Year: 1869

The Races In the Bois de BOuloGne-Early
French Racing.


PARIS, June g. 1859.
shan't bore your readers to-day with anything
about the elections yet to come, and for the single
reason that must go into that more fully in my
next. There are still fifty-nIne deputies to be
elected. as that number failed to get in on the last
tour du Scrutin, an election ls called here To-
morrow and Monday the final struggle Will come for
the last chance to get into the Assembly. and
will tell you all about 1t the day AFTER Meanwhile,


let us have little chat about Paris The end Of the
season Is approaching rapidly for 1t begins and ends
in New York. No one here Is obliged to entertain
before December, and the ultras OF the fashionable
world rarely put In appearance before New Years
day. Before the end Of June all are on the wing.
Tomorrow comes of the last festival, as 1t may be
called, Of the season. and after that the supper ten"
of Paris begin to scatter and dissolve. Tomorrow


is the great race in the Bois de Boulogne. 1t is IA
miliarly called the Grand Prix because among the
prize Of 100 900 francs Is for together with
| a work Of art given by the Emperor. This, Of
course prominent feature OF the day. but another
not less interesting and more exciting Is that
row Is set apart for the contest between Eng
land and France on the race course 1t is an inter-
national race, and the jockey world OF England
comes over in force. The horses victorious al the
last Derby and Oaks severaly appear. The arena
and the sporting world in France trot out their best
bits OF blood and bottom to maintain the national
reputation for breedlng-I mean horse breeding.


remember, but that Is already some years ago.
when racing in France was q cold and insipid thing
1t was only the upper class who frequented the
course, and they looked bored to death. There was
none of the middle lower class there to the num-
ber Of thousands the English courses, all
full OF fun and excitement, betting, swearing.
crowding and joking, and enjoying themselves like
people bent on frOlic. But great change has 0c-
CURED since then and due, like many other changes
to Napoleon ILL He has, from love OF horseaesh used
all his influence to build up racing as national
pastlme and as the best mode OF developing the
fnest qualities OF these n0best and most useful OF
animals Under this impetus the race course In
France fast rising TO the dimensions Of an lnstu
ton, and the races that annually take place at this
season IN the neignbOrhOod Of Paris, the BOis de
Boulo2ne begin more and more every year to at
tract numbers and arouse strong and genuine
interest. Above all, this struggle between English
and French horses stirs up to lively pitch the ma
would agree to give up coffee and flirting for year
just secure the victory OF day over John Bull In
might as wen while on this topic give you little
history OF French racing. the first one recorded
tlon between horse Of the Count dArtois, brother
OF Louis XVI, and another OF the Marquis de Con-
an Engiishman and the Duke Of Nassau or rather
their horses. The sport was then dropped till the





Bots de Vincennes near Paris. The great revolution
after this obliged amateurs or the turf to think
more OF themselves than OF horses, and more
heard OF racing till Napoleon set to work In his
energetic way and established the pastme firmly by
ordering racing in PARIS and the provinces at certain
periods Of the year. From then TIL now 1t has
steadily developed. An eccentric Englisnman, Lord
Henry Seymour, brother OF the present Marquis or
Hertford, and who born and died In Paris with
going to England, leaving all his large for
tune 10 the city OF Parsthis generous lover OF the
TURF Lord seymour did wonders for racing in Paris
md
England and gave the greatest attention to breeding
the best stock. He established prizes, his betting
book open to all cOmers and he frequently got
up matches with those Of his own rank. For nearly
twenty years the tur. his passion and pursuit,
and his splendid apartments were iled with trophies
OF his numberess victories IN the shape OF gold cups
and vases. At last somewhere III lS45, he got
offended at what he regarded an act Of unairness


the part OF some OF his French rivals and he indig-
nanty withdrew from the turf selling all his racing
stud and never went TO the Bots de Bouogne again.
The present hero of the racing world Is the Count
de Lagrange, who has the finest stable In France.
Tomorrow he runs four OF his horses against four
English horses, who figured on the EPSON Downs
last month, and belong 10 the celebrities Of the
sporting world OF England. The favorite OF the field
Is a horse Drummer who ran Tor the Derby, but
came In second. one of the best jockeys England,
ycept Fordhain, Is over here to ride him. ana the
amateurs, or Jerome or Belmont, do not present
themselves, at least for once, In the B0is de B0u


ogne and try the best mettle OF their stables against
all England and France. Should they be lucky
enough to carry of the Grand Prix they would
achieve immortality at q bound. and envelop our





days, when the North ana South met in harmless
encounters on the Long Island race course, and
when the whole country waited with eager impa-


ence tor the result Of the four.mlle heats between
Eclipse and Henry-in those days there both
men and horses tnat would nave crossed the Attain
tic at double quick, though Atlantic trips then were
not matters OF some ten days, mad such a chance
been offered them as an International race In the
Bots de Bouogne, with all the fashion OF Paris In
their gorgeous equipages and force, with splendid
sprinklng OF the English aristocracy gorously de-
corated, with q number always OF royal per-
s0nages from Russia, Austria, or somewhere else
and above all with the Emperor, Empress and Prince
Imperial all In their separate glitterng thrnouts
with any quantity OF outrders-yes, l repeat, had
such chance for renown as this presented ITSELF
and before such audience, the North and South
ship and set sail, resolved to OF perish IN the
conflict tantamount, the latter, to never going home
In case OF defeat.


The weather IN Paris this year has been cold, wet
and unreasonable. The care owners, who at this
season reap largely from the crowds that always
line the front OF their houses at little tables three
and four feet deep, and above all the open air
groaning loudly. not TO say swearing profanely, at


the chilly state of the atmosphere which involving
them In great losses. The theatre managers on the
other hand, are chuckiing over their good luck and
praying the rain may never cease. To-day is the
welcome harbinger Of different state OF things
For the first time SOFT balmy temperature pre-
sides; the thermometer has made sudden Jump
upwards; the clouds have all disappeared. and the
SKY looks serene and settled. There is every pros
pect OF magnificent day for the races Tomorrow
That 10 the exclamation have heard repeated
over and over again during the day, which shows
very plainly that the weather and the races are the
only Two things the Parislans are thinking OF Just