The Sun.
London, England, 1860-02-20 00:00:00

SPORTING NO7ES.

THE NOTTINGHAM MEETING.
Those who invested on Curlew and Tommy Noble
last week were not snrry that the frost interfered
with the plans and diversions of the " milkers."
Still much disappointment was experienced by
those persons who had brought horses a long dis-
tance to compete fur the different stakes, and who
watched the skiey influences with no little anxiety
and impatience. Still the steWards had no alterna-
tive; theySvere Compelled to abandon the meeting,
which has been appointed to take place next week,
when I hope that the committee will have better
luck.

At my present wi iting a probability exists that
the Nottingham sport may be impracticable. The
frost throughout the country is still very severe,
marring alike the pleasures of the chase, the
coursing field, and the racecourse. The uncer-
tainty-, therefore, which exists induces me to briefly
dismiss the items contained in Mr. Bradfield's pro-
gramme, for it would be useless to occupy space by
an attempt to arrive at conclusions on a subject I
on which nothing may be concluded.

Should the appointed sport take place, I shall
place my trust in Ambush and Prince of Orange
for the Nottingham Handicap. Job has a light
weight, and report says he will be dangerous. For
the Innkeepers' Plate I shall select Accurate and
Tho Dane, and for the Stand Plate I am sweet on
Spicobox, and for the Forest Plate Lord Berkeley's
Julie and Fern Leaf are most to my fancy.
The Two-year-Old race will perhaps be won by
Little Lady.

A FRESH MAN.

RACING FIXTURES FOR 1860.

FEBRUARY.
Nottingham Spring ....21 I Cheltenham Club 2B
Guiliano .. 25 Lincoln 29
MARCH.
Liverpool Spring 6 f Northampton 27
Shrewsbu.ry Spring 8 j Llanboidy 27
Coventrf l4 I Croxton Park 3O
Warwick Spring 20
AP
PrAlteland 2
Newmarket C
Catterick Bridge 11
Abergavenny l2

Thirsk l3
Epsom Spring 19
Newmarket F S 23

...,
Chester 1
Doncaster Spring 8
York Spring 10
Salisb-ary lO
Bath 1 i

Harpenden lB
Epsom 22
Manchester 3O
Hungorford

Ju:
Ascot 5
Hampton l3
Newton 13
Odiham
Beverley
20

Bibury Club 20
Stockbridge 2l
Winchester 22
Chelmsford 26
Newcastle 26

Jui
Newmarket J. 3 I
Carlisle
Worcester 5
Liverp00l
Abingdon 12
AUG'

LY.
I Nottingham 17
Stamford l9
Marlborough
Goodwood 24

- -
Brighton
Brighton Club 3
Wolverhampton
Reading
Radcliffe l3
Egham l4
SEPTB
Warwick
Doncaster 11
Chesterfield l7
Leicester l9
OCTO
Bedford 3
Newmarket S 0
NovE.
Hereford
Liverpool Autumn 7

IREI
MA:
How th and Baldoyle.. 19, 20
AP:

Oxford l6
Plymouth 21
York 22
Lichfield 27
Stockton 2B
Derby 29
FIBER.

Monmouth 2O
Manchester Autumn 21
Newmarket F.O. 25

BER.

Newmarket H 22
Worcester Autumn 30

:MBER.
IShrewsbury Autumn. ...13

,A ND.
tcu.

Athlone 27

24

Curragh
MAT.
llowth and Bakloyle Summer $
JUNE.
Wicklow .. 6 I Curragh 24

JULY.
Bellswitowa 11 1 Down Itoyal Cup

AtTGITST.
Heath of Maryboro' .... 7 I Roscommon 21
Galway 14 I

SEPTBILDSR.
Curragk 4 1 Jenkinatown Park 18
Tramors

OCTOBER.
Londonderry
I
Curragh ll Strabane 3O

STEEPLECHASING.
FBIIRUAILT.
Derby Midland 23 Grand Military (North-
Tenby 23 1 aniptox) 29, 30

_ .
Ilaxcir.
Tenby
Birmingham 12, 13 Coventry l4

LORD REDESDALE AND THE" LIGR7

WEIGHTS."

