Stakes of 25 sovs. each, 15 ft., (7 subs.), Mr. Stephenson's Doctrine withdrawing her stake. SUMMARY OF COSSACK'S PERFORMANCES. In 1846 he ran once. In 1847 he has run three times, and won three :- The Derby The Swinley Stakes.. : 675 5,250 75 £6,000 His only engagements for this year are the Liverpool Cup (for which, of course, he will not go), and the St. Leger, for which, despite the force of precedent, he is backed to win at anything equal to three to one. For 1848 he is down in the great four-year-old stake at Goodwood. The "curious coincidences," so ingeniously traced out by scribes and amateurs, are more than usually abundant in connexion with the Derby of this year. First, as to birth, the winner of the Derby last season was bred in Northamptonshire: so he was this! Second, in re education, the winner of the Derby in 1846 was trained at Danebury so he was in 1847!! Third, as to running, the winner of the Derby last year made his prologue the Newmarket Stakes: so he did this!!! And fourth, as to riding, the jockey who won the Derby last year also won the Oaks: and so he did this!!!! Having thus given every particular regarding the winner of the Derby himself, let us conclude with a word or two for those who come in for a little contingent celebrity-the owner and the artist. To the former, Mr. Pedley, the business of the ring has, until very lately, been the chief attraction; and his prominent position in it is thus happily alluded to by Lord Maidstone in his "Betting-Ring" and again— "Here Pedley proffers, with transcendent roar, "See Pedley stand auspicious on the pump, Clear his fine voice, and give the warning thump." As owner, up to Epsom '47, Mr. Pedley had figured in no way so conspicuously; for beyond Cossack and Miss Burns, his nominations have achieved little name or fame. Of Mr. Hall our say must be as short, for deeds not words are the touchstone of the painter, even as of his subject; and these, in either instance, we believe to be sufficiently good to speak for themselves. If not yet at the top of the tree as an animal painter, Mr. Hall is rapidly advancing; and having made Newmarket his home, he of course enjoys every advantage in studying the proportions and catching the characteristics of the English racehorse. It was here that Marshall and Herring fulfilled the promise of early performance. C The winter of 1838-9 I resided in the more central parts of Sweden, near to the small town of Wenerzborg, situated at the southern extremity of the great lake Wenern. Several varieties of game, as well as of wild beasts, amongst the rest bears and wolves, were to be found thereabouts. My gun, therefore, was not unfrequently put in requisition. About the middle of November some peasants, pursuing their usual avocations in the forest, at some few miles from my residence, roused two bears-mother and well grown cub-from the den in which they had prepared to pass the winter. The peasants attempted to ring the beasts; but, owing to the ground being only partially covered with snow, and their tracks in consequence soon lost, this became impracticable. From the direction the animals took, however, the men had an idea where they were likely to be found. Some few days subsequently, these people came to me with the above intelligence. But as at the time little good could be done, we agreed to wait for a fresh fall of snow; which occurred about the middle of December, when we at once took the field. We mustered altogether six; and, thinking there was a possibility of stealing on the bears, formed line as usual, and silently advanced through the forest: a brace of very good dogs, that I then possessed, were with us. Thus we proceeded, threading such tangled brakes, and, as we suspected, for several hours. At length the alarm was given by one of the party that the bears were on foot. It appeared the man caught a glimpse of them as they were leaving their den; but they unfortunately moved off at so quick a pace, that he was unable to fire. As at this time the snow, which was more than ankledeep, somewhat impeded our movements, though to the bears, from their great muscular power, the snow offered little or no obstacle, we thought it better to ring them, rather than make a nearly hopeless attempt to run them down. Expecting a fall of snow to enable me to use skidor, which would have given me advantage over the bears, I waited a fortnight. But none came; and being fearful, if a thaw ensued, that which was on the ground might be dissolved, and the tracks of the beasts in consequence lost, I thought it best to get up a skall for their destruction. This occurred in the early part of January, when M. Sandelbjelm, the Governor of the Province, placed upwards of three hundred men at my disposal. A good many shots were fired before the bears were killed, and altogether it was rather a stirring affair. Several of our countrymen from Gothenburg were present. One of the number claimed the honour of having shot the larger of the beasts. The peasants be haved well, and were much rejoiced at our success, the rather as skalls that had taken place thereabouts in former years had seldom been attended with favourable results. At the conclusion of the battue our trophies were borne to Skogsäter, where we had our rendezvous in the morning, when the people were regaled with "finkel," or, in other words, potato-brandy, which, to their notions, surpasses nectar. Not hearing of any other bears in the vicinity, and the winter wearing away, I determined on proceeding into Wermeland, and there trying my fortune. About the middle of February, therefore, with a brace of dogs, I started in a sledge for Risäter, the residence of Mr. Falk, from whom the best information was sure to be obtained. I drove my own horse, or rather pony, the whole way, a distance of about one hundred and fifty miles, and reached that place in little more than three days-a fact corroborative of what I have elsewhere stated as to the powers of endurance of the Swedish steeds. My old friend most kindly and hospitably entertained me; but the visit, so far as bears were concerned, was a total failure; for though, from his official appointment, he was in almost hourly communication with the peasants for miles and miles around, he knew not of a single ring within the province. After spending, therefore, a few days with that gentleman, I proceeded by sledge some thirty miles farther up the country to Elg, my former chasseur. He was then residing at Gröpbeyet, near to Brunberget, where he had squatted several years previously, and, having cleared some ground and built a snug house, was very comfortably circumstanced. As Elg, no more than Mr. Falk, could give me any distinct intelligence of bears, I began to think my journey would be a fruitless one, and that I should have to head back to the southward as wise as I came. He informed me, however, that one of those beasts had of late committed many ravages amongst the cattle thereabouts, and that it was a generally-received opinion that he had made his lair at some five or six miles to the south-east of Brunberget. So, after consultation, we determined on using our best endeavours to get the animal on foot. The better to effect this object, we beat up for volunteers, promising a trifling gratuity in the event of success. But, under any circumstances, the peasants in the vicinity were ready to aid us, as well for the reason that the bear on which we had an eye had proved a very troublesome neighbour, as that, during the preceding summer, the same beast, as it was supposed, had severely wounded a poor woman, who, in her courageous endeavours to protect some cattle entrusted to her charge, had nearly fallen a victim to the brute's ferocious attacks. On the appointed day we mustered at an early hour at Brunberget, twelve in number. We were few, to be sure; but our men were generally old foresters, and, from their local knowledge, twice as valuable as inexperienced people. All were provided with a sufficiency of provision to pass a couple of nights in the forest, and also with "skidor," which indeed were indispensable, for, as the snow was deep and loose, we should otherwise have sunk to the knee, or even deeper, at every step. |