The Sun.
London, England, 1861-08-07 00:00:00

2118 BUILLE.RS. STRIKE.

Yesterday the period of two years expired, for
which the master builders had entered into their
bond of association, leaving them free either to cease
or renew their connexion with the association. A
deputation from the masons' committee accordingly
waited upon the firm of Waller and Sons, the ex-
tensive contractors of King's-road, Chelsea, to ascer-
tain the final decision of the firm upon the question
of the compromise. The result of this interview
was the unconditional acceptance by the firm of
Messrs. Waller of the compromise, the only stipula-
tion made being that the firm should receive bank
their old workmen as far as possible.
As soon as the decision of Messrs. Waller became
known through the trade, Mr. Joseph Myers, of
Messrs. Myers' firm, Lambeth, visited the head-
quarters of the masons, in Westminster-road, and
had a long conversation with several of his old
workmen, and although no positive arrangement
was made a favourableresulfrs anticipated.

An aggregate meeting of the carpenters and
joiners of the metropolis was held last evening rit
the Freemasons' Hall, Great Queen-street, to take
Into consideration the present position of affairs it,
the building trades, as it affected their branch—
Mr. Franklin in the chair. The following resolu-
tions were agreed to :—" That this meeting views
with concern and regret the inconsistent and partial
conduct of the Government in not immediately
withdrawing the Sappers from the works of the
Chelsea Barracks instead of allowing one month
previous to their withdrawal, they having acknow-
ledged the principle to be wrong under which they
were employed. That the secretary forward a copy
of this resolution to the Secretary of State for
War." "That in the opinion of this meeting the
system of hiring and paying by the hour is objec-
tionable, as it tends to destroy all identity of inte-
rest and sympathy between employers and employed,
reducing the terms of engagement to a period be-
getting in the workmen a constant fear of discharge ;
;
we therefore pledge ourselves to resist, by every
legitimate me ns,
such an unjust system, and to
support the branches of the building trade now on
strike, or any other branch, in obtaining the terms
of the compromise."

FORDRA4 THE CELEBRATED

JOCKEf.

In private life Fordham's popularity is as great
as it is in public; and among the jockeys we can
with truth say he has not a single enemy, for his
kindness of heart always prompts him to make an
excuse for any defect in their riding to which his
attention has been called, adding, " he could not
have ridden him better himself." To whist he is
especially partial, when there is, as he calls it, no
" officing ;' and in the long winter evenings at
Drewett's it is his constant amusement. His habit,
however, of consulting one of those books in which
the cards are printed with directions how to play
them, renders a rubber a rather longer affair than
it is at the Arlington or White's ; but his excuse, if
he did not .pursue this system "he might chuck
away a trick," is readily accepted. Of
shooting he is also very fond ; and the co-
verts of Jenkinstown, the fields of Epsom, and the
uplands of Mamhead, all bear witness to his prowess
with his gun ; still, we think we shall not err in
stating he is more to be feared shooting a favourite
a few strides from home on a race-horse than a hare
when in action. Of Terpsichore he is a decided
votary; and in a three-handed reel at Danebury
can stay longer than that celebrated professor,
Young King, who, a few months back, danced a.
friend for a sovereign after dinner for 40 minutes
without his boots, and beat him. Of Paris and the
Parisians he has a great admiration, as, iu his
frequent visits across the Channel, he has had
plenty of opportunities of studying their manners
and customs. He has, however, sensibly felt the
inconvenience of not being able to speak the lan-
guage as fluently as he does English, for, about
a twelvemonth back, he went into a haircutter's
shop to have his locks trimmed, and the operator,
having no orders to the contrary, and not under-
standing one syllable of English, went on with his
customer until he had left as much hair on his head
as there is on a cannon ball. In this state he came
to Newmarket the following day, when his old
travelling tutor, Mr. Mellish, inquired of him, if
"he had had a month," to which he indignantly
replied in the negative, adding, " that it was all
very well for him to talk, but he should like to
know what he would have done had he been in
Paris, and had his hair cut, and been unable to tell
them when to stop." Those who know Fordham's
style of arguing can well understand the force
of his remonstrance; but he has wisely resolved
never again to place himself in such a peculiar
position, and has since employed none but
native artists on his poll. But if partial to the
turf, he is no less fond of the chase, and never
misses a day with the Southdown foxhounds, with
whom, when there is anything to do, he goes right
well, cramming his horse through the rough hedges
and over the doubles of the heavy Weald of Sussex,
without the slightest compunction, and being always
mounted on blood horses, with his light weight and
fine hands, he is invariably in the first flight at the
finish of a run. On alternate days, he generally
pays a :visit Eto the neighbouring :pack of har-
riers, with whom his great pleasure seems to be to
consider himself to be whipper-in, and to halloa and
crack his whip. his stud of hunters is not a large
one, as they only consist of Levity, Babylon, and a
wonderful pony, but they are all presents, and, in
the language of Mr. Murray, of Manchester, won-
derfully well educated. Besides these he may occa-
sionally be seen at the covert side on an old steeple-
chaser, or on a cat-legged two-year-old, hardly
up to the weight of a pair of boots, or on some
half-bred farmer's mare fit to carry 16 stone.
But it is all the same to him, for he "nego-
tiates" their fences so well for them as to escape
with very few falls. A pony race he loves to
distraction ; and he is never so proud as when,
after letting a butcher's boy or farmer's son
pump himself out, he comes and beats him on
some scratch of a pony he has picked up for the
occasion. Steeplechasing he also likes at the end of
the hunting season, and his favourite mare, Levity,
has won one over four miles of very severe country.
Darin., his career on the turf, Fordham must have
amassed a pretty large sum of money; and we be-
lieve we are not wrong in stating that in the invest-
ment of it he is guided by the advice of his old
master, Mr. J. S. Douglas, the owner of Tourna-
ment, so there is no fear of its being improperly
employed, or his being left without resources in the
evening of life. And if rough and unpolished in
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butes; and his name will ever rank in the annals of
the turf with those of the highest artists in the
saddle during the time he flourished.—Baily's
Sports.
agazine of