The Sun.
London, England, 1849-11-27 00:00:00

THE PACHA OF EGYPT'S CHALLENGE
TO THE JOCKEY CLUB.
(From Bell's Life in London.) _ .

Mr. Greville, in favouring us some weeks since
with particulars of the challenge from his Highness
the Pacha of Egypt, which it will be recollected was
communicated to him through the medium of 111 r.
Charles Murray, the British Consul• General, stated
that, previous to entering into any preliminary ar-
rangements with regard to the match, he had thought
it right to put a variety of questions as to certain points
on which he deemed it essential information should
be supplied. In a very interesting communication
received by the last overland mail, Mr. Murray an-
swers the questions seriatim, and Mr. Greville hav-
ing courteously furnished us with a copy of the
correspondence, we cannot better consult the wishes
of our readers than by publishing it at length.
The match, should it be made, cannot be run until
next year.

" London, Sept. 30, 1849.
"My dear Murray,—l have received your letter, with
the interesting chall,nge on the part of the Pacha of
Egypt. I intend to read it to the J.-wkey Club at a
mewing there will be at Newmarket next week, and to
publish tter (which I will write) in Bell's Life, an-
nouncing that such a challenge has been made, in order
that any persons who may be disposfd to accept it may
have the opportunity of coming forward. I think it by
no means unlikely that the match may be mode, but as
the owners of ♦aluable horses will re,t be induced to in•
cur the expense and risk of the voyage, to say nothing
of the stake, without previously obtaining the most
ample information on all. points, I think it better (to
. save time) to ask you to take the trouble to give me an-
, swers on the following points. on which I anticipate that

inquiries will be made of me:—
"In the first place, is his Highness the Paella to be
depended on? Is he certain to hold to tht. match if
made, and not back out, and leave the English in the
lurch, with all their trouble, risk, and expense?
"2d. In whose hands would the stakes be deposited?
" 3d. Would the course be a tract of ground ten miles
long, or a round course to be gone over repeatedly,
' making the whole distance ten miles? It would, in
fact, be necessary we should know exactly what sort of
course we should have to run over, and whether it would
be a rage- course or a tract of country. If the latter,
whether it would be such as the English jockeys could

find their way over ?
4th. Should we be quite certain of fair play, and of
no interruptions or molestations, if we had the best of it?
" sth. Are there any races at Cairo, and have the
horses the Paella would enter ever run races?

" 6th. Do you know whether horses brought by sea
(which I suppose would be the best way) from England
to Egypt have suffered from the vo) age, and bow long
it would take for them to recover from the effects, and
be in condition to run?

