South Australian Advertiser (Adelaide, SA : 1858 - 1889), Monday 9 June 1873, page 2


MONDAY, JUNE 9, 1873.

OUR NEW GOVERNOR has arrived, and will take the oaths of office this day, at 12 noon, in the Town Hall The plat-<*> form will be occupied by the Judges,

Ministers, Members of Parliament, and His Excellency's suite, and the body of the Hall will be open to the public. After this ceremony ia over, His Excel lency will hold an Executive Council in the ordinary manner. There will not be much display in connection with the Go vernor's assumption of the viceregal office ; in fact, wb have not the material fora popular demonstration. We have neither military nor volunteers, and Bis Excellency's inauguration will therefore be unavoidably tame and dull. But we do not know that this is a very serious matter for regret. His Excellency will meet with a hearty and thoroughly ] English wolcDme, which he will no doubt value mneti more highly than any amount of mere external display. South ■ Australians have never yet failed to give 1 aoordialandloyal reception to die Queen's representative, and wearequitecertain that Governor Musgrave's advent will be no exception to the rule. He comes amongst us with every personal recommendation, and will most assuredly find a friend in every South Australian. His Excellency arrives at a happy period of our history. The colony is in a prosperous condition ; there are no popular grievances, very few difficulties, and nothing to appre hend in the immediate future. Should His Excellency reside amongst us for the usual term, we have no doubt that bis official career will be signalised by greater events and more substantial progress than have marked the career of any Governor ever since the colony was founded. All our staple industries are flourish ing aad hopeful; our finances Are sound and buoyant; there are no social nor political difficulties; and tbe new. Governor may, therefore, be honestly congratulated on having assumed the reins of power at a period when every thing is full of hope- and gladness. We are sure we shall carry with us the whole of our readers and every South Aus tralian colonist in wishing health, hap pines?, aadjprosperity ioour new Governor and his family, and in expressing our confident belief that his official connec tion with this province will prove to be mutually pleasant and beneficial. The arrival of our new Governor affords an appropriate opportunity of referring to the several Governors and Acting Governors who have administered' the affairs of South Australia. Captain John Hindmarsh, R.N., K.H., was the first Governor, and his administration ex tended from' 28th December, 1836, to 16th July, IS3B. There was then an interregnum of about four months, during which Mr. George Milner^Staphen administered the Government. On 12th October, 1838, Lieutenant-Colonel George Gawler, K.H., took the oaths of office, and his administration lasted until' 15th May, 1841. On that day Colonel Gawk* was succeeded by Captain Grey, who_on 25th October, 1845, was succeeded by Lieutenant - Colonel Robe. On 2nd August, 1848, Sir Henry E. 'E. Young, Kt., assumed the office of Governor, and on 20th December, when Sir Henry's term of office ex pired, there was another interregnum, during which the Hon. Boyle Travers Finniss was the Officer Administering the Government. Oh June 8, 1855, Sir, Richard Graves MaeDonnell, Kt^JJfe, was sworn in, and he continued ti> "ad minister the affairs of the colony until March 4,1862, when Sir Dominick Daly, Kt., was sworn in as Sir Richard's successor. Sir Dominick died on 19th

