New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1875-06-11
DERBY DAY.
A CHARACTERISTIC ENGLISH HOLIDAY.

ROYAL PARTY - REFREsuMENr BOOTHS - THE
WINNING OF TIE RACE.
TvRoM THE REGULAR CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRibUShI
LONDON, May 27.-This time went By road. Dv
road in spite Of much good advice not to, or per-
haps because of it. There arc people who would per-
suade you should YOU listen to them long enough
that journey to EPSON by road on the Derby Day
is AS pcrious IA journey into Central Africa lior-
rors of many kinds fOrctOld Oyou. You VIII DC
smothered in dust and drenched with rain; you VIII
he run into. and run over, and run away with; you
will he all tho way target for bad language and
pea-,hooters. flour bags and probably eggs You will
get TO the Downs late and you will Ao get home at
all-the choice being considerably offered yon oil
sncndnc the night in a ditch or in a police station.
BESIDES what used to be called the glories OF the
road are gone, they declare, like most other good
things which existed generation ago. Nobody goes
now by road, say the croakcrs-nobody who Il any
BODY The swels journey by rail, IRON the Pfincc
Of Wales down. II is hardly the thing TO care FOR
the Derby at all; but if you go you should not oby
road in any case. The Derby being a stock
topic of conversation for Il week before II
occurs this cataract of objections kept tumbing
ceaseles,ly about your till you felt compelled
from selfrespcct to stand up against It, ana brave
al these perls lest yOu should suspect yourself OF
runminq away from them. Having made this resolve
told You are too late: that if you 90 you must 90 on
drag. and that 10 drag nor any Other vehicle but
a four wheeled cab can be hired the day before the
great race this leads you further 20 declare that you
will not 10 in a drag-a heavy. old-fashioned,
smartly-panted stage-coach drawn by four horses
but in such carriage as mortal, use on ordinary
davs with two horses You find this procnrable
without the slightest difficulty though at bigh
price and il appears at the door on "Wednesday
morning at S:3O-not too carly for start il You
want good place next the rails The distance from
London is some - miles.
party of fonr two of them ladies' i'll whose be-
half all the tcrrors have told you of had been con
ured up nobody caring what happens to Il man.
But the two young ladies were at least as Stout
hearted rs thr men, | remarked that though they
had provided walls to project passeIs against 'io
brightness of their faces the walls never came mnch
below their b,nnets. There was moi much dust IT Is
true. THIS was partly because we started so carly,
bu The sections of the roa are few and short which
do not lie between hou.es, and all this was wen
watrred. Nor was there anywhere Il great crowd OF
vehicles | don't remember that We were once
STOPPED BY q crush in going. We passed all sorts oil
craft from Il cO-ermOhgcrs go-cut ANA donkey up
10 fonr-horse omnibuscs with loads OF Ccck'clS.
They let US on in peace. We began 10 priIeNc we
had strung up our nerves for adventures thi' were
not 10 come until we reflected that the critical point
was moi the journey to Epson but the jonrney nome.
Thegcupon settled do Tn contentcdy to ENJOY ihc
fresh air the sunlight and the green fields about ns
When we reached the Downs We were rewarded for
our early rising by getting the best possible standing
place for tho carriage Just opposite inc Gianu
stand and in the first rank next u ihe course
Thenccforward we had ONLY 10 make the most OF
our adyanta scs-thfo hours before us 10 the hrst
race, and one of the party had never seen EPSON
Downs. believe 1t has always been my good luck
to see tho Derby i'll company WITH novice OF more
than one. ! cannot CONCEIVE Ol mHch pleasure ia
going alone or going with old hands, VINO know
everything and Gaze for nothing. The two Ladies'
had once before seen it togo ther just long enough
ago to fiji their minds with pleasant memories, ana
not spoil enjoyment by too ready anticipation Oh
what was to come. TO the Colonel alone tlc scene
WAS wholly new. The Colonel has been some weeks
in England. He declared to company of English
men the other day that he going to the Derby
TO 500 whether anything could, in This country, be
done quickly To see good OF "A, fast horses rs III
Kentucky hc OF course did not expect. Upon my re-
mindiug aim gently of MIR. Ten liroecks experience
on this point he replied stoutly that the American
racer was found to drterorae on being brodght to
this country. He would not assent TO my sugges-
lion that speed was relative ana that the
Kentucky horses seemed faster when tired
against Kentucky horses than against English
horse, feared he thoUg ht my remark unpatrloic,
50 / Withdrew it. From horses to the crowd that
came to see them an easy transition, and here
We were of mind Early as il WIS when We
yielded TO the request of the ladies and took them
cautiously for Stroll over the ground, fhe crowd
WAS already vast IL became twice OF thrice greater
as the day grew Older and o'clock approached, but
then. and all day long. it was wonderfully good
L. In Kant tttyVs a,-. rN,l
the Colonel, at horse-racc a tenth the size OF this,
there would have been hall dozen shooting scrapcs
before the day was over. He was slow to believe
the day would finish here without single pistol
shot and was not sure whether the admiration
with which he regarded the easy temper of the Brit
ISL multitude was who'll FREQ from touch of chiyai-
rous disdain. Certainly the latter feeling came upper
most when he noted how little there OF demo
cratic equality among lie different classes who met
here Oh seemingly equal terms. The English rongh
is a brute of rare mold. sullcnly savage to hi,
EQUALS but sullcnly civil 10 the owner OF
good coat He shoulders bis fellow aside, both out
OF his own way and out of yours. The cad Is more
of ilunkey than rough, and you begin to regret
the extent OF mere civiiity shown when you the
reason of it, and the effect of t-or rather when you
get glimpse of The character of which il is al effect.
1t may interest future visitors to be told that we
spent an hour or two wandering ab0It. visiting all
parts of The ground. and going through all sorts al
crowds, without having 20 endure annoyance of any
kind. The notion that ladies cannot see the Derby
comfortably hardly stands the test Of experiment.
If they will go quietly dressed, if spot is clio. en-
with some care for the carriage to avoid disl-
gIeoablo neighbOrs Though yOu must take your
chance of such como later, and if thoy Will put
themselves in charge of some ono who has a lite
experience. there is little fear OF their coming TO
grief. Ii has been the fashion Of late years for
ladies to prefer the oaks, Ascot. aud Goody God,
ali of which are brilliant spectaclcs, but not