The following ig a copy of Lord Redesdalo's-bill,
which has been read a first time in the House of
Lords, intituled :

AN ACT TO PREVENT THE ENTERING OR RUNNING
HORSES CARRYING VERY LIGHT WEIGHTS FOR

ANY PLATE OR MONEY.
Whereas the practice of running horses carrying
very light weights for plates, prizes, or sums of
money has very much increased of late years, and
the same has contributed very much to the increase
of gambling and dishonest proceedings, and the
breed of strong and useful horses is prejudiced
thereby : be it enacted by the Queen's most excel-
lent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent
of the Lords spiritual and temporal, and Commons,
in this present parliament assembled, and by the
authority of the same, as follows :-
1. From and after the Ist day of Jan., 1861, no
person or persons whatsoever shall Enter, start, or
run any horse, colt, mare, filly, or gelding for any
plate, prize, or sum of money, or other thing, un-
less such horse, colt, mare, filly, or gelding shall
carry 7st. weight or more, computing 14lbs. to
each stone weight; and if any person or persons
shall enter, start, or run any horse, colt, mare, filly,
or gelding for any plate, prize, or sum of m 3ney, or
any other thing, carrying less than the weight
hereinbefore directed to be carried, such horse,
colt, mare, filly, or gelding, or the value there-
of, shall be forfeited, and the person or persons
so entering, starting, or running the same shall
forfeit and lose the sum of two hundred
pounds ; provided always, that suoli forfeiture or
penalty shall not occur to be recoverable by reason
of any horse, colt, mare, filly, or gelding being
found after any race shall have been run to have
carried therein, or during any part of such race, a
less weight than seven stone, if such deficiency
shall have been caused by an accident during run-
ning, or otherwise, and not from any wilful act or
order of the person or persons entering or running
the same.

2. All penalties of forfeitures incurred by any
person or persons for any offence against this act
shall be sued for or recovered by any action, bill,
plaint, or information in any of her Majesty's
courts of record at Westminster, or at the assizes,
and shall be disposed of, one moiety thereof to the
use of the person or persons who shall sue for the
same, and the other as a prize for a weight for age
race to be run over the course on which the race took
place where such penalty or forfeiture was incurred,
at such time, and under such conditions as to the
stake to be paid for each horse entered for the same,
and as to the weights to be carried, as the stewards
of the Jockey Club at Newmarket may from time
to time determine.

3. That in any action, bill, plaint, or information
to be brought or commenced by virtue of this act.
over and above the penalties and forfeitures to be
recovered, the plaintiff or informer shall recover
his or her double costs.

DESTRUCTIVE FlRE.—Yesterday morning a fire
broke out on the premises of Bradford's cooperage and stave
factory at Horselydown, which was communicated to above
20 other adjacent buildings, and in a short space of tim3
several thousand pounds worth of property was laid is
ruins. The Royal Society's escape and fire engines came
as quickly as possible to the spot, but a considerable time
passed before the fire could be got under.
A METEOR AT SEA.—While the ship Typhoon
(just arrived at Liverpool from Bombay) was in lat. 13 N.,
long. 33 W., under single reefed topsails, at about 10 p.m.,
a meteor, extending from west to east, suddenly illuminated
the heavens for leagues around. The effect was grand—
everything could be seen as visibly as at noonday. After
describing an arc of about 45 degrees, it suddenly disap-
peared, leaving the ship again in extreme darkness.
THE FIRST DIVING-BELL.—The first diving-bell
we read of was nothing more than a very large kettle, sus-
pended by ropes with the mouth downwards, and planks to
sit on fixed in the middle of its concavity. Two Greeks of
Toledo, in 1588, made an experiment with it before Charles
V. They descended in it with a lighted candle to a con:s
i-
derable depth. In 1683 William Phipps, the sou of a black-
smith, formed a project for unloading a rich Spanish ship,
sunk on the coast of Hispaniola. Charles 11. gave him a
ship, with
ul ever
he y
returned necessary
infor his undertaking, but being
great poverty.
unsuccessf,
He then en-
deavoured to procure another vessel, but he got a
subscription, to which the Duke of Albemarle contributed.
of
In 1687, Phipps set sail in a ship havingotons,
t o the
20pre-
viously engaged to divide the profits according
shares of which the subscription consisted. At first, all his
labours provede m.a
frs Fortunate
;lut at last, when he seemed almost
hto despair, e enough to bring up so much
treasure that he returned to England with £lOO,OOO. O,
this sum he got about £lO,OOO, and the duke £9),000.
Phipps was knighted by the King and laid the foundation
of the brtuflee of the present Marquis of Normanby.