The Sun.
London, England, 1863-12-11 00:00:00

gious customs permit that, after the accomplishment of the
pious duties, the rest of the day should b 3 devoted to I
repose and amusement, and we know of none more inno-
cent or more suitable to offer to a population than a
spsctacle which attracts by its magnificence and
recommends itself to notice by its usefulness." The Vis-
count goes on to urge, in effect, that as he and his French
friends have always kept Sunday in England, his English
friends ought not to insist on keeping it in France. He
considers that the same rule applies to either case—namely,
to respect and conform to the habits of the country where
one happens to be. He adds, that "in such a democratic
country as ours" it would be unwise to hold the races on a
day when only unoccupied persons could be present at
them; and he concludes by expressing regret if the French
Jockey Club, on whose behalf he writes, should have
shocked anybody in England. The answer of Admiral
Rous to this letter, on behalf of the English Jockey Club,
admitted that the French Club were bound to name the
day most suitable to the gratification of the French public.
Thus it was arranged that the Grand Prix de Paris should
be run for a Sunday, although the principle of reciprocity
of habits propounded by Viscount Daru was not adopted by
Admiral Roue, who doubtless saw that it was question-
able, if not dangerous.
Only one day intervened between the Paris meeting and
that of Ascot. The Cup day was graced by the presence of
the Prince and Princess of Wales, and it saw the finest race
of the year—such a race, indeed, as is only likely to be seen
once in many years. Tim 'Whiffler as a three-yr-old had
beaten everything he met. After winning the Chester
Cup and other races, he fairly ran away at Goodwood
from a field which comprised some of the best horses
then in training. At Doncaster he met Asteroid, :the
best horse of his year, and beat him. At the same meet-
ing he encountered Buckstone, and again triumphed. It
was natural to bet odds on such a horse against
Buckatone for the Ascot Cup, and the public supported
him enthusiastically. But Tim had not improved
with age, though his speed was undeniable and his action
as beautiful as ever. All that Rogers' splendid riding
could do was to bring off a dead heat. Nevertheless, in the
deciding heat, 6 to 4 was freely laid upon Tim Whiffler.
The same tactics were put into play in both heats. Tim
forced the running at a tremendous pace, and the second
heat was actually run in 14 seconds less than the first. But
it was evident, even as he came up the hill the first time,
that he felt the weight he was carrying, and his distress as
he climbed the hill to the winning-post the second time was
terrible. Buckatone, a far more powerful horse, beat him
easily. No one who saw that finish expected to see Tim
Whiffler at the post again, and indeed he has never started
for a race since that day. Mr. Merry's fortune on the great
day of the Royal meeting was remarkable. Besides the
splendid prize of the Cup which Buckstone gained for him,
he won a race with Scottish Chief, whose running on that
day is doubtless remembered by those who are now backing
him for the Derby, and another race with Gladstone. The
chief features of the latter half of the season, particularly
Goodwood, York, and Doncaster, will deserve notice on
some other occasion. There was fine racing at these three
places, but nothing so memorable as the two contests for
the Ascot Cup.

