and observing the management which the inmates are subjected to, and have seldom, if ever, met with any conducted better than Mr. Haddy's, at Bath; the stabling is excellent-there are loose boxes in profusion-every department is well ventilated, sweet, and clean; there is room for upwards of one hundred horses, and the stalls are usually occupied, which is the strongest possible evidence of the satisfaction given. Judging from the immense fields that have been in attendance on all the packs of hounds, in countries enjoying any degree of popularity, during the present season, it is reasonable to infer that the taste for hunting is on the increase; or, rather, I should say the desire to go out with hounds is gaining favour, inasmuch as it is very evident very few out of the number attend for any other purpose than for the sake of fashion, apparently not knowing or caring any more about what the hounds are doing than if they were at home by their own firesides, or perambulating the parades of some gay and fashionable watering place; nevertheless, it would be vastly conducive to the enjoyment of those who, in reality, come out for the purpose of seeing sport, if they would endeavour to learn and scrupulously attend to a few of the acknowledged rules and customs which every sportsman observes when in the field. It is not when hounds are running, that is if they go anything like fast, that such persons are, in the slightest degree, objectionable, because they are very quickly disposed of; but it is in going from covert to covert, and when, from badness of scent, hounds cannot get on at any pace, that they are constantly in every body's way. The simple operation of opening gates, or of putting forth a hand on going through, in order that the next comer may be able to pass, appears to be an accomplishment which they cannot acquire. It would, I am convinced, be an act of gross injustice to accuse them of intentional want of politeness on such occasions, at all events in a general way; consequently, whenever a man passes through a gate which is on the swing, without putting his whip or hand out to keep it open for those who are behind, it is but natural to infer that he is not sufficiently perfect in the art of horsemanship to enable him to do so. The awkward manner in which many persons ride up to gates, for the purpose of opening them, is really wonderful. However much the advocates of steeple-chasing may be desirous to bear up for that amusement, it is very evidently on the decline; in proof of which many of the original ones are abandoned altogether, very few new ones have been brought forward, and those few are of a very minor character; whilst the principal ones, which are confined to Liverpool, Hereford, and Worcester, evince a falling off in public estimation. The well-merited success which attended that first-rate horseman, Tom Olliver, last year, does not appear to have forsaken him this, although he has not had the good fortune to win either of the great stakes at Liverpool or Hereford: when a man wins frequently, it is commonly the case that his success is attributed to luck; now that is certainly not applicable to Tom Olliver, his success has arisen purely from his superiority over his companions. We must now begin to speculate a little upon the approaching racing season, which, in fact, has already commenced with Coventry; where, however, nothing has transpired calculated to throw any light upon coming events; neither does Warwick appear likely to afford much more, but that tale will be told cre this appears in print. The fluctuations, chopping and changes, in the betting on the Chester Cup, appear to be equally exciting as those of former years-horses are made-favourites backed (?) and bonneted, by their ownersthey change hands and places in public estimation. From the commencement, I have had but one opinion respecting the Prior, and up to the present time that opinion is confirmed; nevertheless, I expect to see him " come again," and Cattonite, if he keep well, will be a dangerous nag to be opposed to. But, whatever the changes may be in the estimation in which horses are held for the great speculating events, there is certainly a cheering prospect to look forward to in the racing world, from the consideration and investigations going forward in the houses of parliament. That horse-racing is not only an amusement of great importance, but also that it is a speculation of vast national interest, no one can deny; and, under such circumstances, the genuine and honest supporters of it are as worthy the consideration of our legislators and the protection of our laws as the merchant or tradesman who deals in other commodities. The horses, which are reared at a great expense, may be compared to the stock in trade, and the betting ring to the insurance office, for, without that auxiliary, it is impossible for a racing establishment to be made to defray its expenses; consequently, if betting were to be done away with, racing would be confined to a very limited number of affluent noblemen and gentlemen keeping horses simply for amusement. A