Cornwall Chronicle (Launceston, Tas. : 1835 - 1880), Saturday 9 October 1841, page 4


THE 'DEKRY' DAY.

{From the Sunday Times, May S0._)

The morning rose fair on the Derby-day. If Napoleon exclaimed nt Moscow, 'This is the sun of Austerlitz,' well might u similar exclamation of delight have escaped from the tens of thousands who were about to proceed to the course. A more beautiful morning uevcr came nut of the skies; it appeared as if Aurora and PIkeIiui had mudc airanuenients for the benefit of the visitors, and were in leaiiue, *»r, ht

least, in partnership with the venders of wine, beer, and -pop,' who hailed the promised heal of the day with the true commercial feeling nf retailers in liquids for the removal of thiist and the renovation of the fatigued. Throuuhout tbe inctro|ioh's ad was on tlie qui vivc ; fur once in the year there were no sluggards. All were up and stilling from the Klra«bonuet-maker in the two-pair back of the narrutv street in the East, to the daughter of the ri|;!» honourable ill the aristocratic neighbourhood of Bclsmve and Grostenor-tquarrs. Coachmen, e'ooms. lacqueys, foolboys, housemaids, i tie whulc genus scrvus were in active employment. ['jsl-h.Hscsand swell drnjis Mttlinj through the street*.; — citf*, tumbrels, and cabs 'cutting awd-' ill all directions, to take up their loads, whilst those enormous nomadic, lumbering, mid nondescript vehicles, culled soincwhul strangely ' pleasure vans,' crawled heavily alon-. laden with live cargoes of del, mid blood, like Niwh'i ark upon wheels. Uy ten o'clock the move was almost universal The laities Imd Imcldcd on I heir lic-t bibs and lucHprji, a(Jj'»led l heir new bonnels, and taken their seals in tlivir respective CAi'i-mces, and I he ueiulemtii bad srcuri'd I heii berths in their -oiiou.velii-.'lcs.orl-estri-Meiil)-eirn--zJ;miile-, private property, or hired for the turn, as the rase mi^ht be; nil was in motion, and mats lifter mass, and column after column. In use a military term, debauched from the principal avenues of the tonn, and made for the scene of action. Tlie Elephant and Cattle. —or, as it is elegantly abbreviated, the 'Ele-liliant.' exhibited as rare a collection of car. tinges, horsemen, pedestrians, &c, as we ever remember to have beheld. Retired stage I'oiiclies, superseded by steam and the raili o«ds. Hgain made their appearance; omnititt&tB, disdaining the dull monotony of continually making their laborious transit from I'lrcadilly to I he Hunk, from Mile-end to CImlinii-crnss, or from Paddingtoll to lloll»irn-liill, declared in for the races, and 'wheeled about and turned about' willi an alacritv that augured ill for the security of less formidable ?)r»._'«. Tlie cal-s from the adjacent stands ivere all engaKcd ; a swarm of go-carts, in (lie shafts of which was the ' best little tliini;' in t''.ni;!and, and ill the bodies of which were i towed nt least right or ten persons, and some o( them nf ex'.mi.rdimiry bulk and develop, mem, bulb male and female, were prepared to ' iln,' the seventeen miles in an hour and a hair, for ?? five bob' a-licad. In addition to tlii-sc. u cavalcade ofnniinnk, said to be saddle horses, respited for the day from the knackers, were drawn up in expedition of thi-ir riders, nail suarms of fish carts, dot raits, and so forth, made up the host of '? locomotives' which were to convey to the course the noble sporting gentlemen «nd their l«dia-. The scene iicie -vas a humourous one — nay, tlicre was food for phil.ffophers; but, unfortunately for that class of prrionc, there w*as no standing room fur their knowledge for the good of tlieir felluwn. At Hyde Park Corner tlir aspect of thincrs was fi/ually eiritinc, mid ralher more Rcntrel. There w,.,c more gond lurns-out pH»Miir; along I lie ro«d, and fener of i he 'clods.' lfthcrbildien of the 'mobi-lity' hud the best of it at the 'Elephant.' ihe iliildrin of tlie ?' nobility' 'rime it stronger' al Grosvenor.pUre. Si. II llicre was the ««e liimlf, ihr same ttprn»l rulllc of vehicles, the same -? shining morning faces,' and the same rr.nluti.m In make a day of it at the race c.iur.e. At The Terminus of the tlailroad. At Vauihall, a swarm of ' railers.' in more K».'n«es of the word than one, were assembled nnil met together. Here ivas - rush for lirki-ts; fiist class gnd second class passengers jollied and propelled each other with a vehemence more illustrative of their eagerness to Ret down early to Kingston than or goon manneri. The rival sieam companies' boats were continually bringing fresh cargoes. Those ivno ?fid not, or could not, go to the races, amused themselves with remarks on those who were about to depart ; some of their remarks were cither not understood, or taken in i'l-will ; hints of punching heads, and ?