the materials furnished by food, climate, and habit, without seeing any necessity for disturbing the Mosaic dispensation. PLAYING ABOUT; or, Theatrical Anecdotes and Adventures. By Benson Earle Hill, Author of "Recollections of an Artillery Officer," &c. Two vols. London: Sams, St. James's-street. 1840. How many a bon-mot, and most pleasant instance, would “ waste its sweetness on the desert air," were it not for those valuable literary gleaners to whom the public is so much indebted. That such books as these before us, and the class to which they belong, should have pushed from their stools the stilted romances, and vapid, nauseous novels, which once constituted the staple of our light reading, is but a natural result of the improved taste of the days in which we live. We have a general desire to encourage all such works as provide a "feast of reason," divested of the meretricious seasoning of personal scandal or satire. In the present instance, private friendship induces us to bid good speed to the two amusing little volumes which have drawn these observations from us. To effect this, in the way most likely to do good service to the author, we will let Mr. Hill grace his own tale, selecting our specimen lots at random from his excellent budget. "Roscius (Betty), Raymond, Yates, Hendy, and a Swedish friend of his, Rolands, supped with me. My sister had retired for the night. The baron spoke pretty intelligible broken English, but sung us one of his own country ballads, the plot of which he previously translated, with a difference. Hendy's knowledge of the locale made him warn his northern intimate, that fastidious, and, too probably, wakeful ears were at hand. Somewhat to this effect, then, interpreted the young baron: One varmer, you zee, go to ghurch mid de daughter of a richer, older von; her fader, he z-ay, 'vell, every morning my girl can tell me dat you have been quiet and peaceable, I shall give you a fine gow: but eef she zay you have been violent and distorb her, I shall give no more gows:' one, two, dree, vour days dere come gow, and noder gow; veeks, months, more gow, till de lady had very large dairy! At last, her fader z-ayneber mind what she answer, Ah, you promise gows so long as I not gomplain. I want no more gows, I gould not have a galf midhout a pull.' So her fader send her very fine pull, that's all. . . . . After enacting Richard (at Gloucester), he (Kean) played Silvester Daggerwood, and thus improvised to the servant: Come hither, slavey! let me tell ye something. I acted Richard in this town, eleven years ago. I was a d-nd sight a better actor then than I am now, and—I lost eighteen-pence by my benefit.' Every one tries 6 to flatter me, captain (he is now addressing the author). They will omit this inequality in the bridge of my nose. Sir, it was dealt me by a pewter-pot, hurled from the hand of Jack Thurtle. We were borne, drunk and bleeding, to the watch-house, for the night, when I was taken out, washed, plastered, and left to cogitate on any lie of an accident in a stage fight. I told it, and was believed, for the next day I dined with the Bishop of Norwich." AN ENCYCLOPEDIA OF RURAL SPORTS. By D. P. Blaine. London: Longman and Co. Parts VI. and VII. A very elaborate and admirable account of Hawking, and all its "properties," occupies the first half of Part VI.; the other moiety being given to the gun, and all practical details connected with it. The various ingenious improvements in safety-locks are placed before the reader, by the aid of wood-cuts, with a perspicuity that enables him to judge of their nature and merits, quite as well as if the locks themselves were in his hands. Each is certainly entitled to much credit; but one, of far greater perfection than any of its predecessors, has just been submitted to us, of which we have spoken at length elsewhere. Part VII. is exclusively devoted to Shooting, into every variety of which Mr. Blaine has entered with unwearied industry, and signal success. In our last Number we gave an extract from the chapter on the Capercallie, full of interesting and novel matter. whole of this Part is of a similar character; there is not a page of it from which the sportsman may not glean instruction, or the general reader much healthy amusement. FINE ARTS. ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE BREEDS OF THE DOMESTIC ANIMALS OF THE BRITISH ISLANDS. By David Low, Esq., F. R. S. E., Professor of Agriculture in the University of Edinburgh, &c. &c. Parts I. and II. London: Longman, Orme, Brown, Green, and Longmans, 1840. Professor Low has set about a work of national concern, with a spirit worthy the matter to which he has addressed himself. In no country in the world have skill, industry and capital been directed into more universally fertilizing channels than in England; no branch of the mighty stream of her enterprise has diffused more general good than that which has covered her valleys and her hills with herds and flocks, unmatched for their beauty and their excellence. How welcome, then, must be his labours who, while he hands down to after ages memorials of the true patriotism which animated that in which he lived, offers, to every land, counsel, both by precept and example, that it should " go, and do likewise." The two Parts of this splendid undertaking which have already appeared, are devoted, the first to THE OX, containing superbly coloured engravings of THE WILD OR FOREST BREED; THE PEMBROKE BREED; THE WEST HIGHLAND BREED (Bull and Cow); THE WEST HIGHLAND BREED (Bull and Heifer) the second, to THE SHEEP, with illustrations of THE BREEDS OF THE ZETLAND AND ORKNEY ISLANDS; THE SHEEP OF THE higher WELSH MOUNTAINS; THE SOFT-WOOLLED SHEEP OF WALES; THE SHEEP OF THE WICKLOW HILLS. The reputation of the author will be guarantee for the excellence of the literary portion of this admirable work we can with confidence assert, that the combined talents of the scholar and the painter have given to us nothing of a similar character at all to be compared with it. We commend it, with all earnestness, to public favour, which it must command, at no distant time. The forthcoming Parts we look for most anxiously, more especially that announced for August, which will contain illustrations of all the varieties of the Horse. : COURSING REGISTER. The returns are confined to the running at Public Meetings. LANARKSHIRE AND RENFREWSHIRE CLUB MEETING, FEB. 13 AND 14. Mr. H. Maxwell's bk. b. Madcap Mr. Duggan's f. d. Sam Weller Mr. A. Graham's bd. d. Cur-non beat Mr. A. Graham's bd. b. Butteryburn. Mr. A. Pollok's bd. b. Match. Mr. Duggan's r. and w. d. Dickins. First Ties: Madcap beat Sam Weller, Moustache beat Castlehill, Glory beat Cur-non Second Ties: Moustache beat Madcap, Glory ran a bye. Deciding Course: Glory beat Moustache, and won the Cup. The PATTERTON STAKES, of 1 sov. each, for dogs of all ages. Mr. A. Graham's w. and y. b. Caledonia ran a bye. Ties: My Lord beat Craigton, Catherine beat Caledonia (after an undecided course).. The CROOKSTON STAKES, of 1 sov. each, for dogs not exceeding 22 months. First Ties: Irene beat Rolla (drawn lame), Landseer ran a bye, Gemmel beat Mirza (after two undecided courses). Second Ties: Landseer beat Irene, Gemmel ran a bye. Deciding Course: Landseer beat Gemmel, and won the Stakes. The DARNLEY STAKES, of 1 Sov. each, for dogs that never won a public prize. Ties: Jessie beat Jeanie (drawn lame), Cora beat Lofty. Pedigrees of the Winners: Glory is by Dr. Brown's Sport, out of a bitch that never appeared in