The Sun.
London, England, 1866-05-21 00:00:00

THE SUN, LOINDOIN, MONDAY EVENING, MAY 21, 1866.

THE DERBY NIGHT.

A facetious correspondent of the Racing Times
gives the following novel sketch of the after appear-
ance of the great national race-course on Derby.
Day, or, as the title has it more correctly, The
Derby Night :

How many sporting writers of every grade of
fancy have exhausted the faculty of invention by
recording annually doings on a Derby-day, the
vast streams of humanity encountering the real and
imaginary pleasantries, toils, difficulties, and
dangers of the road—the speed orslowness of the rail
—the enormous increase annually (on paper) of holi-
day devotees to this the greatest carnival of Cockney-
dom ? But these are of the Derby-day. Has any
one ever ventured to describe the mysteries of a
Derby-night ? Not a night erst at Vauxhall, the
departed, or at Cremorne's fairy land, or the ancient
Barn of Highbury's fast gentility, or the City-road
temple of ancient Greece, but a nocturnal sojourn
on the cool downs of Epsom, on Wednesday, the
16th of May, in the year of grace 1866. Without
any well-founded suspicion of lunacy, either by the
idol of my heart's young affections, or by ordinary
friends or acquaintances, I being, as will-makers
describe, of sound mind, memory, and understand-
ing, took, by way of novelty, the resolution of
actually observing the Downs by moonlight, or
rather what the Downs might have presented had
our useful satellite ventured to show ; yet, although
she failed to put in an appearance, the mighty mul-
titude of stars shone with unusual brilliance, and
shed a dim, subdued halo over the scene. The fleet
Mongrel had pulled off the last race, and the cheers
which greeted Grimshaw after his temporary recess
had scarce died out, when the several divisions of
thirsty constables, from A to X, had formed, answered
to their numbers, stood at ease, and dispersed when the
dusty sight-seers radiated from the centre of at-
traction in every direction; in short, when most
well-regulated members of the British public were
wending their way homewards I remained with a
couple of trusty friends behind, but not alone. The
impromptu snacks indulged in during the afternoon
from various patrons of Fortnum and Mason, who
generally regale their casual friends arriving
by rail, only seemed to whet our appetites,
and thecold spread at dusk, or " diner a la
ruse," the French call it, proved but a
careless make-up for the more studied, warm
repast served within the limits of civilisation. Not-
withstanding the calls of friends, we contrived to
reserve a few of Pontet's choice weeds to console us
as the shades of evening advanced, when the locality
promised some adventure in variety.
The booth-keepers were totting up the result of
the day's harvest. Waiters packed the remains of
eatables, and then lolled about smoking very dirty
pipes, and drinking the thickest of opaque beer.
Bashi-Basouks of the modern Babylon gathered in
numerous groups—some by their carts and barrows,
others near flimsy erections which had been em-
ployed by day in various services. Male and female
gipsies, and other types of the semi-savage, wearied
by incessant exertion, lay in heaps under cover of
tents, temporary stables, and other contrivances.
Later on scores of lanthorns, borne by industrious
travellers, bobbed around the Course to Tattenham
Corner to the valleys on either side, and to the dis-
tant;hills, seeking stray treasure, stowing away in
light carts such garments, smelling-bottles, reticules,
parasols, and similar odds and ends found during
the excitement of the races, and before the owners
had lost them. Empty bottles, of which many hun-
dreds were thrown away form the surface of large
baskets, and the traveller, by aid of a fast trotter,
finds his way to town when the crowds are slack-
ened, sells his plunder, and returns for more. The
pretty little town of Epsom, famed alike for its
races and salts, lay stretched in the distance, bril-
liantly lighted, and the busy clatter of voices proved
how large the numbers were which still lingered
behind within its precincts. The scene before us
seemed something like an extensive battle-field when
the fray had ended, save that for cries of the
wounded, rude snatches of nigger songs, shouts and
laughter of both sexes, rung in our ears from every
side. Several young gentlemen, with veils on their
hats, surmounted by small wooden dolls, were en-
deavouring in vain to knock down worthless cocoa
nuts. Others, -whimsically inclined, were wishing
themselves with Nancy ; a few invoked pretty little
Sarah with the fashionable hair, declaring that the
young lady ought to be " a-hangel miles up in the
air." One plaintive youth called upon " sweet
speerits" (probably gin) to hear his prayer, and so
on. The national songs were murdered in every
variety of husky key. The tribe of Krect card
dealers, Aunt Sallys, vendors of metropolitan mis-
cellaneous pies, Belle Isle sausages, sharpers and
duffers of all sorts, who remained behind, gradually
sought such shelter as presented itself, and so saved
the trouble of walking home, many taking the celes-
tial canopy for a covering ; and, as they afterwards

