The Sun.
London, England, 1851-10-09 00:00:00

RED DEED.

The march of civilization or cultivation threatens
to play a very strong hand against some of old Bri-
tain's sports and pastimes. Breaking up grass lands,
reclaiming waste lands, and the general rage for rail-
ways and enclosures will alter the character of some
of our diversions a-field before long. In the mean-
time, then, it becomes us to pickle and preserve spe-
cimens of such as we can still put our hands onintact
and unaltered. Foremost amongst these stands the
red deer—an animal whose pursuit in this kingdom
has ever been attended with something of the grand
and majestic. Stalk up to him at Atholl, or turn him
out on Maidenhead thicket—the sport he affords has
still ever an imposing look with it. Whether achieved
amongst the wildest and most noble scenery of our
island, and with the greatest skill and energy the
sportsman can boast of ; or, taken and retaken on the
most artificial system our mighty hunters have stooped
to—the red deer must yet hold high rank as " Royal
game." From a variety of causes the red deer are said
to be every day becoming scarcer, even in the High-
lands of Scotland—a territory that should be their
own, and where on many domains every effort is still
made to preserve them. On this side of the border our
surest finds would be in the paddocks of her Ma-
jesty at Ascot, or of Baron Rothschild at Tring—
though one quarter certainly yet offers them a home
more in accordance with their wild free taste, as
more :appropriate, perhaps, in the character of its
scenery and disposition to the true stag-hunt. Many
writers in this work, from the time of Nimrod and
his tours downwards, have celebrated the Forest of
Exmoor, its red deer, and its glorious runs. Almost
all, however, with the plaudite et ralete; as too well
grounded fears are expressed that before many years
this pristine and most attractive sport will die away
for want of game. It is but fair, though, to give
here a fact in direct contradiction to the cultivation
versus rural recreation argument with which we com-
menced this notice. Of all the landowners on the
Exmoor, the Knight family are now, we believe,
making themselves most justly famed for the im-
mense improvements they are effecting in the agri-
culture of this part of Devonshire. To properly
attain this, they have engaged as resi-
dent agent one of the best practical farmers
in England—Mr. Robert Smith, late of Burley, in
Rutlandshire, a gentleman as celebrated for his breed
of Leicesters as for his many prize essays to the
Royal Agricultural Society of England. In a con-
versation we lately had with him, we beard with
much pleasure, that on the whole of this extensive
estate the deer are more strictly preserved, and every
recompense made by the landlord to the tenant for
any damage done by them. We are rather inclined
to think, indeed, that the sport of Exmoor mainly de-
pends on this liberal and sportsmanlike feeling, and
so hope to find, for many a long day to come, that
the breed of prize-turnips and of famous deer in no
way disagree one with the other. The Exmoor
country has this year been hunted by Captain West,
the new mas ter of the Bath staghounds—a very
capital sportsman, as well as a most determined man
over a country on almost any sort of horse. As the
gallant Captain, moreover, has a bit of a turn for
fancy farming, and as Mr. Smith can enjoy and keep
his place in a run, we trust between them that the
hunting of the red deer, and the improvements in
husbandry, may work on well together.—Sportsman
for October.

RAILWAY TRAFFIC RETURNS.
LONDON AND NORM-WESTERN RAILWAY.—Return of
Traffic for the week ending Oct. s:
Passengers, parcels, mails, &c. £42,401 18 0
Merchandise ... 17.810 4 8
Cattle .. 1,537 4 10

Total ... £61,749 7 6
Corresponding week last year ... 48,126 10 1
Ncte.—The returns as published are exclusive of the
traffic of the Huddersfield Canal and Shropshire Union, North
Union, Preston and Wyre, South Junction, Manchester and
Buxton, and Buckinghamshire Railways, and of the propor-
tion of traffic deducted under agreement with the North
Staffordshire Company.
LONDON AND SOUTH-WESTERN RILLIVAY.---AMOUJIt Of
Traffic for the week ending Oct. 5:—
Passengers
Goods

... £13,295 15 10i
„.. 2,353 13 7

Total ... ... .. £15,649 9 5i
Corresponding woek last year... 11,682 12 5

LANCASHIRE AND YORKSHIRE RAILWAY. (260 miles
open.)—Traffic for week ending Oct. 5...416,027 1 3
Corresponding week in last year, (253}
wiles open) .. ... ...
...£14,487 7 7

THE GREAT NORTHERN RAILWAY.— (Miles in work, 241 k)
—Return of Traffic for the Week ending Sept. 28, 1851:—
Passengers, parcels, carriages,
horses, dogs, and mails £8,138 13 4
Merchandise and minerals ... 4,401 6 1
Cattle
..„ 348 12 6

Total .. £12,883 11 11
Corresponding week, Sept. 29, 1850 (236 miles):—
Passengers, parcels, &c.
4
Merchandise, Cattle, &c. .£1:289874
11 1
91
31

Total ... £6,812 11 2
THE EAST ANGLIAN RAILWAY.-(68 Miles in work.)—'
Return of Traffic for the week ending Sept. 2S, 1851 :
Passengers, parcels, carriages, .
horses, dogs, and mails . £369 10 2
Merchandise and minerals ••• 185 811
Cattle .46 7 0
••• —•

Total £5Bl 6 1
Correspording week in 1850 ••• 788 5 5
King's-cross, Oct. 8.
NORTH STAFFORDSHIRE RATIArAT.—(MiIes open, 1 12.)—
Return of traffic for the week ending Oct. 7
Railway and canal .- ••• £5,029 0 0
Corresponding week last year
5,035 0 0
Note.—The above is exclusive of the receipts available
under the agreement. with ,t,U London and North-Wester.'
Railway Company. ,

CHESTER AND HoLyIrEAD RAlLWAY.—Traffic for th•
week ending Oct. s:

MAIN LINZ.

Passengers
Parcels, 11. C. and D.
Goods, cattle, &c.
Mails

Total

Passengers
Parcels, H. C. and D.
Goods, cattle, &c. ... ...

Total

• •• • • • I
STEAM-BOATS.

Passengers .
Parcels, U. C. and D. ...

Total