gine it being cooly stated in the papers of the day that a nobleman's especial recreations were to be brought to an abrupt termination, in consequence of "the prohibition against gambling booths." But these are not the times of mauvaise honte, social or political. People speak out, and things are called by their proper names. We have considerably advanced on the fashionable ease that good society has attained in Paris, though the following instance of taking it easy lately occurred in a high place:-Two sons of young France were discussing a game of piquet together, when one of them detected the other accommodating himself with a card from under the table, that suited him better than those upon it. "Mais Monsieur," cried the discoverer, "vous trichez." "Cela ce peut" replied the discovered, "mais, sacré bleu ! je n'aims pas qu'on me le dissent." It is the privilege now of people of condition not to care what is said or thought about

them.

ARISTIDES.

ENGRAVED BY E. HACKER, FROM A PAINTING BY J. F. HERRING, SENr.

If every bird who could sing would sing, what a merry melodious time we should have of it! and if every horse that could run would run, what a beautiful put-money-in-the-purse engaging sort of business breeding and training would soon become! There is, however, a nasty system of contraries in these things excessively annoying. Your very clever men generally counterbalance the recommendation by being very idle; superlatively beautiful women frequently qualify the irresistible by more than a fair share of conceit or stupidity; and so, on the same plan, while the slows seizes on good plucked-from-end-toend never-say-die nags, the sulks displays itself with equal effect on the thin-skinned, fly-away, and "highly promising" performers. We scarcely know a more direct guide-post on the road to ruin than one of this latter class of animals must be to an owner with a turn or so of the sanguine in his composition, or to any man who can rely on the intelligence he receives from the stable the horse is in. "The favourite was the first beat," as the newspaper report says, with a kind of sneer, in the description of a race at which they had backed him on his merits at two to one; and, behold, the next week, while the mortification of defeat is yet fresh, the quondam crack, but now despised outsider, runs away from a field twice as large and three times as good as the other, while the wonder of the whole world at his running for it at all is only just exceeded by that of his own party at winning it.

This may be considered rather a curious way of introducing a portrait chosen by us for embellishing the work, but we still think it apposite enough, Aristides being one of those cracks of the day, or, as far as bodily estate goes, one of the very best of the day, who occasionally mars all the advantages of power, pace, and action, by a singularly awkward will of his own; a piece of bad animus, that makes trainers and jockeys tremble for their good name with the public every time they strip him, and that drives prose prophets, and gentlemen who think and write nonsense in verse, to their wits' end in endeavouring to reconcile the decisive pros or cons they have ventured upon him. We fancy, indeed, we can hear more than one exclaiming, on acknowledging the fidelity of the likeness, "Ah! there's the cross-tempered cur that ought and might have won the Leger for his lordship, and five thousand for me!" Of that event we shall not add a word more, as we did not see the race; but of his appearance at Epsom, that is, as far as appearances went, with Jem Robinson on his back, in the showy tartan and yellow colours-the four white legs and bald face, the rich bay bloom on his coat, and all that sort of thing considered-we never before remember having beheld so flashy a flat-catching favourite at the post for the Derby. Would that, with all these recommendations, he could be prevailed upon to take a leaf out of his owner's book; a nobleman who, in word and deed, in the field or the court, stands pre-eminent, as one with the taste to conceive and the liberality to execute, and, in short, as was remarked of some other leading man, who does everything well.

Pedigree.

Aristides, a bay horse, was bred by his present owner, the Earl of Eglinton, in 1840, and is by Bay Middleton, out of Rectitude by Lottery, her dam Decision by Magistrate, out of Remembrance.

Bay Middleton is by Sultan, out of Cobweb by Phantom, her dam Filagree by Soothsayer-Web by Waxy-Penelope by Trumpator. Rectitude is also the dam of that capital runner, Dr. Caius, Lais, Chivalry, and Lycurgus, the last of which, as a dark horse, has been backed at long odds for the Derby just over.

PERFORMANCES.

In 1842, Aristides, then two years old, ridden by Lye, won the Ham Stakes of 100 sovs. h. ft. (32 subs.), beating Col. Peel's Murat (2), and Col. Anson's Armytage; Lord Exeter's The Buck, Mr. Wreford's colt by Bay Middleton out of Margellina, Duke of Richmond's colt by Elis out of Clara, Mr. Gratwicke's Mary, and Mr. Wreford's colt by Sultan junr. out of Victoria, not placed: 7 to 4 against Aristides, who won by two lengths. At Doncaster, he ran second to Col. Anson's Napier, for the Municipal Stakes of 500 sovs. each, Mr. Wreford's colt by Camel out of Monimia completing the field: 2 to 1 on Aristides, who was beaten by two lengths.

