The Sun.
London, England, 1869-09-18 00:00:00

THE DONCASTER HORSE SALES.

For many a long year Doncaster (observes the' Daily
News) has been the September Tattersall's of the North
country. Time out of mind the horse mart was always in
front of the Salutation Inn. The late Mr. Tattersall set
up his rostrum there, and, year after year, knocked down
the Underley lot. No place could be worse for a sale, as
the vehicles raised clouds of dust as they swept by, and
the yearlings were kept constantly dancing about by the
noise and confusion. The Horse Fair was not much
better, and the buyers and sellers were like a
mass of "dusty millers" on the St. Leger morning,
long before " the last wheel echoed away" towards
the Town Moor from the Tickhill and Sheffield road.
At last the horse fair grew so dusty, and uncomfortable,
that it was named " the Dusthole," to the great indignation
of many of the inhabitants who thought it a lovely rural
spot, and expressed themselves to that effect. However,
the Messrs. Tattersall thought otherwise, so they hired a.
field hard by, and liberally granted the free use of it to the
other auctioneers. This was in 1866, and the sales have
been held there ever since. "The Dusthole," had produced
two Oaks winners, both bred by Mr. Cookson, one of them
—Mincemeat—which he bought in, and the other, Regalia
(720 guineas). Mr. Graham bid 690 guineas for Formosa,
and she was bought in for another " termer." Her
owner thought of training her, but ho decided not
to do so, and sought out Mr. Graham who signed a
700 guinea cheque for her next morning at the breakfast
table, and won £20,330 with her in the first two seasons.
Pretender was sold at the same spot the next year, for 400
guineas, and Brigantine for 200 guineas; so that the luck
has not been lost. There have been no more of old Ferina's
sorb since Pretender. Thus a Derby, a St. Leger and an
Oaks, and an Oaks winner were sold at Doncaster in
1866-67 ; and Stanley (580 guineas), Frivolity (500 guineas),
Morphia (160 guineas), and Mantilla (280 guineas), were
all sold on the Thursday of last year. Business was pretty
brisk, for anything good or out of a winner, at all prices
from 1,200 guineas to 10 guineas during the present week.
Mr. Thomas Dawson bought (it is said for Mr. Jardine)
the top price Fisherman, by Caterer (an honest
slow horse), from a sister to Donna del Lago.
The colt came up in Mr. Cookson's lot, but was
understood to belong to his neighbour, Mrs. Wilkinson, of
Neasham Abbey, and to be called, not after the celebrated
racehorse, but after Fisherman, a favourite hound in the
Hurworth pack, of which that lady's late husband was the
master. It was well known that some good men were after
him ; hence Mr. Edmnnd Tattersall prefaced matters by
saying that "I hear that this colt is is make a thousand ;"
and 500 was the first response. Mr. Dawson also bought a
colt by Lord Clifden, out of Ornament, for GOO guineas,
as well as three out of Mr. Sadler's lot, two of them by
the some horse. The colts by Lord Clifden were gene-
rally liked, on account of their fine substance, but
buyers were rather disappointed with the Adventurers.
The Blair Athols were nothing very remarkable ;
there were only two by Macaroni, one of them
Gondokoro, from the dam of Livingstone, which has lost
her knack of throwing winners. Mr. Crowther Harrison
brought out two Gladiateurs, a colt and a filly, both of
them from Stockwell mares, not very thick, but full of
action, and pretty certain to race. The Itataplans were
only middling, and the highest priced Thormanby was a
filly (•180 guineas), belonging to Sir Tatton Sykes, and from
Little Agnes's dam, but still she was rather short, and
lacked quality. Sir Tatton's three chestnuts, which
averaged 400 guineas, included a couple of Stockwells,
the only ones by " the old Hooton horse " that were
put up during the week ; as the 200 guinea fee
of 1867 seems to have operated as a bar to breeders. The
"Flint Jack," so called after a well-known "fossil in-
ventor" (who is now in gaol for about tho twentieth time),
is from a Costerdalo dam, the only one of the old blood
which Sir Tatton preservtd. His half-sister, which was
bought in for 340 guineas, and sold privately for 3to
guineas, was thought to be ono of the handsomest fillies of
the week; but she is unfortunately rather "back in her
knees." Unlike his father, who once had 117 in his pad-
docks, Sir Tatton only keeps four brood mares, but
he has bred six winners, including Frivolity, Mor-
phia, Tibthorpe, Bismarck, &c., in three years.
Lord Derby's were nearly all by Cape Flyaway, a very
truthful tryer when;he was in John Scott's hands. One of
them, a filly from Wood Nymph, was a perfect pocket
beauty, with a sweet head and on a short leg, but looking
more like a model 200-guinea hack than a racer to come.
This was not the case with a filly from Star of India,
nearly her full sister, for which Mr. Weatherby seemed to
have made a wonderful 210-guinea bargain. Lady
Colsterdale (280 guineas), a filly with great freedom o
action, was the head of the Sheffield-lane lot (which al
wore blue frontlets in honour of the stable colourl