February, 1858, and Lieut.-Colonel F. G. Hamley, Commander of the Forces, was sworn in as Acting Governor, and Colonel Hamley continued in that office until lGth.February, 1869, when the Eight Hon. fciir James Fergusson entered upon the duties of his office. Sir James left the colony on 6th December, 1872, and was succeeded in the administration of the Government by the Chief Justice, Sir Richard Davies Hanson, who was sworn in on December 7, 1872, and whs ad ministered the affairs until the arrival of His Excellency Governor Mu&grave on Sunday. The Ministry have accepted the resigna tion of Mr. Douglas, Government Resi dent in the Northern Territory, and Dr. Millner has been appointed Acting Resi dent until some permanent arrangement can be made. We understand that failing health is the reason assigned for Mr. Douglas's resignation, but we are unable to state the real facts of the case, although it may be inferred from the frequent telegrams that are said to have been passing between the Government and Mr. Reynolds that many points had to be cleared up before a decision could be come to. The appointment of Dr. Millner will disgust those very knowing people who were so certain that Mr. Reynolds's visit to the Northern Territory was a nice little arrangement for making him Government Resident. We have heard no end of pro phecies that "Reynolds never meant to coine back to Adelaide"—and so on. It will now be seen that no such little game as the quidnuncs imagined has ever been contemplated. The Gothenburg will leave Port Darwin in a day or two, and Mr. Reynolds is to return by her. As to the future Governorship of the Northern Territory, we dare not even conjecture. We may, however, without much risk, affirm that a radical change in the administration of that part of our colony will be necessary. It will be necessary to frame a system of government adapted to the wants of that young settlement. All Court cases, including Supreme Court cases, should be tried at Palmerston, and for this purpose a resident Judge with competent powers will have to be sent out. In short, the Northern Territory must be governed socially, financially, and judicially, on the spot, with an appeal to head-quarters in Adelaide, just as we ourselves appeal to the Privy Council in England. Should the Territory advance and prosper, it will, of course, become an independent colony; and all our arrangements should be made with that probability in view. No doubt fresh legislation will be imme diately initiated, and our Parliament will need all its judgment and experience in order to place matters on a proper footing. The last meeting on the Old Adelaide Course was so eminently successful that we may fairly look upon it as a sign of considerable advance in the position of South Australia as a sporting colony, and may expect in the future still more attractive turf meetings, with larger fields of horses and greater stakes to compete for. There was, however, nothing to complain of with respect to these particulars in our races of the last week in May ; but in a young province like this, increasing in popula tion and in wealth, we may naturally ex pect progress in sporting as well as in other matters. In fact, we have pro gressed wonderfully during the last two or three years in the style of our race meetings, the number and character of the horses running at them, and the, largely increased support they received j at the hands of the public. Racing in this colony had sunk to a very low ebb several years ago through disputes as to the rival courses of the East Park Lands and Thebarton, and the Adelaide Cup Race, that had become the leading feature* of the Autumn Meeting, was dis continued during 1870 and 187L The. Jockey Club became defunct, and racing, about Adelaide since then has only been got up by special effort, although with increasing success at each meeting. Now1 the old spirit has been fully revived, and a regular Jockey Club will most probably be formed, for such an institution as racing requires to be carried on nnder the management of some effective organiza^ tion, embracing a competent and in-i fluential tribunal for the settlement of disputes, and the punishment of offences connected with the turf. : A great feature of interest in connec tion with our racing gatherings is the competition of horses from the other colonies, but more especially Victoria, with our own. This may be said to have commenced on the first Grand Cup Day in 1864. Horses bred in other colonies had, of course, long before thei tested their speed on our turt In the very primitive daya of Cobbler and the first Jupiter, they were necessarily all importations; and since then, from time to time, a flat racer or a cross-country horse has been brought here from beyond our borders, but these were all purchased to remain in the colony, and it was not till April of the year we have mentioned that horses from other provinces came here to com pete for the laurels against racers of South Australian breeding, and then return to their own stables. On that occasion great crowds were drawn to the Thebarton Course to see the cracks from Victoria strip for the grand event of the meeting. The result was the signal de feat of our own champions. Falcon won the Cup easily, with Roebuck, another Victorian, second; and Musidora and Banker, two other horses from the same colony, ran a dead heat for third place with Mr. E. M. Bagot's Little John, Ebor, from Port Phillip, was in the race, but obtained no place. In April of 1865 the Victorian horses were equally' suc cessful at Thebarton. Mr. Dowling's Stag won the Maidens, Mr. J. C. James's Ebor securing second place. For the Adelaide Cup no. Adelaide horse was placed. Ebor came in first, with Falcon second, Tarragon, a New South Wales horse, third, and Lancer, from Victoria, fourth. Some of our racing men had expected that we might hold our own with the Fisherman stock, to say nothing of some fine thoroughbreds by South Australian and Muscovado ; but it ap peared as if we were just offering our prizes for our eastern neighbors to carry away. Things looked more hopeful, however, in the April of tbe following year, when Cowra, a Fisherman filly, was first for the Cup, and the game little Tim Whiffler, by South Australian, was second by a length, leaving the redoubtable Panic to run a dead heat with Seagull, a two-year old filly by Fisherman, for third place. First Flight and Ebor, from the Mel bourne side, ran, but were not placed. Strange to say, no Victorian racers visited us at our Autumn Meeting of the next year (1667), though the value of the prize was not. diminished, but. stood at COO so vs., with a sweep of 50 sovs. In "this year, too, the Cup was changed from a weight-for-age race to a handicap. In April, 1868, .our old veteran Cupbearer, carrying Sat. 4 lbs., defeated Dr. L. L. .Smith's three-year-old Lancashire Witch, carrying 6 at. 13 lbs., for the Cup, and she only secured third place, Cedric, with 7 st. 11 lbs. on him, coming in second. The stakes- were lower than at former meetings, amounting to no more th«n a «weep of 20 sovs., with 200 bovb. added,. •t .which «mount they have stood at sub sequent meetings. The Witch won the

