The Sun.
London, England, 1866-05-28 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, MONDAY EVENING, MAY 28, 1866.

in the Ring. They know nothing about balance-
sheets. 'Cash up' is their motto ; and if you can't
or won't part, look out for squalls. I, like your-
self, went over Delight, and got hustled by half-a-
dozen lads, but argued the point and sweetened
'em by returning their money and a hundred per
cent. ; so, instead of laying the odds, I went at
evens, and, luckily for me, two big mismanaging
clerks who wanted a couple of ponies each, got
into difficulties at the Mansion-house through hav-
ing made some trifling mistakes in their governors'
books, and are now quietly doing their little dose
in safety—so never mind, my boy !" Both parties
mo red off in the direction of the Downs Station,
where cheap tickets were issued fripm 7 o'clock,
and whence the victim of rough summary justice,
let us hope, took his departure.
At the hotel referred to the customers were
getting thinned and noisy, I mean the uprights
who love to linger in front of the bar ; there were
others inside winding up with reserved creature
comforts of good quality. The host was obliging,
and we were admitted into the sanctum sanctorum,
before entering which an old sporting acquaintance
whispered, " Will you back something for the
hoax ? how's it suited you to-day ?" I inquired
what he had got and the reply, still piano, was,
" Tormentor, and nothing else ; lend us half a
dollar for a doss." The tip was a very good one
as the result [proved, but I did not avail myself of
the advice, at the same time expressing thanks and
handing over the coin.
On getting seated comfortably within the inner
chamber over a weed and cheering glass of toddy,
the talk turned on the great event so recently en-
rolled in the chronicles of the past. " There is no
manner of doubt," said a very fat man, " that the
one thing to depend upon is public running, beats all
your tips—horses train on if they get plenty to eat
and drink, with good clean lodgings and attendance.
Mankind also thrive when the nosebag and pockets
are in proper form ; leastways these are my maxims.
I always back my fancy through good and evil re-
port."
"And always win ?" suggested somebody.
" Very general, sir," was the reply. "My deal-
ings are but small, and never likely to disturb the
ring. The public are the backers, and largely feed
the few who condescend to keep the pencil in trim.
The public never run away. I lived in Banstead
parish now near fifty years, long before California
came there, and know all about:public and private
form."

" I like to back 'em at the post," said a younger
gentleman. " All very well, neighbour, but let me
see the numbers up."
" So you might have done to-day," interposed
the first speaker. " The numbers were up cor-
rectly enough, and numbers were off immediately
the race was over ; where are you then ? You
win your money, and lose your man !"
" True, but you ought only to deal with safe and
good men."
" Where are we now ? " remarked another ; "look
at the great city of paper Banks tumbling down ;
no wonder the little fry follow suit. A good man
must be a tried man."

" Jesso !" observed the foroner, " take a party
who has been tried at the Old Bailey."

"I don't take anything of the sort,"; was the rejoin-
der. " You may have a race with a policeman,
and if you beat him it may not be the first time
you have outrun the constable."

" Brayvo ! brayvo ! you'll get the worst of this,
Chalk Johnny ; better follow your great namesake,
rest and be -thankful."
" A fight !" shouted somebody..at the bar, and
out rushed the varied collection, taking care pre-
viously to empty their jugs and glasses. The host
prudently ordered the doors to be closed, and de-
clined to readmit any of the lot, so that the parti-
cular fight was doubtless brought off to the satis-
faction of the parties, some or one of them. The
insiders were then enabled to dispose of the com-
forts before them without difficulty.

Leaving the Downs Hotel, and taking the friendly
convoy of one of the A division, we proceeded to
another public establishment called the Derby Arms,
where outside and inside the customers were of a
much more muscular turn, and included many of
the gentler (?) sex, several of whom amused them-
selves in a variety of ways—strong expletives and
powerful adjectives were plentifully applied, ending
in slight pugilistic encounters, just, as one of the
parties observed, to keep themselves awake. We
may judiciously draw a veil over many things
practised on the boundless heath, as, after imbibing
a draught, we chartered the only remaining trap,
and, not without some risk from the oscillating
character of the driver, found ourselves landed at
the well-known corner-house, where were still con-
gregated large numbers of the racing public ; some
very jolly, many the reverse, but all in tolerably
good-humour. Continuous streams of the smaller
fry wended their way to the stations, and I was
about doing the same when an old friend took me
by the button, and, after the usual greetings, offered
a cast up in his trap as soon as the parties could be
got together, which, according to his account,
seemed a troublesome operation, as they no sooner
found one than another was missing. I took stock
of about six N$ ho were garnished with veils, dolls,
and paper feathers, and decided, under the circum-
stances, that the quietest and certainly most
expeditious mode would be to take the rail, and
was confirmed in this resolve by observing two of
the stray parties return and mount the drag, one
carrying about a peck of flour in a bag, and the
other a quantity of thin white paper, with a couple
of quarts of peas. " Bless my heart !" suddenly
exclaimed my friend, " why, here's the old doctor,"
at the same time jocularly tapping an elderly
personage on the shoulder, whose general
appearance did not indicate anything like pros-
perity. " This man, sir," he continued, "is the
best prophet out. Come and shed a tear,"
taking him across the road to Barnard's Hotel.
" Glad to see ye, Captain—glad, indeed," observed
the old boy—" hard times these, lost all my cash—
went for Rustic and the Monarch, but shall get it
back on Ischia for the Oaks—my friends made a
note and asked " how about Wye ?" Why do you
want such rubbish ? was the question in re-
ply. "I don't mark small game. Nothing but
straight things from training quarters, and
those on:y to respectable parties like yourselves,
who put me on a pound or two. For
Manchester I can make your fortune." I ventured
to inquire why he had not made his own, and he
answered that selfishness formed no part of his com-
position ; his game was to benefit the masses at a
moderate fee, and then told us, in great confidence,
that the Cup on Thursday would be won by
Honesty, the Salford Cup by Retrousse, the Derby
Handicap by Wallet, and the Wilton by Wynn-
stay, all of which most valuable information full
notes were taken and five shillings in coin pre-
seated him, with
a promise of unusual per ten-
tage on the winnings.
I was curious enough to inquire how the old call-
ing was getting on, the terms having been reduced
since I had speculated years ago. He said the
" profession was very so and so ; stamps
appeared to be scarce. He offered to do
any race meeting for twelve and per tentage,
sometimes they came in plentifully but more
frequently the other way. The last advertise-
ment told pretty well—he pledged himself to send
the absolute winner, or return the money to a
sporting paper in the country, which he patronised,
and the matter was correctly carried out by inclosing
to each applicant a list of the entries. The " Doc-
tor," it appeared, had been an old schemer, and
before he became a tipster advertised as " a physi-
cian whose sands of life bad nearly run out," offer-
ing to impart important things to persons of nervous
habits who would merely favour him with a itamped
directed envelope. We did not ask how the profit
was made by this simple contrivance, although pos-
sibly there was something which did notrneet the eye,
particularly as in common with others we had fre-
quently observed similar things under many phases.
The party had now all returned—the flour and peas
usually devoted to puddings in domestic life, were
made up—the former into neat packets, and the
latter divided, and placed in the pockets of outer
garments, with tin tubes to guide them as near the
faces of innocent spectators as possible. The veils,
dolls, red and white feathers, and other silly decora-
tions, being all adjusted, the lusty, dusty horn
I sounded a gutteral discordant note and the trap
went merrily on its return journey, and self and