ENGLISH AND FOREIGN.

A very exceptional incident occurred at the New Orleans races recently. Bstween the two days' racing all the horses advanced a year in age, so that two-year-olds who ran on the first day performed as three-year-olds on the second. The price paid for Barealdine was £8000, and not £10,000 as currently reported. The subscription to the horse is full. Parole's earnings during his nino years' career on the Turf amount to 82,154d01. Both the aged son of Leamington and the Derby winner, Iroquois, will be trained for their engagements this season. Tho latest betting on the great Spring three-year-old events is as follows: —

T'.VO THOUSAND GUINEAS, 6 to 1 agst lloyat Forn (off, tk 7 to 1) 3 — 1 Royal Peru and Ilarvcator coupled (tit and wanted) THE DERBY. 10 to I afrst Adelaide fitly (tic and olt) 12 — 1 Harvester (tk and off; 100 — 8 Wickham (Ui) 10J - 7 Itoyal Forn (Ik) 100 — (j Talisman (tk acel off) 20 — 1 Carabuiniore (tk) •21-1 Camlet (tk) 0.9 _ i Doncastcr Cup (off, tk 33 to 1) 1000 — 200 agst any two (offered). 500 — 40J the fo lowing seven : The Adelaide filly, Wiokliam, Ilwvestor, ilresfc, lioyal Fern, Condor, and Fritz (tk).

There are some 1500 horses at present in the various training stables in and around Newmarket, and a clear bill of health is reported. Scottish Chief, who is now twenty-three years old, was disposed of at tho sale of Mr Blenkiron's horses, at Albert Gato, in January for 300 g3. to M. E, Blanc, and his destination is France.

Splendor, tho property of the New Zealand sportsman, Mr Stead, and Prince Maurice got loose while at exercise at Newmarket one morning in January, and engaged in a rare battle, but fortunately were secured before they had seriously injured each other. The two-year-old, Gael, by Silvio out of Jannetto, was also interfered with, but escaped serious

injury. A most lamentable catastrophe occurred at the farm known as Tilbury, situated about three miles from Oxford, in January, whereby 14 valuable horses and a foal wero burnt to death. The farm is tenanted by Mr Ireland, the owner being the Barl of Abingdon, and his lordship's son, Lord Norreys, made use of the farm for keeping some of his stud horses and breeding others. It appears that about halfpast 11 o'clock at night a cottager in the immediate neighbourhood perceived flames issuing from the stables, which are some thirty in number, and placed so as to form three sides of a square. Saveral gentlemen in the west end of Oxford also noticed the conflagration, and they drove in a trap to the scene. Meanwhile Mr Ireland and the inmates had been roused, and the steam firo-engine from Oxford had arrived. By the time, however, efforts wero directed to release the horses the flames had gained the mastery of the stables, which were thatched. A north-westerly wind fanned the flames, which spread with great rapidity, and as the thatch became ignited the lighted portions fell through the roof into the stables, and set fire to the straw beddings of the horses. Mr Ireland and his servants worked heroically to save the animals, who were in dreadful agony, with the roaring flames seething round them. They succeeded in releasing Sir Bevys, winner of the Darby in 1879, and Rattler, a well-known and high-priced roadster, who wore extricated almost unscathed from their boxes. The other stables wore quickly opened, but out of the 20 or 27 horses in them it was impossible to save 14 of the poor animals. It waa not until half-past 1 o'clock next morning that the fire was subdued, when in 11 stalls there were found the roasted remains of their occupants. Two valuable mares—one with foal at foot, and the other in foal, the latter valued at £1000, and the property of Mr Stevens, of Chirlington —were amongst the dead, whilst Mr Ireland lost five excellent horses, and Lord Norreys and other gentleman who had sent mares to the stud are.also sufferers. In addition to the stables a coach-house, with several carriages, a saddle-room, with the usual complement, wore burned, and two fox terrier 3 which were in the saddle-room were also consumed. Tho fire is supposed to have originated in this department, but it was believed that that there was no fire in the fireplace whan it was shut up for the evening. Give and Take Plates, in which horses contended at wei'iht for inches instead of weight for age, as in the present day, were so popular from the middle of 1700 to the close of the century, and even subsequently, that no meeting was held without one or two of them being included iv the programme. They have been now so long obsolete, that it may interest the present habitues of the racecourse to know that a rogular scale of weights had been agreed upon by common consent under which these races were run. The weight to be carried by horses measuring 14 hands was set at Oat, and those above or below that height had to carry 71b more or less for every inch they stood higher or lower than the 14 hands fixed as tho criterion. The distance run was two miles, and as a hand was computed to measure din, a horse measuring 14 hands l-'iin would have to carry 9st 101b So/.; a horse measuring 13 hands 2^in would be burdened with only Bst 31b Soso, tha former being only l.Un below it; tho weight was consequently added or diminished by -Jin nioro or teas according to the height of the horse.

In Lord Berohaven, who succeeds his father in tho Earldom of Bautry, the turf is likely (says Land and Water) to have an ardent and liberal Mippoitor. The (loath of his father was bo little anticipated by tho new Earl that he is now on a tour in New Zealand.

Tho Spin ting Chnmiclu hears that tho jockey C, Wood lias parted with all his horses to fair G. Chetwynd for their racing career. This is ono of the limt fruits of thu rccint mandate of Iho Jockey Club.

An Jongli.-ai pipnr tells rather a good elnry of Ghidiatnir, tho winner of tho Two Thousand Guineas, Dorby, and L«ger, being taken for a harness horso. Om; day Jack Abul was driving through tho streets of Newmarket when he met Tom Jennings. " Hullo, Tom," ho called out. "l:avc you got any of your big-boned ugly brutes that are 100 slow for racing that you want to soil for twenty or thirty pounds apieco?" Tom thought for a moment, and then, with a mischievous twinkle in his eye, said, " Yes, two or three. Come round and look at 'em." In tho courso of time, John Abel arrived at Phantom Cottage, and wr.s shown into a box in which there was a big-boned angularlooking horse. "You can't want much for that 'un, Tom," li 3 raid. "I shan't stand more than twenty for that," and ho raiseiHiis stick in order to make him move over. " For God s sake don't hir. him or he will kick us all out of tho box," said Tom, in an alarmed manner. " Oh, you ugly brute, I'll teach you manners when 1 get you," replied Jack, apostrophising the horao, and then turning to the boy, who was looking on the whole proceeding as though ho wore thunderstruck, " What's his name, boy?" "Gladiateur, sir." Jack Abel bolted out of tho box, and made the beet time to tho railway station that was ever accomplished by a man of his years,