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THE THOROUGHBRED ECLIPSE.
The famous Eclipse was bred by the
Duko of Cumberland, and foaled in 1764,
during the great eclipse of the sun which
happened in ihe spring of that year.
Front this event (says "Privateer" in
The Sportsman) he took his name He
was a chestnut horse with a white hind-
log, and a blaze in the face. He was
much above the size of the average
thoroughbred horses of the day, and an
inch higher at the top of the croup than
at the withers. In fact, Mr. St. Bel left
it on record after the autopsy, which he
performed with great care, that Eclipse
was about sixteen hands two inches at
the croup, and that his length, from the
front of his shoulder to the extremity of
his buttock, exceeded his height by two
inches. Up to that time it had been
held that a horse ought to be just as long
as lihe was high, and no higher behind
than before, or before than behind. Be-
cause Eclipse differed in both these par-
ticulars, and because lie was unquestion-
ably the greatest racehorse that had ever
appeared, Mr. St. Bol carefully took his
dimensions after death, and published
them. Some have said that he must
have made a mistake, and that Eclipse
could not have measured sixteen hands
two inches behind, because his skeleton a
hundred years afterwards measured much
less. But the shrinkage in the bones
and the processes of the joints would be
very great. The skin, flesh, and muscle
were absent from the skeleton, and in all
probability it was not set upon the
horse's hoofs as he stood in life. It could
not have boon, for one of his hoofs was
at Newmarket, and was subject to chal-
leonge to be run for like the Whip and
the Challenge Cup. I suppose nobody
thinks that a mummy equals in dimen-
sions the Egyptian who walked about the
streets-of Thebes three or four thousand
years ago.
Mr. St. Bel's description and measure-
menteswere never challenged by any of
his contemporaries, and no doubt was
ever thrown upon his statements until he
had been dead three-quarters of a cen-
tury. Then what an absurdity it is to
reject his evidence and rely upon the con-
jectures and surmises of people who were
not born until long after Eclipse was
dead. Eclipse, according to the best por-
trait that I have seen of him, was a very
large long horse, with a head and neck
denoting the great resolution and fierce-
ness of temper he is known to.have
possessed. He was clean cut all over,
round in the ribs, light rather than heavy
in the carcase, and a little long in the
back. His withers were low, but the
bladebones of his shoulders were so high
and wides at the top that they stood above
the spinal processes called the withers,
so that a firkin of butter would lie between
them and remain steady on its bilge. His
back was very strong, his loins were
arched and fully furnished with muscle.
His quarters were long and deep, but not
so massive as are sometimes seen. His
thighs were long and strong, but lie was
notu what is called let low down in the
hocks, like a greyhound. On the con-
trary, the points of his hocks stood high
from the ground like those of a hare.
In the picture I have seen Eclipse is
standing at his ease, held by a groom in
the Duke of Cumberland's livery, and he
looks like a largo loig horsb of great
power and the highest blood-like dare
devil attributes. At first his spirits
were so high aud his temper was so un-
governable that it was thlought he could
never be brought to the post as a stallion.
If lie had been made a gelding it would
have been a grievous, almost an irre-
parable loss, for though I scout the
notion that the excellence of our great
thoroughbreds comes from any one horse,
just as I resist the delusion that the
American trotter has proceeded from
some mysterious gift, instinct, or new
quality first developed in English Mam-
brine and his son Messenger, I am im-
pressed with the conviction that Eclipse
did more than any other sire, except
King Herod, to establish the horse of
great size, fine quality, and high type.
He was found to be so fiery and resolute
that he was placed in the hands of a
noted rough-rider, a man as obstinate and
daring as Eclipse himself.
The rough-rider was a notorious poacher,
and after riding the young horse about all
day, he often had him out on predatory
expeditions the greater part of the night.
In some secluded woodland glade or
sheltered dell in the centre of a copse the
future hero of the course was hitched to a
tree while the poacher was busy among
the pheasants; and if perchance the
keepers came upon the scone, it was only
to see him leap on the back of Eclipse
and dash away in the moonlight for the
open country of the downs. By means
of this treatment Eclipse was sulliciently
subdued to be trained. But his temper
was never completely overcome, and his
jockeys never dared to whip him. In a
picture of Eclipse, painted by Sartorius,
he was represented going over the Beacon
Course, pulling hard and running with
Ihis head very low, Oakley sitting still in
the saddle. After the death of Eclipse, at
the age of twenty-five years, Mr. St. Bel
found that his heart weighed 14lbs. This
accounted in large measure for his un-
daunted courage and his inexhaustible
wind. The heart of Leamington when he
died at Chestnut Hill was as large, and
there was no fat about it. This I had
from the professional gentlemen who re-
moved and weighed it-two men of learn
ing and science.
When the Duke of Cumberland died
his horses were sold by auction, Eclipse
among them. He was the first horse pub I
up, and was knocked down to a bidder
before Mr. Wildman appeared upon the
scene. This man was a butcher and sales
man in Smithfield, but also kept raco
horses at Mickleham Downs, nnear Epsom.
He had received information as to the
character of this colt, by Marske out of
Spilotta, most likely from the roiugh
rider, and perceiving that tile salo hadlid
been opened before the appointed time,
he demanded that the colt by Marako out
of Spilotta should Ihe put up again. This
was done, and WVildman bought him for
75 gs.
There were tears in the soft blue eyes
as she raised her head from his shoulder,
and iri response to his urgent requaest to
know what was the matter sobbingly
said, " Papa failed to-day; lost every
cent he had in the world. It is a terrible
blow. But that won't mako any difference
in your feelings for me, George, will it 1"
And she threw a look of entreaty at him
that might have molted a cast-ironelevated
railway director. "No," replied the
implacable youith calmly, "my feelings
for you changed some time ago." Then
he slid out of hler arms as if he had been
greased, and was gone for over.
A very young lady addressed her father
at the breakfast table the other morning
S-"Peppy, I want a now hat and a noew
pair of shoos." "Isupposo so. What
don't yon want 1" remarked the paternal.
" Well," answered the quick witted little
Smiss, "I don't want any cigars."
An Indian squaw was one day scolding
- a little papoose. The brave, the father
- of the lad, turned upomn her reprovingly
"aand said--"'ashlta, usnee not sucih big
, words; his pars are very small."
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