The Sun.
London, England, 1853-11-12 00:00:00

TURF TALK.

There's nothing new in the sporting world. Business
at the Betting Offices is now virtually stopped, and their
proprietors evince no inclination to attempt to defeat the
"suppression bill." Indeed, all endeavours to that end
would fail and be inevitably attended with disgrace.
Messrs. Knowles, Maclure, Megson, and Mather have
announced their determination to " shut up shop," and
return all moneys deposited with them on the Derby,
1854. Others will undoubtedly follow their example,
and on the close of the Betting Offices the occupation of
many individuals attached to the touting fraternity will
be gone. An act of liberality on the part of Mr. Meg-
son, of King William-street, deserves to be recorded.
He discontinued his business during the current week and
presented his clerk, Mr. Garton, with the sum of 3001_
to give him a fair start in the race for honourable and
profitable employment.
The racing prospects for the season '54 loom cheer-
ingly. New stakes are being established, and active en-
deavours are being made to confirm and extend the
popularity of the old ones. Already several programmes
for next season are advertised, and the long list of sub-
scribers which is appended to the principal events shows
that the turf is still a " seductive pastime," and that it
has lost neither its popularity nor its patrons. The
rumoured retirement of Lord Exeter was unfounded ;
he merely disposed of a portion of his stud to make
stable-room for a fresh importation of yearlings, which
have already arrived at Newmarket to be trained.
The establishment of a Great Northern Handicap at
York is perhaps the most important "movement" con-
nected with the ensuing season. This stake has already
obtained 150 subscribers, and its promoters have well-
founded hopes of soon having power to add to the num-
ber. It will close on the Ist of December. To this
stake 3001. will be added by the licensed victuallers of
York, who have taken the initiative from their London
" brethren of the bar," and followed the example which
they so liberally set in founding the Metropolitan Han-
dicap. The Great Northern Handicap will, perhaps,
be a powerful rival to the Chester Cup, whose prestige
and popularity, however, it will be a work of time for
the most determined competition to diminish.
Messrs. Beeton and Dorling are not inactive. They
haveissued their "report" on the state of the Metropolitan
Handicap Fund, which has a surplus of 2861. ls. 2d.,
to be devoted to next years' bonus. The time of " clos-
ing" for the Metropolitan has been altered from the Ist
of December to the Ist of January.

The Shrewsbury Meeting next week will commence
on Tuesday and extend to Wednesday, and the supply
of sport is likely to be ample. On Monday I will enter
into a brief discussion of.the programme.
Nov. 12. A FRESH MAN.

COWES, ISLE OF TVIGIIT.—Nov. 11.

FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)

A NEW TowN.—Two of the directors of the National
Freehold Land Society have been down here this week
planning out the Mill Hill estate into streets, &c. There
is about 24 acres of land, beautifully situated above the
town of Cowes, but within its boundary, and commanding
the most extensive, varied, and beautiful sea and land
views. At a meeting of the members, at Smith's Read-
ing-rooms, last night, Mr. Moore, the society's agent,
explained that the land would be conveyed in a week
or a fortnight at the farthest. He stated that it was in-
tended to widen the Newport-road to 40 feet, the front-
age to which was about 500 feet, and to form three
streets of the same width to the Mill-field. Each would
be about 1,300 feet in length, with two cross streets,
one of them to run in a line from the new street through
Mr. Eames' field. It was proposed that the houses in
the two principal streets should be of the value of 3001.
each, and semi-detached, having small gardens in front.
In the other streets the houses would be of the value
of 150/. The timber on the estate was not to be cut
down, but valued to the purchasers of the lots on which
it stood. Mill-hill House it was proposed to pull down.
As the soil is gravel the roads might be constructed at a
cheap rate. The pit from which the gravel was taken
might be converted into a reservoir, from which the
whole of the houses on the estate might be supplied
with spring water. The different suggestions met the
unanimous approval of the members present (about 100),
and the meeting separated, all beiry, highly pleased with
the prospect of speedily becoming freeholders.
THE FARMERS PROSPECTS.—Our agricultural friends
are in high spirits ; the weather is everything that could
be wished for getting in the wheat crop, as also for the
sheep and cattle. Prices are high and prospects good.