THE ENGLISH DERBY.

The following description of the English Derby is taken from The Sporting Life : — As the competitors filed up the hill towards the starting post the rain, whish had partially ceased, commenced to fall in grim earnest again, and the delays occasioned by the various breakß away must hare been even more annoying to the jockeys than they were to the J thoroughly drenched spectators. At length the. advance flag fell, and the great struggle had commenced, and never "was the cry, ' They're off I" more welcome, as even the excitement and enthusiasm engendered by the magnitude of the Rtruggle was fast oozing away before the onslaughts of hail and rain. Not for many years has the Derby been decided under such disadvantageous conditions, i as th» colours of the jackets, sodden with rain, became quite blurred and almost indistinct as they raced along the sky-line and commenced the descent of tho hill. Dorcas, who on the outside had been the first to show in front, carried hor colours promiently up the hill, and always in close proximity to her was to be seen tho orange jacket of Gouverneur. Simonian ivas been beaten early in the struggle,; and though his stable companions— Did Boot* and Fitz-Simon —ran on longer than he did, neither of the pair had any thing to do with the finish .Through th« mist and the driving raim one could always see Gonverneur's colours, ard.he came thundering down the hill, with Dorcas, Martenhurat, Old Boots, and Common, for his nearest attendants. Round Tattenhain Corner Gouverneur swept in advance of Dorcas, Martenhursh, and Common, and came into the straight still in command. Thus far Dorcas had done gallant battle for her owner, but she was done with almost immediately after eho had turned for home, and gave place to Martenhurst and Common. For an instant Gouverneur, upon whom the hopes of French sportsmen rested, looked like atoning for his inglorious defeat in the Two Thousand Guineas; but tho shouts which first hailed his victory in anticipation had scarcely died away ere the hopes which raised them were shattered, as Common strode up to him without effort, and thus far from home it was evident that Lord Alington'e colt was about to add to his success in the Two Thousand Guineas the greater triumph of a Derby victory. Taking matters in the coolest fashion, George Barrett permitted Common to kesp company with Gouverneur for perhaps 100 yards, but the inntant his head w«a fairly loosed, Common strode right away, and won with consumate ease by two lengths from Gouverneur. There was a rare exciting tussle between Martenhursfc, Cuttlestone, and The Deemster for the third place, which resulted in Martenhurst obtaining .the third notice of the judge. That the victory was eminently popular is certain, as despite the depressing woather influences the winner was waa loudly cheered as he returned to the unsaddling paddock, and the cheers were renewed when the fateful words 'All right' were shouted from the weighing-room door. In proof of the heaviness of the downpour it must be stated that upon returning to scale it was found that all the jockeys were 21b over weight, whilst Webb pulled down the beam at Sib over 1m prescribed weight. Th« reason for this was ao evident thub the steward* of the jockey club, who, of course were sent for by the clerk of the boslob, at once gave that official power to pass the jockeys of the three placed animals. Therace occupied Sminntes 66 4-6 th seconds. Tho value of the stake was

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