upwards of six months, by means of a most extraordinary equipage, which during that period appeared nearly daily in their streets. It was a small caleche, drawn by two prodigious wolves, which Mr. W. R., formerly a merchant of St. Petersburg, found in a forest while still young, and which he had so thoroughly tamed, that they exhibited all the gentleness and tractability of a pair of horses, having apparently wholly lost their ferocious instinct. In the gardens of the Royal Zoological Society of Ireland, Phoenix Park, Dublin, is a very fine pair of young wolves, bred in the gardens, which are very familiar, displaying no symptoms even of dawning ferocity. Their parents are there likewise the female is particularly mild and affectionate, but the male is very cross and surly. The one springs about her cage, whining with joy on seeing my approach,—the other is of a shockingly crusty and malicious disposition, and once drove his tusks into my hand whilst I was caressing his mate. "One swallow does not make a summer," individuals may be seemingly domesticated, but until I see the experiment tried on another tribe of animals, I will never believe that the dog was originally wild, and indebted for his present domestic state to the reclaiming power of human reason. (To be continued.) REMARKS ON THE STUDS OF THE PRESENT SEASON. BY RED ROVER. "Like diligence requires the courser's race, WHAT'S in a name? is an expression hackneyed enough. What's in a start? possesses more novelty, and is more apropos to our present subject, for in very many cases a good start is every thing. Is it not so on a foggy night with three blind 'uns and a bolter? Is it not so with a nervous youth before his all-terrible Great-go Examiners? Is it not a good thing with "a southerly wind and cloudy sky" from a Leicester shire gorse-cover? or do Bill Scott or Nat despise it in a T. Y. C. scurry? May I therefore be allowed to congratulate myself in having a good theme to start with, afforded me by several letters on HorseBreeding, lately given to the world by a turf rival across the Herring Pond namely "N. of Arkansas ;" and also by some remarks written in a sporting view in that paragon of amusement Bell's Life. The spirit rekindled in them is enough to prove that competition in racing is at no distant day to be looked for in America, and other countries, and in our own isle that equestrianism is as much a ruling passion as ever, a passion now most completely inoculated in the Yankee constitutions, and stimulating, by degrees, the long anti-sporting minds of La Belle France, not to omit its growth in our grand marts of Russia and Prussia; and extending even to the Italians, and by a "tarnation long yarn" to our far-off colonies of Australia and New Zealand. Truly may it be said of our horse market— "Far as the breeze shall bear the billow's foam, Survey our empire, and behold our home." With all due courtesy, giving the lead to our foreign friends, I cannot but remark what a great acquisition are the contributions of N. of Arkansas to the New Sporting Mag.-a sort of Lord Georgian, at the Four Rivers Course, &c., no doubt. At any rate, from his remarks we are much to blame in holding cheap the present high-mettled coursers in his country, and that their perseverance will soon raise their racers to the same celebrity as their trotters from Tom Thumb to Sam Slick's pad nag, is a question admitting of but little doubt. One thing certainly they appear to excel in, and to have taken up, where we, alas! left off, i. e. in running long distances. What can exceed the crack Boston's performances in four mile heats? The Catton blood in Mündig's brother, Trustee, has, however, found a conqueror for him in Fashion. This horse seems to be a great favourite there, and shares the honours with Leviathan, Glencoe, Sarpedon, and Priam, whose son Monarch's stock appear promising. A writer in Bell's Life, to whom I alluded as taking up the subject with spirit, though somewhat inaccurately, expresses his surprise at the general lamentations poured forth on Priam's leaving his native shores; for, he says, "we like to judge of stallions by the general running of their stock, and not by a chance hit," and mentions Crucifix, Miss Letty, Industry, and Cyprian (this latter unfortunately for him being no relation to Priam), as "proving quite useless after passing Tattcnham Corner, or winning the Oaks;" also "that Priam colts only come into the world as a Col. Synge's Polydorus, or a Priamides." A bad argument, forsooth! if Industry's four year old winnings be looked at; and if he inspect the running on and winning at all distances and con stantly, of Captain Pops, Prizeflower, Dey of Algiers, Troilus, Scamander, Bretby, Welfare, Joannina, Ilione, Dolphin, and a host of country everlastings such as Shark, St. Andrew, Frank, Zoroaster, whose mottoes ought certainly to be "Nunquam dormio." Be it also borne in mind, that it is but seven years since Priam's stock came out, and that in that time he has exceeded in winners any horse of his years. From the year 1830, when he won the Derby, up to 1823, when his sire Emilius won it, there is not one Derby winner that proved a good stallion, or hardly got a racer. Trust the Americans for keeping this matchless horse, that's all. Zinganee is gone the way of all flesh, but I never heard that he gained more éclat there than here, which as a stallion was little enough in all conscience. In Russia, General Chassé's stock are turning out very well, and altogether the breed of horses is so much improving there, that an importation of some good sort of horses this summer, among them The Ant, &c., from this country, were rather held cheap than otherwise, and their attendants were surprised at the good stamp in the country. This spirit, so much on the qui vive abroad, seems in no wise extinguished at home, if we only look at the excellent way in which the various stakes throughout the country have filled. Doncaster has lost a great supporter in the Duke of Cleveland, and the gap seems likely to remain unfilled. The season being now approaching in which the Stud Farm is a matter of interest, I am tempted to say a few words on some of the stallions, who are the present candidates for fame, and whose benefits to the hunting as well as racing world are worthy of remark. To begin with that Epirus of sporting, Yorkshire, where the thing is certainly more studied, particularly among farmers, than in any other county, and not only studied, but better understood. Holderness indeed swarms with horses, and to suppose a person in those parts an ignoramus in horseflesh, is to offer an insult of the keenest kind. From the peer to the pauper all have a kind of equine passion, and I doubt not but the answer of any bumpkin in those parts to a remonstrance on racing, would be given in the doggrel of the song: "Come, Willie, now give up this racing, I should much like some of those ne'er-do-well complainers about the losses, &c. of horse breeding, to see some of the farms in that NO. XV.