- no mistake,' were given, and if the police had not interfered, would have no doubt lieen illustrated by the manual efforts of the controversialists; as ii rros, order was preserved, and surly civility tutored. The Road to the Ram. The immense crowd that passed through Tooting «-e never remember to have seen eicrcded in numbers; it was a succession of carTinges of all binds for several hours. Further nn the mad the line of carriages became lessened, — one portion proceeding; directly for Kpsnm through Clicam and Ewell, and the other making for Sullon. Uv this time the boises began to frcl the effects of the heat of the day. The intensity of the sun, the want nl' shade, and the clouds of dust, pioduecd their natural effects. There was ' pulling up' to 'damp the mu^s' nf 'man and beast.' Hav and water, gin and water, double X and stout, were emplojed to strenijthen the weak, «nd help the pradi to their work. ' Bottom, hnnt, and Mood,' could hardly make a walk --f it. ' Bellows to mend' has lieard on all sides, and nothing hut the incessant thontr of drivers could urge the niajorily of ?' thing' to the conclusion of their journey. The Downs. The Doivns exhibited the finest sight we ever remember in our cipcrience of thirty years to hav. witnessed. It was in the year 179!) that 'hiit the late Karl of Derby first instituted tbe ' Derby.' The rare is not now run on the old couitc on which it origfinnllv took place. The present Derby course is etaclly a mile and n half in length, and something in the form of a horse-shoe. The first three quarters of a mile is nearly straight— there is a slight bend; the turn tlicn becomes gradual, and passes round what is called Tattcnhnm-hill. The l»t half mile from the Tatlcnham-corncr to the winning. pnit is quite straight. Having nmrlr this remark, tvliirh nmy l,e urrful to be kiion'tit iv c will proceed to dcscrjlie the i-r?ric t-iliihiled round this course and on the downs. From the judge's stand or winning-post, cojnpletcly up to Tatten ham-corner, the course on (mill tides »as bounded by iok-s of carriages, four, live, and ill some places til deep. From flit judge's ctmid in the diiec'iun to the (own of Epsoin. it was bounded on both sides by hoaths died with people ; at the end or the course in (life direction were encampment! of persons who supplied hay and corn, and a perfect army of go-carts and four-wheeled chaises. The hill opposite the Grand Stand was covered with carriages, so closely packed, that in many places it was difficult to pass between them. In the space between the hill and the rncecourse were booths and tents, and places for htf and corn ; and farther on, in the obtuse angle fnrmed by the bend of the race-course at TnHenliam-corDer, was an immense concourse of carriages. All these were filled with people; and amongst them were most of the nobility and fashionable persons in London. In short, the race-course displayed a more than usual exhibition of rank and female beauty ; a right more aniniattd, more brilliant or nttiadive, could not lie imagined. It wat a ?ight which no other country in the world

-oiilJ produce, and ivliicb »lonc, without any icference whatever to the mere racing, was well worth the journey from Ijondon, or from a much more distant part of England, to get a peep nt The great abomination of the course was the horde of ruffians, who, under the name of pe»-und-lliimblc men, infest tlie races. The police should put these fellows down, or conline them to places on the downs. where their foul language would not be an offence to the icspcclalile vi.itoi-s. Another nuisance is tile presence of a parcel of brandy-faced women, who sit under the bhade of enormous parasols, and preside over L.ambliii|;-lablcfi, at which the unwary are entrapped to play without the slichlct chance of winning. These minor evils, honevcr. were forgotten in the general enjoyment of the day. In tl.c Grand Stand it may lafely be said, were assembled an immense mob of persons both male and female, coinmni'iiR almost all the rank, wealth, talent, and beauty in the country. The arrangements here under the superintendence of Mr. Careless, of the New York Tavern. Cornhill, were everything that could he desired. Tlicre was no lack of refreshment of all kinds at fair prices, and, what is but seldom the case at a race-course, the wines were ofciccllent qualitv. It was half-pait three o'clock before the ' Derby' was run, the event and the circumstances arc fully ciplaincd beneath, and therefore we will here express no opinion about them. Immediately after the race was over, the eatinp and drinking commenced. It would almost seem »s if the compnny Imd endured hunger and thirst