1 F were entertained of his recovery. More favourable reports have since been received, and the surgeon in attendance has pronounced him to be out of danger, and doing as favourably as can be expected: and it is most earnestly hoped that he may live to return to his friends in Essex, with the trophy of this mortal combat the skin of the wild beast he so bravely fought and conquered. The leopard measured seven feet from "stem to stern,"* writes our nautical correspondent, and stood two feet seven inches high "amidships." It was a very fine old leopard, and its teeth an inch-and-half in length. On being flayed, the low caste natives (mhars and coolies) ate every bit of the flesh; and, apparently, with right good relish. Such is a faithful account, taken from the sufferer's own lips, at Bhiza Baies Palace (which, by the way, is said to be the estate of the Nana Sahib), by a correspondent who assisted the unfortunate man from his litter-has the skin of the leopard lying in the adjoining room to that from which he writes, and otherwise bore testimony to the facts here recorded. And we think our readers will agree, that a more stirring and perilous adventure or a more wonderful escape was never heard of. Let us for a moment picture to ourselves a man attacked by a full-grown leopard, and actually fighting with the animal in its wildest and most ferocious nature, without any weapon of defence beyond a small riding cane, struggling for life and death on the ground for two or three minutes! How on earth the brave Gooday escaped being torn in pieces is almost a miracle. One would imagine he must instantly have been ripped open and his liver drawn out of his body before his lifeless eyes: but noGooday "put forth the strength of a giant," says our correspondent, and grappled with the brute with deathlike vengeance. It was indeed a fortunate thing for Gooday that he managed to get a-top of the beast, or he may be assured he would never again have risen from the ground. But the most remarkable feature of all in the struggle is, the daring presence of mind with which this brave man thrust his hand within the leopard's jaws, and seized its tongue: the struggle must then have been at its most fearful zenith; as the next moment Gooday would have breathed his last had he not so courageously thrust his hand into the extended jaws. Then again, the grasp he gave the brute's tongue, "causing the blood to start beneath his finger nails," shows that he felt it a last and only remaining effort. Whilst we admire the strength and presence of mind of this man, we cannot fail to notice the tact and skill displayed along with it; had either been wanting, the result of the attack would in all human probability have been reversed, and the unfortunate man would not have survived to tell his tale. The manner in which Gooday proceeded to a second combat, whilst yet bleeding and suffering from his wounds, determined to have the animal's skin, is thoroughly English; and bespeaks at once, his true character to be that of a brave man. His courage stood by him to the last; and it was not until he had triumphantly slain his victim, that he bethought himself of his wounds, which were rapidly bleeding him to exhaustion. The whole proceedings partake so much of courageous * Measuring, of course, from nose to top of tail. HH daring, and show so vividly the "English pluck" in the hour of need, that we do not hesitate to recommend the narrative to the consideration of all who may be going abroad to countries where wild beasts inhabit: it is impossible at all times to be provided for every emergency, and on such occasions courage seems to be the safest and surest friend to trust to.* RACING PHOTOGRAPHS. BY ARGUS. No. XVIII. - MR. E. R. CLARKE. Mr. Edward Rawson Clarke-or E. R. Clarke, as the Racing Calendar terms him is quite one of the curiosities of the Turf; and it would require the pen of the author of "Monte Christo" to do justice to his peculiarities, and his manners and customs. Like other great men who have acquired notoriety by their own exertions, he is not above denying the humbleness of his origin, or recalling to the recollection of his friends how he spent his teens. Originally in the service of Crockford, in whose employ he saved some money, he became acquainted with most of the sporting nobility and gentry of the day, and acquired that taste for splendour and refinement for which he has since made himself so conspicuous. His first start was as a finance-agent, in which capacity he acted until the last two years, when he retired, as it were, into private life, leaving the onus of the business in the hands of his father-in-law, Mr. Keeley, he merely employing himself in attending to his stud and looking after windfalls. As a financier, D'Orsay must be acknowledged to have acquired the very first position this side of Temple-bar; and were he chosen Chancellor of the Exchequer of Greece, or any other kingdom whose monetary affairs were in a dilapidated condition, I have no doubt, within a few years, by his "bold and original measures," he would so restore them, that the stock of the country would be eagerly sought for as an investment, and he himself get a place in the Almanach de Gotha. To heirs apparent and presumptive, especially those who may have been hit on the Derby or Leger, Mr. E. R. Clarke has ever been the father-confessor and relieving officer; for who but himself could know where to get them " a little couple of thou" in a few hours, or to suggest who it would be