Polynesian. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu], Hawaii) 1844-1864, 1856-12-27

! We wonder what are the specHlations of a for
eigner who reads for the first time in an English
newspaper:
TATTERSALL'S
DERBY.
IL to agst Blink Bonny.
IL TO l agst Tournament
Be he as learned in numbers the late celebrated
MI Cocker, the problem mlst puzzle him. " "124-
! Blink Bonny! Impossible !" He must imagine
1t an excerpt from the mystifying pages of :: Brad
shaw, or the equally confounding tables of cab
fares issued by the Commissioners of Police. But
to an Englishman what associations are awakened
by those magic words Frying on the plains of
India, freezing with.a Canadian winter, tossing on
the vasty deep, cribbed, confined on the rock
of Gibraltar, the wizard memory calls up before
him Epson and the Derby Day the road with its
endless variety, of vehicle and person; the Downs
alive, like a huge anthi with countless thousands;
the race, like meteor of many colors, seen and
lost in moment; the cheer that halls the winner ;
the yoley of champagne corks that tells the advent
of. the welcome luncheon !; the ride home, never
distinctly remembered--all are there again. Or
| perhaps he is once more in the grand Old Forest
/ of Royal windsor on the Ascot Cup Day-the
Ladies Race Day, when more beauty maybe seen
in four short hours than all the world outside of
/ England could produce in decade of years; when
the gpsy makes her harvest, gathering her silver
crop from hands white ivory, whilst laughing
Listeners half believe the patter of the cunning
Roumanie. And then the ride home in the still
evening with F., whose image makes the
sweetest part of his dreams of home-dreams
perhaps, never to be realized! Or else, if he be
devoted lover of the horse, admitting no rival in
his heart, what a string of % old loves passes in
review before him The Flying Dutchman Priam,
Mameluke Zinganee, Surpce, Emus, Cadland,
The Colonel, Daniel O'Rourke, Foig-a-ballagh
and many more than we care tO-enumerate. Or,
pcfhap II Hattersalrs-'' that word Of power'-car
rIes him again to the cover side, where every man
is either a friend or peighbor, and where he re-
cognises many noble horse bought at g The Cor
ner" at a price which would have purchased al
most German Duchy.
| Though s'Tauersalls" is familiar to most Eng
| lishnien as household word, there are many even
/ in London who have never visitedit.s If you take
Il walk down Cumberland-place you will see, at the
southeast end of St. Georges Hospital, an arch
way which leadst TattersaIIs, or, as it is called
emphaticaly, Z" The Corner" Some Z" varmnty"
looking gentry, ali learned in horsehesh, surround
the Turf Tap-the first building on your left-and
are busy discussing the merits and chances of the
entries for some coming race. These are outside
betters or horsedealers who have not the entry to
the Subscription-rOOm, which Is the next building
on the left after passing some iron ratings which
nclose grass-plat used for the trial of horses sent
for sale. The Subscription room was designed by
Mr.. George Tattersall the well-known author of
&" Stable Architecture" 1t is capable of holding
four hundred persons, and as well ventilated and
! lighted. number of desks placed in.an oetago-
nal form occupy the centre of the room. and on
the walls you see portraits of Eclipse and other
great winners Eclipse hangs over the fireplace /;
and by the side, lists of races to come, declarations
Of weights, and other racing information. There
Is also portrait of the late Lord George Bentinck,
noblemaH TO whom the sporting world must be
| ever largely indebted. This room then,ss " TAT
I'm 70 tha .rrHa WIN
operations regulate the -speculations of the racing
community, wherever located. The "Bettng
Ring is an Institution in England and " the
state of the oddsH possesses an interest withmany
far exceeding the Share Market orthe price of the
Funds. g The Ring"-over which Mercury, and
not Hymen, presides--is so admirably described
! by :. The Druid" in his excellent book, % The
sent year, that we hope he will pardon US for avai-
ing ourselves of some Of the information there con-
lveyed:
The whole system of betting has Undergone
complete change in the last sixty years. Betting
| between one and the field was the sole fashion of
the Turf aChange in.the days of powder and peri
wigs and Ogden 1.-THE only betting man who was
ever admitted to the club at Newmarket,) Davis,
Holland, Dearden, Kettle, Bickham, and Watts,
ruled on the Turf Change. With Jem Bland,
Jerry Cloves, Myers ian ex- butler,) Richard (the
Leicester stockinger,) Mat Milton, Tommy Swan
of Bedale (whonever took orslad but one bet on a
Suuday,) tIig!fton, Holiday, Gully Justice, Crock
! ford, Briscoe, Crutch Robinson, Ridsdale Frank
Richardson, aud Bob Steward, Sc. the art of book
making arose, and hence forward what had been
more of a pastime among owners, who would back
their horses foE rather when the humor took
them, and not shrink from having 5,000L to 6,000L
on single match, degenerated into a science,
All the above, with the exception. of two, have
passed away, hkethe Mastodons, never TO return.
Mature must have broken the mould in which she
formed the crafty Robinson as he leant on his
crutch, with his back against the outer wall of the
Newmarket betting-roons, and, with his knowing
quiet leer and one hand in his pocket, ,oifered to
clay agiH. Plenipo.' So
/ Mr.. Gully, although he did great execution at
The Corner in ApdoVer's year, may be styled a
mere fancy bettor now aud as Judge of racing
and the points of horse combined, heshas scarce
lily peer among his own-or the younger generation
of turtles HIS fame at The Corner was at. its
zenith quarter of a century,. ago,ayvhen heswas
betting partner with Rldsdale. RHmor ayerred
] that they won 35000l. on. Margraye for the ST.
! Leger, and 50,000L. on ST. Giles for the Derby;
and it was in consequence of a dispute. as to the
Margrave winnings that the Siamese link between
them was soabruptly dissolved. Their joint books
also showed a balance of 80000l.,if Red Rover
could only have brought Priam. to grief for the
Derby s,
| Lord George Bentinck is Still allowed to be the
ceverest man that the turf ever had but the loss
of ~ ,G00l in one year was the crucible inwhich
he4earnt his experience Strictly speaking, he was
a very fancy bettor, and he would do what hardly
a man alive dared do--make book TO any amount,
and back horses as well.
| The ring par erceleRce may now be said to con-
sst Of some 400 strong, of whom 200 are looked
upon as emphatically . safesmen," and nearly half
of thetwenty score belong to, the " Manchester
Division who.congregate under the Bush, or at
the Post-offce HOTEL The betting on'the Derby
is at least five times as great that the St.