The Sun.
London, England, 1865-11-30 00:00:00

SPORTING INTELLIGENCE.

CROYDON AUTUMN STEEPLECHASES.
WETWESDAY.

The attraction of the principal handicap drew avery large
attendance, notwithstanding that the weather was of the
most disagreeable description. All interest centred in the
decision of the principal event of the meeting, upon which
some very extensive speculation had taken place during the
week. Fourteen numbers wore hoisted on the telegraph
board, but even in the face of such a field L'Africain main-
tained his position of first favourite, even money being very
freely invested. Every particular of the race will bo found
below; suffice it to say that at the moment when L'Africain
was apparently going to the front he fell on his head on the
middle of a field from the heavy nature of the ground, and,
turning a complete somersault, he was not remounted, and
walked into the paddock smothered in mud from his head
to his heels. His fall let up Old Oswestry, who had been
going well, andwho always occupied a good position through-
out the race, and he won in a canter from Cortolvin ; the
latter, after making nearly all the running,tiring very much
in the last quarter of a mile. The following is a full return
of the day's sport :
The Stand Plate of 40 sovs ; winners extra. About two

miles and a half.

Mr. Halford's The Hornet, 5 yrs, list 61b (Griffiths) 1
Major Pinch's Disappointed, 5 yrs, 121 b (Mr. Grant) 2
Mr. Green's Sir Robert, 5 yrs, list 41b (Boyce) 3
Tiptop, Bravo, Oscar, Lucky Star, and Kingfisher also ran.
Betting-5 to 2 agst Disappointed, 3to 1 agst Sir Robert,
and 6to 1 each agst The Hornet and Tiptop. Sir Robert
was first off, but had the lead for a short distance only,
when Tho Hornet rushed to the front and held a long lead,
till within a quarter of a mile from home,when Disappointed
drew up to him, the pair coming over the last fence side by
side; but The Hornet, having much the best of it up the
hill to the finish, won by a length. Sir Robert was a bad
third ; the remainder, most of whom pulled up after going
a mile, walked in.

A Selling Handicap of 3 sovs each, with 20 added ; the
winner to be sold for 40 sovs. About two miles.

Mr. Laid's Ace of Trumps, 6 yrs, 12st
Mr. C. Tattersall's Amelia Ann, 4 yrs, 1 Ist 7113(J.(States) 1
(J. New) 2
Mr. Hamlin's Idiot, aged, 12st 71b (Mr. Ellison) 3
The Panther also ran.

Betting—Even on Aco of Trumps, and 10 to 1 (at first 7
to 4) agst idiot. Ace of Trumps, after running a quarter
of a mile, took a strong lead, and, never being caught, won
in a canter by 40 lengths from Amelia Ann. Idiot walked
in third; Panther beaten off. The winner was bought by
Mr. Merton for 71 guineas.

The Grand Metropolitan Steeplechase (Handicap) of 20
sous each, 10ft7 with 200 added; winners extra. About

three miles and a half.
Mr. Hal ford's Old Oswestry, 5 yrs, lOst 21b...(Griffiths) 1
Mr. Carew's Cortolvin, 5 yrs, list ... (Mr. Edwards) 2
Mr. Golby's Church Militant, 6 yrs, 11st 21b (Wheeler) 3
The following also ran :—L'Africain, Sly Fox, Balder,
Globule, Goldfinder, Benazet, Farnborough, Arlescott,
Laura, Goshawk, and Rochester.
Hall Court was struck out at 2 20 p.m.
Betting—Even on L'Africain, 8 to 1 agst Benazet, 100 to
9 agst Old Oswestry, 100 to 8 agst Cortolvin, Sly Fox,
Goldfinder, and Farnborough, 100 to 7 agst Laura, 100 to
6 agst Church Militant, 20 to 1 each agst Balder and
Globule, 30 to 1 each agst Rochester and Arlescott. The
14 competitors, having taken their preliminary canters,
were started at the first attempt, Globule immediately
rushing to the front and leading past the stand, followed
by Old Oswestry, Church Militant, Cortolvin, and L'Afri-
cain, but after going a couple of hundred yards Globule dis-
appeared from the front, and Cortolvin assumed the com-
mand ; Church Militant going on second, followed by
L'Africain and Old Oswestry. They ran past the stand in
the same order at a great pace, the most prominent of the
next division being Laura, Sly Fox, and Benazet, running
abreast. Goshawk and Arlescott were outpaced after going
a mile and were toiling hopelessly is long way in the rear.
Little variation occurred in the second round till reaching
the stand, where Old Oswestry ran into second place, fol-
lowed by the favourite, who was going well and pulling
double. The rear was brought up by Arlescott and Gos-
, hawk, who were stopped and walked into the saddling en-
closure, being beaten off. Going across the plough L'Afri-
cain shot past Old Oswestry, and was going on in pursuit
of Cortolvin as they disappeared behind the hill, but here
the favourite met with such a mishap that his chance was
extinguished, for while crossing a field he floundered on
the heavy ground, and, falling heavily on his head, turned
a complete somersault, burying his head in the mud ; and,
although shaken, it was extremely lucky that Geo. Holman,
his jockey, sustained no injury. Old Oswestry now was
the only antagonist to Cortolvin (for Laura, Benazet, and
Balder had all come to grief), and, rushing to the front a
quarter of a mile from home, Old Oswestry took such a lead
that he landed in the winning field many lengths in front
of Cortolvin, whom he eventually defeated with the great-
est ease by 10 lengths. Church Militant struggled home
third, a long way behind the second, and Globule went the
entire course, but nothing else passed the post.
A Plate of 50 sous did not produce a race.
Naval and Military Intelligence.

