Star (Ballarat, Vic. : 1855 - 1864), Saturday 2 January 1858, page 3


THE TURF INN.

New Year's Day -was a busy and sportive one in the neighborhood of the Turf Inn, and mine host of nie hotel títere would, we doubt not, be able very truthfully to wish himself many similar returns of the day. There were several hundreds of persons present, on horses, on foot, in drays and in shay carts, not a few of the softer sex ming-ling with the rough and dusty lords of the creation. The sports were very various, and were kept up till after sundown ; Lits of pleasure seekers apparently being half inclined to make a bivouac on the ground. The pony races were the liveliest portion of the snorts

and occasioned no little excitement, there ! being a few very close runs. The ground is much encumbered with logs, and badly kept withal, so that it is no wonder a few accidents, which might easily have been fatal ones, occurred during the day. It was singular that in the first three-heat pony race a rider was thrown in each heat, but luckily not one received any serious hurt. Dr Stewart, too, got a tumble in a private race he was having, but he, too, was as fortunate as the younger equestrians and got off with a pretty severe shaking, we believe. There was some dis-puting over one of the heats, and one of the riders came in for an ample share of hootings and groanings, in return for which he chal-lenged all and sundry to a set-to for ten rounds, failing reply to which, the valiant hero very saucily adjured one or two of the noisiest to go and liquidate their liabilities to their sanguinary laundresses, or deposit their three'and sixpence in the bank. We hastened from seeing how far this advice was followed, and went to see the wrestling, which occupied an hour or so, and was of an impromptu but by no means insignificant ' nature. Hack-racing, quoiting, hurdle

racing, and divers other divertissements filled up the dny, and sent everybody away satis ned with the quantity, il not with the quality of all the recreations provided for the open-ing day of the new year, at the pleasant hostelrie of Mr Southward ^ We must not omit to jot down one little incident among many that occurred v. hile we were on the ground As the wrestling was going on, and some respectably dressed women were standing at the outside of the ring, one fellow actually sounded- the depths of the pocket of one of the women, although a trooper was on horseback within a couple of yards of the barefaced attempt. Whether he found the lady's pocket empty, or was disturbed, we know not, but our informant told us he saw tht transaction at a distance, and watched the clever manipulator as he vanished somewhat suddenly in the crowd.

RUMORED LEGAL APPOINTMENTS.-We learn from a source likely to be authentic that the appointment of Chief Secretary to the Attorney-General bas been conferred upon a relative of Mr W. H. Archer, the present

Deputy Registrar-General ; and further, that1 the post of Stipendiary Magistrate for this district is to be filled by a barrister- well known for his extensive mining operations on the Bendigo gold-fields.