The Sun.
London, England, 1861-02-04 00:00:00

BOHEMIA

Where was he ? Do not be alarmed. Philip was only
idling. Philip might have been much more industriously,
more profitably, and a great deal more wickedly employed.
What is now called Bohemia had no name in Philip's
young days, though many of us knew the country very
well. A pleasant land, not fenced with drab stucco, like
Tyburnia or Belgravia ; not guarded by a hugo standing
army of footmen ; not echoing with noble chariots ; not
replete with polite chintz drawing-rooms and neat tea-
tables ; a land over which hangs an endless fog, occasioned
by much tobacco ; a land of chambers, billiard-rooms, sup-
per-rooms, oysters; a land of song; a land where soda-
water flows freely in the morning ; a land of tin-dish covers
from taverns, and frothing porter; a land of lotos-eating
(with lots of cayenne pepper), of pulls on the river, of deli-
cious reading of novels, magazines, and saunterings in
many studios ; a land where men call each other by their
Christian names ; where most are poor, where almost all
are young, and where if a few oldsters do enter, it is becauso
they have preserved more tenderly and carefully than other
folks their youthful spirits, and the delightful capacity to
be idle. I have lost my way to Bohemia now, but it is
certain that Prague is the most picturesque city in the
w orld .

A new tale is commenced, entitled, " Horace
Saltoun," which possesses a melancholy interest.
The sketch illustrating it, " Temptation," is by
Millais. There is also a capital illustration to the
" Roundabout Papers"—an initial letter, evidently
by Thackeray himself—an excellent back view of
the author and artist standing up in the pit of the
Adelphi. The other articles are of their average
miscellaneous excellence.

Baily's Magazine of Sports and Pastimes.
The Premier figures on the frontispiece as one of
the patrons of the turf, and although Lord Palcocsr-
ston has not been distinguished by great successes
on it, his high position entitles him to equal honour
as his political rival. " Masters Foxhounds "is
continued. The following information would act
rather as a damper on the ardour of a would-be
master :

Remember, however, after all this you will never have
your hand out of your pocket, and must always have a
guinea in it. These constant calls upon a man's purse are
disagreeable enough; but in other respects a master is con-
sidered public property, and all that he possesses. If a
landowner, he must give a day's coursing to one man, a
week's shooting to another. If a breeder of sheep, every
farmer is at him for a tup—gratis, of course—for the sea-
son. Then he is expected to keep a stallion for the use of
the county. With regard to his supporters and the gentle-
men of the county he has, moreover, a most difficult game
to play. He must be all things to all men—a very Job as
to patience. He has to conciliate one—assuage the anger
of another—admit that he has hunted one aide of his coun-
try too much and the other too little. He has a coppice
adjoining that of a neighbouring game preserver into which
the pheasants and hares are driven when the hounds draw
his coverts. It is the only one upon his property famous
for woodcocks, and the master is very fond of those birds.
But the battue man wants the use of this wood to protect
his game, and of course he is expected to give it up, or—
yes, he knows the consequences of a refusal. The battue
'man " preserves foxes for his sport I He does not care
about fox-hunting—never rides out hunting himself." The
inference is obvious enough.

" The Experiences of Sydney Godolphin Yahoo" is
continued. We are favoured with a day's deer-
stalking. The author evidently intends to intro-
duce all the sports of the Highlands. " Wild
Sports of the Neilgherry Mountains" are interesting.
"'The Horse and his Rider," by Sir Francis Head,
is noticed at some length, but while expressing
admiration for the author the editor does not coin-
cide with all his views. The sporting intelligence
of the month and other general information are ahis
furnished.