fifteen minutes-a most unusual delay in a Hunt where punctuality is the rule and not the exception-occurred before starting for covert. The cause was one that would have astonished our grandfathers: Sir Richard Sutton, with his friend Lord Cardigan, had to come to attend meet-from his seat in Norfolk! People talked of the impossibility of this, and thought waiting quite useless; but, in the energetic and enthusiastic baronet's vocabulary, "impossibility" has no place. Up drove the well-known carriage; and he who the day before had had a hard day's work in the heart of the country of the Iceni, and but a few hours before was in his snug bed there, was now in the heart of Mercia, and in his saddle! A finer proof of the health-giving properties of the chase can hardly be adduced. The cavalcade, as it passed to Willoughby Gorse, was the admiration of all beholders: probably since the battle of Willoughby Field so many equestrians had never ridden up the wide lane at one time. To the mortification of the whole field, Willoughby Gorse, so famed in days of yore, proved blank. Surprising and vexatious as this was to many, the cause was no mystery to others. The game of Wymeswold lordship (in which the covert is situated) is unfortunately in the hands of a sporting baker; and being but carelessly watched, the outskirts of the lordship are constantly infested with marauding poachers, whose unceasing prowling prevents reynard sleeping in his lair. Widmerpool" was the word, and the "Curate" soon turned out a fox of sterling speed and bottom. Kinoulton and Hickling pastures were soon left behind, and the open vale then became the arena. Then were 66 racing and chasing" seen to perfection! And when night with her dusky wings had begun to embrace this pretty little world of ours, a select party found themselves close to reynard's brush at Redmile, beyond Belvoir Castle! Several of the survivors were somewhat under fifty miles from their homes; "but who," said a thorough son of sport, "would have grudged a hundred miles for such a glorious treat?" It would be easy to recount a very large number of days of this season of which the two so hastily and cursorily sketched are but a fair average. In January the Belvoir Hunt has always strong attractions. The excellence of the hounds, and the spirit with which they are hunted, might of themselves be sufficient to ensure this; but from the period of the noble Duke's birthday (early in the month), the Castle is invariably the scene of as much truly baronial hospitality and festivity as is to be found in England in these degenerate days. This year, owing to the renovated health of the beloved Duke, the visitors are more than usually numerous, and the appointments being chiefly made for their convenience, are generally within a few miles of the castle, and consequently very accessible and agreeable to the Meltonians, who, with the castle guests and the neighbouring sportsmen, make such an array as it is a real luxury to behold. When the-we were going to say venerable, but we will not use that term of his Grace for ten years to come-when the venerated Duke and his chivalrous sons are of the hunting party, such a spectacle is presented as gratifies the hearts of all present, and recalls one of the best features of feudal times. The meet at Croxton Park, on the 19th inst., was one of these days. "I have seen reviews at Hounslow, in the Champs Elysées, at Vienna, and at St. Petersburgh," said a sporting friend to М me, "but never have I witnessed such an assemblage of fine men and fine horses as is now before me." He might have added of fine women too, for in carriages and on horseback there were forms and faces which England's aristocracy can only show. Here and there some gentle and graceful Die Vernon (and all womankind looks graceful on horseback in the new head-gear) had gathered round her a group of admiring cavaliers, and reminded one of the hawking parties of the days of old. We fancied we saw Frank Grant drinking in deep inspiration for a fresh picture from his matchless pencil, for we noticed him closely studying a group of "fair women and brave men," with all the painter's "eye in fine frenzy rolling." May the scene as now presented to our own mind's eye soon glow on his speaking canvas! But what of the sport? some cynicif a sportsman can be a cynic-may anxiously ask. Sport! why, with the Duke of Rutland's hounds it is always sport. It is sport to meet; sport to find; sport to ride to his hounds; honour to be in at the death; and pride to share in the hospitalities of his everopen castle. God bless him! If England had five hundred as good as he, she might laugh still louder at the idea of young Nap. having some latent wish to "have a shy" at her! I said in my last, Melton was never so full before. It is not only full of good sportsmen and splendid studs, but it is full of good