us long as nature coi:ld support them, till the treat event was decided ; ihen niijrht be seen the commissaries of the owners of barouches and carriages unpacking their hampers, and displaying tlieir contents ; cold chicken, pigeon pies, hams, &c, were in great force; no one would have thought that there was any scaicity in the land, or that un alteration in tfie existing corn-laws could oper.»tc to produce a greater abundance of good cheer. Be this as it may. tbe process or mastication commenced almost simultaneously amongst a hundred thousand persons. Then came the uncorking of wine bottles. It has been remarked bv sonic statistical calculator of I he productions of French vineyards, that theie i» more champagne drank in the city of New York alone than call br grown in all the vineyards of Champagne. If the same pbiloscip/ier imd been at Epsom on (be Dcrlij- nay, he would have wondered where hII the champagne came fruiu that was absorbed on the course. Whether or not from Champagne, we presume not to decide. It gave, or appeared to give, j;rcat satisfaction; and as no bad consequences resulted, we sec no reason why an r.n^lish vintage should not be enjoyed by an Kiif!i-ll public. The process of catini; and drillkinjr was persisted in far upwards of two hours, with mo«t praise woi thy pertinacity of purpose, to tlie great satisfaction of all parlies enlaced, and to the admiration of ihe leholders. It was not till seven o'clock that the enormous party on the Oowus began to think of retJrning; home. Tbe scene was then a very extraordinary one. The carriages, bursti away from their respective clustc.s, and making ! towards their several destinations, resembled divisions of mi army obeying the commands of ' a commandcr-in-chief, and acting under the directions of a superior officer. The DERBY STAKES of SO sovs. each ; | Tor three-year-old colts, 8-t. 7tb. ; and fillies I Sit. OS,. Lns- mile and half. Tlie second j horse to receive £1 00 out of the stakes, and . the ivinncr to pay 100 sovs. towards the 1 Polif-c, ic. 15* subs. Mi. IWlinson's b. c. Coronation, by Sir ' [Icixules,nutofltul.y_P.tonilnlly - 1 Lord West minster's b c. Van Amliurgh, by ! PuntaLton, out of Decoy-Holmes - 2 ? The following aim Marled, but verc not : placed:— Lord Albeinaile'tch. c. Ralph, by Dr. Sm: tax-J. Day - - . . ' - 0 ' Lord Westminster's ch. c. Marshal Soult— W. Scott ? 0 I Mr. Vansiltari's b. c. Guiaor, by Muley I Moloch— Hcsselline ... 0 Lord Lilchfleld's ch. c. Belgrade, by Bel. shazzar— Wakefield .... 0 Lord Jersey's b. c. Joachim, by Glaucus — K. Edward ? 0 Mr. Dixnn'scb. c. Knightsbridge, by Bran — Buckle - --.'.- 0 Duke of Rutland's b. c. Sir Hans, by Phy. sician— W. Boyce .... 0 Colonel Peel's br. c. CtmeloD. by Camel— N. Stagg ? 0 Mr. Creville's br. g. Pilaamon, by Glaucui —Nat ? 0 I Colonel Wyndham's eh. c. Monsieur L« Sa(re-W. Day .... 0 Mr. Thornhill's b. c. E. O., by Emilius— Petit ? 0 ; Mr. Thornhill's ch. c. Eringo, brother to Mancn—Hornshy .... 0 i Col. Western's br. c. The Nob— Bartley 0 ! Mr. Copeland's br. c. Mustapha Muley— Sir G. Hcathcote's br. c. Mongolian— ? Chappie ? 0 ' Mr. Saddler's ch. f. Protection, by Defence : -S. Rogert ? 0 1 Lord F.xelcr's ch. c. Cetarewitch— Darling 0 Mr. Wimbush's b. c. Finchley, by Glaucus — W Cotton ? 0 Lord Oifnrd's b. c. Arundel, brother to I Ascot_S. Mann .... 0 | Captain Ridge's c. by Calebs— Calloway 0 Mr. Rush's ch. c. by Plenipo— Robinson - 0 Mr. K. Buckley's ch. c. Gilbert, brother to Tom — M. Jones ... .0 Capt. Williamson's br. c. St. Cross—Mac, donald ----.. 0 Col. CraufordV br. f. Erniengardis— Tem. pieman ...... fj Mr. E. Griffiths' ch. c. Hereford- WhiteMr. DaUon's ch. f. Potentia, by Plenipo— Sly - - - - - . . 0 Mr. Negus' b. c. Negut Portsoken ? A. Perren ? 0 Betting just before the Start. In the town Marshal Soult, Ralph, and Coronation were backed at 4 to 1 each, the Marshal having the call; on the course, however, the Coronation party sent in their money so freely, that he closed at 5 to 2 (taken) ; the last prices against the other favourites being 6 lo 1 against Ralph (taken)— 7 to 1 against Marshal Soult (taken)— 9 to 1 against Belgrade— 12 to 1 against Van Amburgh— 13 lo 1 against Galaor (taken)— 25 to 1 against Joachim— 25 to 1 against Knightsbridge-30 to 1 against Ermcngardis— 30 to 1 against Sir Hani— 83 to 1 against Potentia— and 60 to 1 against E. O. The Saddling. Warrenlcss in their woe, the jockeys prepared to saddle at the spot selected last year, and now came the earnest gaze of those who beheld tlie Tacks, if not the best part of (lie field, for the first time. Thirty-one upon the card. Out they came; and as many gentlemen are not as good arithmeticians as Michael Cassio, they vowed the carded lot were ill out. 