The Sun.
London, England, 1825-04-04 00:00:00

SPORTING.

HUNTING
MEETINGS OF HOUNDS IN THE PRESENT WEEK.
The H. 11. on Tuesday, at :',lichaelmars!t.
The Ilambledon llounds.-on ThurSday,. at Dißing- Park
Saturday, at Horton Heath.
The Earl of Darlington's Fox-hounds, on Wednesday, at
Warren House on Hutton Moor; Saturday, at Brough.
The Lambton Fox-hounds, on Tuesday, at Brancepeth ;
Thursday, at Hamsterley ; Saturday, at Lanchester.

THE LION FIGHT—A HOAX!
A most impudent hoax has recently been practising on the
public, through the medium of country Journals, to which we
have unintentionally given currency we allude to the announce-
ment of an intended fight between a lion belonging to Mr.
Wombwell, an itinerant shewman, and 6 British mastiffs, on
Worcester race-course. The object of putting forth such a report
is manifest; it would of course excite curiosity, and induce per-
sons to flock to see the lion which was about to be engaged in so
serious a contest. We have made inquiries as to the probabi-
lity of the story, and find it to be altogether undeserving of
credit, and to be just as probable as the old humbug of the
fight with the Norwich Bull, of which Mr. Wombwell was
also the parent. In order to carry on the joke, it was stated
last week, in a provincial paper, that a temporary Amphi-
theatre was to be erected on Worcester race-course, with a den in
the centre, 36 feet in circumference, and it was added, that
the lion was four feet and a half in height, and thirteen feet in
length. A moment's reflection ought to convince any person
that this must be false, inasmuch as there never was a lion in
existence of such magnitude, thirteen feet being about the
length of two prize ozen together, and 'completely out of pro-
portion with the alleged height. But Mr. Wombwell's is not
the only ingenious speculation on public credulity, for we
yesterday saw, in a Morning Paper, an account of a lion fight
with six dogs, which was stated to have actually taken place on
Tuesday last; for 5,000 sovereigns, on Warrick Race Course, in
which a circumstantial account of the battle is given, with the
names of the dogs, and the men by whom they were handled,
together with a triumphant description of Nero the Lion's vic-
tory over his canine assailants. 'This all looked very plausible,
and we were almost duped into a belief of its truth : but, before
we adopted the account, we proceeded to Mr. Cross's, at
Exeter 'Change, and made enquiries, when our eyes were at
once opened. A bill was placed in our hands, issued by
Earl James and Sons—the proprietors of the notorious
&mucus, in which we found an account, word for
word, similar to that published yesterday, of a fight be-
tween the same lion and the same six dogs, alleged to have
taken place for 600 sovereigns in Lancashire, and on the 14th of
January, 1824. The one story turns out to be just as worthy of credit as the other ; and if confirmation be wanted, on re-
ferring to the Warwich and Birmingham Papers of this week,
the suject isnot even alluded to. Had the fight taken place,
these Journals would scarcely be silent on so interesting an oc-
currence.—(Sunday Paper.)

Miss FOOTE.-A long article appeared An a
Sunday Paper, which has been copied into some of the Morn-
ing Papers of this day. The general purpose of the article in
question appears
.to bit° excite a prejudice against this actress,
representing her anti her mother as full of artifice, and delay-
ing her nuptials with Mr. IIAY.NE, in order to get him more
completely into their power, and to exact greater pecuniary sa-
crifices from his tombless and his folly. Too much has been
said upon this subject, as the Public Press ought to be em-
ployed on topics calculated for general information and im-
provement. Whether managers keep up the subject for
the purpose of prolonging public curiosity we pretend not
to determine, but falsehoods that may be prejudicial to
any individual ought to be contradicted. The article to
which we allude is full of the. grossest improbabilities, and
if " a twentieth part the tithe" of it could be believed,
Mr. HAYNE must be considered as the arrantest dupe
that ever fell into the hands of artifice. But it is indeed amass
of improbabilities to which none, but fools can give credit. All
we know is, that a Solicitor of the highest respectability
ealirtyadsy-
sured us within the last fortnight that every thing was
fbr signing and sealing, and the hour appointed for that pur-
pose.) but Mr. HAYNE did not attend the meeting.
A-lit. 131touGHAm.—Yesterday the Lord Pro-
vost, Magistrates, and Council unanimously voted the freedom
of the city to HENRY Bnouc.;i_iam, Esq,
in testimony of
their admiration of his powerful and distinguished talents, ex-
erted on many public occasions in behalf of objeecxtpseorfieinmcepo.irn-
an.d of the pleasure they
a ;native of. this city, he has ever shewn the
rtwarmest
ir
zeal
t,f.oars interestit s
prosperity, and, as
_a pupil of its High
School and University, he here laid the foundation, and exhi-
bited the early indications of those varied literary and scientific
acquirements which have since so splendidly adorned his ma-
turer years.—(Edinburg,h Co:a-gut, 431arch31.)