word and pleasant smile for all, without any servile distinction of "Upper" and Lower Ten. To all appearance he might have lived a few years more, if the unfortunate Danebury sale had not overcome his prudence. Not a few in the train expressed their sorrow when they saw him get in at Kingston on that bitter day; but he would go through fire and water to see a good sale, and he would not be denied. He just survived Mr. Davis about a year, and never had a Sovereign two such model servants to play their part in the Turf and the Chase. Both looked their characters to the life-the one the tall elegant horseman, with the Wellington beak; and the other the little ex-trainer, dressed in a costume which Croft or even Robson (though he went for all black) could have safely declared orthodox. He never thrust his connexion with royalty upon any one. He had none of that "I and my king," "what I said to the king," "the mares which I recommended are the only ones that ever breed winners," and all that pompous kibosh which has been so heavily discounted of late. All was simple and natural: he was a fine old man, proud of his Crown charges, and always doing his duty. His pride when he heard any of the youngsters knocked down for "only a thousand" and upwards, was only exceeded, when he saw them first past the post. When he was 75, he paid his last visit to Doncaster to see The Duke (a great pet of his) run for the St. Leger; and a nice sight it was, as the old man passed down the High Street, leaning on the arm of his youngest daughter. She was then a bride, but she never left him to the last, and managed all his accounts and correspondence as heretofore. He always thought he would have outlived Orlando, and he watched with sorrow the bay's failing eyesight and muscle. One of the first questions to him each June was how the old horse was; and his eye brightened up when he told how he had four foals by him that season, and expected as many the next. He always said that he was never more astonished than when he heard that the dam of Van Tromp and The Dutchman had come, and went out and found not the grand brood mare he had pictured, but a mare looking like a hack. We certainly had somewhat the same feeling when we saw her tied up in a byre near Redcar. What with Her Majesty's and Mr. Grevile's mares, he had turned out a number of good runners. The 1,000 guinea Yellow Jack began the high prices, and was the tantalizing second in the Two Thousand, Derby, and Chester Cup. There were as good and greater than him in Bradamante, Tormentor, Imperieuse, Cambuscan, Imaus, Trumpeter, The Duke, Julius, Duke Rollo, Canary, The Knave, Imperatrice, Adine, Cantine, Eurydice, Fitzroland, Wrestler, Blue Ruin, Ninny, Nikè, Imperatrice, Crater, Diophantus, John Davis, King of the Forest, Little Lady, Express, Redemption, Chattanooga, Attraction, &c. He had thus closely touched or won nearly all "the good things" on the turf; and even when half his mare power went with Mr. Grevile's death, Julius, John Davis, and The Duke kept him in heart. He was one of the few stud grooms who succeeded in bringing up twins, but he reared fillies to run from Torment. Amid all these later successes he never forgot his earliest liege lord, George Earl of Jersey, and seldom liked to pass a year without going to look round at Middleton, in connexion with which he had spent some 42 years. We have occasionally met him at the nearest station with poor Jem Hills; and delightful it was to hear them get away over the Heythrop together. Mr. Ransome had not only been in the stables of Tiny Edwards while the Cobwebs were in force, but had been hunting-groom to his good master, when none of the thirteen-stone men could handle a screw so well over the Quorn and Bicester country. He thought no racing colours like the old "buff and purple stripes" of the family, in which Robinson had steered Middleton, Bay Middleton, and Cobweb to victory; and if he had lived but a few months more, he would have seen it hoisted by another Earl of the house upon another Mameluke, at least in name. His last wish was that his body should lie the last night at the Middleton Arms, near the Hall, and be buried next day not far from the old family resting-place, in the churchyard. Love and loyalty had their fulfilment, and there the good old servant lies, near those whom he served so well. He has "gone home" at last. The Birmingham Dog Show managers have found their new hall not big enough for the numbers. How they crammed in 841 entries two years ago, no one scems to know; but this Christmas they were as full as they cared to be with 691. The chorus, in which the fox-terriers took a most active part, was tremendous; and, owing to close quarters, many would have been as much out of order as Mr. Newdegate has been this session if they had not been closely watched. These were sent in by 280 owners, one of whom made 16 entries. Some restrictive rules might very well be enacted as to one owner sending so many entries, or having more than two entries in one class. One owner, for instance entered 16 in all, which is too large a proportion when there is such limited room. The bloodhounds were a Druid council as usual, with "Old Druid," "Pease's Druid," and "Cowen's