introduced a Spanish stallion into his estate in Powisland, from which that part of Wales was celebrated for a swift and generous breed of horses.-Giraldis Cambrensis, who lived in the reign of Henry II, takes notice of it, and Michael Drayton, contemporary with Shakespeare, sings their excellence in the sixth part of his Polyolbion. This kind was destined to mount the Nobility and Knights for feats of activity in chivalry in the contests in the Tilt Yard. From these sprung, to speak the language of the times, the flower of coursers, whose excellent form added charms to the rider, and whose activity and managed dexterity, gained him the palm in the field of romantic honour. Afterwards the gentlemen began, amongst other feats of sporting, to try the fleetness of their horses against one another, but rode themselves without measuring the horses, as is the custom of the present day, or even weigh ing. That this was the chief object of cultivating the mixed breed, seems to be very probable, till James I.'s reign, when we find horse races at Croydon, in the South, and at Gatherly Common*, a little north of Richmond, in Yorkshire, which were then famous for horse courses.

To the Editor of the Sporting Magazine.

SIR,

THE above paragraph I read in

one of the Morning Papers in town, on the Monday immediately after the Second Newmarket Meeting. Deeply chagrined that the turf, to the rational pleasures of which I have ever been so much attached, should be disgraced by such an enormity, I hastened to my sporting friends, who, I supposed, had been present at the distressing scene, in order to obtain an authentic account of the particulars. Judge of my surprize, my old friend, and of my hearty satisfaction, in which I know you will share from the best motives, to be informed, that there was not one single atom of truth in the story, but that it was purely a fabrication; and that the two colts, which so suffered, are without proprietors, pedigree, sire, or dam, age, or qualification, for they are yet to he foaled, if ever two colts are to be foaled for such a horrid purpose, which I trust will never happen. However, this is somewhat a more current story than that of the horse eating up the grindstone, since the fabricators had certain facts, not much to the purpose indeed, as a groundwork for their hoax. They were as follows

In running for a sweepstakes of one hundred guineas each, over the B. C. Mr. Terret's Bluster, a speedy horse, best fitted for a short race, and I believe another of the same description, were catched, according to the old style, coming over choak-jade, and run to still; in plain English, were run

a stand

out

out of their wind and beyond their powers, by their more able competitors, and could get on no further with racing speed. In consequence, Buckle, who rode Bluster, pulled up, and walked him in, and I suppose the other horse was treated in the same rational and proper way. It does not appear that these horses were at all cruelly or foolishly treated, as has formerly too often been the case, since, no doubt, they made a waiting race, from their known character for speed, and that the jockies must have held them fast through the course, rather than urged them forward. The race was won by Slender Billy, a stout and lasting runner, who made the play, and took his antagonists over the long course at such a deep and even rate, as was truly enough to choak all those, which had not wind and pluck equal to his. A similar occurrence took place in running for the Claret Stakes; a colt jaded at the turn of the Lands. Such is all the information I have been able to obtain from those who passed the whole week at Newmarket, and witnessed every race. I am thence inclined to attribute this ingenious piece of news to the respectable squad of Gentlemen Newsmongers, who have so often killed Bonaparte, and have at last, by way of giving novelty to news, made him kill himself. I am, &c. &c.

A BIT OF A JOCKEY.

racter, as well as a novelty. As a carriage, its external appearance indicates it to be a mixed species, formed by the union of a waggon with a stage-coach; but let me confess that, however unprepossessing its look may be, its qualities realize many of those advantages which are found to result from crossing breeds. It certainly is not so strong as a waggon, nor so lightsome, or swift, as one of our Highfliers; but to much of the security and roominess of the former, it adds a very considerable proportion of the celerity of the latter. There is, to be sure, a great want of arrangement, of suitableness, completeness, and nicety, yisible about itself and all its appurtenances; but this, after the first disgust it occasions is over, excites admiration of the dexterity of the people who contrive to get on, in every thing, with the most awkward and insufficient means in the world, very nearly as well as they do who are the most exact and scrupulous in their preparations. Business in England is conducted on a system, formed of a regular division of labour, and an accпrate calculation of what means are required to produce certain ends: in France much is left to individual adroitness, to shifts, to accident, and to putting the best face on whatever may happen. Care is taken in England to prepare well : the French think little of this, trusting to their quickness and cleverness when emergencies occur. An English coachman considers himself as a part of a regular establishment, called upon to fill only his own place, and discharge his own duties. He accordingly conducts himself with appropriate precision and self-consequence; be arranges his great