men. In former days the great benefits which the sporting metropolis derived from the presence of its aristocratic frequenters were somewhat counterbalanced by the evils that followed in their train. Low, practical jokes, such as sign painting and tar and feathering, were too often practised; a low state of morality prevailed, and street brawls were not altogether unheard of. Whether these could fairly be imputed to members of the hunt, is a question; but certainly they were so imputed. At present nothing of the kind occurs. Literary societies are encouraged and patronized by the hunt, evening par ties of quite a recherché character are frequent, and the whole tone of Meltonian society is not only delightful, but even exemplary. And to what may this great change be ascribed? Chiefly, if not solely, to the EARL OF WILTON. Egerton Lodge, the noble lord's Leicestershire seat, not only offers a pattern of splendid hospitality, but of true refinement. Week after week the gifted juveniles of the Grosvenor and Stanley lines delight and refine select audiences by their admirable performance of carefully-chosen plays. The talent, taste, and good feeling which these performances evince delight every one privileged to witness them; and not only the members of the hunt, but the élite of the neighbourhood, and the respectable inhabitants of the town, are invited to enjoy them. The charities of life are promoted, and to Lord Wilton and his amiable lady belongs the high praise of having completely reformed and remodelled Meltonian society. Long may his lordship be the Arbiter elegantiarum of the Metropolis of Sport, and shed grace on his high rank by the noble uses which he makes of it! OLD GREY. Leicestershire, January 24th, 1852. NOTES OF THE MONTH PAST. DIED-On Saturday, January 24th, deeply regretted by his family and friends, William Innell Clement, Esq., proprietor of The Observer and Bell's Life in London newspapers; aged 72. A very open month for hunting has been attended with a succession of good sport from all quarters we hear the most satisfactory reports, while the few squabbles that have lately attracted too much notice promise to be now very happily dying away. In contradistinction to them we have as one of the events of the month connected with the chase, a great county meeting and dinner (of course) at Chelmsford, the object being the presentation of a piece of plate to Mr. Conyers, who has so long and ably served the cause of fox-hunting in Essex. The assembly was a bumper, and the Old Squire came out in great force-although, perhaps, drawing it a little milder than he may now and then have owned to in the excitement of a good thing. The testimonial, valued at £800, was judiciously entrusted to Mr. Cotterill, who worked it up into the crowning feature of a run--the death, with the huntsman treeing his fox. It bears the following inscription :-" Presented to Henry John Conyers, Esq., by the Gentlemen and Farmers of the Essex Hunt, and other Friends, as a tribute of respect and esteem for his unwearied exertions to show sport in the county, during a period of forty years and upwards, which he has acted as Master of Foxhounds. June 2, 1851." Of a far different character is an accident we have to record, with the Cheltenham staghounds. Fatal accidents in the field are every day becoming more rare, notwithstanding the pace hounds now go, and the determined manner in which they are ridden to. The events of the past month, however, unfortunately furnish one of these, in the death of a youth, aged 16, the only son of Mr. Frederick Finden, of Prestbury. His horse, it appears, fell with him at a gate, and crushed him severely, causing internal rupture, from which he sunk in a few days. There is no blame attributable in any quarter, to disturb the general feeling of regret at so melancholy an occurrence. To turn to another species of sport, in which danger is more openly invited, we find the few steeple-chases fixed for the month all duly run off, with, we believe, only one fatality--the death of Hinton, at Oundle -a very promising horse, purchased within these last few weeks of Mr. T. Theobald, by Mr. Elmore, the dealer, for three hundred. Just at present the steeple-chase looks more on the decline than ever it did, with the gentlemen practitioners "fining" away from it day by day, and "the certainties" coming off with admirable regularity. Still in France we are told to hope for better things, according to the announcement made of the Grand Chase for the 15th of April, at the Haras du Pin. The line is really to be a fair one; and the French gentleman, especially (their own Italics) is invited to risk his neck on the most advantageous terms. As a guide to such of our friends as may dabble a little in this sport, we subjoin the handicap for the Great Liverpool Chase, and from which a pretty good estimate may be