The Sun.
London, England, 1854-04-24 00:00:00

SPORTING NOTES.

THE GREAT NORTHERN HANDICAP.

The licensed victuallers of YOrk have worthily fol-
lowed the example of liberalityset them by their "brother
pubs" of London. No sooner was the project mooted
for establishing the Great Northern Handicap than the
promoters of it received the most cordial co-operation
from the innkeepers of Old Eller, and the most encou-
raging assurances of support from the owners and trainers
of horses. The means and appliances for carrying out
the undertaking were soon supplied ; the bonus was
collected without difficulty ; and such was the public
confidence in the plans and intentions of the " managing
committee," that the number of subscribers to the stake
was 210—only six under that obtained by the Chester
Cup. This good start in the race for public patronage
was not 'marred by the handicapper, who distributed
the weights with an ability and impartiality never
equalled and rarely surpassed. Inked, without a
instituting_ odious comparisons, I may unhesitatingly
assert that of the leading Spring Handicaps, the Great
Northern is, so far. as the allotment of the imposts is
concerned, the most satisfactory and successful. As a'
"betting race," however, it is somewhat uninteresting
and unimportant; speculation en it, indeed, since the
Epsom Meeting. has been materially stopped, and its
range limited by the seeming certainty of Virago's suc-
cess. That Virago is entitled to the positi.,n to which
she has been advanced in the list of quotations, is un
questionable. Still, I cannot be brought to consider her
chance so surpassingly formidable as to render that of
every other animal in the race utterly insignificant.
That she is weighed on terms so disadvantageous that
she requires to be quite as good as it is believed she is,
does not admit of a question ; and as I stated on Satur-
day, I shall be scarcely surprised to witness her defeat.
Additional interest would be imparted to the encounter
by the starting of West Australian, who would meet
Virago on almost weight for age terms. These "for-
midable flyers" will be opposed, perhaps, by Kingston, an
animal of a deserved first-class reputation, who certainly
has the best of the imposts. The other horses whose ,
pretensions to success may interfere with those of Virago
are Vindex and Defiance. After her recent achievements
at Epsom, however, it would be seemingly sher folly to
desert Virago's colours ; still I am compelled to confess
that in KINGSTON, VINDEX, and DEFIANCE she will meet
her most dangerous antagonists, and one of them may
snatch the victory from her. I have omitted West Aus-
tralian from this " summing up," because I' am at pre-
sent in doubt as to his starting. Should he, however,
go to the post, I shall not deem his chance a forlorn one.
Of the " extreme outsiders," I give the preference to
Lough Bawn and Jujube. The former is certainly fa-
vourably weighted, and many shrewd judges intend " to
go for the off chance with him."

The Craven Stakes will perhaps be carried off by either
Snowdon Dunhill, or Orestes. In their absence Hunca
Munca will be worthy' of consideration. The most note.
worthy names among the fifty-One nominations to the
Zetland Stakes are Bessie, Flatterer, and Sicily, my
partiality being indicated by the order in which they
are set down. S hould Wild Huntsman not figure
among the competitors for the Spring St. Leger, Barrel
will doubtless be capable of achieving success.
Six events are appointed for decision on Thursday in-
cluding the Londesborough Cup and the Flying Dutch-
man's Handicap, for both of which Virago is in the list
of engagements. Whether she is intended for either of
them lam of course at present unable to determine ; her
running will depend entirely upon the result of the
Great Northern Handicap. Putting her chance, there.
fore out of the question, I am induced to believe that
the animals seemingly "well in " the Londesborough
Cup are Snowdon Dunhill, Catspaw, Lord Lieutenant,
Patience, and Stiletto. The task of picking out the
winner I must leave to the reader. In the absence of
Virago, either Annie Sutherland or Alonzo may prove
the winner of the Flying Dutchman's Handicap.
Much indignation has been excited by the game that
has been played with Aquila. This mare advanced to a
prominent position in the betting on the Great Northern
Handicap, and was maintained in it for a time with
seeming steadiness. _List week, however, a movement
commenced which ultimately drove her out of the mar-
ket. Yesterday a notice was posted in the sale yard at
Tattersall's, to the effect that she was scratched. The
alleged cause of her withdrawal was an accident which
it is said she met with whilst in the stable. Verily a
fatality seems to attend the favourites. Aquila's party
" bore up" for her, with undiminished perseverance to
the last, but the support which she received was merely
a delusion and a sham. A FRESH MAN.
April 24.

ARRIVALS AT YORK.—Orestes, Tit-rmus, Sicily, Ivan,
Jujube, Vignette, Bessie, Hospodar, Coinfit, Evadne.

DUTCH SKIPS UNDER BLOCKADE.

