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MOP AND FRISK,

SPANIELS, the Property of Sir THOMAS FENTON FLETCHER BOUGHEy, Bart.

HE excellence of these Spaniels On land or in water, it was a matter

handed down to posterity on canvas, the which, through his kindness in lending the picture, and Mr. GOLDING's talent in the translation of it, we now offer to our subscribers as a beautiful specimen of the graphic

art.

That faithful attachment which is proverbial with the spaniel, Mop, the old dog, possessed in the highest degree: this was joined to all those essential qualities which make a spaniel valuable—a good nose, under excellent command, versatile in pursuit, and equally good at either woodcock, pheasant, hare, rabbit, snipe, or mallard.

was his master's wish-guided by the hand, checked by the whistle, indefatigable in his labour-his end regretted, being accidentally killed.

As time wings his course, his master will, when he looks on the portrait, feel all those pleasing remembrances when as companions they rambled with delight through the wild and varied scenes that adorn Aqualate.

FRISK, when painted, was young; she possesses a pleasing archness of countenance, which is indicative of bustle and industry-qualities in a spaniel always desirable. Both the dogs were bred by Sir Thomas.

REVIEW OF THE RACING SEASON OF 1831, AND MATTERS CONNECTED THEREWITH.

SIR,

"I have horse will follow where the game

Makes way, and run like swallows o'er the plain.”

WI WHAT with Reform and Antireform" a plague o' both your houses"-Father Turf has been this season somewhat scurvily usedthe most influential supporters of racing having been detained in town with little intermission the whole season. In the provinces this has been severely felt; most of the principal country races, Bath, Cheltenham, &c. having sadly fallen off, the interest and betting being confined to the few professors who usually attend, and the two or three Gentlemen sharps who play the same game.

Newmarket, however, for obvious reasons, has been less affected than elsewhere; although even there, matters, till the latter Meetings, did but drag their slow length along." The performances of Priam in the Craven Meeting ought to have fully satisfied

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SHAKSPEARE.

everybody of his superiority; and one cannot help feeling annoyed that such a horse ever got beaten. The Abingdon Mile Handicap, which a year previously put forth the Little Rover in such glowing colours as to make all competition, except the great Trojan, safe for the Derby, did actually this season produce the winner of the Great Race, although at the time thought nothing of; and with good reason, having been out four times at two years old without winning, and now having with very favorable weight beaten only a very moderate field. The race for the Riddlesworth, on the same day, did to all appearance bring out the undoubted winner of the Derby. The running of Riddlesworth, combined with his subsequent performances, in which he defeated every competitor with the

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greatest ease, reduced the betting to the most extraordinary state, nothing being backed but Lord Jersey's stable, and that only though a Blunder. The party, however, all along bore up that the latter horse was the best; and two or three, who had the wrong office, paid pretty dear for their whistle." However, they never dare trust the Middleton brute for any of his races, although it was given out to the last that he was to run for the "Two Thousand." There was, however, long before that time, a snug little party, which were quite sufficiently acquainted with the relative merits of the two animals, by having had a little fun to themselves; and of which knowledge they had the opportunity of turning the penny, as, by good bearing up, the Blunder brute never lost his position in the betting: but there is no test like public running for public money. Lord Exeter's lot turned out wretchedly bad; and my opinion as to Bohemian, expressed in my "Review" of last year, has been quite cenfirmed.

The Fair Circassian having managed to win a small stake against a moderate mare, coupled with her performances in the preceding autumn, made her the pet for her race. Her antagonist Oxygen, whom I set down last year as the champion of the southern side, was defeated in the race for the Thousand," by a very bad field, and adds another proof how fallacious all imagined certainties in racing are. The race was thrown away entirely by too great confidence, Oxygen having been considered good enough to win any way: therefore a mare in the same stable, not within any weight of Oxygen, was allowed to make the running; and in the scuffle of the last hundred yards, Oxygen was beaten by two animals not within a stone of herself. Had she been permitted to have made ber own running, being a stout good mare, but with only a certain pace, all this might have been avoided, and there would then have been no mistake for this, nor any public dissatisfaction at Epsom afterwards. Incubus,

not of the dam of Taurus (the quickest horse at Newmarket), and who like his relative has always made some noise in the world, though thought greatly of by the party-so much so as to prevail on the great Chifney to ride-cut but a sorry figure in the race for the Newmarket Stakes with Riddlesworth, the latter horse seeming to increase in quality each time of appearing-having up to this won every race he was engaged in with the greatest ease, so as to leave no apparent chance for his Derby compeers.

Chester this year lost one of its principal supporters through the lamentable decease of Sir Thomas Mostyn ; Mostyn; and altogether, though there was no lack of sport, required some of the old spirit to make it go off. Every good sportsman must have rejoiced to see so liberal and veteran a supporter of the turf as Lord Derby win the Dee Stakes with a colt from his Lordship's own paddocks: but the Knowsley stud all this season has sadly lacked the assistance in their stable which last year was Felt. The Chester Meeting this season was remarkable for having brought out from one stable five horses of different ages, s, and won every race—Mr. Beardsworth having run a two, a three, four, five, and six-year-old horse for as many different races, and won them all. This occasioned some talk of challenging any other stable in England, but which no doubt was wisely thought better of: he, as well as others, had better keep out of Priam's path.

York produced us this year The Saddler in strong force, and his having won the Spring Leger, and cut down Chorister easily, (though this latter had not then recovered from his winter's illness, and, besides having a little temper about him, could not also get through the dirt,) got him up greatly in public favour. The first appearance of Jerry's stock having beaten two fields, looks as well as the Lottery first performance did the year preceding; and though Lord Kelburne's has since been defeated in the same way that his predecessor Chorister was, I am assured he will have

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