-VOL, III.-NEW SERIES. Y district, and so be convinced that, "when the candle is lit at the right end,” the breeding of hunters will pay well. To mention but one instance, how well it willpay when the tools are good, let any sceptic on this point see the hunters bred at Leven, near Beverley, by that clever sportsman, Mr. Jackson. He has for many years sold his colts at very high sums, which will create no surprise in the mind of any one, who sees the size, blood, and bone combined in all his brood-mares. That he has been the breeder of Hamlet, by Young Phantom (about the best cocktail in England), and of the well known steeple chaser Lottery (both out of the same dam, a splendid bay mare, by Welbeck), are sufficient proofs that he is wide-awake in his vocation. Lately he has bred from Revolution, Contest, and Mercury, and the stock are very superior, which proves how much rests with the mare, none of the three above named horses being by any means first-rate. This season, however, there is a very superior nag advertized at Beverley; I allude to Melbourne, by Humphrey Clinker, dam by Cervantes, grandam by Golumpus. Here is not one of the gimcrack nags of the present day, but a right honest horse, who with heavy weights, and long distances, showed himself no impostor. As a four year old he won thrice, £150, and £50 at York, and the Gold Cup, at Lincoln. In 1839 he came out well and won £125 and £50 at Beverley, £50 at York, £450 and £80 at Liverpool, and the Cup, &c. at Nottingham; and at six years old he ran second, carrying 9st. 4lb, to The Dey of Algiers for the Chester Cup, beating a large and good field. This I hold to be the sort to improve the breed of hunters, and no doubt he will be a great favourite. The late Mr. Richardson (breeder of Hornsea) had also a good Stud in the same part of Holderness, and a portion of it which is still kept up, contains a fine sister to Hornsea, and two fine young mares by Plenipo out of Myrrha, (indeed Plenipo's stock are fine lengthy animals generally, though they have not yet proved flyers). At this farm also is a fine brown mare, La Belle, by Voltaire, with a good leggy colt (since called Storm), in the Great Yorkshire stakes, by Muley Moloch. Regarding this same much vaunted Muley Moloch I greatly agree with a correspondent in Bell's Life; who says that it would have redounded more to the horse's credit, had the puff been omitted. His first year showed a precious lot truly in the shape of Assagai, Birthday, Cattonian, Chivalry, Mary O'More, Sunflower, and Teflis! As three year olds there has been nothing flying appeared, though Middleham and Galaor were good animals, but of ticklish constitutions, I fancy. Almost every thing depends on what advantages a horse meets with, and in this respect Muley Moloch surpassed by far the generality of untried stallions, having had a very large number of the best mares put to him; ergo, I argue, that he has not shown even so much excellence at present as ought to be expected in his stock. Whether the good fortune of the North will follow him Southward remains to be proved; at any rate, in taking Rockingham's place he is not treading in the steps of a wellgraced actor; few really racing-like looking horses, as Rockingham was, have got such wofully bad stock. The great tide of public favour is now leaning towards the Saddler, and deservedly so. His stock, for a young horse, have from the first come out well, to wit, The Shadow, The Provost, The Currier, Currycomb, and The Squire, all possessing good constitutions, and running on, and frequently; I fancy that he has not had anything like the opportunities of Muley Moloch. This year, however, the following high-sounding names of mares sent to him must add fresh laurels to his present fame; among them are Cobweb, Sister to Cobweb, Ralph's dam, Sneaker, (Assassin's dam) Copere, Mare by Dr. Syntax out of Filagree, Ally, Emmelina (Hock's dam), &c. Among the other changes in stallions this year Sheet Anchor goes to Mr. Peel's, and is to be honoured by Crucifix and six more of Lord George's mares. That the change will benefit him I have no doubt, as I think that Thompson's mares, though fine animals, are more suited for hunting than racing. The cross with the crack Crucifix is decidedly good, as she possesses speed and wants power, which Sheet Anchor possesses in a great degree. Hetman Platoff, a noble son of the most unjustly despised Brutandorf is this year to enter the lists of fame, and must be an acquisition to any breeder. This horse I should much have liked to have seen in Lord Exeter's possession instead of Colwick; for though Colwick is as neat an animal as ever was seen, and of undeniable blood, I do not think he would reform the adulterated blood of Sultan and Reveller so well as the Hetman. Colwick has suddenly risen from two to twenty guineas, owing entirely to Attila's running, though to any one who has seen him it must be matter of surprise that he was hacked round a country, and had nothing but half-bred and cart mares put to him. What Velocipede's year will do for the Burleigh stud is, I think, more questionable than a correspondent in Bell's Life holds, when he says that he expects to see his stock out of the Burleigh mares run away with the good things of Newmarket as of yore. Would that such may be the case! but 1 think that more stoutness is a necessary thing with the Sultan blood. The good start which Elis has made in the world (as also Stockport), will render Epirus a good speculation to Mr. Potterton. Few horses can surpass this horse in beauty and general symmetry of form. A most perfect head and neck, set upon capital shoulders, is combined with capital quarters, and the most sinewy and excellent legs possible. This latter good point pervades Langar's stock generally, for without being large boned they all possess legs so sinewy, that training does not ruin them. Such is Epirus's case, having run on till seven years old without a puff about his legs. Old Potentate too, Zebetta, Amurath, Vulture, Ratcatcher, Garland, and Chantilly, have not stood still by any means, and all have continued long on the turf. |