A COLONIAL VIEW OF STEEPLECHASING.

Thames Star, Volume VII, Issue 2120, 20 October 1875, Page 4

A COLONIAL VIEW OF STEEPLECHASING.

Steeplechasin'g (says the Sydney Echo) is "but a brutal sport at best, ami rather ■worthy the tastes of a nation that take delight in suck spectacles as bull-fights than our English notions of manly sport. It is impossible not to feel some cainpassion when a field.of fiery horses and gailyapparelled jockeys appear befoi'e you, and you reflect that probably before many minutes have passed over some of those riders, now in full health and exuberant spirits, may be carried away dead, or, if not, horribly mangled; or, that some of the beautiful animals so eager for the contest may be killed. The <pther day of a field of thirteen horses, six fell over the fences with their riders, one of whom was seriously injured. When the clang of. the horses' legs against the cruel rails of the fence resounded through the field, and horse and rider went down in a mass, a pang "must have shot through every heart in the dense assemblage that witnessed the accident. All this is for our gratification —as the Christians were slaughtered "to make a Roman holiday,"—the phrase is ' " something musty," like Hamlet's proverb. This matter is touched upon by " Kandwick," in a letter to this morning's Herald, and we agree with much that he advances. But he surely errs in alleging that there is a, want of proper training for both horse and rider; the former, lacking the required raetile, and. the -latter " the hand that keeps him well together for a space scanning the distance, and that then gives him rein, and lets him fly_ at it." Any person who is ai all acquainted with the horseflesh of the colonies knows that we can bring our hunters up to almost any standard both as regards mettle and endurance. Ihe riders of Australia are simply the most daring and skilful in the world; as everyone can attest who has lived in the country. We fancy that " Randwick " has deduced his reasoning from the number of accidents at our steeplechases; but, upon the whole, these do not exceed the breaksdown on English and Irish steeplechase courses, where the most distressing and fatal casualties frequently occur.

Pbotidentiaij -Bkn teficei?ce. —Examiner {divifl,e'6f the old school).—"Name an,.instance of benevolence and design •united in the_ native productions of a specified soil." Candidate. —" The growth in Spain and Portugal of the Cork tree, coincident with that of the vines yielding port and sherry." Examiner.—" Very good,: indeed, sir, I trust you will live to to be a.bishop." (Candidate passes with flying colours.) ' Mark Twain went to a great base-ball match at Hartford recently, and lost his xvmbrella', for which he advertised as follows ; :—" Two Hundred and Five Dollars Peward.—At the great base-ball match on Tuesday, .while I was engaged in hurrahing, a small boy walked off with an Eng-lish-made brown silk umbrella belonging to me, and forgot to bring it back, I will pay five,dollars for the return of that umbrella m good condition to iriy house, on Ifarmington Avenue. I do not want the boy (in an active state),but will pay two hundred dollars for his remains. Samuel D. Clements." The American poet-laureate Smith had a query put to him which he thought it might be useful to the world for him to try and solve; it was this—"Why is nn egg underdone like an e^ overdone ? " He was at last compelled to refer it to Congress. After sitting upon.it several days they called in Mark Twain, who said, " You see, it is because they are both hardly done, which I hope is not the case with Smith, for it is to be trusted he is' quite done." Rival poets will be severe. Loye and Economy.—One of ouv young men when he was mamed did'nt want to patronise the baker. He said bread tasted ever so much better made by her dear hands. This delighted her. But when she wanted a scuttle of coal, and he suggested that she should get it, as the fire would feel so much better if the coal was brought by her dear hands, she was disgusted. Women, are so changeable.—Danbury News.