The Express.
London, England, 1868-05-21 00:00:00

TO THE EDITOR OP THE E1P1268.

Stn,—The extensive list of Derby horses laid
and offered against during the Bath meetingoras discussed
by the million far more anxiously, I'll be bound, than the
return of the racing, important as was the business
of the fiat day, when Julius and Achievement turned
out to do honour to the Beaufort Cup, and Speculum risked
his prestige by contesting what is now-a.days called a paltry
stake. It is true it appeared " only a canter for him." and
as he had a private box to himself the journey ought not to
have done him much harm ; but there is " many
a slip," &c., and it was fated that the City and
Suburban hero should succumb to one of the
nonentities in the field. His overthrow wade the Biennial
as sensational as it proved last year, when Wroughton
(not engaged in the great Epsom contest, but reckoned
very nearly the same horse as the Two Thousand winner,
Vauban), was beaten in a walk by quite an obscure Derby
outsider, Van Amburgb, who sprang from 40 to I to 7 to 1
through the performance. The two cases, however,
are not strictly analogous, for it happens that the
beaten favourite, Speculum, is the Derby candi-
date, and not his conqueror, Orimston, who
must h►ve made a noise in the market, unless the takers
of 1,000 to 70 and 60 about Speculum, after him defeat,
knew more than met the eye. It would probably have
been maintained that the littlkgentleman's form was quite
correct, because be once ran three tremendous contests
against Lady Elizabeth, albeit he was never credited W stay,
and it was only the other day that Vale Roy►l, in
his remarkable win at Newmarket, brat him by 200 yards.
From this it may safely be set down either that Speculum's
running on Tuesday was as wrong as wrong could be--and
it was really " too bad to be true," the wretched pace
being a very fair excuse for him—or that he has gone off
quite a stone since the City and Suburban day.
One of his neighbours, the Tom Bowline colt,
has had a bad week of it, the hard ground
having evidently found him out, and but for the revival of
Suffolk, Newmarket would be quite at a discount for the
Blue Riband, its only ether representative, St. Ronan, not
being at all likely to prove a second Hermit for the
rose jacket, though be did astonish the natives by
running into a place for the Two Thousand. The
Lady Elizabeth fever is unabated, and all kinds of
rumours have been afloat this week concerning her. -One is
that the " party " bolding most of the money intend
calling on the layers to stake ; which would be putting the
boot on the other leg with a vengeance; but the proceed-
ing would probably put backers to greater inconvenienoe
than bookmakers, and is impracticable too, unless notice of
motion was given atleast eightdays ago. The accounts from
her training quarters are very satisfactory—as they are
also of The Earl, for that matter, and Ilan safely prethecy
the latter will oust many of the present favourites from
their positions if he is allowed to start. " Sir Joeeph,"
too, is doing well, his trio having all been supported
during the past few days, and Blue Oown to a rare tune,
the anxiety to get on the latter evinced in certain
quarter. almost guaranteeing that he would prove the
better of the three when they were tried. This perform.
once took place this morning, out in such a fog that the
" touts " could make nothing out of it, and your readers
must judge by to-day's market which is best. Nut Jones,
Orion, Uncas, and Mercury are very wide apart in the
quotations ; but they may some day prove of pretty equal
class, the two first named having all their work to
do to keep their places in the betting, unless
something serious should happen to the Marquis
of Hastings's or Sir Joseph Hawley's team.
The "ragged lot" is not very likely to disturb the above-
named, for the Bath waters drowned Tympanum, Pace is
a forlorn hope indeed, Forest King simply a "certain
starter," and Betrayal, the Viscountess colt, and See.
saw, animals of the mysterious order—there is
always a good price to be had about when
their starting is ensured. The Frenchmen are dumb,
and are likely to remain so, for Count F. de La-
grange. is not a very good lot, and the three-year olds
located the other side of the Channel are, generally speak-
'mg, simply " awful." Their calibre can be easily guessed
when such as Jenny, Sarah, and La Mousse had
to fight out the French Oaks, and Gouvernail
is first favourite for next Sunday's French Derby ;
besides which, three Britisher. were the only
horses quoted in • recent return of the Paris betting
on the Grand Prix, anything but an international affair,
err far as present appearances go. The trio consists of
The Earl, Vale Royal, and Blueskin, it having been defi-
nitively settled that thogelding isqualificd to start notwith-
standing theconditions saytbe race is for" entire colts and
fillies," because he wu" entire " when the entries were made.
The word should be expunged front the conditions alto-
gether after this ruling, fur if colts are not " entire" when
the Grand Prix of Paris closes, they must almost have
been foaled otherwise. I was just about to ob-
serve that the Metropolitan winner, game 'on as
be is, can have no chance with The Earl ; but it
will be time enough to discuss the probabilities
of the " international " contest when the French
and English Derbies are decided, and all it is necessary for
me to touch upon prophetically here is the Harpenden
programme. This is a bumper, and ensures a capital
day's sport, with the ground in fair order, and
plenty of horses trained in the neighbourhood.
The chief handicap has only eleven left in, of
which Lucifer reads best, Foresight, Miss Harriette, and
Thorndyke—all better in, perhaps, being of the uncertain
kind, whilst Distaff will probably devote her attention to
one of the other handicaps, for both of which .be is " well
in." The Two-yr-old Stakes must rest with the Vergiss.
mein-Nicht filly and Perfume, despite their penalties.—
I am, Le., METEOR.
Thursday.

