landscape, anything that I had previously seen so immediately in the neighbourhood of a great and populous city, much less a capital.

Arriving rather late on the course, we found such a throng of carriages and horsemen, that we were glad to alight and walk through the crowd to the place where the sporting gentlemen were assembled, for which tickets at a certain price were necessary. There were three handsome stands on the ground, one, of course, reserved for the royal family and suite; but in consequence of the king having only returned from England the preceding evening, their Majesties did not make their appearance until after the first heat had been run. They were accompanied by the two young Princes of Saxe Coburg, but not in the same carriage (that of the king and queen was drawn by four greys with postilions), and although it is not the custom of the country to cheer the royal family on such an occasion as this, they were received, and especially so by the English, with every silent demonstration of respect, both on approaching and retiring from the stand. I must not, however, omit to state, that when a train of carriages, crowded with passengers, passed in the rear of the royal stand, and attracted the notice of the king, a deafening shout of congratulation was set up, no doubt to welcome his return.

The principal support of racing in Belgium is the Count Duval de Beaulieu, a nobleman of very large possessions in the country, zealously devoted to agricultural pursuits, also to those of the field and the race course; and whose stud I was informed amounted to upwards of a hundred and fifty horses of various sorts and descriptions, the greater part being thorough-bred. So zealous indeed is the count, in his endeavours to promote racing, and so convinced of the benefits arising from the legitimate end of that pursuit, that, on the 16th of February 1835, he addressed the senate at great length and with much ability on the subject; and a correct report of his speech is given, for the benefit of continental sportsmen, in the French Racing Calendar for 1834 and 1835, page 129.

The King of the Belgians also, although no sportsman, encourages the races, and gives a handsome gold cup to be run for. It was for this cup at the spring meeting of this year, that the second grand struggle took place between two horses of great repute on the Continent, in which, it would appear, that even the national characters of France and Belgium were concerned. These were Lord Henry Seymour's Morotto-considered but a second-rate horse in England-and Waverer belonging to the horse-breeding society at Verviers, in Belgium, ridden by the Belgic jockey, Olivier, certainly the best in his calling, continentally born and bred, if I may use such an expression. It ended in victory to Belgium. Both were English horses; Morotto, bred by Mr. Hunter of

NO. LXXVI.-VOL. XIII.

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Six-Mile-Bottom, near Newmarket, and Waverer by Col. Peel; but Waverer decidedly the best bred horse of the two, being by Emilius, out of Versatility, therefore half brother in blood to the great Plenipotentiary, doubtless the best race horse England ever yet saw, had he been allowed to have proved himself such. In the race I have been speaking of, the three year old received 29lbs. from Morotto who was five.

The first race, the first day, was for a prize of 2000 frs., for horses bred on the Continent, and won at two heats by the Count de Blangy's Miss Kelly, by Rainbow, out of Pomona, beating Lord Henry Seymour's Irmansul, and Count Duval's Erivan, and Delpin.

Second race. 600 frs., 150 frs. entrance, was won at one heat by a very racing-looking filly called Flight, by Vanish, out of Fortune, ridden by Flatman, beating Mr. Bryan's Soldier, by Catton, out of Sally, and a filly by Reveller, out of Fanny Grey.

Third race. The Queen's Gold Cup, for horses bred in Belgium, was won at two heats by Count Duval's Erivan, beating two others. Three drawn. Ridden by Flint.

Fourth race. The Lady's Cup, gentlemen riders, was won at three heats, by Count de Hamal's Fergus, beating four others. It would not be right to criticise too closely the performances of these gentlemenI should say noblemen-riders, which they all were except one; but it may not be amiss to state, that they all fell into the error common to young jockies-that of being in too great haste to get to the end of the course, or to "get home," as we say on the English turf. The best seat and hands were, I thought, those of Count Duval, but his saddle was far from being comme il faut.

Second day. The royal family arrived on the ground before the sport began, which was not the case on the previous day, as one heat had been run, his Majesty having sent to desire that it should not be delayed on his account.