We read in the Neu Courant of Rotterdam :—The
Russian ports in the Baltic and the Frozen Ocean con-
tain corn and other products of enormous value, bought,
and already paid for, by Dutch merchants. Several
vessels had been already chartered to go and fetch them,
and merchants were looking out for other ships in addi-
tion to send on the same errand, but it is to be feared
that in the mean time those ports will be blockaded,
and that in consequence the Dutch property will be shut
up., In order to prevent this misfortune, several mer-
chants of Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Delft, and Schiedam
have addressed his Excellency the Minister of Foreign
Affairs, begging him in the first place to inform
the English and French Governments that Dutch
property is in the Russian ports, and to 'state to them
the names of the chartered ships, vihile the names of the
vessels, which will be affected later, should be specified
without delay; in the second place, to request, in case
of a blockade, an authorisation for these vessels to be
able to approach and freely enter those blockaded ports,
as also freely quit them, so soon as freighted with the
Dutch property."
This address has been promptly answered as follows
--
"The Minister of Foreign Affairs has the honour to in-
form the gentlemen at Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Delft,
and Schiedam, in answer to their addresses, that the in-
terests of the Netherland merchants in Russia, where
the grain or the other products purchased for delivery,
and paid for, are at the present time, have been strongly
recommended to the King's Ministers at London and
Paris, in case of a blockade of the ports and coasts situ-
ated on the Baltic and Frozen Ocean, and that:the re-
sult of their efforts will be communicated without delay
to the parties interested." •

EMIGEAMON.—PLYMOUTH, April 22.—The Lady
Elgin, 1,057 tons register, commanded by Capt. Irons,
arrived in the Soanu on unday, April 16, under charter
to her Majesty's Emigration Commissioners for the con-
veyance of the first batch of emigrants to New South
Wales, under the . new system. of emigration which has
been established for that colony ; a very large number
of whom, equal to about 140 statute adults; were se-
lected from the west of England by Mr. J. B. Wilcocks,
the agent to the commissioners here. The 18th inst.
was the day fixed for the assembling of the emigrants,
and for. the ship to be ready for their reception. They
were embarked on the 19th,' and, every arrangement
for their comfort during the voyage being completed,
she sailed on the 22d. The Lady Elgin is a remarkably
fine ship, and as in excellent order, reflecting much
credit on Captain Irons. She is owned by Messrs.
T. E. Levey and Co., merchants, of Quebec, and had
on board 300 Tills, equal to 275 statute adults. The
Maria Hay, which was in collision with the Harbinger
steamer after leaving Southampton on the 17th inst.,
and which put in here on the 19th, with loss of hew-
sprit, &c., had her repairs completed in three days, and
sailed again for her destination, Geelong, Victoria, this
evening (Saturday, the 22d inst.) Notwithstanding the
extra labour required from the crew, not a single case
of dissatisfaction has-oocurred, &allaying performed their
arduous labours most cheerfully ; and this noble. ship
proceeds with the same crew, to a man, with which age
left Southampton. The emigrants are in charge of 11r.
A. C. Kemball, the experienced surgeon-superintendent,
this being his eighth voyage. Under
management not a single emigrant out of 401 per-
sow, has, left the ship, neither has a case of sickness
occurred. The repairs tithe Maria Hay have been con.
dacted under the superintendence of Lieutenant Carew,
Rs., the emigration officer for 'the port. The ,His'
toria, Captain Mowatt, one ef Messrs. Griffith, New-
Bombe, and Co's. , temperance line of ships, sailed this
morning, having embarked a great, number of passen%
gers at this port. All these ships were despatched by Mr.
J.B. Wilcocks. The American ship Moses Taylor, from
Havre, with 550 emigrants for New Orleans, is,de-
tamped in the Sound pending the inquiry regarding the
murder of her chief offiCer, upon whose body an inquest
is now being held at Saltash. The Abigail, Captain
Harris, left on Msnday with 260 passengers, and the
oAental, Captain Burt, on Tuesday, with 344 passen-
gers, both tor Quebec.
TRAGEDY IX REAL •LIFE.—A correspondent of the
Cleveland Plaindealer, writing from Wanpacca county,
Wisconsin, tells the following tragical tale •—" A farmer
•
sold a yoke of oxen to an individual in the neighbour-
hood, and received his pay in paper money. The man
who purchased the oxen, being in a hurry to start off,
requested the farmer to assist in yoking them up. He
went to the yard withthe man for that purpose, leaving
the money lying on the table. On his return to the house,
he found that hislittle child had taken the money from the
table and was in the act of kindling the fuel which was in the
stove with it. From the impulse of the moment, he hit the
child a slap on the side of the head so hard as to knock
it over, and in the fall it ,struck its head against the
stove With such force as to break its skull. The mother,
who was in the act of washing a small child in a tub of
water in an adjoining room, on hearing the fracas,
dropped the child and ran to the room whence the noise
proceeded, and was so much terrified at what she there
beheld 'that she forgofthe little child in thy tub for a
time, and upon her return_ .to the room found the little
.one droVined ! The, lintiband, after a few moments re-
'viewing the scene before him, seeing two children dead,
without further reflection took down his gun and blew
his imp brsizma out!"