In 1843, Aristides was not placed for the Derby, won by Mr. Bowes's Cotherstone, Col. Charritie's Gorhambury running second: 30 to 1 agst. Aristides. At Liverpool, he was beaten by Lord Stan

ley's Aquilo, for a Sweepstakes of 500 sovs. each: 3 to 1 on Aristides: won by a length and a half. At the same meeting he ran fourth and last for the Foal Stakes of 100 sovs. each; Duke of Richmond's Cornopean first, Col. Anson's Armytage second, and Lord Stanley's Aquilo third: 3 to 1 agst. Aristides. At Goodwood, carrying 7st. 4lb., he was not placed for the Steward's Cup, won by Lord George Bentinck's Yorkshire Lady, 4 yrs., 6st. 4lb.; Duke of Richmond's Balæna, 4 yrs., 7st., second; and Lord George Bentinck's African, 4 yrs., 6st. 12lb., third. At the same meeting, he was not placed for the Racing Stakes of 50 sovs. each, for which Col. Anson's Napier and Duke of Richmond's Cornopean ran a dead heat, which was afterwards decided in favour of Napier. At Doncaster, he was not placed for the St. Leger, won by Mr. Wrather's Nutwith, Mr. Bowes's Cotherstone second, and Lord Chesterfield's Prizefighter third: 20 to 1 agst. Aristides. On the Wednesday in the same meeting, ridden by G. Noble, he ran a dead heat with and then beat Col. Anson's Armytage, for the Foal Stakes of 100 sovs. each, h. ft. (9 subs.): 6 to 5 on Aristides, who won by half a length. On the Thursday he was placed third and last for the Three-year-old Stakes of 200 sovs. each, Mr. Bowes's Cotherstone winning it, and Col. Anson's Napier running second: 8 to 1 agst. Aristides. At Liverpool, ridden by G. Noble, he ran another dead heat with Armytage for the Grand Junction Produce Stakes of 200 sovs. each, which were then divided, Lord Eglinton receiving £1,600, and Col. Anson £1,200. Lord G. Bentinck's Gaper, Mr. Mostyn's General Pollock, Mr. Sadler's Decisive, Mr. W. Sadler's Testy, Lord Westminster's Phyrne, Mr. Johnstone's Broadholm, and Lord Stanley's colt by Amurath out of Mysinda, also started, but were not placed: 5 to 1 agst. Aristides, who walked over after the compromise.

In 1844, Aristides, now claiming the allowance for geldings, ran second over Eglinton Park, at welter weights, for the Irvine cup, Mr. H. Johnstone winning it on William-le-Gros; Mr. Meiklam's Aristotle (3), Mr. Ramsay's The Shadow (4), and Mr. T. H. Moore's Red Rose, also started: 6 to 1 agst. Aristides. At the same meeting he ran third for the Steward's Cup, to Mr. Johnstone's pair, William-le-Gros first, and The Era second; Mr. Boyd's Lara (4), and Mr. Merry's Christopher, also started. At Liverpool, July, carrying 7st. 4lb., he was not placed for the Derby Handicap, won by Duke of Richmond's Pastoral, 3 yrs., 5st. 121b.; Lord Eglinton's Brevity, 4 yrs., 5st. 10lb., second, and Mr. Creagh's The Neill, 4 yrs., 6st. 4lb., third: 3 to 1 agst. Aristides. At the same meeting he was beaten by two lengths by Mr. Meiklam's The Best of the Three, for the Grosvenor Stakes: Mr. Meiklam's Godfrey (3), and Sir J. Gerard's Erebus, also ran. At Goodwood, ridden by Marson, he won the great Four-year-old Stakes of 300 sovs. each, h. ft. (16 subs.), beating Lord Exeter's Phlegon (2), Duke of Richmond's Elysium (3), and Mr. Bowes's Cotherstone (broke down): 4 to 1 agst. Aristides, who won by 100 yards. On the Friday, in the same meeting, ridden by Captain Pettat, he won the Maidstone Stakes of 15 sovs. each, with £50 added (35 subs.), beating Lord Chesterfield's Parthian, Mr. W. Sadler's Idleness, Lord Exeter's filly by Gladiator

out of Elegance, Mr. Hook's Una, Mr. Dawson's T'Auld Squire, Mr. S. Scott's Mosque, and Lord George Bentinck's Croton Oil, who were all placed in the order their names are given: 3 to 1 agst. Aristides, who won by three lengths.