lay placidly, I could hardly help envying the appa-
rent repose of our less-favoured fellow-mortals,
freed from any anxiety as to City panics, and caring
nothing for limited liability.
On the verge of a slope near the modern
structure called the Downs' Hotel, an old
acquaintance of mine, one Napoleon Flummux,
was trying hard to keep on his legs. The London
home of orange-peel is in Paternoster-row and the
narrow streets about the Post-office, but every part
of the Downs seemed to be the one chief suburban
receptacle for the rind of an unusually large winter
stock of real St. Michael's consumed on the Derby-
day. No wonder Flummux had a difficulty in keep-
ing his perpendicular, but he had now evidently got
into a new sphere of operation. During a long
course of years he had been engaged in numerous
hazardous mercantile pursuits, among which may
be told shofel pitching, or dealing in spurious coin,
vending pork-liver ketchup, real lead pencils, an-
tique poultry, wild ducks, teal, partridges, and other
high and ancient game ; assisting at the thimble,
three cards trick, general imitation, countryman
amongst sharpers, and snapper up of trifles light
and heavy, he now looked like a descendant of
Stiggins of Dorking ; and as he cannoned against
two of us, we endeavoured to maintain his perpen-
dicular, in return for which, after fumbling in more
than one pocket, he produced a small roll, and
handed each of us what he termed a " track,"
headed in large letters by way of inquiry, " Is this
the right path ?" I told him it was the broad way
which led to Epsom, and a word or two brought
out the fact that after having been secretary to a
reformed prize fighter, he was now a " Town
Mish'n'ry," engaged on special duty to caution way-
farers about the path in question. He said, with
some apparent difficulty, " We know the right, but
s-shtill the wrong purshue," complained that the
blacking with which his shoes had been polished
must have contained strong beer, or the little Downs'
liquid taken had some most unusual effect.

Another gentleman now appeared, made up
like a country magsman, and expressed his sur-
prise that any gents should be left on the Downs.
True, he had lingered behind, because of a real nob
who had just come over with an unheard-of amount
of cash for the Fenians, but like a good fellow had
resolved to spend it among the right sort, instead
of furthering rebellion in old Herrin, and he was to
be seen in a booth hard by, where he had made
everything right with Lord Lyon, and could lend
any decent sort a hundred or two on being satisfied
of his responsibility. " Kyus Jemmy, " observed
the missionary, " all 'as glitters isn't gold. I
know this gent. He used to tell me about errors
of ways and all that before I got into the respect-
able line—he don't intend to part, he don't my
lambkin, and now the blues are most on 'em taking
themselves off, you may get into the town with your
Fenian, and see nobody bests the young creature
Jemmy."
Some signs were then exchanged between the
two worthies, known only to themselves, and the
countryman vanished, perhaps to see whether any
other stray member of the Verdant family remained
on the scene. Flummux apprised me that the
party was Jemmy Jonhson, formerly inventor of
harrowing tales of distress for the benevolent—had
performed several small journeys for concocting
begging letters, and was now shy on account of a
great haul recently obtained from the charitable
world, through his having lost all his cattle by the
plague. " This rinderpest has told wonderfully
. well, sir," he said; " the broker's in for rent, and
dreadful accidents in mines was getting stale,—
however, sir, it's a free country, very free country."
In that small castellated building—relic of best
part of a century, called Prince's Stand, from the
windows of which the former Prince of Wales
viewed the first Derby, a cheap show was announced,
and from a waggon hard by we induced Flummux
to try an oration, so as to give us a specimen of the
mode in which he or his employers supposed pro-
selytes were to be gained, and how many persons
he had succeeded in inducing to retrace their steps
homeward instead of staying to see the races. By
the aid of a couple of nondescripts he was placed
astride a barrel, looking like a seedy dilapidated
Bacchus, with two naphtha lamps borrowed from an
insane costermonger, who was endeavouring in vain
to get rid of his remaining stock of stale nuts which
he called " filbeards," by inducing stray lookers-on
to take up a handful, and laying a wager that he
would guess within one how many nuts any hand,
large or small, contained.
" Now, my young whiteybrown, go ahead," was
the coster's polite request when the lamps were ad-
justed.

" My friends," he began, " are you in the right
path? Think of-" The conclusion of this
sentence was unluckily marred by a straggler land-
ing a pellet of flour in front of the orator's hat,
which bursting gave his upper habiliments a snowy.
character. A little laughter was of course the ine-
vitable result, which caused a rush of roughs so
quickly that it was difficult to imagine where they
came from ; and a sleek-looking personage between
an undertaker from Short's-gardens and a cadger
of the " clean and respectable" mould, got his hand
entangled in a couple of large fish-hooks, which I
generally carry in my pockets on such occasions ;
and it took a great deal of trouble and no small
apparent pain to disengage them, when he apolo-
gised very humbly in having mistaken my pocket
for his own entirely by accident !
A friendly member of the police, who observed
the transaction, took off his belt and rewarded
the operator with a couple of strokes of the buckle
end. The officer having suggested that Flummux
should remove from his perch, that gentleman did
so, after having been rewarded with a little more'
flour, but he subsequently fraternised with the
parties, and adjourned to the neighbouring bar to
" liquor up," after which operation he retired, in-
tending to get a shake down, as he said, " on, the
quiet," and rise like a giant refreshed to see the
deacon inthe morning, and obtain instructions for
his mission on Friday, the off-day being hardly con-
sidered of sufficient importance to justify the cost
of auxiliaries in his new occupation.
" The squarest game on the ground ! The
squarest game !" screamed somebody. On looking
round, the performance seemed to be a couple of
round pieces of wood placed at such a distance that
a ball could not go through them, but no person
could bring them to the ground at once. A younger
member of the industrious family now
.got his left
hand in difficulties among my fish-hooks, and I had
great trouble in releasing him, but his gratitude was
immense.

A welcher, who had been sadly maltreated during
the races, then appeared on the scene, in the hope of
some off-chance turning up to enable his returning
towards the central districts unobserved, but his
mate, who had " collared," to use a phrase appa-
rently well-known to the hearers, had omitted to
go back as promised, and it seemed impossible to
show as he was, with scarce a thread of anything
an inch in width; so complete a case for a friendly,
rigger-out seldom happened. Luckily, at this junc-
ture, an ex-tipster, who had also practised exten-
sively the welching profession, came up, and a
scheme was suggested for the benefit of the gentle-
man in difficulties.

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