gathered of the present strength of the steeple-chase market. It comes off on the third of next month, and the forfeit must be declared by the eleventh of this : Sir John.... 6 Kissaway .... Another crack kennel of longtails have been offered at Hyde Park Corner. The picked one, however, as in Mr. Holmes's case, being retained. They belonged to Mr. Webb, of Worcester, and the stallion War Eagle, despite a tempting bid, was the selected for "home again." Of the others, Well-I-never fetched £32 11s.; Wicked Eye, £26 5s.; dog by Czar out of Havoc, £16 16s.; Prowess, £13 2s. 6d.; a black dog puppy (of 1851) by War Eagle out of Signora, £26 5s.; an own brother to him, £16 16s.; one by Leven Water out of Wicked Eye, £15 15s.; and his own brother, £12 12s. The others went at inferior prices; and none, it will be observed, were very astounding. The notion legal authorities entertain as to the proneness of horsecauses being conducive to the commission of perjury, has been well supported by one lately tried in the Court of Queen's Bench. It stood as Hemmingway versus Wynne, and involved certain bill transactions in connection with the purchase and engagements of one Elcho, a racehorse. The matter ended in a verdict for the defendant, and the plaintiff being taken into custody on the Judge's order, to answer an indictment for perjury! The case altogether ranks well with the turf transactions that have lately seen the light. FINE ARTS. THE PUPPY AND FROG. Engraved by C. W. Wass, after Sir Edwin Landseer, R.A. The name of the designer of this gem is sufficient assurance of its excellence as a production of the pencil. It has had ample justice done to it by the engraver, than which we could not accord it higher praise. The publishers are the Messrs. Fores, of Piccadilly, long known as the leading firm in London for works of this character. This is unquestionably their chef d'oeuvre, and in every way worthy the great artist whose expositors they are. PUBLIC AMUSEMENTS OF THE METROPOLIS. "We belong to the unpopular family of Tell-truths, and would not flatter Apollo for his lyre."-ROB-ROY. Puppets! yes, puppets are once more in vogue. Dancing dolls, wooden figures, and all kinds of eccentric dumb imitations of humanity are again brought on the tapis; may be there are those who will declare the stage has never been without sticks: indeed, what a boon it were might it be possible to control and direct some performers after the fashion of the Marionettes! Would there not be pulling with a vengeance? The public would not lose by the change, for the performances could not be worse than they now are, with one or two solitary exceptions. Exception the first-the admirable delineation of the Hawk tribe by Mr. Charles Mathews: a glorious piece of acting; such, indeed, to satisfy the laudator temporis acti, who, in his recollections, could not father it. Talk as he may of the "palmy days of the drama," he cannot point to another passage wherein was exhibited so vast an amount of natural ease and artistic polish, as shown forth so brilliantly in this modern instance. "The Game of Speculation" is a trump-card for the LYCEUM. Exception the second-a genuine piece of burlesque, in the shape of "The Willow Pattern Plate," with drolleries in abundance, in the form of puns, couplets, and all manner of jokes, partaking of the positively provoking, and the movingly mirthful. Mr. Talfourd and his confrère have so intermingled their well-seasoned pleasantries, that laugh follows laugh as naturally as a pensioned placeman pockets his pay on each succeeding quarter-day. The principal points are well barbed by Miss Marshall, whose telling parodies afford a sparkling interpretation of the author's design; and Mr. Rogers, whose idea of a sporting groom is not only well conceived, but as admirably carried out. Indeed, the authors as well as the actor deserve especial reference to the remarkably characteristic expressions of this part. Generally speaking, the attempt to portray such a character on the stage ends in a complete failure, from the entire ignorance of authors and actors in sporting technicalities. In this instance the representative of the stable is dressed and played by Mr. Rogers, and that's a fact, as everybody will admit after paying two or three shillings and a visit to the STRAND THEATRE. Exceptions there are no more-more's the pity! What is there then to note? Surely the doings at DRURY LANE cannot be passed over without a remark: there the principal performance is the continual rushing on the stage of Mr. Bunn, before the curtain, in a most alarmingly frantic state, with his digital members impressively laid on his vest. The most natural interpretation of these curious movements is that the said Mr. Bunn intends to convey that as soon as his numerous engagements will allow him, he will certainly mount a strait waistcoat. A very proper |