and Mr. Cookson's Metheglin (500 guineas), from
the dam of Kettledrum, seemed dear, as she
was very narrow, and, moreover, Hybla's flllios do not
seem to run. Clanronald, by Kettledrum (420 guineas),

. _
disappointed the public, as a great deal had been said of
him. Kettledrum has his spurs to win, and had the colt
been by a more popular horse, it would have fetched
much higher. There were few more racing-like colte
than the half-brother to Stanley, by St. Albans (530
Tithe*, though the remembrance of Peter, who
was equally good-looking, is not encouraging for
Mr. Crauford. About 15 yearlings out of 45 were
bought in on the first day, 31 out of 46 on the f econd,
and 44 out of 54 on the third. Some few, hom e.rer, did
not come. As the week drew on breeders began to mode-
rate their ideas considerably, as the chances of a better
private sale became so small. Some were wont to put
their yearlings up again on the last day, but this plan suits
very ill, as they invariably fetch less than before. We
only remember ono instance during the last few years—
viz., when a colt was bought in for GOO guineas, and made
20 more at the second time of asking.

The inhabitants of Redbourne, Ilerts, who -wen
lately offered by the Duke of St Alban's the privilege of
selecting their own vicar, have, it is stated, made choice of
the Rev. George Godfrey, 111. A., Queen's College, Oxford,
now curate of Hinckley, Leicestershire.

ARTISANS' DWELLINGS Act.—Tho parochial autho-
rities of the metropolis are at last beginning to act upon
Mr. Torrens's enactment. At a meeting of the Hackney
District Board of Works, held on Thursday, Mr. nuntz
moved that the houses in Lawrence's-buildings, Wcst
Hackney, numbered 1 to 6 and 8 to 11 inclusive, be closed.
He remarked that the board had tried every means of
bringing the houses into a habitable condition, but without
effect. Fever, he said, was continually in the place, and
to close up the houses was the only practical remedy to be
adopted. Mr. Beck, who seconded the motion, said
he had known the place for the last twenty-five years as a
hotbed of fever, while the tenants of the houses were gene-
rally of an abandoned character. Mr. Gowland, who -sup-
ported the motion, hoped this case might act as a caution
to other landlords as to the state of repair in which they
kept their houses. The motion was carried, as was aho
another for the demolition of a number of cottages in
Sandford-lane, West Hackney. At the last meeting of the
vestry of St. George the Martyr, Southwark, it was decided
that the necessary proceedings should be taken in the ease

4 certain houses in Little Surrey-street, which had been
reported by the medical officer as unfit for habitation and
langerous to health.

Rain has been gel-Kral throughout the country
since Thursday, but not heavy, and it is still unsettled, the
sea being on Friday moderately calm. As regards the
harvest, in the wide agricultural district of the North and
East Ridings nothing has boon dono this week owing to con-
tinned wet—thunderstorms, hailstorms, and tremendous
rains. Some of the wold farnlors have most of their corn
cut—all in some cases. On the moor farms harvest has only
just got nicely staitod. A week of (try weather is now
zreatly model