coat,

coat, and handles his handsome whip, with the air of an official person, who has certain ways of doing certain things, which he deems as important as the things themselves; and if any serious accident happens to his harness or horses, he curses those of his brother functionaries in whose department the neglect has been committed. A French postilion is more universal in his capacities, in proportion as his administration is less defined, and his means less complete. He is off and on his horse's back twenty times in the course of one stage, without ever stopping the vehicle. As ropes are likely to break, he is not surprised or dismayed, if called upon to mend those by which his horses are tied rather than bar nessed; and this he does with packthread, if he happens to have any in his pocket, and with his garters if he have not. If a passenger call, he dismounts, and pops his head into the window as he runs by its side, leaving the animals that draw the coach to their own gui dance; a freedom which they are accustomed to, and therefore seldom abuse. You scarcely ever look at him but you find him repairing an accident-knotting his whip, or mending his saddle, or joining a bridle, or knocking some part of the machinery with a stone picked up from the road. The progress of the travellers does not stop while these repairs are making; no embarrassment is discoverable; neither disconcertion nor anger takes place. The horses are arranged in a strange order: a few ropes loosely bind three of them abreast as leaders-one behind runs between heavy shafts, and carries the postilion, and a fifth is attached to the side of the latter, by the

same insufficient and coarse sort of tackle. The whole set, except the one within the shafts, are thus free to curvet, and prance, and zigzag: and they make a great show of availing themselves of this liherty. In truth, however, they are very tractable; they get along at a good pace, and readily obey the driver's whip (which he employs more than his reins), notwithstanding the impatience they pretend to shew by rampant pawings, vehement snortings, and deviating plunges. The horse in France generally displays the native and natural appearance of that fine animal, which is seldom seen in England. The particular breed of each province is kept distinct, and in its pure state, and it accordingly evinces that original spirit and peculiarity of disposition which constitute what is called character, and which, putting utility out of the question, is infinitely more interesting than combined qualities, and made-up perfections.

A conductor is attached to each Diligence, whose duties, if they were properly laid down, would answer to those of our guards; but his chief business, according to his practice, is to sleep, closely shut up in the Cabriolet (which is a covered seat in front), and to take his place at the head of the table, with the passengers, at their meals. This used to be castomary in England; the stagecoachmen in our country, fifty years ago, wore large laced cocked hats, and held it their province to carve for their living charge. Probably they considered themselves as standing in a sort of paternal relationship towards those who were entrusted to their superintendance for the journey-which, if it happened to be one of any great length,

L 2

before Mr. Justice Gibbs.

Antoine v. Morshead, Bart.

THIS was an action brought by Mons. Antoine, a banker in France, against Sir Frederick Morshead, legal representative of Sir George Morshead, to recover 31271. the amount of five bills of exchange, accepted by Sir G. Morshead at the time he was a prisoner at Verdun, in 1805. The plaintiff represented, that he advanced the money for the laudable purpose of supplying the necessities of Sir G. Morshead, and other gentlemen, while they were prisoners of war. Among the bills there was one for 2000l. indorsed by Sir George Morshead.

The defence to this action was established on the 9th of Anne, which renders void all securities given for money lost at gaming. To bring the case within the statute, Mr. Serjeant Vaughan called a Mr. Prescott, who stated that he was a detenu for eleven years at Verdun, that a gaming house was kept there by one Balby, and that the General of the Depot, Vidion, was supposed to share; that Vidion extorted large sums from the English; and an enquiry be.. ing ordered into his conduct by the

Antoine, he said, stood in the situation of an innocent holder, and the Jury would not tell a man, who had liberally assisted the subjects of this country while prisoners of war, that he might return to France, and inform his countrymen there was no justice in England.

Sir Vicary Gibbs having stated the law with respect to the question, observed that it ought not to be supposed that this country could withhold its gratitude for humane assistance afforded his fellow-subjects by foreigners in France or elsewhere, yet a Judge and British Jury were not to shut their eyes against an illegal transaction. If the Jury believed the evidence of Mr. Prescott, viz. that the bill was given to Balby for a gaming debt, it was void by the law of England, and could not be enforced. If they believed it was not given under such circumstances, they would find for the plaintiff. The learned Judge did not see that the objection to the 20001. bill applied to the others.

The Jury found a verdict for the plaintiff, damages, including interest, 15501.-Counsel have liberty to move to set aside the verdict, on points of law arising out of the

case.

FEAST