The Sun.
London, England, 1827-08-01 00:00:00

FIELD SPORTS FOR AUGUST.

(From the Annals of Sporting.)
"It is bland Plenty's season; harvest fields
Give up their riches to the general store,
Whilst luscious gardens, vineyards hung about
With berries, blue and white, attest the power
Of Nature's one supreme. Now to the moors
Or highland hill and heather hies, right glad,
The jolly fowler on ; whilst o'er th'e sea,
Bounding in rivalry, gay navies ride,
Not in rude war, but sport ; and the brown sod
The thin shod hoof of noble-mettled steeds
Presses with lightning speed—'tis a brave time
We'll learn discourses of it —"—.liNow.
has been munificently and compassionately ordained by him
" Who bade the Spring to rise, the Summer bloom,
Autumn bring fatness, Winter frost and gloom,"

that every season should produce something to gratify or
profit man ; many things which ought to make. him con-
tented, and happy, and grateful. Leaving every other class
of our fellow creatures out of the question, we, who are
sportsmen, ought at all events to be cheerful, and because
not a month comes round, but it brings for us gratifying
employment. It was but an hour ago, comparatively
speaking, that we were compelled to lock our fowling pieces
in their rests, and now, in a very few days, most of us will
be taking them' down, and with our steady pointers and
staunch setters, plodding our way to the moors and high-
lands, and other places where grouse' are fond of feeding;
inasmuch as the legal destruction of that exquisite bird,
dates its commencement from the 12th of the present
month. As yet the " busy bum of preparation "is alone
heard, but, upon that day, the mountains of old Scotia will
reverberate to the peelings of the deadly tube, and yield
hundreds of their winged-occupants to the skill, patience,
and perseverance of the trudging southern.
During the Month of August, young wild ducks will
become strong on the wing, and, in places where they are
approachable, will afford amusement with the fowling piece.
Now, too, opportunities will be afforded for training end
exercising • pointers. Fur those who visit the grouse
mountains, or reside in their vicinity, the moors are very
eligible for the 'purpose, while' in the enclosed parts of
the country, the animal: can he very well exercised on
the grass lands, particularly towards the evening, when
partridges are generally to be found in the after-grass,
where they run a good deal, and thus afford young dogs
the best possible opportunity of acquiring a correct
knowledge of their business, and of becoming in a short
time steady.

Upon the Turf, the spirited amusement to which it gives
birth, still continues, and will be followed for some months
longer. The most interesting events of those meetings
which have come off will be found in the body of our
work, and the results of all in our turf record. That
most manly and very ancient game, Cricket, was never
more in favour than now. Some very excellent matches,
in all parts of England, have been played during July,
and many Others have been advertised for the month upon
which we are about to enter. Of the more interesting
of the former we have furnished ample details; and those
of the latter worthy particular notice, shall receive it at
our hands.

Lord Bacon has wisely said,----indeed, all his sayings
smacked of wisdom,—that " walled towers, stored arsenals
and armories, goodly races of horses, chariots of war, ar-
tillery, and the like, all this is but a sheep in a lion's
skin, except the breed and disposition of the people be
stout and warlike," therefore we rejoice, that besides the
athletic game we have above spoken of, wrestling, and
boat and sailing matches, are receiving such an encourag-
ing share of effective patronage. Those are the pastimes
that make a people hardy, at the same time that they
make them happy. They form, too, a species of athletic,
or gymnastic (if the word be preferred), education, which
will combine to form effective defenders in the hour of
England's need, invincible protectors to man in the trial-
hour, should it unfortunately come again, the wooden
walls of old England ; or 464 i, and maintain her red-cross
banner in the field of military renown.
" Honour rewards the brave and bold alone.;
She spurns the timorous, indolent, and base."
These, then, not to dwell upon others of minor, but yet
satisfactory import, are still the sports which remain with
us. May each of our readers, and every other good sports-
man beSides, possess health, strength, and the means to
enjoy them ; convinced that such pastimes are a myriad
odds above those more effeminate enjoyments, those
" sleepless midnights, noisy routs
That turn our skins to parchment."

PENSIONS TO AUTHORS.

(From the Furet de Londres.)

The following list of the pensions granted by
Louis XIV. in 1663, to the men of letters.of
that time, has fallen into our hands. This list is
curious, from the comment which is attached to
each name ; we transcribe it without alteration :
To M. Pierre Corneille, first dramatic poet of
the world fr. 2,000

To M. Desmarets, the most fertile •f authors, and
endowed with the finest imagination ever pos-

sessed by man V 1,200
To M. the Abbe de Pure, a writer of history, in

pure and elegant Latin l,OOO
To M. Menage, an excellent critic of dramatic pieces 2,000
To M. Corneille, jun. a good French dramatic poet 1,000
To M. Moliere, an excellent comic poet l,OOO
To M. Benseiade, a very agreeable French poet 1,500
To Father I.ecointre de l'Oratoire, an able historian 1,500
To M. the Abbe Cothin, French orator
To M. Vallier, having a perfect knowledge of the
Arabic
To Mr. Perrier, a Latin poet BOO
To M. Racine, a French Poet..., BOO
To M. Chapelaine, the greatest French Poet that
ever existed, and the one possessing the most

solid judgment
To M. the Abbe Cassagne, a Poet, Orator, and
Professor of Theology
To M. Perrault, clever at Poetry and the Belles
Letters 1,500
To M. Mezerai, Historian 4,000
After reading this list, where Racine has much
less than Chapelain, and where Moliere is placed
on a level with the Abbe de Pure, it must be
confessed, that authors of the present day know
their interest better than those of old : poor
Racine, too, must be pitied, when we reflect,
that the most trifling melodrame brings more
money to its author than Athalie did to him.

SINGULAR CUSTOM IN RUTLANDSHIRE.
While the Court was going through the dull
detail of the every-day evidence in these two
cases, my attention was drawn to divers pieces of
brass and gilded iron in the shape of- horse-shoes,
but much largtr, nailed up to the wall of the
old Court-house, which is a sad building for the
capital of the county of Rutland. Upon inquiry,
I was informed that it was customary from an
early period for the lords of the castle (in which
the Court-house is contained) to demand from
every Nobleman on his first passing through, the
fore shoe from his horse, to be nailed upon the
castle gate as a mark of territorial jurisdiction.
The bailiff of the manor has improved the custom
much to his own advantage, as is often the case
when the real purpose for which a custom is first
instituted ceased to exist. This gentleman is pro-
vided with horse-shoes of every size, and to save
the trouble and delay of unshoeing, promptly fur-
nishes one of dimensions just commensurate with
the travelling Peer's generosity. The largest shoe
(after the Prince Regent's) is that of the Duke
of York, dated 1788. There are shoes from the
Dukes of Cumberland, Gordon, Buccleugh,
Leinster, &c.; the Earls Lonsdale, Aylesford,
&c. ; Lords Darnley, Brownlow, &c.