'Tivas not so— two (including Knight or the Whistle) were absent. Marshal Soult showed well, and Scott wore his everyday jaunty devil-may-care look— a sort of matters, are-all-right air ; whereas, when he is really going forili to win, he is nervous and unsetlied. Sir Hans wa» in tip-top condition. I'olentia looked more likely for the Oaks than Ihe Derby. Ermcngandis better than her Rob. inion (will he never be old ?), Macdonald. Connolly, and twenty other jockeys, including Bartley, of Oxford-street, Cordovan consumer, who made his second appearance as a Derby rider, seemed happy at birds. The race is an exciting scene — a breathless moment of enjoyment, interne even lo ngony ; but to witness the saddling, the getting together, and Ihe

.tart, k really beautiful in the highest seme of | the word. No country hut England ever pro. dui'cd such a scene, such horses, or such wen. But they can't be saddling for ever— they are rapidly gelling under way. Off go the horsemen across the furze lo the iinagioary bcls places to see all or as much as possible of the whole race ; there is a stir on the liill too, and the rails and ropes are in some danger of being borne down by the pressure of the multitude. Now the twenty-nine arc really preparing fot The Start. ' They're off.' '? Back ugain, back again ? not to be done,' said or thought ould Johnny Day. Anolher attempt— the attempt, but nol the deed, confound it. They're together for the third time— mid ' there's luck in an odd number, sayillory O'More,' but the Irishman was in error for once. A fuurth start— ' Eyes.' as Macbeth says—a fifth — a sixth. Like Billy Black's friends, we give it up. We remember one occasion that tile brawny and fareitnuc Josli Hudson was seconding a trc'-tleman of the Nick Ward school, who sparred and ducked for twenty minutes, but would'nt go in lo work, upon which Jolly Josh tied up his head, laid down very comfortably, and said ' Wake me when they begin to fight.' The awful heat of the day inclined many to fling themselves on the sward, and exclaim, ?' Wake us when they really start.' Seven is a mystic number, and at the seventh attempt they really (TololT very well together. Those who tvere annoyed by, and complained of, the loss of time occasioned by the starts, should remember that lo net twenty-nine hoises off ii a task of great difficulty, especially when everybody is looking out for what Mr. Attwood calls ' his position.' The Race. A roar of artillery, a charge of cavalry ploughing up the earth, a drove of wild elephants hearing down all before them, the rushing of the rapids of a mighty river ? lo these things alone eau be compared the dash at the Derby. The first horse nho obtained a slight advantage in front wus Ralph. Potentia was the furthest forth of a ruck after him; the pace improved up the hill, Colonel Peel's colt coming out and headinn Ralph for a moment or two. At this point several seemed to have enough of it. Johnny Day and StaRg ' kept their own company' to I lie corner, but Camclon changed colour short ly after, mid left Ralph to struggle forwards un. accompanied, (t was quite evident (fiat tlie riders of Muley, E. O., Arundel, Potentia, and Soutt, were reserving their horses. Sly at last thought he saw his opportunity, and called on his mare (Portentia); she answered it kindly, but Ralpb.who bad cut out the work splendidly, und struei;led bravely, was now compelled lo give way, for Patrick Connolly put Coronalion to work. Arundel attempted to challenge, but was kept in Ihe rear of tbe ' ciand ceremony .' Van Amburgli now showed and a shout was raised for the lion-lamer; this had the effect or putting the steam on, and the pace became terrific. Coronalion steadily held his own ; it was evident thai, barring an accident, be hius( win. The raring was confined to Van Ambush and Arundel, with E. O., and Muley getting up an independent entertainment of their own immediately behind Ibcm. Arundel fought gallantly, but Amburgh led the van. Coronation won hotv he liked by at least three lengths. Van Amburgh, clear of the last three horses we have named, was of course second. A third horse was not placed. Muley.tuy some ; Arundel, say we; but these two, and E. O., lay so close together, it would have been difficult lo name a third. Poor Ralph brought up the next division with Erin go (who bad looked ivcll for it at the (urn) and three others. The winner nf last year's Derby had the bad luck to be the last jockey that caught our eyes as the jaded, dusty, and overdone outsiders toiled up l he course. The race was a very beautiful one, but, as there was nothing near the winner, not of a very exciting character. Value of the Stakes, £4275.