The Sun.
London, England, 1870-09-16 00:00:00

THE RACE FOR THE ST. LEGER.

Time is rapidly drawing on to the completion of a
hundred years since Allabaculia won the first St. Leger,
and still the crowds flock to the Town Moor in that one
unbroken stream which has suffered no visible diminution
save when the cotton famine brought poverty and desola-
tion to many a Yorkshire and Lancashire home. The
sport has had its vicissitudes from good to indifferent
and bad, but the people have, except at the time
we have mentioned, never changed. There have
been good and bad fields, fields where the grand heroes of
North and South have fought out their annual struggle ;
fields small in number, and moderate in quality ; races
that were hardly worth coming to the North to see. But
there has been the vast multitude, a sight in itself such
as no other country can shew, and one which through all
these many years contains the elements of a certain
novelty and freshness quite- distinct from similar
gatherings. And as it has been, so it was on Wednesday
The weather was remarkably fine, and this, of course,
helped to augment the concourse of people whO from every
aide from an early hour were thronging on to the
Moor. Macgregor's absence no doubt made the field, the
two favourites excepted, but very moderate, and the ques-
tion what to back for a place has had as many answers as
there were horses running. Kingcraft, moreover, had it.
large share of detractors. The fact is he is a delicate
horse, is not a good feeder, and requires to be tempted
with green meat, a state of things which renders the
patting on of muscle almost an impossibility. The
strongest objection to Kingcraft that we heard was the
undoubted fact that his clever trainer did not much fancy
him and had not backed him for a shilling.
Tim nineteen runners having been duly telegraphed
within a few minutes of the time set down on the card,
the first to enter the course was Wild Flower, followed bY
her stable companion Palmerston, then came Stanley, Ely
Appleton, Bonny Swell, Ptarmigan, Alaric, Enterprise,
and Recorder in Indian file. A long pause then ensued
prior to the appearance of Captivator, Sunlight, • Stock-
hausen, The Boy, Wheatear, and Kingcraft side and side,
with Hawthornden, Tabernacle, and Physiology
in the rear. Hawthornden looked as fit as he
could be made, but though his owner's confi-
dence was unbounded, we do not think he inspired the
public or racing men to any great degree, as the general
impression was that he was a non-stayer. But wonderful
to say, the non-stayer, who had waited about sixth or
seventh in the early part of the race, was in front at the
bend, and when the others retired and Kingcraft came
creeping up next the rails, the favourite was never able
to get quite-on terms with him, and, though running very
gamely, was beaten, amid a scene of great excitement, bY
half a length. After taking their preliminary canters,
the horses paraded past the stand by the starter, who
shortly after got them to the post, and after four breaks
away, caused by the fractiousness of Sunlight, they were
depatched to an excellent start at 3.54, in which SunligHt,
Ptarmigan, and Ely Appleton got away nearly abreast,
and made running, the favourite lying next on the inside,
followed by Normanby, Stockhausen, Recorder, Haw-
thornden Palmerston, and the Boy in a body to whom
succeeded Wheat-ear, Wild Flower, Bonny well and
Enterprise next with Captivator, Physiology, and Stanley
in the rear. They ran thus to the road, when
Sunlight was seen to suddenly stop, having unfortu-
nately broken his near hind fetlock joint, which Snowdon
for the moment was unacquainted with until informed bY
Custance, who begged him to dismount, which he accom-
plished safely. Shortly afterwards the Boy assumed the
lead, Ely Appleton having dropped back, Tabernacle
, going on second, with Enterprise, Normanby, Captivator,
and Wheatear in attendance; Kingcraft, at the same time
taking his place next the rails, with Hawthornden, who
had been disappointed in getting through, drawing
up on the outside. Half way down The Boy was
joined by Alaric and Enterprise, who ran nearly
abreast to the bend for home, when they were headed
by Kingcraft, who, when fairly in the straight,
held a slight lead of Hawthornden; but at the distance
the latter joined issue, and fairly wearing him down, Ira
an exciting race by half a length, the favourite defeatipiC
Wheatear 13y five lengths for second honours ; Enterprise
was fourth, close up, Recorder fifth, Bonny Swell sixth.
The Boy and Tabernacle seventh and eighth.
The pace was rather moderate, the time, as taken by
one of Dent's, of Cockspur-stroet, chronographs, being
3min: 18 1-ssec.