Druid " in the pedigree-list; but the whole lot were beaten by a young London dog, Mr. J. K. Field's Rufus, dam by Boon's Rufus. The second did not own (in the catalogue, at least) to Druid blood, and belonged to Mr. Beale Brown, the Cotswold breeder. The metropolis thus drew first blood, and did well during the week. In the bitch division the "Druid" blood had it all to themselves. There were 16 deerhound dogs and bitches, and two commendations in the dog class; for which "Roswell," of Lord Stamford's breeding, was second. There were two "Torruins" and two "Oscars;" but the good old Scottish name of "Gruin" (Hold him) seems to have slipped out of owners' heads. No great celebrities came in the greyhound class, where Eclipse, of Canaradzo and Judge blood beat all the dogs; and Curiosity by The Brewer-Haidee all the bitches. Armstrong Gun, one of the celebrated Canaradzo-Annoyance litter, was entered; and so was Agility. Will Long, late of the Badminton, and John Walker, late of the Wynnstay and the Fife, had only five foxhound entries to judge from two kennels (the Cheltenham and North Warwickshire), and each of them took a first and second, Even the chairman, Lord Curzon, sent nothing from the Atherstone. The Carlisle otterhounds had no opposition in their classes; and Mr. Everett, with his Sportsman and Harriett, wiped the eye of all the harrier-men who chose to send. In the champion class of fox-terriers the Hon. T. W. Fitzwilliam was champion indeed in the champion class, with his Tartar and Ruby, the latter of true Notts blood by Jock-Grove Nettle, by Merry's Tartar. The Tartar and Jock men were once as jealous of each other as the Eclipse and Highflyer adherents, when the former defied in verse "The race of Herod to show better blood;" but Mr. Fitzwilliam is "happy with either" at Wentworth Woodhouse, and possesses both the old heroes. No less than 59 were entered in the other fox-terrier classes; and Mr. Fitzwilliam was second and third with his bitches to the Marquis of Huntly, who, like his noble opponent, entered seven. The only large-sized pointer (above 65lbs) for the champion class was Mr. Gilbert's "Major," by Mr. Bird's Bob; and Nell, who had only one rival for the champion bitches (above 60lbs.) was, singular to say, the only liver-and-white first-prize pointer in the show. The pointer dogs (large-size) were dubbed "an indifferent class," and the first-prize withheld; and among the bitches (large-size) no worthy second-prize holder could be found to follow Mr. R. J. L. Price's Lady Alice, whose own brother, General, of the same litter, was the champion medium-sized (between 50lbs. and 65lbs.) prize-dog. The champion medium-sized bitches may, it seems, range from 45lbs. to 60lbs., while the small-sized bitches are not to exceed 45lbs., or the dogs 50lbs. The pointer-men have thus settled a point-which the pig men have never been able to do, and which they will, as it seems to us, never settle til pigs are again used as pointers-like the one of which back Sporting Magazines were wont to tell. Mr. Price won again with the (small-size) champion dogs; and the three other firsts went to Mr. J. H. Whitehouse with Rock, old Mona, and Blanche-a ten months' puppy of Mona's. There were ninety-six pointers entered and ninety-two setters, and the best setter of all the classes, and the taker of the Elkington Cup, was Captain Allaway's Irish setter "Shot." There were also 52 retriever and 80 spaniel entries. Mrs. F. S. Arkwright took two retriever firsts, with a black curly-coated bitch and the other for a dog (other than black). Mr. T. Burgess was great with spaniels, and his Sam took the Elkington Cup as the best there. Large-size spaniels must, it seems, exceed 25lbs., and bitches 20lbs. Only three "foreigners were entered, and the first lot fell on a Russian setter, and the second on 66 Niqui," a Silesian deerhound. The second division included 24 bull-terriers, 14 smooth-haired (not black-and-tan), 20 black-and-tan (above and under 11lbs.), 7 Skyes, 8 Dandie Dinmonts (which received no prize), 12 broken-haired terriers, and 11 fox-terriers (smooth and broken-haired) not exceeding 5lbs. It is very well to call this division one of " dogs not used to field-sports; but they say of a county not so far from Curzon Hall, that "the old squires do nothing but hunt foxes, and the young squires nothing but rats." A Russian dog and a Pyrenean wolf-dog were the distinguished foreigners unattached. Mr. Walsh was as usual the referee, and had plenty to do among the pointers and setters. Of course the show has not ended without a newspaper controversy, which turns this year upon the point, whether or not a true St. Bernard should be rough or smooth. Hark! in the merry greenwood 'Tis the hunter's blithesome horn, Oh, 'tis a joyous thing To roam through the thickets free, When the stars have set and the dew is wet Who in cities would abide When his dwelling might be here ? Who would tempt the floods, when in pleasant woods Merrily blend those notes Dell and dingle ring again; While many a heart, with electric start, From the east the sun beams bright; And amid the wild wood paths, By the fragrant gale upborne, Hark! joyously round floats the thrilling sound Banks of the Yore. B. |