SPIRIT OF THE PUBLIC JOURNALS,

TIMES.--Birmingham has long enjoyed a repu-
tation for successful counterfeits, but all former
specimens of its craft are totally eclipsed by the
magnificence of that now revealed to the public.
Few people will have forgotten a certain memorable
event of the year 1858. A Royal visit was paid,
on a most interesting occasion, to the town of Bir-
mingham. The authorities or the leading inhabie
tants of that opulent and populous borough had re-
solved on providing its working classes with the
invaluable advantage of an open park for their re•
creation and exercise. This judicious design was
carried into execution ; a suitable site was selected,
" the People's Park" was duly formed, and when
the Queen acceded to the invitation of the Mayor
and other officials to proceed to Birmingham and
open the park for use, it was universally felt that
her Majesty's gracious compliance was not unde-
served. The scheme was beneficent enough to merit
Royal countenance, and that countenance was ac-
corded. Aston Hall and Park were delivered by
the Queen and Prince Consort to the people of Bir-
mingham for their advantage and enjoyment, and
the promoters of the undertaking gained signal
credit for their liberal and patriotic policy. A
strange story, however, has now come to light.
This park, which was thus offered to the people,
and which the Queen was thus asked to bestow,
had never been really acquired by the reputed
authors of the gift. The property had not been
purchased, nor had the money for buying it been
raised. Tne real owners were a certain banking
firm, who retained a natural right of resuming the
estate in default of the requisite satisfaction in law-
ful money. What sum was demanded for the
park, what amount was actually contributed, or
what designs were entertained for procuring the
remainder, we need not inquire, but a correspon-
dence which we yesterday published contained
evidence enough to prove that when Birmingham
acquired such a distinction five years ago the
price of her honour had not nearly been paid. In
short, it comes to this—that if what ought to have
been done in 1858 is not done now and that quickly
the People's Park at Birmingham will be the
People's Park no longer, but will relapse to the
owners, who have been willing to sell it, but who
have never been able to get their money. With the
correspondence itself the public must have been
greatly edified. In October last the late Mayor of
Birmingham, discerning the impending "catas-
trophe," and feeling that the ejection of the people
from the Park which they had received at the
hands of their Queen would " be stigmatised as a
disgrace to all parties concerned," addresses himself
in his difficulty to the Lori-Lieutenant of the
County. In this communication the facts of the case
are admitted without disguise. To save the Park,
or, as we should rather say, to acquire it, a sum of
no less than £28,000—representing we believe fully
two-thirds of the whole purchase-money—is imme-
diately needed. The Mayor thinks the Town
Council could be successfully moved to provide
A.;20,000, and it strikes him that if the Lord-Lieue
tenatit would move the County to provide £B,OOO
the thin: could be done. To this suggestion Lord
.
Leigh replies by a very natural remark that if the
Corporation of le: rmiugham requires £28,000 for
to , is
p,:rposes essentially p'.°p,er
his athe town and
mount, it would
ready to vote £20,000 ot
surely be better for so wealthy' and important a
body to go one short step further and I.‘ ise the whole
at once, instead of soliciting contributions "cmi gen-
tlemen at a distance who had already subsctithed
enough to indicate the interest they had in the pro-
ceeding. However, not to be abrupt in the matter,
his Lordship undertakes to consult the County
magistrates at the next Quarter Sessions, and then
to send the Mayor an official reply. tit for this
reply the Mayor does not wait. He interposes a
brief but emphatic epistle to the effect that, even if
the Council had the means of raising so large a sum
as £20,000, " they never could be induced to apply
that amount, or, indeed, any larger amount than
he had mentioned, in the purchase of Aston
Park ;" so that, he adds, " unless we have help,
the catastrophe which every right-minded person
must deplore will inevitably and immediately ensue."
The help did not come. Lord Leigh had intimated
to the Mayor in a friendly tone that, as the object
of the Park was to benefit the Birmingham people,
as the design was conceived by the Birmingham
authorities, and as the Queen had patronised the
scheme on the invitation of Birmingham, Birming-
ham ought to be at the charges of the undertaking ;
and in this reasonable view of the case the gentle-
men of the county appear to have concurred. The
magistrates expressed an opinion that the Lord
Lieutenant should not move in the 'Better, and so the
Mayor and Council were left to their own resources.
In this predicament they took another and a still
more objectionable step. With a strange blindness
to the character of the case, the Mayor ventured on
placing it before her Majesty, from whom, if from
anybody, such a revelation should have been care-
fully concealed. Availing himself, with strange
infelicity, of the communication made by the Queen
in July last on the subject of the accident in Aston
Park, the Mayor enclosed to Sir Charles Phipps the
correspondence which we have described above. If
this measure was adopted in the expectation of,
obtaining from her Majesty what had been vainly
eyo hwe
every
e r y
The
person
ol
en a
is
at
besought from the gentlemen of the county, it failed
in its purpose ; but it produced a reply from which
the Birmingham authorities may derive instruction
and profit. Her Majesty much regrets to hear of the
contingency which the Mayor describes, having
hoped, as of course every body else did, that the means
required for securing to the people the Park whic
was given to them " hadbeen permanently provided."tat,
But her Majesty " is still unwilling to byslifeovuerrih
in
in a locality in which so much wealthhiehi
it is 'proximity to the hard labour by
tow
secure to the
pro-
duced, funds can be wantthieng
value of which they
thite
wotemporary
population an enjnyment
would be
use
eveof been
Aston taught
p,ik
,tdo
andestimate
oof
w which
undesirable now to deprive
words the authorities of Riming
tvheoryin.,i,nj uldeictihoeusse
aenee story is kny
the country when
do is to make good the
ham may read what will be felt b
they can nowshortcomings
of five years since, and it would have been more
Queen
P
discreet to have done so with as little publicity as
and by the public, when this Park was opened with
Royalssib 1 e.
pomp,lc was,th at otfh course,
e estate assumed by the
had really been ac-
quired by those who enjoyed
h
it to others. Even if the t e
purchase-money creditof• presenting
ehsaedn t nogt
been actually or wholly
been so provided for as to
pildeiavedonwond, doubt
hsthoauhiodothathvee
finality of the b • argaln or the completeness of the
gift. We all know that public
works are occasion-
ally saddled with debts, and that if no new building
Were opened till it had been absolutely paid for very