(By TT.LF.GRAPII.)
CROI DON MEETING.-(THIS DAY. )

COOMBE MANOR PLATE.
Traviata
Brand•
Polesze

9 Mu
TWO-YR-OLD STARES.

Carlotta
Bruenose
Bay Rosalind
5 ran.
NURSERY PLATE. Five furlong&
Culotta, Bravenou, First Emperor, Kieksey Wiukvey,
Esher, Fireball, and Carolina are Isere.
SHIRLEY HANDICAP. Five furlongs.
Venturer, Sultana, and Lorenzo di Lardy are here.

BICITING IN LONDON. -(THIS DAY.)

2.30 e.m.

The principal features of to-day's proceedings
were the backing of Sir J. liswley's lot and Lady Eliza-
beth ; 1,000 to 400 and mo to 200 twice were taken about
the first-named, while Lady Elisabeth, after being sup-
ported at 1,000 to 600, was laid against at 2 to 1 to the
extent of about I,ooof. The ether incident, were the
retrogression of Una,. to 40 to I, and The Earl to 100 to L
Quotations as follows :

DERBY.
2to 1 apt L. Elizabeth (t and off)
7 to 1 - Roucnician (off)
to I - Blue Gown (off)
11 to I - Orion (off)
1000 to $0 - Paul Jones (t)
13 to 1 - Speculum (off)
20 to 1 - Suffolk (t and off)
•23 to 1 - Tom Bowline o (off)
40 to 1 - Pace (t)
40 to 1 - noes (off)
woo to 15 - Mercury (t)
.-410 to 5 The Earl (t)
1000 to 5 - Legislator 41
1000 to 2 - Franchise (off)
1000 to 2 - Chelsea (off)
1000 to 2 - See Saw (off)
1000 to 400 -- Sir J. Hawley's lot (t)
1000 to 40 -- Green Sleeve, with a start it)
PLACE BETTING.
GOO to 400 on Lady Elizabeth, 1,2, 3 (1)
5 to 2 apt Paul Jones, 1,2, 3(t and w)
100 to 30 - Speculum, 1,2, 3 (t)
Bto 1 - 1 neat, 1,2, 3 (t)

A despatch from Havana of the Bth sa)a that
several wealthy free negroes sailed that day u cabin pas-
sengers in the English mail steamer for Southampton.
Several hundreds of people of colour visited the Mesmer
to bid their friends :Wien. The immigrants stated that
they were going to England to make an effort to whet
tho sympathies of the people in favour of the emtheips-
tioa of the blacks in the Wand of Cuba.