laudable spirit of improvement appears to pervade throughout the country, and all the committees of provincial meetings are evidently convinced of the necessity of framing their stakes upon principles which are calculated to insure public approbation, divested of favour towards neighbours and friends; nothing was more prejudicial to the success of such races as confining the articles, or giving weight to horses bred within, or the property of individuals residing within, the limits of certain districts. Allowances to half-bred horses, and similar encouragements to the promotion of spurious animals, are likewise going into disuse; in fact, the nefarious system of cock-tail racing is nearly done away with, and the sooner it is completely annihilated the better. The articles, also, relative to gentlemen riders are daily progressing to a more liberal extent. At such a place as Goodwood, where there are so many races, to suit the taste of all persons, it may be very well to confine one or two to be ridden by gentlemen, according to the Anglesca stake restrictions: noblemen and gentlemen, of every grade in society, attend that meeting; but, at races of less fashionable resort, it is difficult to find riders upon such terms, where members of White's, Brooke's, Boodle's, and those aristocratic clubs, do not condescend to be present, nor are there many gentlemen so qualified who are adepts in the science of race-riding. The simple reservation that riders be members of any racing or fox-hunting club, to which they are elected by ballot, is quite sufficient to ensure what is required, and, upon those terms, there will be no difficulty in procuring such jockeys at provincial races. 355 IRISH HOUNDS, AND THE MEN WHO RIDE TO THEM. BY VENATOR. THE LIMERICKS. "Instead of water we'll drink brown ale, OLD SONG. Hail! city famed for crusted port and lovely women; soft kid gloves and the taper fingers to fit them; beauteous lace, and the fair forms to grace it. Hail! city of the treaty stone, the mighty Shannon, and the lamented shamrock; send me, in this my hour of need, thy guardian genius, to teach me somewhat "anent" the sporting sons, and their name is Legion. Thou comest, kind demon. I thank thee; and will faithfully chronicle thy communications, scanty though they be. But, first, let me ramble. If, amongst the numerous readers of this magazine, there should be one whose primitive notions may lead him to view with eyes of love and regard the good old habits and customs of our forefathers, and who may wish to live and enjoy a life, even if it be but for a short space, as our grandsires did, in order that he should obtain the accomplishment of his wishes, I would recommend him to undertake a pilgrimage to the "far west" of paddy's land, where it may be possible to do so. There he may chance to stumble on the rough diamond of Nature, its intrinsic value unaided by that false polish of conventionality which often makes the worthless paste glitter and sparkle more brightly, although possessing none of its rare inherent qualities. In this age of" perfect substitutes for silver"-viz., Nickel and Argentine plate-it is pleasant sometimes to lay our eyes on the wrought ore, before it has been turned into forks and table-spoons; however handsome they may look when burnished off and crested, yet, notwithstanding our admiration of the elaborateness of the workmanship, the lines of Burns are sure to occur to the mind "The name is but the guinea stamp, pure un Let it not be supposed for a moment, I pray you, reader, that I mean by this to censure the refinement of manner and converse E E which exists at present, or that I do not consider it infinitely superior to the grossness of language and laxity of public morals prevalent when first "George the Third was King," and during the reigns of his predecessors from the Restoration down; but I have perceived that its absence has caused many a worthy individual to be looked upon as a social Orson-a kind of demi-savage, one totally unfit to mix with the homo timoi of his class. The bookmen, too, look upon any one who is not a perfect walking encyclopædia as an useless member of society; and so strong is this feeling amongst them, that one of the most successful authors of the day, in one of his most admired works, (Pelham), declared that the country gentlemen and lawyers of England were "inane and uneducated," simply, I imagine, because they had not the blasphemous impieties of Voltaire, or the wild speculations of every German visionary, at their fingers' ends. The absurdity of the assertion is evident from the consideration that, as every member of the bar cannot be a consummate advocate, nor every freeholder a deep politician, so neither can every man be one of the literati; and whoever views the question rightly, will at once perceive that the country gentleman who discharges all the relative duties of the position in life in which it has pleased Heaven to place him, has benefited more his country, and deserves better from his fellow-creatures, than if he had read-ay, and written, too-whole scores of novels, representing