The Sun.
London, England, 1865-06-19 00:00:00

and as prejudiced as himself, day after day he is
said to have spent in hopeless wrangling about
theories of trade well nigh exploded in all other
portions of the world, and in the avowal of a dogged
resolution not to entertain any proposal that would
directly or indirectly affect vested interests so called.
These vested interests all appertain to the German
portions of the empire, and the imperial commis-
sioners were accordingly exclusively German.
When a vacancy or two happened accidentally to
occur, Lord Blomfield suggested blandly whether it
might not be well to have the presence of some one
who would represent the interests and wishes of
Hungary in the commission. No regard, however,
was paid to the suggestion; and after many vain ex-
postulations and remonstrances, the English commis-
sioners told their ambassador that they despaired of
being able to approach, far less to attain, any
practical result. To save appearances, their sittings
were last week adjourned until the end of August;
but in reality there is no expectation that they will
ever be resumed. And all this occurs on the very
eve of the announcement of a new loan by Herr
Plener, the Minister of Finance, who finds himself
unable to make both ends meet without resort to
borrowing once more at rates which must, of course,
be ruinous, because the Customs do not yield a fifth
of what they ought to yield, and because they are
sentenced to infertility by the stupidity and obsti-
nacy of protection. Count Mensdorff is described
as having tried to avert as long as possible the con-
fession of failure in the negotiations for a commer-
cial treaty, and we see that it is alleged by some of
our contempararies that the Archduke Hegnier, the
Emperor's uncle,. who fills the post of Premier in the
Apostolic administration, is a man of somewhat less
narrow and bigoted_ prejudices than Herr Kalisch-
berg. BC this a's'it may, we only know for certain
that he bias not Iliad the will or the power to over-
rule his . retrograde colleagues ; and that the Vice-
President-of the Board of Trade has been doomed to
have his diplomatic journey for nothing.
THE "SATURDAY REVIEW" ON THE ASCOT CUP
-For an hour before the race General Peel has been
walking almost unnoticed in the paddock. It seems
odd that the favourite for the Ascot Cup should ob-
tain no more attention, but this race is principally
for honour, whereas the New Stakes, which precedes
it; has a heavy pecuniary value both in itself and as
throwing early light upon the chances of next year's
Derby. However, the New Stakes have been run
for with a result which need not be discussed now,
and the two-year-olds, of whom we shall hereafter
hear so much, are being sheeted and sent home.
Fordham, in the white and crimson of Lord Glas-
gow, is nnw mounted on General Peel. The
horse is everything in appearance that had been
hoped for a year ago. It has been said on
former occasions that this magnificent animal
is not exactly what one would fancy for a
racehorse ; but then he has proved that he is a race-
horse, so there is no use in saying so again. He has
that commanding beauty of look and movement
which would rivet attention anywhere. No one
who has seen General Peel can forget him or mis-
take him at a distance, just as no one could forget
or mistake St. Alban's, whose shape has been re-
produced in a son of his who ran to-day in a two-
year-old race. Custance has ridden Ely in almost
all his important races,. and the scarlet and black of
Mr. Cartwright could not.be more ably borne. Ely
was called beautiful wherever he appeared last year,
and well deserves the title, for a more truly-shaped
horse or a more graceful mover never was seen. As
he cantered past the stand at Ascot, the admiration
of the spectators was expressed by the same hearty
applause which greets a favourite actor after an
effective scene. This was a genuine testimony to
the power of grace in form and action, for Ely was
never puffed like some other horses, and, in spite of
his victory in the Champagne Stakes, the public
would only have him for the Derby during the pre-
vious winter at an outside price. The red and blue
of Count Lagrange—of which such vast quantities
have been. manufactured into neck-ties—were worn
as usual by Harry Grimshaw, but he has succeeded
Edwards in the mount on Fille de l'Air after the
mare's great days are gone. She gallops well, but
her action is not so much admired as it was a year
ago, and she looks small and slight by the side of
Ely, and still more when compared to General Peel,
upon whose large and well-knit frame any such
weight as Bst. I.olh. ought to be a trifle, while File
*de l'Air will hardly live under her corresponding
weight up the Ascot hill. The ground is as hard
as it can be, but here are three first-class horses,
and good legs and feet will carry a horse over any
ground. The lead was taken by Oppressor from
the start, and he held it past the stand, and all
round the course into the straight, having run in
front for upwards of two miles, and almost until
he could run no longer. When he was done
with, Fille de l'Air was done with also, and at
the distance-post there were but two horses in
the race. The three three-year-olds and the French
mare were all too much beaten by pace and weight
to struggle up the hill, but Ely was going well, and
appeared to have the race in hand until opposite the
stand, when General Peel was sent out by Fordham
with so much force and freshness as to look as if he
could not lose. The General had been ridden judi-
ciously throughout. He is not the best of stayers
over a distance, but he is capable, when not ex-
hausted, of showing wonderful speed at the finish of
a race. Accordingly, Fordham saved him as far as
possible until near home, and came with a rush
when there was barely enough of the race left to win
it in. Many people thought that he had won 'upon
the post, and some, perhaps, may have thought that
he could have won if he had begun a trifle sooner.
But looking at what occurred afterwards, it is pro-
bable that Fordham did the best he could in making
a dead heat of it. The other horses were out of the
race. As 6 to 4 was laid on General Peel for the de-
ciding heat, it is probable that his backers thought
he ought to have won before. As might have been
an ticipa;ed from the known quality of the horses,
Custance took the lead from the start, with Ely,
while Fordham kept General Peel as far as he dare
behind. In this order they ran all round the course,
and at the turn into the straight Fordham was near
enough to his opponent to play the same game over
again, if he had had under him the necessary mate-
rial. But either strength or heart was wanting, for