SUMMARY OF ARISTIDES' PERFORMANCES.

In 1842, he started twice, and won once:

The Ham Stakes at Goodwood, value clear

In 1843, he started nine times, and won one stake, and divided another:

£1,900

The above are the whole of Aristides' performances up to the close of last season, while, as an earnest of his intentions in the present, he commenced by accepting, with the topping weight of 8st. 12lb., for the Chester Cup, in the betting on which he occasionally figured as an outsider, but, at the last moment, declined taking any active part in the race, reserving his first shot for the family seat, Eglinton Park. There, on the 13th of last month, ridden by Major Campbell, he made a second and more successful attempt on the Irvine Cup, which he won easily, beating Captain Boyd's Dog Billy (2), Sir J. Boswell's The Whistler (3), Mr. Meiklam's Godfrey (4), and Mr. Merry's Smike: 2 to 1 agst. Aristides. The value clear of this prize was £300, which thus makes the sum total of his profits at present £7,215. On the Thursday, in the same meeting, carrying 11st. 12lb., he ran second to Mr. Meiklam's Godfrey, 4 yrs., 11st., for the Stewards' Cup (Handicap), Captain Boyd's Dog Billy, 4 yrs., 10st. 3lb., third and last: 6 to 4 agst. Aristides, who was beaten by a length. His next engagement on the cards is the Ascot Hunt Cup, for which, or anything else, he is what can be well termed a dangerous horse-either to back or bet against, the chances almost entirely depending on the whim of the moment, whether or no he will deign to dance to that "most genteelest of tunes," "Tow row row," and so "take it while he is in the humour."

GROUSING IN THE NORTH OF ENGLAND.

Many, perhaps, may not be aware that in many of the northern counties of England grouse are found in almost as great an abundance as on the average of most of the Scottish moors, of course excepting those preserved by some of the lairds and wealthy landowners, and where they often literally swarm. In Northumberland, Cumberland, Durham, and nearly all Yorkshire, and a large proportion of Lancashire, Cheshire, and Derbyshire, grouse are tolerably plentiful, and in some parts, where they are carefully preserved, as good shooting may be had as the most fastidious sportsman would desire. As a proof of this, upon a small moor, not a dozen miles from Manchester, and not more than 300 or 400 acres, the keeper told me that on the 12th ult., thirty-eight brace were brought to bag. A large proportion of the moors in the counties which I have enumerated are let by subscription tickets of £10 and £15 each, to parties of twenty and thirty in number, and the shooting upon these, as may be supposed, is invariably the worst, from their being so incessantly beaten. Those who do not possess moors of their own, or any accommodating friend who do, generally purchase tickets of this description; and it can readily be imagined, that eight or ten different parties, with dogs and markers, beating a moor of perhaps not more than 1,500 or 2,000 acres, backwards and forwards, day after day, are enough to drive every bird out of the country. With so many continually on the look out, the packs have no sooner settled from their flight, than they are marked down, and again sprung; and thus, after the first week or ten days' shooting, they have become so wild, that they will hardly ever lie to a dog, but rise at a couple or three hundred yards' distance directly they are disturbed. To this may, in a great measure, be attributed their preservation; as, were they not to take such good care of themselves, they would be soon shot down to a bird. When they have become so wild as to be unapproachable in the usual way, another method is often resorted to, not in many places, fortunately; and it would be well were all owners of moors to discountenance the practice most strongly, as it is one both unfair and unsportsmanlike, and tending to make the birds wild for another season— I mean that of driving; and as many may not be aware of the way in which it is managed, I will briefly mention it. The tracts of country in which grouse are found are generally intersected by loose stone walls, to mark different boundaries, and to portion it out into different divisions for sheep and cattle. Behind these walls, or concealed amongst the heather, if it is sufficiently high, the sportsmen are stationed, at intervals of from fifty to a hundred yards apart, and, of course, the more guns there are the better. A party of beaters are then sent off, who fetch a sweep of sometimes a mile or more, in a semicircular direction, and drive the