First race. A Prize of 3000 frs., for horses of all ages, was won by Count Duval's ch. h. Flyer (Flint), beating Erivan, also belonging to

himself!

Second race. This was, La course au trot, or a trotting match, ridden by gentlemen-one heat once round the course. The maximum time allowed was five minutes, but the winner, a grey mare, was reported to have gone over the ground in three minutes and a half. Only two

started.

Third race. Gold Cup, for horses of all countries, one heat, twice round. This was a race of much interest, inasmuch as the crack horse of Belgium, Waverer, belonging to the Verviers Society, was either to retain or to lose the reputation he had gained at the previous meeting, over the same course. But it appeared that Lord Henry Seymour did not

intend again to run second to Waverer, or to incur the risk of discredit being attached to the French stud by sending a horse so far, and having nothing brought home to show whither he had been. His lordship, therefore, sent to Newmarket, and purchased a four yr. old colt, called Elizondo, by Camel, out of Leopoldine, and this was the result of the race:

Lord Henry Seymour's Elizondo.-T. Robinson

1

3

There were two more races-one for a prize of 2500 frs., which was won by Count Duval's Fanal, beating Count Duval's Riga! and another, over barriers, of which I recollect nothing more than that it was won by a black horse, called Lucifer, and ridden by a count in black trousers, and top boots-the said Lucifer being the only horse who had enough of the devil in him to take the leaps at all. As for the steed from the Société de Verviers, neither good words, nor whip, nor spur, could induce him to attempt to leap the barriers, and he reminded me of a scene I once witnessed in Ireland. "Blood an ounds, Pat," said Squire Cuff, to his huntsman, whose mare was so beat that she would not leap a fence 66 e; ram your spurs into her sides." "By the powers," replied Pat, "but all the spurs in Singleton's shop would'nt get her over."

66

Having been told there would be some racing, we went to the course the following morning, where a good many persons were assembled with similar expectations with ourselves, but there was nothing to be done in that way. There was, however, a sale of horses on a system unknown to us Englishmen, in our own country, and one which my limits will not allow me to explain. It did not appear to me that many were bonâ fide sold.

On this day I was honoured by a personal invitation from Count Duval de Beaulieu to his ball, which took place the next night, and a grand affair it was. Seven rooms were thrown open, in which all the élite of the place were assembled, and amongst them several English, including one celebrated sportsman both on the turf and in the field. I allude to the Hon. Edward Petre, whom I was glad to see in good health and spirits, and who assured me he would win another St. Leger at Doncaster before his own race was run. But it was impossible not to be in good spirits on this occasion, for you could turn your head neither to the right nor to the left without something recherché being presented to you; and the iced champagne, with the thermometer at 90, slipped down most agreeably. I must say, I never saw a ball at which better care was taken to keep body and soul in good humour with each other, than at this. Neither did I ever before see so splendid a show of gold cups —not even at the Duke of Cleveland's, nor at the late Mr. Mytton's-as I witnessed in these rooms. In fact wherever there was a mirror to

reflect them, there they were in lots of two and three, which being multiplied by reflection made a doubly enchanting display.

The Count Duval's chateau is at the distance of thirty miles from Brussels, which the countess (who, by the bye, is an excellent English woman in her speech) thinks nothing of cantering over, on a thoroughbred nag, to see how things go on, during their residence at Brussels; and I believe she takes nearly as much interest in the stud as the count himself does. It was not my fault that I did not see both chateau and stud, having received a most pressing invitation to meet a very large party during the feast of St. Hubert, which, I was told, is kept in great magnificence, and for many days in succession, by this hospitable nobleman, but my engagements prevented my availing myself of the intended. honour. Fox-hunting formed part of the amusements of the fête, for the enjoyment of which the count promised me horses; and from the account of it I saw in the newspapers, it appears I should have seen a particularly fine run with the Versailles fox-hounds, which commenced the season in that country, and by mutual arrangement between the parties are to continue to do so for the future.

