Year: 1873

mentS which are TECHNICALLY called
"sports," " is as strong in these colonies
as it is at home. Why the taste should
have transported itsef to Australia and
not to the United States 1 am not pre-
pared to explain but I think any one
who has observed the two countries will
acknowledge that it is so. Trotting-
matches and yach-racing are no doubt
in vogue in the States, and there are
men, few in number, who take kindly
to shooting especially those who live
near the Chesapeake, and have canvas
back ducks within their reach. There
is a set of betting men at New York,
who probably are beaten by none in the
ferocity of their gambling. But "sport"
is not national necessity with the
Americans, whereas with the Australians
it is almost as much so as at home.
Cricket, athletics, rowing-matches,
shooting, hunting, fat-racing, and
steeple-chasing, are dear to them.
There is hardly a town to be called a
town which has not its race-course, and
there are many race-cources where there
are no towns. I went to see some hur-
dle-racing and steepIe-chaseing at the
Melbourne race-course, partly because I
had been told that the course itself was
especially worth seeing, and partly as
having been invited to join a pleasant
party. It had been impressed upon me
as a duty that I should see at least one
days racing at Melbourne, in order that
[ might report on the aspect of therace-
course, the skill of the riders, and
especially on the manners of the people.
The course itself is sometimes under two
miles round. The courses run can, here
as elsewhere, be arranged to any dis
tance. The races 1 saw were described
as being about three and two miles, and
were all leap-races. I can only say of
the fences prepared that I never before
saw any which appeared to me so danger
Gus. They consisted chiefly of timber
bait up so stifIy that no horse and rider
could break them, and were about four
feet eight inches high. There was also
wall or two in the distant part of the
course but I regard walls as very
much less dangerous to men and horses
than timber. The riding appeared to
bold to a fault, men being utterly reck-
less in riding beaten horses at barriers
of built-up timber. The fashion and
traditions of the place require that men
shall so ride, and they certainly keep
up the fashion and traditions. Conse-
qUently on the occasion to which I
allUde, there were almost innumerable
falls. I think seven men and horses
were down in one race, and four in
another. 1 heard afterward that the
sports of the day were considered to
have gone off with very harmless sue
cess. One jockY was a good deal
crushed, and another had his coIlar-bone
broken. Why half a dozen were not
killed I cannot explain. Some of the
horses jumped with admiration pre-
'cisIon, taking just all the labor that was
necessary and no more but as 1 after
ward learned, these horses will Jump
almost any amount of timber, but know
nothing of fences, which are less danger
Gus, but more complicated and requir-
ing greater skill. From the stewards
stand, and from the top of the great
stand, and, inded, from the seats below,
very part of the course can be seen, so
that, with q good feld-glass, the work
ing Of any horse or any jockey may be
watched through the hole race.


But perhaps the most remarkable
feature of the performance was the
demeanor of the people. From the be-
ginning to the end of the day saw no
one drunk heard no word that could
shock any lady I found no one rough,
uncourteous, or displeasing. There
was no thinble-rigging and no throwing
of sticks. All the world was decent and
decently dressed. Within a certain en-
closure, if it was enclosed, ladies walked
about with gentlemen; and, outside of
it, the world amused itself with orderly
propriety. The meeting was not by any
means the largest of the year, but was
assured by those who were qualified to
give an opinion, among others, by the
governor of the colony, that the conduct
of the crowd was the same even when
the crown was the greatest. 1t should
be understood at home that the people
of these colonies are almost invariably
decent in their behavior when gathered
together, decent in their dress, and
decent in their language. There certain
ly was no reason why ladies should not
be Epresent at the races I saw, unless
ladies dislike to see jockeys falling over
high railings.


There was, indeed, a better-ring, in
which the usual applications were being
made to some outside and invisible
world to accept lavish offers of compIi-
Gated bets. Men were walking about
making unintelligible appeals apparent
" to each other, which nobody ever
seemed to accept. am bound to say
that the Melbourne ring looked to be as
viIlaneous as any other ring that I ever
saw. The men we're the same objection
able clothing, we're conspicuous III the
same manner for indescribably abomina-
bic hats, and talked in that.ton which,


10 ordinary ears, seems to be in itself