit for. I do not think it will, however, be necessary for the legislature to adopt any course in reference to this novel nuisance; it will wear itself out more surely and radically. There is an old story which will bear repetition, of a Yorkshire boniface, who was drawing a Leger sweep in 1843. As hand after hand was withdrawn from the receptacle for the tickets, the Tyke mopped the sweat from his |