requisite to have "up behind"? for he knows the "Peerage" as well as he does the "Stud Book;" and it is said, like the late honourable member for Rochester, he slept with it under his pillow, in order to keep in his head what " young ones" were coming out. If the walls of " No. 2," as his chambers in Clifford-street are familiarly called by his * Whilst these sheets have been passing through the press, we learn from a subsequent letter from our Indian correspondent, that Gooday is wonderfully recovered, and able to get about, though still very lame; and there is yet much doubt as to whether he will ever recover the full use of the hand which was so severely crushed and bitten. [Our correspondent does not say whether it is the right or left hand.] own set, also could speak, they would tell of strange revelations-such as would make sober-minded citizens' hair stand on end, and cause them to fancy they were perusing a romance, instead of listening to the realities of human life; for in one room there would be drawers of bills, in another acceptors, in a third indorsers, and in a fourth "freshmen." All of these had to be provided for unknown to each other; and, as none but very old stagers like to be seen borrowing money openly, the task of providing for them all separately may well be imagined; but our hero always rose with the occasion. As may be conjectured, the advances thus made were at a shadow over the Government rate of interest; Mr. Clarke must have found it profitable, as his stud was always on a par with Lord Exeter's in extent, if not in quality, while his Tusculum at Brompton would require George Robins to come to life, to describe correctly. Many reasons have been assigned for Mr. Clarke's retirement from the discount world; but the chief one appears to be, the sudden break-up of the Villiers, Lawley, and Stanley firm, which so convulsed the sporting world some three years back, and for whom he had acted as cashier for so many years. Never celebrated as a "parter," it was not to be supposed he would readily pull out for debts for which he had become liable for his aristocratic clients; and, after having been engaged in as many "actions" as Havelock in six months, he wisely conceived discretion to be the better part of valour, and, yielding to circumstances, abandoned the field in which he had acquired such distinguished honours, to younger aspirants, and devoted himself to the management of his stud. So much for "E. R." in his professional capacity; and now we will turn to him as a racing man, in which he is equally conspicuous, as there is scarcely a card in which his colours are not printed, or a breeding-stud in which his name is not as familiar as "household words." At Ascot, on the Cup Day, especially when her Majesty is present, he is in immense force; as when the course is entirely cleared, he always discovers some fresh order to give to his jockey, and rushing from the Grand Stand to his horse, becomes at once the cynosure of all eyes, and the provoker of a great deal of curiosity, being Pooled all over, and taken by many for either the Russian or French ambassador. A Yorkshireman by birth, D'Orsay took as naturally to the turf as a duck does to water; and it must be nearly a quarter of a century since he commenced training at Epsom, and started those blue and scarlet colours which we have seen not only on his jockeys, but also on his own person, in his scarfs, pins, rings, gloves, and umbrellas. It would take a volume itself to go through the number of his horses; but I must con. tent myself with merely alluding to the "gems" of his stud, leaving the paste ones to the tender mercies of the Racing Calendar. Conjuror was the first animal of any repute he possessed; and when he ran him for the Derby in Pyrrhus the First's year, it will be recollected Lord Winchelsea, then Lord Maidstone, who had Tom Tulloch, objected to him as being a four-year-old; upon which Mr. Clarke in turn protested against Tom Tulloch running, on the ground of being a five-year-old. The appearance of such a rejoinder, it is hardly necessary to say, provoked a great deal of laughter, and no further notice was taken of the subject. The 'Conjuror was a horse with a fair turn of speed, but could not stay; and beyond winning one of the classes of the Wokingham, did little or nothing to be remembered. Sir Tatton Sykes, whom he got as a four-year-old of Mr. Kenedy, did more for him as a sire than a racehorse; but Mr. Sykes, whom he let to Mr. Lawley for the Cesarewitch, won him a large sum. Vandermulin, however, was the greatest object of D'Orsay's admiration; and having taken a hundred thousand to one about him for the Derby from Davis, as a yearling, he watched his career with the most intense interest. His superior, he thought, was never foaled; and after his first essay in the Champagne, in which, wholly unprepared, he ran well up with Ellington, he went home with the belief that the Derby was over, "the coveted blue riband" of Lord George Bentinck would be his own, and that Bailey Brothers would have to dedicate their annual picture to him. No horse could have wintered better than Vandermulin; and as an instance of D'Orsay's influence with the aristocracy, it is a remarkable fact that the present Premier should have tried him with his own horse, Bracken and King of Trumps; the only condition he exacted being that he should have the entire control over him, which he did through his friend Mr. Reade, who acted for him. Accustomed as Flintoff had been all his