The Sun.
London, England, 1867-01-03 00:00:00

THE CROYDON STEEPLECHASE.

-Sir Francis B. Head writes in a contemporary as fol-

lows :
Sir,—ln your account this day of the Croydon Steeple-
chase it is stated by your report that "among those pre-
sent was the Duke of Hamilton and Sir Francis Head,
author of "The Horse and his Rider," who was there to
give evidence, if needed, for the defence.
As I have always considered steeplechasing to be, as re-
gards both horias and riders, an unsportsmanlike exhibi-
tion of "valour without diecretion," and as I am an ardent
supporter of the Society for the Suppression of Cruelty to
Animals, I shall feel exceedingly obliged if you will be so
good as to allow me testate that shortly after the Croydon
Steeplechase, which I had attended to see Meanwood, a
favourite horse that had belonged to me, run, I declined
to give evidence on the forthcoming trial, which was then
announced to me.
On Saturday morning last, not knowing it was to take
place in a few minutes, I walked into Croydon, and on again
being earnestly solicited to appear as evidence, I replied,
"I will not come forward as a volunteer, but as I should
like to hear the trial I will go into court, and then if either
side think proper to notice my presence I will reply to any
questions that may be put to mo."
On the motion of the secretary for the prosecution, all
persons who were to give evidence were ordered to leave
the court.
For nearly three blessed hours was I therefore shut up in
a little dungeon, not loft. square, with witnesses of all
castes, until a policeman, opening the door, said, "You
may all come out now; the case is dismissed."
So much for my having been during the trial present in
court.
With respect to the case itself permit me to state that,
with the most benevolent intentions, the prosecutors made
a great mistake. For really the society might as well stig-
matise the six noble-hearted Americans, lately swept into
eternity from the deck of the yacht Fleet vying, as " sui-
cides," as to charge that quiet, game-looking little rider,
Mr. Crawshaw, with "cruelty to his horse which broke its
back at the steeplechase at Croydon."
The magnates and magistrates and the thousands of peo-
ple of all classes whom I saw crowding the stands and con-
gregated on each side of the water-jump were all more or
less guilty of the cruel expectation, bordering on hope, or
seeing some of the horses and riders souse into the water
or roll along the turf, but no saint on earth or angel in
heaven, instead of wishing to break Voightlander's back,
could more ardently desire that ho should land safely than,
of course, the man who rode him.
As the course was not only over stiff clay, but was un-
usually wet, it was what sportsmencall "severe"—in plain
English, cruel to the weakest of the horses that went twice
round it. But Voightlander, the horse selected by the so-
ciety, shortly after starting, fell in going over the water-
jump the first time. The jump, as regards breadth, any
ordinary hunter would, without the smallest extra exertion,
have traversed in his stride ; and as on the off-side it was
not 6 inches deep, if the green grass for the 13 feet, instead
of being flooded with a layer of water, had been white-
washed, the horses reaching it at full speed would all have
jumped it quite as well, and with no less danger. The fault
of the fence was that the furze in front of the water had
been placed upright, instead of sloping outwards.
Voightlander fell, therefore, not because he was ex-
hausted by cruel riding, but because, being too fresh and
joyful, ho jumped only for height, and thereby throwing
himself out of gear for jumping breadth, his feet, pasterns,
and body landed on the turf in a false position, and so,
greatly to the grief and disappointment of his gallant little
rider, down he came, and for a few minutes remained pros-
trate, with Mr. Crawshaw's leg underneath him.
Poor, noble animal ! As I rode home I passed him with
his head dangling downwards from a knacker's cart. Only
a few days before I had happened to pass a horse in the
agonies of death from having fallen at a trot on a turnpike
road.—l am, sir, your obedient servant,
Croydon, Jan. I. F. B. HEAD.

Foreign Mail Packet List.

MAILS DUE.

Australia and New Zealand, via Southamptoa.....Jan. 19.
Ditto, via Marseilles •Jan. 13.
i3razil and Cape Verde. by British packet.......... Jan. 4.
Ditto, by French packet Jan. 23
Cape of Good Hope, Ascension, and St. Helena Dec. 28.
China, Penang. and Singapore, via 1
i
Southampton
Jan 3.
Ditto, via Marseilles
Falkland Islands
Gibraltar, via Southampton Jan. 3.
India (Calcutta),And Ceylon, via Southampton Jan 3
Ditto, via Marseilles
India (Bombay), via Southampton. Jan. 13
Ditto, via Marseilles Jan. 7
Malta, Egypt, and Aden, via Southampton Jan. 3.
Ditto, via Marseilles JaC. 7.
Mauritius, via Southampton
Ditto, via Marseil:es . . .Jan. 19.
Jan. 2.
gewfoundland ,
Portugal. --Jan. 4
Ditto, by private ship to Lisbon..
United States and British North America, by Bri-
tish packet. .. Jul. 9.
Ditto, by United States packet, via Southamp-
ton
Ditto, via Cork
Ditto, by Canadian packet. via Londonderry Tan. 4
West Coast of Africa, Madeira, and Tenerife ....Jan. 3
West Indies and Pacific (except Bahamas and
Jan.
Honduras) ••
Baham`..J. via New Y ork. Jan P.

Liverpool Cotton Market—This Day.

Market opens with a fair demand. Sales pro.
bably 15,000 bales.

SCOTTISH HOSPITAL.—A general quarterly cour
of this corporation was held yesterday at the hall
in Crane-court. Dr. Ramsay in the chair. The minutes
of the former court, with the school reports, were con-
firmed. The secretary read letters from his Grace the
Duke of Bucclench, accepting the appointment of vice-pre-
sident (with others); from the Archdeacon Sinclair, ac-
cepting the office of one of the chaplains of the corpora-
tion ; and from the Rev. Dr. Hamilton to the like effect.
A letter was read from the Rev. Dr. Cumming, dated Dec.
4, declining to accept the office of chaplain, and requesting
that the nomination should be cancelled. Mr. Webster
moved and Mr. Lang seconded the motion that the resig-
nation of Dr. Cumming be accepted. Professor Donald-
son interposed, and suggested that it was only due to Dr.
Cumming that the court should offer their most cordial
thanks to him for his unwearied zeal and exertions on be
half of the institution for the long period of 21 years.
(Hear.) He therefore proposed, " That the rev. gentle-
man be admitted to the extra privileges attaching to a go-
vernor of 50 guineas." Mr. Lang seconded the motion,
and passed a high eulogium on the Rev. Dr. Cumming.
Five members of the family of the rev. gentleman contri-
buted to the funds of the institution. (Hear, hear.) The
motion was carried unanimously ; and so was that of the
acceptance of the resignation of Dr. Cumming as chaplain.
On the motion of Mr. F. Morris, a resolution was passed
unanimously, expressing sympathy for the family of the
late Mr. William Kirk, who for a great many years had
been a governor. The secretary announced another dona-
tion from Robert Hannay, Esq., of 100 guineas. Ordered
to be entered on the minutes. The balance-sheet of the
Kiuloch Bequest in trust to the Scottish Hospital, from St.
Andrew's-day, 1865, to St. Andrew's-day, 1866, was con-
sidered ; and some conversation arose on matters of detail,
the report of the committee of management to St. Andrew's-
day, 1866, being confirmed. On the motion of Mr. Laing,
a vote of thanks to the chairman was carried with accla-
mation, and the court adjourned.