Forced Handicap] at the same meeting, beating Booyoolee, who came in second, Gedric third,* and Cupbearer fourth. The winner, 3 years old, carried 7 st. 5 lbs., against Cupbearer, aged, 9 st. 6 lbs., and the others much in the same proportion ; in fact it was not very far from a weight for-age race. On the Duke's Day, Feb ruary 19th, 1869, Lady Manners-Sutton won the Duke of Edinburgh Stakes, in which she was lightly weighted, Mid night coming in second, and Lapdog third. On the 16th April of the same year the Adelaide Cup was made a present of to the Victorian poay Nonas., she being turned loose with 7 st. on, while Lapdog, of the same age, was weighted at 8 st. 13 lbs. Corsair was second, Chowilla third, and Lapdog fourth. Cupbearer, Midnight, Corsair, Praetor, and Cedric were also in the race. There was no Cap offered for competition during 1870 and 1871, but in April of the latter year Nim blefoot won the Queen's Hundred, the only t«ro horses against him being Flying Scud and Gleiidower—of no reputation. He also, on the previous day, carried off the Town Plate at the same meeting, Lapdog second, Don Giovanni third; three other horses being in the race. The Adelaide Cup of 1872 attracted the Victorian horses Saladin, Miss Jessie, and Glencoe, this famous animal originally hailing, we believe, from New South Wales. We held our own at this gathering. For the Cup, Australian Buck beat the grey Arab Saladin, Miss Jessie obtaining third place. The Buck was, however, handicapped at 7 st. against Saladin 8 at. G lbs., and Lapdog 8 st. 8 lbs,, all being aged horse?. The Queen's Hundred was won by Kingfisher, against Saladin second, and Glencoe third. For the Autumn Handicap Saladin was more successful. With 8 st. 10 lbs., the top weight except Glencoe's, 9 st. 7 lbs., he came in first. He also won the Forced Handicap with 8 st. 7 lbs. up, the only horse weighted so heavily being Lapdog, 8 st. 10 lbs. Oleneoe ran for the Town Plate, but was not placed, Mr. Ryan's Leonidas winning, with other South Aus tralian horses second and third. The results of the meeting just over are fresh in the recollections of our readers. Victorian horses scored the honore. Nimblefoot won the Governor's Cap and the Queen's Guineas, and Dolphin the Adelaide Cup. The two former events were weight-for-age races, and in the latter Dolphin carried top weight. Looking back over the nine years from the first establishment of the Cap race, we have not much to be ashamed "of in the performances of our own. horses. In 1864 and 1805 we were thoroughly vanquished ; in the following year we were triumphant; in 1867 there was no competition ; in 1868 South Australia oore away the palm ; in 1809 Victoria won with light-weighted horses ; in 1871 racers from the same colony fairly beat their South Australian opponents; in 1872 we were again victorious; and to wind up and make us modest, and at the same time determined to strive after greater excellence, the laurels have been once more snatched (com us. We, of course, are sensible of the fact that the trials of speed we have recorded have not been between the champions of the other colonies, though Victorian and New South Wales horses of great fame have been on our turf; but it must be borne in mind that we have sent out of South Australia stock, and sires of stock, that have more than held their own against the finest racers of the Bister colonies. We need hardly refer, in support of this to the progeny of that grand old horse Fisherman, imported to Adelaide from England, at so great a cost, by Mr. Hurtle Fisher. The most wonderful of all his get was Fishhook, who in 1867 won the Launceston Champion Cap and the Melbourne St. Leger, and the same year carried away the Cup, Leger, and Queen's Plate at Itandwick. A little host of winners from the same sire distinguished themselves on the turf in New South Wales, Victoria, and Tasmania, as the' following list will show : —ln Victoria— Seagull and Sour Grapes have iron the Ascot Vale Stakes; Angler, Seagull, and My Dream, the Melbourne Derby; Lady Heron, Seagull, Sylvia, and My Dream, the Melbourne Oaks; Angler and Gasworks the St. Leger.' Fenella has won minor races both at Rand wick and Flemington. Cowra has been a winner of the Port Phillip Stakes, the All-Aged Stakes at Hobart Town, and the Sandwick Derby, besides events of lesser importance. More recently we have noticed the performances of some of the thoroughbreds Ace of Clubs has left behind him ; and' 'foremost of those of the Ace, that in March last was the winner of the Grand Stand Stakes at Flemington, and during the following month, at Bandwick, carried away the Cumberland Sflttfcr and the All-Aged Stakes, and with tbp^weight on his back, came in first for the City Handicap. It is useless to regret such horses leaving South Australia ; animals of this ▼aloe will necessarily go to the best market,, and we must console ourselves with the knowledge that we are able to produce such, blood stock, even if we cannot keep it. We have had many j spirited breeders in this colony, and pro- , minent among them- for enterprise and judgment have been the Messrs. Fisher and Mr. W. Gerrard. We are glad that the last-named gentleman shows no signs of deserting us, but is still rearing stock that may yet win a name at the greatest turf contests in this hemisphere.