Letters from the West India and Pacific stations,
received by a Southampton correspondent by the
present mail, report that her Majesty's ships Wol-
verine, Aurora, Aboukir, Cordelia, Steady, Fawn,
and Urgent were at Jamaica, and the Duncan, Niger,
and Rosario were daily expected. The Buzzard was
at Barbadoes, the Galatea at Cape Hayti, and the
Cadmus at Vera Cruz. The Chameleon arrived at
Taboga from the Mexican coast on the 30th Octo-
ber. The Devastation returned to Vancouver's
Island on the sth October from a short cruise. The
corvette Scout, from Rio de Janeiro, arrived at
Valparaiso on the 18th October, and the Leander
was daily expected from Callao. The United States
war steamer Tuscarora, 10 guns, Commander F.
Stanly, arrived at St. Thomas on the 10th inst., and
exchanged salutes on anchoringwith Fort Christian ;
and on the 11th the Powhattan, Vanderbilt, and the
turret-ship Monadnock also arrived, all four vessels
bound, from Hampton Roads, for the Pacific.
A couple of dockyard lighters were yesterday towed
down to Gravesend from Woolwich by the steamtug
Bustler, laden with 100 tons of picked coals, for
the supply of the Royal yacht Osborne, in prepara-
tion for the departure of the Prince and Princess of
Prussia, on their return to the continent.
Her Majesty's 6-gun paddle sloop Spiteful, Com-
mander Fletcher, yesterday returned to Greenhithe,
having completed her trial trip at the Lowor Hope
satisfactorily. A newly invented compressor, the
production of Mr. Price, and employed in checking
and arresting the fall of the anchor cable, was also
tried with success. The Spiteful will be swung to-
day at Greenhithe, in order to ascertain and regulate
the deviation of her compasses, prior to her depar-
ture for the Brazilian station.

An order has been received at Chatham Garrison
directing Ensign W. W. R. Onslow and Ensign R.
B. Ward, Ist Battalion 12th Regiment, to embark
on board the Silver Eagle, at Gravesend, for Auck-
land, New Zealand. Ensign M. C. A. Cavagnari,
94th Regiment, has received orders to embark for
Calcutta, to join the service companies of his regi-
ment in India.

The following promotions and appointments in
the corps of Royal Marines Light Infantry were
announced in divisional orders at head-quarters
Chatham, yesterday :—Col. and Second Comman-
dant H. Marriott, of the Chatham division, to be
Col.-Commandant of the Portsmouth division, vice
Col. W. H. March, retired; Lieut.-Col. A. D. L.
Farrant, of the Portsmouth division, tthoebepClyoml.oauntdh
appointed Second Commandant of the Chatham
division ; Capt. F. J. Richards, of
division, to be Lieut.-Col., and appointed to the
Portsmouth division ; First Lieut. J. Can.. ncross, of
the Chatham division, to be Capt., and appointed
to a division to be hereafter named ; Second Lieut.
0. Tracey, of the Chatham division, to be First
Lieut., and appointed to the same division.
In The Sun of Tuesday, in the account of the
official trial of Col. Shaw's gun carriage and slide
at Woolwich, instead of " It will be rendered self-
acting by means of machinery now in progress for
that purpose," it should havebeen, 4 The compressor
will be rendered self-acting," &c.

THE RECENT STORMS.—During the storms of the
past week the Prince Consort lifeboat, stationed at
Plymouth, saved the crews, consisting of 22 men, from
three wrecked vessels ; the Howth lifeboat rescued five
men from a lighter in Dublin Bay ; the Theddlethorpe life-
boat saved the crew of nine men from the fishing smack
Splendid, of Grimsby ; the Porthcawl lifeboat brought the
brig Argo, of Fayal, to port ; the Barmouth lifeboat
assisted to bring the smack Dahlia, of Portmadoc, and her
crow of three men, into harbour ; the Richard Lewis life-
boat, stationed at Penzance, rescued five men from the
brigantine Tobaco, of Hamburg; the Tenby lifeboat saved
one person from the smack Mary, of Cardigan ; the Fowey
lifeboat saved 13 mou from the barque Drydens, of North
Shields, and 10 men from the brig Wearmouth, of Sunder-
land ; and the Whitburn lifeboat rescued the crew of six
men from the schooner Test, of Southampton. It is alleged
that the lifeboat of the institution have saved during the
storms of the present year 420 lives.

A CIIILD GORED BY A GOAT.—Yesterday morn-
ing as some children were teasing a goat in Church-street,
Bermondsey, the animal became vicious, and inflicted
with its horns a shocking wound in the abdomen of a
little boy named Francis Wicks, residing in the same
street. So serious was the injury that the boy's bowels
protruded through the wound.