The Sun.
London, England, 1870-01-27 00:00:00

THE DERBY HORSES.

"Augur," of the Sporting Life, makes the following
remarks on the latest proceedings of the candidates for
this year's Turf Blue Riband ;—" Sunshine is in more
demand than she has been for a very considerable time,
1,000 to 150 being accepted in one hand about her a day
or two ago. Bridgwater is just now decidedly the lion of
the betting. 1,600 to 100 being taken, and 1,000 to 65 on
Monday, the demand for him being so great that
no more than 14 to 1 was procurable, which odds
were booked to £5O. It is beyond question that last
autumn he just accomplished a great task set him with
Palmerston, and if he runs to the form in public, I have
little hesitation in saying that he will prove the equal, if
not the superior, of his illustrious brother St. Albans. Public
backers were pretty well sickned of "dark" ones with Bread-
albane, so seldom is it that own brothers or sisters turn out
equally good. St. Albans and Savernake were exceptions to
this, as were also Lord Lyon and Achievement. Gentlemen
who have horses training in the vicinity of Fyfield, and who
have had frequent opportunities of seeing Bridgwater, inform
me that he has a magnificent appearance, and from the
nature of my information it will astonish me if the
offspring of Bribery does not prove himself a. ' nailer' in
1870; that is, presuming he continues sound and well. I hear
that as soon as the spring advances Challoner will ride him
in some gallops, on pnrpose to have that splendid jockey's
opinion of the horse's merit 3. The public are evidently so
taken with the family connections of Bridgwater that ho
will doubtless be an enormous favourite for both the Two
Thousand and Derby. Lord Ailesbury races for honour.
Filthy lucre ranks but little in his lordship's considera-
tion, and hence the extra confidence of backers.
Sunlight has grown into one of the finest three
year old that ever trod the turf, and, if his heart
will let him, he has yet a brilliant career before him.
When tried at home last season he was invariably
better than Sunshine, and therefore Waugh continually
lost his money in trusting him. King o' Scots, though fre-
quently backed at outside prices, is a son of King Tom,
which is nearly enough for me ; but, apart from that, he
is shifty, and not the sorndest horse in the world.
The Exciseman commission seems to have becomo
exhausted, as the I,ooo's to 30 are refused, though 40 to 1
would be accepted. Alaric and Cymbal are attractive long
shots with the public, and their names are frequently
mentioned. Alaric, thong' of an honest, hardy character,
has never struck me as a Derby aspirant. His
claims to be considered ;he coming Gladiateur, with
which we have been threatened almost as long as with
the advent of the millenium, are moonshine. Cymbal is,
however, a horse of another colour, and, as expressed in
previous articles, his form was so consistent in the past
season, that he has, according to my impression, quite a
20 to 1 chance. He has, I learn on excellent authority
made remarkable improvement, and William Goater and
the persons immediately interested in him are very partial
to his Epsom prospects."

THE MYSTERIOUS DEATH OF THREE
CHILDREN.

Mr. F. Blake, coroner of Newport, has received Dr.
Taylor's report of the chmical examination made in the
cases of the three children of W. F. Foster, Esq., surgeon
of that town. It will be remembered that the children
had been suffering from tough, and died withing a short
time after they had taken a mixture made up for them by
Mr. Saunders, Mr. Foster's assistant. The symptoms attend-
ing the deaths of the children were similar to those of irritant
poisoning: Dr. Taylor considers that the children died
from natural causes. He expressed an opinion that cer-
tain circumstances connoted with the deaths of the three
children gave some probability to the theory of accidental
poisoning, and the case vas one which called for the fullest
scientific investigation. Now there was not, in his
opinion, the shadow of a ground for imputing death to
poison.

Dr. Taylors report has, in courtesy, been submitted to
the jury, who will meet again for the consideration of
their verdict.