The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1857-07-22
Derby Day at Epscm.

Derby Day at Epscm.
London's great carnival, the Derby
Day, came off on the 9th ult., on a
grand scale of magnitude and success
The London Times graphically describes
the living, moving panorama presented on
this great holiday" the metropolitan
pic nic."
What a marvellous resurrection Of horse
flesh always takes place on Derby Day
Like the bony Williams that can only be
assembled by public execution, so also
are the rickety quadrupeds on the road to
EPSON to be seen at no other time or place.
Where are they kept till the great day
calls upon them to exhibit feeble motion
and make believe as if they were going to
run? What becomes of them all when
the day is past Every variety of these
unfortunate quadrupeds were out yester-
day. Some had about as much chance
Of reaching the Downs as Stonehenge,
and human credulity was exhibited in its
most aggravated form among the parties
who sat behind such beasts, evidently un-
der the notion that they conld take them
to Epson.
EPSON race course on a Derby day, as
our readers are aware, is phenomenon
| quite indescribable. 1t is medley-a
world on a small scale, such as the Derby
only exhibits, for only London could fur
nish it. No other festival in the world
approaches near to it. 1t is, in fact,
houseloss London Lonjvm WIN all It's
pomp wealth and squalor, wants, vices,
Injuries, gentlemen, knaves and fools at
once transported as if by magic to the
open fields. Like all great sights, it
leaves strong though instructive impres.
sion on the mind, whimsical and bizarre,
like the aspect of the course ITSELF where
much is seen and little recollected. Who
that saw Derby once can ever regret it
yet who that has seen it fifty times can
tell more than that it is an immense as
semblage, as indefnable as the ocean p
Yesterday it differed little from the U.s.
ual cosmopolitan aspect There were
tents and booths of all kinds, from the
palatial canvas Of Alger down tothe mis-
cradle tarpaulin shanties and twigs, from
out of which the salow daughters of
Egypt dispensed unheard of wealth in
sixpenny fortunes. There were organ
grinders, mounte-banks, dancers, fiddlers
and beggars, performing monkeys and pre-
cocious children. Tender infants that
could scarcely stand upon their feet, were
made to stand upon their heads in wood
en- platters, and urchins, scarce weaned,
crept up long ladders carefully adjusted
on the parental nose, which bore evident
tokens of having suffered somewhat in the
unusual duties it was called upon to full
fill. Sallow vagabonds in much used
Aeshings" contorted themselves after a
manner that quite upset all theories as
to the use of a back bone Punches,
girls on stills, ballad-singers, negro mel
odists grinning from ear to ear, card
sharpers, AMI the never-to-be-suficieutly
mathematical "kerrkt cards. abound
ed as usual. Pckpockets, of course,
mustered strong, and must have reaped
bounteous harvest, for until it was time
to clear the course, but few policemen
to be seen
The first race generally commands a.
bout as muchattention as the first piece
OF a boxing night. Yesterday there was
not even misgiving as to the state of the
turf to give it interest, and all the varied
noises of a race-course continued with
almost unabated vigor. Not so, howev-
er, as the time for the event commence
ed. The uproar gradually stilled down
into busy hum, and silence deepened as
excitement and expectation increased -
Just before the first false start fixed sol.
emn attention reigned over the whole null
titude that compared with the former
restless uproar, seemed bodeful and i'm
pressive. The excitement rose to an in
tense pitch, odds were given and taken
for or against almost anything. Only in
subdued exclamations or long drawn
breaths was the disappointment of the
false starts acl nowledged.
There were the usual number of break
downs on the road, some of which seemed
quite inexplicable. Carts that looked as
if they could not be relied upon to 90
mile, logged on securely with six or sew
en- inside with small party on the shafts,
while apparently sound vehicles came to
grief with such astonishing facility as to
lead to general suspicion that they must
have been made at some government es-
tabishmant An immense number of
visitors came per rail-not less than
between 10000 and 1900.
Suddenly there was hoarse murmur
gradually swelling into an uproar-a con-
fused, dull trampling, and rush like a
whirlwind, as the horses swept by-the
colors mixed, changed, and vanished in
the distance; and, ere you could collect a
thought or hazard guess, the Derby
was run and won. Theresult of the race
| ,yaa aooroal1 nnaxnaotad for Rl;nk Rom