The Express.
London, England, 1858-09-25 00:00:00

SPORTING INTELLIGENCE.

A SPECIAL EDITION et the "EXPRESS,"
containing the results of the days Races, s pub-
lished every evenuag during din Sporting 611115011, ►t
six o'clock.

IN this dead season, when Loudon is currently said
to be out of town, the million and a half or so who
are still left within the limits of the RRUISTRAR-
OENTRAE are subject to all sorts of caprices from all
sorts of authorities, great and small. It is the Sa-
turnalia of boards, and vestries, and commissioners.
All the minor powers who pace and watch, and
drain and light, revel in a blind exercise of
irresponsible power, and King THWAITES and
his council sit aloof like the gods of Epi-
curus, blandly watching it all go on. The
distinguished Frenchmen who just now parade
the pavements of the West must be repeatedly re-
minded in the course of their daily promenade of the
" days" of February and July. The barricades of the
Strand, after • three weeks,' state of siege, have only
just been broken down, and • polite notice from my
LORD Mavoit announces to all those who would
penetrate (Sty wards that Ludgate-hill and St.
Paul's are Mill under strict blockade. Meanwhile,
those thoroughfares that are still open are not with-
out their own description of popular amusements,
a little perilous perhaps, but eminently exciting. The
distinguished foreigner, his wife and family, may
enjoy in this free community • spectacle which
cannot be witnessed amid the monotonous and regu-
lated splendour of Paris. The carriages are out of
town; the cabs, without fares, droop on stands, or
vainly, at a enairs pace, teat for custom along lines
of depopulated pavement; the omnibuses have it all
their own way. Their racing season is now it I&
height. The " nursing" system is is full vigour.
It appears eminently probable that this new deserip-
lien of metropolitan sporting is tacitly connived at
by the official curators of the peace. In the absence
of other amusement it may be supposed to supply
that mild description of excitement in which the
fficial temperament delights. We are not so well
up as we should be in the ibformation so accurately
supplied on sporting subjects by oar admirable
contemporary Bele* Life, and are therefore un-
able to state off-hand whether odds are taken and
"little events" regularly appoicttd to come off
between Brompton " Saloon*" sod Brompton
" Generale j" but we deem it highly probable,
and shall wait to be undeceived by authority before
we entirely abandon the idea as unfounded,
What is quite certain at all events is this, that the
great lines of London thr...,ughfere are just now
converted, and as it would appear by general con-
sent, into rsoe-courees for thu London Omnibuses.
Helter-skelter, with its twelve inside and nine out,
thundering and crashing, sparks flying from the
pavement, horses la-bed into foam, foot passengers
dispersing in panic, females and Elderly parties in.
side in hysterics with terror—the lumbering mat
chine rashes at a gallop along the labyrinth of the
crowded thoroughfares, followed hard and close by
the pole of its pursuing rival. Policeman X, as a
general rale, quietly looks on enjoying the sport.
Every now and then, for the sake of appearanoes,
a haul is made, and a stray delinquent or two is
brought up before the police courts. A group of
such cases occupied the attention of Mr. HENRY the
other day at Bow-street. In one instance the com-
plainant was a Mrs. STUART MURRAY, and the de-
fendants the driver and conductor of one of the Lon-
don General Company'e omnibuses. The lady deposed
(we take her statement est balim from the report)
that " On the 16th inst., at about nine o'clock, she
" arrived at the corner of Agarstreet, Strand, in
" the defendants' omnibus, having ridden from the
" City. Oa passing Adam-street she had directed
" the conductor to set her down at Agar-street. The
" omnibus paused for a moment, but could hardly be
" said to stop, and as she was getting out the
vehicle went on before she had completely alighted,
" so that she lost her balance, and was nearly thrown
"to the ground. At toe same time the conductor
" banged the door so suddenly that it struck her left
" arm, swinging her slightly to the right. It was
" only this latter circumstance that prevented her
" from falling under the hoofs of the horses belong-
" ing to another omnibus, a hich was on the point of
" overtaking that of defendants, and was at that
" moment in front of her and somewhat to her left.
" Defendants' omnibus had been some time' racing'
" with the other omnibus, and she was much
" alarmed even before she attempted to get oat.
" She was so much shaken, and so much agitated,
" that she was unable to proceed unassisted, but a
constable who saw the occurrence (and who had
" taken the number of the omnibus) helped her
" house." lhis is the sort of thing that takes place
at most hours of every day of the week in the
City, which prides itself upon being the best reps.'
laced metropolis in the world. The lady's name-
tire was coEfirmed in every particular. The case was
fully made out. And how was this gross pion of
disorderly and dangerous ruffianism treated by the
presiding Magistrate ? The driver was entirely let
off, the conductor was only fined 11., which was, of
course, immediately paid by his employers. Mr.
HENIE must be told plainly that mush leniency as
this is an utter mistake. By imposing a fine, which
is a mere farce, he does what is in him to encourage
a nationally discreditable nuisarce.
Oa the same day, before the same Magistrate,