sensuality in man and frailty in woman under the specious names of passion and love, and arraying them in garbs which render them but too seductive to the young and inexperienced. This opinion may be wrong; nevertheless, as old Montaigne says, it is mine, and therefore I will maintain it. But let us return to our antiquarian. Well, then, we will suppose him, regardless of the entreaties and admonitions of weeping friends, to have undertaken a journey to Ireland, and, after escaping utter annihilation and mastication from the anthropophagi of "them there parts," to have presented his credentials, in the shape of a letter of introduction, to the proprietor of a polysyllabic house and property lying "west of Athlone," he will find, in all probability, the estab lishment to consist of the following component parts, which we will enumerate after the manner of the pyramid, beginning below and ascending to the apex. First, a well-stocked plantation, and a wellstored cellar; next, a pack of hounds and a stable of hunters; then, three sons, of "Life-guard" proportions, and a pleasant middle-aged lady and gentleman; and oh, ye gods! to crown all, as many daughters, with faces, figures, and ankles, enough to turn the head of an admirer of the chivalrous gallantry of the old school. cries the reader, "all these I can find within twenty miles of my own house; and where the devil, then, is the use of sending me such a journey in quest of what I have got under my very nose here at home?" Patience, patience, my good fellow, don't be in such a hurry; what you say is very true, but just give me time to explain my meaning. I do not intend, in the slightest degree, to contradict your statement; but it is the manner in which those various good things will be dispensed, so as to conduce to your comfort and amusement, that constitutes the difference between the symptoms of the time past and the time present. What signifies it to me whether Lord Pomp's or Sir Elwes Screw's claret and preserves are unsurpassed, if I never smacked my lips at the one or cracked my Manton in the other? His cook may be first-rate; but if I never partake of her cunning culinary preparations, she might as well, as far as I am concerned, never have studied Mother Glasse, or been deep in the mystery of made dishes. By all means; and it is no wonder, then, that I should approve of the good old rule, and of those who act up to it, of enabling others to participate in the blessings which Providence has been kind enough to grant us. But, hallo, sir! hold hard; cease your digressions, and return to your description of life in the west. Well, then, preliminaries over, he will also find an easiness of intercourse, and a freedom of restraint, that will make him at once feel completely at home; a kind and generous hospitality, and a never-ceasing round of out and in-door amusements. He may hunt one day, shoot the next, course the third, ride a steeple-chase the fourth, pic nic the fifth, make love the sixth, and then take his departure without inquiries being made as to the amount of his rent-roll, or whether his estate was entailed. In the evening he may drink his wine with the gentlemen, or his coffee with the ladies; waltz to the piano in the drawing-room, or practise perpetual motion in a jig, to the music of the blind piper in the hall. He may sit half the night playing short whist with the dowagers; or spend the same length of time up to his middle in a swamp, watching wild-duck; in short, he must be deuced hard to be pleased if he cannot hit upon something to "suit his notions." Of those darker shades and tints, which half a century ago would have marred the effect of the picture, he need not entertain the slightest apprehension. Drunkenness and debauchery, heaven be praised! are no longer a sine quá non, and he may live as temperately as an hermit, if so be that it pleases him; and, unless it be his own fault, he may lie down every night on his bed free from those pleasant anticipations of sudden death, which the order for "pistols and coffee for two, at five o'clock in the morning," would be calculated to produce in his mind. Is he a lady's man, he may Philander for a whole month, without his "intentions" being once inquired into; for love-making is such a general pastime that it is looked upon as a matter of course, and considered to be only an agreeable resource for spending a wet day. Thus, when the snipes are scarce, he can wind worsted; and perpetrate soft nonsense when the coverts are blank. Such is life in the west, and, "fore George," it was a pleasant one. Well, what a flinger I am! when I sat down to write this paper it was with the intention to confine myself closely to its subject matter, namely, the Limerick hunt, and here I have got thus far without so much as once mentioning their name. If the huntsman catches me, I shall catch it, so the sooner I endeavour to correct my error the better. This capital pack was originally the private property of Mr. Croker, of Ballinaguard, from whom it passed to the present club upon its establishment. It is hunted at present by Mr. George Fos |