public; My Lord is by Mr. A. Graham's Gilbertfield, out of his Black-eyed Susan; Landseer is by Mr. A. Graham's Gilbertfield, out of his Effie; Cora is by Mr. Greenshield's Rival, out of Mr. Pollok's Cora. NORTHUMBERLAND CLUB, FEB. 18. A MATCH, for £100 a side, between Mr. Elliott's bk. and w. d. Twist, and Mr. Crawford's bl. and w. b. Fairy, best of three courses, was decided in favour of the bitch, as follows: A MATCH, for £50 a side, between Mr. Armstrong's bk. and w. d. Doctor, and Mr. Crawford's bd. b. Sylph, best of five courses, came off in favour of the Doctor, as follows: First Ties: Rector beat Priam, Brenda beat Hagler, Medusa beat Luno, Claret beat Sandy. Second Ties: Rector beat Brenda, Claret beat Medusa. Deciding Course: beat Claret, and won the Cup; Claret the Sovereigns. Lord Talbot's bk. b. Taffety Mr. Swan's bd. and w. b. Sheba The SAPLING STAKES. beat Mr. E. G. Hornby's bd. b. Highland Lassie. Mr. Congreve's bk. b. Clap Trap. Taffeta and Sheba divided the Stakes. Ties: Tippoo beat Harbinger, Charm ran a bye (Handcuff drawn), having had the most severe course ever seen over some fallow ground, which was very hard. It is supposed the course lasted upwards of ten minutes! Deciding Course: Tippoo beat Charm, and won the Stakes. Mr. Fellowes's w. and f. d. Rough Robin Lord Talbot's gr. d. Tartarus - Mr. Harpur's bl. and w. d. Hippodrome. Deciding Course: Tartarus beat Rough Robin, and won the Stakes. Deciding Course: Korah beat Consul, and won the Stakes. Pedigrees of the Winners: Rector is by Mr. Robert's Raymond, out of Lama; Claret, by Major, out of Circe; Tschort, by Lucifer; Hyson, by Homus, out of Blythe, by Laurel; Tartarus, by Lucifer. Rector, was bred by Mr. Lloyd, of Rhagatt, and was called Lawn. GISBORNE MEETING, FEB. 13 AND 14. The RIBBLESDALE CUP, £40 for the first, £15 for the second, and £5 for the third. Mr. Hodgson's f. and w. b. Zitella beat Mr. Hind's f. and w. b. Columba. Mr. Forrest's w. and r. d. Stopper Mr. R. Robinson's f. b. The Witch (late Vulture). Mr. P. Houghton's bd. d. Nelson. Mr. Craven's bl. b. Cara. First Ties: Bedford beat Zitella, Chasse beat P. E. Fly, Emperor beat Gen. Chasse, Joram beat S. H. Fly, Zorillo beat Traveller, Ribton beat Stopper. Second Ties: Bedford beat Chasse, Emperor beat Joram, Zorillo beat Ribton. Third Ties: Emperor beat Bedford, Zorillo ran a bye. Deciding Course: Emperor beat Zorillo, and won the Cup. The GISBORNE PUPPY CUP, £12 for the first, £3 for the second. Mr. Tunstall's r. b. Fairy Mr. Tunstall's r. d. Thunder beat Mr. Openshaw's r. d. Taglioni. Mr. Rodgett's r. b. Fly ran a bye. Ties: Fly beat Fairy, Thunder ran a bye. Deciding Course: Thunder beat Fly, and won the Cup. Mr. Anderson's y. d. Shamrock Mr. J. Bell's bl. d. Spring. Mr. Humble's bd. b. Sylph. Mr. Elliott's r. d. Tippler. First Ties: Doctor beat Skip, Tom Jones beat Trim, Fairy beat Frank, Sylvia beat Shamrock. Second Ties: Doctor beat Tom Jones, Sylvia beat Fairy. Deciding Course: Sylvia beat Doctor, and won the Cup. The winner and second dog are by Mr. Armstrong's Bran. MID-LOTHIAN MEETING, FEB. 25 AND 26. The PUPPY STAKES, of 1 sov. each, with 10 added from the fund, by dogs not exceeding twenty Mr. Dewar's w. and bk. d. D. I. O. ran a bye. Ties: Money beat D. I. O., The Duchess beat Mountain. The CLUB CUP, value 20 guineas, by dogs of all ages. First Ties: Rocket beat Spring, Merrythought beat Monarch, Wizard beat Cerberus, Young Lowther beat Whisper. Second Ties: Merrythought beat Rocket, Young Lowther beat Wizard. The CHAMPION CUP and STAKES of 5 sovs. each, for dogs of all ages. Mr. H. Maxwell's bd. d. Mountain Dew Mr. W. Ramsay's bk. and w. d. Rasper beat Sir W. Baillie's bk. d. The Bravo. Deciding Course: Mountain Dew beat Rasper, and won the Cup and Stakes. |