life to race horses, and used as the D'Orsay was to scenes of excitement, they probably never passed such a night of anxiety in their lives as that previous to Vander's trial, as immense results were depending upon it. Mr. Clarke's expansive genius having devised no end of projects, let the great event really come off. Almost before break of day Bartholomew, Charlton, and Templeman were in the saddles, and "the momentous question" was asked and answered in such a satisfactory style, that the D'Orsay was in the seventh heaven of delight, and reminded one forcibly of Robson in one of his best pieces at the Olympic. Cleverly as the trial was thought to have been concocted, and excellent as were the arrangements for a fresh commission, the party were doomed to be disappointed and forestalled by one of those erratic beings called "touts," who got possession of the telegraph, and had the first portion of the London money. In the afternoon the stable commission made him second or third favourite, which position he held until Sunday afternoon, when Captain Brabazon, in a moment of pique, or from having heard he went a little shin-sore at Epsom, declared he would stand the farce no longer; and although he hedged to him on the Thursday, now laid three or four points over the market price to a monkey against him, which somewhat damped the hopes of his friends. "In the paddock, on the Derby day, of all the groups collected in various parts, none excited so much attention as Vandermulin and his owner; and it is difficult to say which coat was the brightest, that of the horse or the jockey, who was got up in a new light suit, utterly regardless of expense, and thought that within a few minutes his dream of life would be realized. Alas for human ambition! the Gods had decreed it otherwise, for after running a long way in front, and looking all over a winner, to the distance, Vander was seen to retire; the hopes of Hednesford were quashed, and Admiral Harcourt, instead of Mr. E. R. Clarke, was registered as the Derby winner. Many reasons have been assigned for Vander's running so different to the trial; one sup position being that he could not stay, but that we have since seen negatived; a second, that the dirt stopped him, which cannot be true, as he has run very well in it since; and the third, that the other horses in the trial did not go all the distance, owing to the fog, I cannot believe in, from the respectability of the jockeys that rode them; and therefore I fear it was Bracken not "trying" that day, that led the stable all wrong, and caused them to make such an expensive mistake. Afterwards, from some disagreement, Mr. Clarke removed his horses from Flintoff to Joseph Dawson, where they still remain, and he has no cause for complaining he does not win in his turn; had Dawson won the last Cesarewitch for him, with either of his old ones, the rejoicings at Ilsley and Hednesford, I am assured, would have been on a scale little short of those that were intended to have celebrated the victory of Vandermulin at Epsom. True to his fancy for the Julia Bennett blood, Mr. Clarke entered into a contract with Sir Charles Slingsby, for the purchase of her produce at a certain sum; and in Bentinck, a half-brother to Vandermulin, he has got a promising yearling, whom he has deeply engaged, in the hopes of yet, either at Epsom or Doncaster, giving the Ring that "Jack up the Orchard" he has so long promised them. In manner, there are few more extraordinary men than the subject of this sketch, and but for his having been out so long before Robson, I should have thought he had made that eminent actor his peculiar study. Many think him mad, from the style in which he goes on, when arguing a case before the Admiral, so vehement is he in his language, and so excited in his action. But if this be the case, as Hamlet says, "There must be a method in it," as he never admits any argument or statement that would tell against him, and had he been at either of the Universities he would no doubt have been a senior wrangler. Hitherto in most of his great cases he has sustained nothing but defeat; but his confidence in his own resources and lucky star was great as that of Louis Napoleon when at Ham. And he still gives out that the time will come (and may we be there to see it) when he will become one of the members for Tamworth or York, the confederate of the Earl of Wicklow on the Turf, and the great man that Providence has destined him to be. As your readers are well aware, various and by no means flattering appellations have been bestowed upon Mr. E. R. Clarke as a public man, which I do not care to repeat. Still I think my readers cannot refrain from agreeing with me, that an individual who without any regular fortune can keep up a mansion at Brompton, the stables of which are superior to those of Buckingham Palace, and for whose hall the choicest contents of the sculpture galleries of Rome and Florence have been ransacked; whose full-length portrait, in the Lawrence school, adorns his drawing-room; whose cellars contain vintages fit for emperors' palates; whose guests are amused while at dinner with music ; whose chateau at Hednesford is fitted up in a style peculiar to by-gone ages, and whose residence there is signified by the hoisting of a flag, can be described in any other terms than as a "curiosity." No. XIX-MR. CHARLES COGHLAN. Mr. Charles Coghlan is a contribution to our Turf from Ireland, and for which, if we regard him only in the light of an amusing companion, |