Mr. T. V. Morgan) the owner of Hawthornden4 has
had but a small share of Turf favours during his, racing
career—in fact, his ill-luck has been almost proverbial_
His success now gave very genuine satisfaction,

SAILORS MADE SWIMMERS,
TO THE EDITOR OF THE " SUN,"
Sir,—As there has appeared an article in your journal
relative to training ships, called forth, I presume, bY
the late melancholy accident on the river, I beg
to say that this old-established society built some
years ago alarge swimming bath for,the express purpose of
teaching our lads to swim, and that our yearly rent for
that object is not less than £253.
During the bathing season of 1869 210 boys had the
advantage of instruction, 69 of whom only have been put
down as having made no progress. The reason for which
being that they joined the ship too late in that year.
Every effort is made by the committee and the officers
of the Warspite to give the boys instruction in that most
useful art, of swimming.
It may not be generally known that the Marine Society
is the oldest Society in the kingdom established for fitting
poor boys out to sea, and that it is supported entirely bY
voluntary contributions, and the boys so fitted out have
reached the number of 56,276. Besides which 39,360
landsmen have been assisted with clothing on their joining
the Royal Navy.—l am, Sir, yours very faithfully,
W. HUGE PHIPPS,
Commander R.N. and Superintendent:.
Marine Society's Ship Warspite, Charlton, S.E.,
Sept. 14th, 1870.

The intwerp Royal Academy of the Fine Arts has
nominated among its effective members Sir Edwin Land-
seer, in place of the late M. Overbeck, and M. Dyckmane
in place of the late Baron Leys.
THE CORPORATION OF LONDON AND THE BICIC
AND WOUNDED FUND.—Yesterday, at a meeting of the
Common Council, held at the Guildhall, the Lord Mayor
presiding, the Court, on the motion of Sir Benjamin
Phillips, which he prefaced with an eloquent speech,
voted the sum of £l,OOO towards the fund of the National
Society for the Relief of the Sick and Wounded in the
War, which now amounts to upwards of £130,000.
BLACK GAME IN BERES AND SURREY."'"
Since the partridge shooting season has commenced, some
broods of poults from the black cook and grey hen have
been flushed and shot in the corn stubbles around Ascot
Heath and other parts in Berks, and several head of this
moor game have been bagged on the Merstham Hills in
Surrey. This Scotch game were originally turned down
in the royal preserves at Windsor, but never domiciled,
and strayed into other districts. They are now almost
extinct in the south. They resort to heath lands, and are
seldom found in the cornfields.

ATTEMPT TO UPSET A RAILWAY TRAlN.—thi
Thursday evening, as the excursion train from Manchester
was nearing Matlock Bridge station, on the Midland
Railway, between Derby and Manchester, the driver dis-
covered a platelayer's hut in flames. Some men were
set to work to extinguish the fire, and they discovered on
one of the rails of the down line an iron chair placed up-
side down on the metal, and close to a permanent chair,
with a view evidently,. to prevent the loose chair fro!,
slipping when ooming in contact with the train. It Is
also believed that the hut, which is immediately opposite
this point, was set on fire for the purpose of diverting the
attention of the driver of the next down train, in order to
render a catastrophe the more certain and complete.

DUNVILLE and Co., Belfast, are the largest holders.
of whisky in the world. Their Old Irish Whisky is r =Mended,
by the medical profession in preference to French brand, SOP:
plied in casks and cases for home use or exportation. Quotatiop,'
on application to Messrs DUNVILLE & Co.,_ Royal Irish
.190-•
Silence, Belfastor at thei London Oboes, 4, Beaufort Buildaiga"
Strand, W.O.