The Sun.
London, England, 1836-03-03 00:00:00

PIGEON SHOOTING.

The Red House ground yesterday presented a good sprinkle
of sporting men. The match was one of extraordinary inte-
rest, and, from the particular situation of the competitors, a
great deal of money was sported upon the occasion. The name
of Bloodsworth was in itself a host. He was too good a pi-
geon shot, and too fair a sportsman to give half a chance away,
and gentlemen who knew what things were laid their hundreds
and scores with the greatest confidence at the rate of 5 and six
to 4on their favourite. Mr. Fox made his debut in the sport-
ing world about six weeks ago. He entered in the silver cup
given at the Red House Tavern. He tied with Mr. Swayne,
Mr. Taylor, and Mr. Tapping. In shooting that tie off, Mr.
Taylor and Mr. Fox again killed seven out of the eight. Fox
eventually beat him well, and aspired to the honour of taking
his present antagonist. The friends of each party were confi
dent of success. The terms were twenty-one yards, twenty-
one birds, each charge limited to two ounces. Betting was
10 to 4on the gun, 5 to 4on Mr. Bloodsworth, and 3 to 1
the winner killed 18 birds. Each went in full of pluck, but
after the eleventh bird of each party Mr. Bloodsworth had it
all his own way. Mr. Fox missed 5 birds of the 18 ; Mr.
Bloodsworth killed 18 of his 21. The birds were very fast.

Chevy Chace, which is to be produced this evening
at Drury-lane, is from the pen of Mr. Planche, the successful
author of The Jewess, Gustavus, and other popular works.
I called upon him (Mathews) one evening, and
took the liberty of introducing a friend. During our stay
several visitors, from time to time, came in. It struck me
that Mathews was more than usually irritable. I caught his
eye, and he beckoned me to a close parley. " I don't know
whether you're aware of it, but I've observed that your friend
has given up his seat successively to each new corner since
your arrival. He has now occupied for a brief moment every
chair in the room—except one ; and I wish you'd ask him to
secure that, and not suffer the next corner to take it from him.
It's really hard upon him, because he gets no thanks ; and I'm
sure he must be tired, if its only from bobbing up and down.
You
can't think how it fidgets me. Now, pray ask him to sit
down, and hold fast."—Fraser's Magazine.
TILE FORCE OF GENIUS.-The striking preroga-
tive of Genius is its power over adverse circumstances. The
mceolls,t uchnpeerorilpiytious fortunes, the most desperate calamities, are
unavailing against it. Galileo continued to track the motions
of the planets upon the walls of his dungeon ; the imprisoned
Cervantes, the wounded and neglected Camoens, never once
despaired ; we can still hear Tasso, from the darkness of his
, j
askingwrite
hish i s
versescat to
; of of heart or hope" abated.
l e nanddh ehre uesltdr oilulsi
let
eyne ,
itnh aa
we
more fatal darkness with " no t
he may see to
Genius is self included ; nothing outward can affect it; it is
no more to be repressed by punishments than to be called into
existence by rewards ; its origin, as well as its protection, is in
itself. It is a plethora—a fulness of the blood—a something
which must be vented in self-relief, or it is nothing. In none
of the remarkable eras of Genius do we hear of its having re-
quired a premium for its exertions. Hogarth had nothing to
do with Royal Academies ; nor did Handel receive silver
claret-jugs for his music, nor Steele a gold medal for his wit.
Men of genius do not wait to have a path pointed out for them
by others. No one about the Court of Elizabeth ever dreamt
of a taste so ridiculous as that of preferring a theatre to a
bear-garden, until Shakspeare and his fellows suddenly started
up, and drove the bears out of fashion. There is no instance
on record of Genins being other than self-raised. It leads, it
does not follow ; it creates, it does not imitate; it opposes
rather than flatters ; it is not a means, but an end. Hence it
is impossible that men of genius can fail, in the intellectual
sense, to be men of courage. we can think of nothing that
should quench their ardour ; we can conceive of no " squint-
eyed
,er strength of their feelings or weaken the force of their d suspicion or grinning scorn" that should serve to abate
t
happy They can afford to wait. It is a wise and
"PPy ordering, that those minds which are the most entitled
to instant appreciation can best put up with the postponement
of their claims to it. —New Monthly Magazine.