The New York herald., 1868-07-12
THE TURF IN ENGLAND.
FRDm our LONDON CORRESPONDENT
Racing Events Of a Week-The Season aud
Its Settlcment,

Its Settlement,
LONDON, June az 1868.
1t is quite wen that the real business Of the turf
supplies me this week with abundant materials for
my letter, as I have hardly line of what may be
called turf gossip to furnish to your readers. For
many weeks now We have been rolling the Hastings
scandal as o sweet norsel under our tongues; but
even it we have hsd ad n0useuDa, and are about
wearied Of it. can hardly add word on the sub
ject, simply because am In the position Of Can.
ning's knifegrinder-I have no tale to tell. You
| VIII remember that an action was threatened by
John Day against Admiral Rous for an alleged libel
in his London Times letter. to the effect that Day had
deceivedihs owner as to the condition Of Lady Eliza
beth. Whether steps are being taken to follow up
| the threat am not In position to know nor is
| any one but the parties concerned. The general
impression however-and I have held 1t from the
rst-is that JohniDay won't proceed any further In
his legal tilt with the Admiral. saw them both at
Stockbrdge, which is John Days training ground,
and where he might be expected to be "cock of the
walk No one nowadays ventures to hold that
what promised to be the cause celebre of Day
vs. Rous will ever come to anything and the hope
OF the public OF seeing the whole Dansbury plo t
unravelled has been SO often deferred that their
heart is becoming sick. The fact is Admiral
Rous is burning and shining light OF the turf
Vi the JoCheJ Ciup duo, W certain eXtent go
ciety." John Day is trainer-dependent on the
turf the Jockey Club and, to a certain extent,
ciety. lie Viola tout Quarrelling with ones bread
and butter is not generally considered the part of
sane man, and running ones head against stone
wall IT, rule, more injurious to the head than to
the wall.
Meanwhile the noble owner OF both-the Fly az
Admiral Rous has it-enveloped in the web of divers
spiders, is little tired Of mingled misfortune and
success, and has left the country. he has "gone on
fishing tourn to Iceland and it is to be expected
will prove SUCCESSFUL In that department OF sport
as that in which he has OF late attained such an
''eminencen
We have had a.week's sport as important as any
to be found in the calendar; but it was split up
between two meetings, held in the far SOUTH the
other in the far north Of England, each was mater
ally afected to its disadvantage. OF the two the
Stockbridge gathering is peculiarly aristocratic
and professional affair; thatTat Newcastle is great
popular carnival. Strange to say, both showed on
this occasion decline, though in totally different
directions; but while that Of the northern demonstra
ton is gradual alteration and does not tend to its
ultimate HARM that OF the southern gathering is re-
markaby sudden, and shows no prospect of being
arrested. The difference is remarkably easy OF eX-
PLANTATION. Stockbrdge can never hope to be great
popular meeting not only on account of it's traditions
but of its situation. Lying among the uplands Of
Hampshire, 'far from the busy haunts of men, on
line OF railway certainly, but the road from
anywhere to anywhere in particular, at a consider
able distance from the metropolis and other large
towns and with nothing In itself TO attract it must
depend for patronage solely ON the regular sports
man or the 'swell" who mas nothing else to do witt
his time. The village ITSELF which reposes in hol-
low, is only one long, struggling and very poor look
"A lrad nhahi
ent TO some extent on agriculture, but much more
largely on the Dansbury stable which lies among
the downs about three miles up and furnishes EN-
ployment for lots Of stabemen. touts and general
hangers-on OF great training centre.
The meeting itself Is held on the downs, quite close
to the stables, and is approached by steep and
footpaths through the fields. The stands and en-
closures are very convenient, though small struc-
lures, and all the appointments arc in keeping with
the character or an important meeting, as Stock
bridge undoubtedly is. Racing Is here conducted in
It's most attractive form, for nature lends her aid in
supplying all the charms OF lovely summer weather
and delicious landscape. The course, even In the
dryest season, stands IN need Of but little
rain, its basis Is a soft and iriabc chalk
ihicSly padded with the richest ana softest turf:
aud its situation effectualy keeps back .he gene.
RAJ" whose dense masses make the metropolitan
meetings and those in the manufacturing districts
to stink I'm the n0srils OF the thorough sportsman
who looks upon racing as profession which iders
simply embarfass, and which. TO be Thoroughly en-
JOyable should be conducted en Tegle Thus 1t hap
pens that the attendance Is always OF the smallest
and most select while the animals hroupht ont are
among the best performers In England and the
racing Of the highest class. But the cloud
that has OF late fallen the Dams
bury stable also appears to have thrown its shadow
over the meeting held under It's wing. In all
nv experience never thin an attendance
al any sort Of advertised collection of Englishmen
Massed together-if the word mass IL not misno-
ner IN that applicaton-the people might have made
fair audience for street preacher or third rate
theatre IN the dog days, but certainly for a race
meeting II was something quite unique. counted
should think, at least two more policemen than there
were general public; as for the upper ten" who fire.
quent the, enclosure and stand the numeral must be
taken literally and not meaphorically: and specula-
ton, non Tss wa as as aneqd ar,, as u Il had been put
change consists in tnis that StockbrIdge
at the pinnacle OF glory last year when
''punging' OH races was at It's height; but plunQ.
ing being now thing OF the past the character OF
the gathering stands out IN strange contrast Just
atwelyemonth ago how the young Scattercashes OF
here but everywhere else There was the Marquis OF
Hastings; there was the young Earl of Jersey. Just
enamel pated from college where he had fallen into
nice little estate OF 'shixiy per shentn bills. which
he was now trying TO clear OF by putting his thou
sands upon horse; there was The plebeian IIobson,
that "a you VIII remember. he had TO take a little
trip to Bouogne, which was as well known as II he
had followed the usual plan OF publishing his
travels: there were dozens OF others gambling with
Wild recklessness, TO such q mad extent and with
such rin0us results as our cock-nghting bul-bait-
Ing, claretswling grandfathers would have opened
their ewes at Some idea of this awful extravaganza
may be gathered rom the fact that there are still
| iNV tNo year oiu sNetpsiHkeS at StOCkDr1dge, OF
winch the stakes are no less than cl,0O0 81 600,
each subscrber-a fact which, much extended, can
not fah Ultimately 10 do serious damage to the turf.
! hut the result was inevitable and was only ques-
! uon of Tine. Lord ShortObrans must come TO the
| dregs OF MS estate az last Sir John Goithard's
! family acres and timber are not inexhaustlpe.
! Backing horses Is not paving game in the long
run, ana u You make manly and noble sport into
! a mere instrument OF Wild gambling the hcke
goddess Will surely hide her face from YOU sooner or
| later. and 20 it fell out.
The losses oi the 'pluugers" OF last year were 80
/
FAR smaller extent. the cOi diS1pt patrons OF the
turf nndng themselves unable ~ support their fan
cie1 but lof tue most moderate sums, and many OF
! then looking on themselves rs moths and specula-
ton AZ candle, wisely keep ont OF the way OF meet
lngs altogether. II was this that made the stock.
| bridge meeting look 80 tame and dead an afYar on
I this occasion. but II the sport is 10 be maintained In
life NJ a 10 say nothing Ot health n is better that
we should nave any amount " ameness and dead
ness than that we should 10y our own reckless folly
! and cupidiiy hurry !, on 20 untmely ruin
| THE NEWCASTLE MEETING