I am now about to bring my French and Belgic tour to an end. On Thursday, September 29th, Mr. Tobin accompanied me as far as Antwerp, by the rail-road, performing the distance, twenty-four miles, in about an hour and twenty minutes; and after dining together at a hotel, I crossed the Scheldt in a steamer, and getting into a diligence reached Ghent that night, distance about fifty miles. And here I have a word to say in honour of travelling in the Netherlands. At the hotel de Vienne I was charged one franc for a supper consisting of the following eatables. A roast fowl, a dish of mutton cutlets, pastry, and dessert; and on my telling the chamber-maid I hoped she would give me a good bed, the landlady came and whispered in my ear, that I should have "un tres bon lit." Now the bed was not only good, but the room, a large one, was carpeted throughout,-a very handsome clock on the mantelpiece, beautifully clean linen-and all for one franc. Sum total-supper, bottle of good wine, bed and breakfast, not five shillings of our money.

The next day being market day, and the barge for Bruges not setting out till nine o'clock, I had an opportunity to look about me, having turned out at seven. Amongst other things the corn market attracted my notice, where I examined several samples of wheat, not one of which would have been considered clean enough for seed (which this was intended for) in England, although there was no fault to be found with the grain. The clover seed, of which there was a vast quantity pitched, was excellent, so were the oats of the previous year, though, as is the case all over the Continent, neither cleaned nor tailed as they should be. As for barley, we must let that pass. Good barley is not to be seen in this part of the world, any more than good beer, and the terms are synoni

mous.

I was amused at seeing a diligence just ready to start, called L'Agréable. By heavens! there is but little of the cuvóvvuos here, whatever there may be in the other case. An agreeable diligence!! An agreeable treadmill would be no more a misnomer.

I must hark back for a moment. So long as it was light, on the preceding evening-indeed my eyes were directed to it since I quitted Brussels-I looked sharply out, right and left, for a specimen of Belgic farming, of which I had heard so much, and which it was the fashion to speak of even in Pliny's time. But I saw it not. Indeed I was surprised to find so much land under the plough, as also such very small fields and very large hedge rows, which bid defiance to the growth of a really good sample of corn. Then I must not quite pass over the famous town of Ghent, or Gand, said to have been built by Julius Cæsar himself, and once so large as to have given rise to the bon mot of Charles V., that he "could put Paris into his glove," the word gand signifying a glove. "You must see the cathedral here," said some English ladies with whom I got into conversation at the supper table, "and the Rubens picture over the altar." "Well," I said, "I have seen a great many fine Rubens horses, but never a Rubens picture,—I'll take your advice;" and I was well paid for my trouble, although little able to appreciate the value of the chef d'œuvre which these ladies had travelled many miles to see. I also looked into the church of St. Michael, and saw the fine painting of the Crucifixion, by Vandyke, which I gazed on with admiration and awe, though not unmixed with pain in the contemplation of the extreme torture such a death must have caused.

September 30. At nine o'clock I was on board the barge for Bruges, and a most comfortable conveyance it is. But what can be said of the voyage? The slow canal-aye, even Goldsmith's

"Slow canal, the yellow-blossom'd vale

The willow-tufted banks, the gliding sail,"

would be all dead slow, compared with the Devonport mail, over Hartford-bridge-flat; but from a boat, through such a flat as I travelled this day, nothing could be seen, beyond some very clean cottages, on the banks of a fine broad ditch. We travelled at the rate of about three miles and a half in the hour; and the helmsman, I dare say, thought me not a little given to lying when I told him, that I had travelled in Scotland, in a boat, at the rate of nine miles in the hour, which is the regular one between Edinburgh and Glasgow, and Glasgow and Paisley. The excellent dinner, however, in this boat makes great amends so excellent indeed has it always been, as to have created a report, that a certain city bon-vivant, now deceased, absolutely went to and fro, between Antwerp and Bruges, every day for a fortnight, for the sole purpose of partaking of it. At Bruges we changed this wellprovisioned boat for another, not quite so good, and quitting the canal,