" 7th. Have any English horses ever run races over
the sands you describe, and is it aupposed that their
action and their speed are, or are not, affected by ground
so different from what they are accustomed to?
"This is a long list of queries, but in a matter in-
volving such large sums (besides the credit of the Eng-
lish turf) you will excuse my troubling you with them.
" Yours, &c.,
" C. GREVILLE."
" Cairo, Oct. 28.
" My dear Greville,—ln reply to your letter of the
30th of September, I will now proceed to give you,
categorically, answers, so far as I am able to do so, to
all your inquiries. I have just returned from a visit to
the Peas, with whom I held a long conversation on the
subject of the proposed race, and all the points which I
name in this letter as dependent upon him, you may feel
assured are correct, as I had them from his own lips,
without the intervention of an interpreter. I now take
your questions in the order in which you put them.
" Ist. I consider that his Highness is fully to be de-
pended on quoad the bond fide determination to hold
the match; and, moreover, he feels so confident of win-
ning it that he twice repeated, before very many wit-
nesses, that he would give the English horse a start of
the length of his Desert Palace, about 300 yards. I pre-
sume our English pride would scorn to accept this prof-
fered advantage.
a" 2d. As to the stakes. The Pacha leaves the amount
entirely to the English. He is:ready to stake any sum,
from 10,000/. to 50,0001., and would make no objection
to the stakes being deposited, on both sides, in any Eu-
ropean Consulate selected by the English.
" 31. The course would not be a circular or artificial
one, but a straight run over a tract of country. He
named the points of starting and winning to-day, and I
consider it to be a course of eleven or twelve miles. I
think I mentioned to you before that it is undulating
ground, not hilly; it is all sand, not hard, smooth sand,
like the New York race-ground, but in some places
nearly fetlock deep, in others rather stony; but, upon
the whole, it may be considered fair galloping ground,
though certainly not in English estimation fit to be
called a race-course.
"4th. There is no fear but what the English would
have fair play. His Highness will not smooth or level
the ground, but he will post men (soldiers) the whole
length of the course, to, keep it free from all interruption.
" sth. We had lately some races here over a large
portion of the very same ground named for the race with
the English; the distance was about eight miles, it
might be a few furlongs more or less, as I doubt if it
has been accurately measured; the winner ran it in
about nineteen minutes. Ido nut think the time could
have been taken with great accuracy, but I Was on the
ground myself, and so many watches were used and concorn-
pared, that I feel assured the error could not be more
than thirty seconds. The horses that ran in these
races were all of second quality, nor cid the Pacha enter
any horse, much less any one such as he would produce
to run against the English. The truth is, that neither
I, nor any European here, has ever been allowed
to see his best horses, which he has studiously concealed
from the eyes of the prolanum vulqus at his harem.
One thing is certain—ghat they are pure Arabs, and I
believe he has now the best Arab blood in the world. I
can tell you nothing about their actual speed; my im-
pression is that over our Newm irket or Ascot courses, of
two or three miles, they would be distanced by our se-
cond-rate racers; but in bottom they are wonderful, and
if you are to make this match, it is bottom you must look
out for. Our horses are so superior in stride that there
is nothing to fear on the score of speed.
" 6th. This question many persons in England are
better qualified to answer than myself. My belief is
that, supposing eight or ten horses were sent out here,
perhaps two or three might suffer from the vo3age so
as not to be easily brought into running condition. But
if I were bringing out horses of my own from England
to run them here, I would most assuredly not submit
them to the tender mercies of the Atlantic and Bay of
Biscay, but would travel them through France and
Marseilles.
" 7th. This question, again, is one which, after the
information I have given you, you and your colleagues
on the turf are much more able to answer than myself.
I believe that no English racer has ever run in this
country, but it stands to reason that horses accustomed
to run over two or three miles of smooth turf must have
both their speed and action affected by being called upon
to run over twelve miles of uneven ground. It was on
this account I said in my last letter that in my opinion
a first-rate thorough-bred steeplechase horse would be
more likely to win a race of this kind than an ordi-
nary racehorse.
" Having now gone through your seven questions, I
add a few remarks for your further information. I have
before mentioned that a portion of the ground to be run
over is rather stony—not large stones, but still large and
numerous enough to bruise a horse's foot when going at
full speed, and to risk throwing him down; as a protec-
tion again' this, the Arab horses are all shod with a shoe,
or rather plate, which covers the whole of the sole.
Whether English horsere-could, -after a month or two's
practice, run in shoes era similar make I know not, but
perhaps, for this particular course an English shoe, with
a leather to protect the sole, might be the preferable
plan. The horses should be sent out in November,
so as to have full two months to train here, as I
could not recommend fixing the race later than
February, on account of the heat. I would take care
that the ground should be named two months before the
race, to give the English jockeys and trainers full op-
portunity for knowing every inch of the course; and the
Pasha is so liberal in these matters that I have no doubt
he would run up a set of stables in any spot we might
seh ct. His Highness told me to-day that he meant to
enter two horses and two mares (though of course he
might add or subtract from this number at pleasure),
and that the English might enter any number they
pleased; but that he would have only one race, and that
he would consider that one as decisive of the trial be-
tween the Arab and English racers. His Highness
added, Let them send their best, and it I beat these,
let them not say these are inferior horses, we have better
in England. It I beat them once I shall consider that I
have beat their hest, and I will not ran any more.'
" I have only to add that the weights are to be entirely
at the option of the respective parties. Hoping that I
have now left no point unexplained, I re-enclose you
your letter, thinking it possible that you kept no copy of
It, in order that you may refer to your questions. My
full conviction is that you can beat your enemy, but do
not despise him; send good ones or none, for the honour
of Old England.
" Believe me, my dear Greville, very truly yours,
CIARLE3 A. MURRAY.
" P.S.—Since writing this letter I have received your
last note, and seen the letter in Bell's Life. Travellers
arriving from England by this steamer have even
averred that the challenge is taken up in England, and
two of the horses already named. For Heaven's sake be
prudent, and let nothing be done in a hurry; above all,
if possible, try and prevent any sporting volunteers from
sending out horses here on a speculation : if they lose,
they will disgrace us ; if they win, they
on will prevent the
great stake from being run for. I, my part, will
urge the Pasha not to run against any horse or horses
not sent out with the sanction of the Jockey Club, at
least until the great race comes off. I have no doubt
you can win, but never having been myself on the turf,
or had practice in training horses, I cannot say whether
a racehorse or a steeplechase horse is the best for the
object in view. In my opinion, the race can hardly be
run this year; for you must send out a regular draft of
the conditions, to be approved and signed by both par-
ties, a forfeit declared in case• of either withdrawing,
and 3 our horses should be here in November early, in
order to give them a full two months' training here in
cold weather.

"C. A. M."
In reference to the subject, the Bell's Life adds the
following letter, dated Malta, Nov. 13:—
" The last race at Cairo between Arabs, about two
months since, was said to have been run (eight wiles) in
20 or 23 minutes—one said 17 (it aas over the ground
which will probably be selected for the match); but of
this tact there is a question, as no regular time-keeper
seems to have been on the ground, which is not so very
heavy, but irregular, with stones, which might, however,
be removed, and should be for an English thorough-