"Not know wot that is, mi-lord? Well," said Mr. Wrinkles, "then I'de best let yer ave em both at wonce, as they appened the same night. The weteran tyke I must tell yer were given me to 'settle,' but I looks at im well and considers awhile, and then says I to myself, says I, 'There's life in the old dog yet.

"Wen I were pot-boy at the St. Mary's, wich Tom Brown, as married my second sister, Sue, were then landlord on, I used to look arter the dogs as well as the 'pewter.' He were a rare fancier,' and won a-most all his matches, for he never made one without he had a bit the pull;' it were always six to four on him before they pitted; in fact, I scarcely ever noed him lose one. Well, a pal o' his axed me to destroy a famous old boxer,' as used to mill' in our pit; he never were licked or cried 'a go.' He were in a dreadful state sure-ly; all his old wounds had broke out, and were a running away with him, and he looked all over a croaker.' I said as how I would, and we agrees about it, but I thought to myself I'de run my eye over him fust, and see if I couldn't sneak' him, for he were a terrible useful dog for beginners to mumble at or for trials. That evening I calls up for him, and takes him home, and washes him out clean, and then and there, jolly well Friar's-balsaam's his sores, and shoves a dose a physic into him. Arter I seed as that had done him good, I keeps on at him, messing and fiddling him about, till I gets him all right and square' again.

"You must understand by that time I worn't no longer pot-boy, but out o'collar,' and joined the 'hard up' division. My brother-in-law used to think as I 'lifted' the apence in the tap-room, so I worned him. But I hate serving relations; in the fust place it taint natrel, and in the next they looks down on yer too much, as if you was obligated to them, and a impediment; so I cut it before it came to a row. All the same I used the house, and we kep good friends, and I did for him with the dogs; in fact, in that department he couldn't a done without

me.

"Well, there were three on us in this old dog, and just as we was a going along East, and talking about wot we should do with him, we meets a young 'toff,' who fancied hisself, and said as he'd got a tyke or two as liked a mouthful. We 'up' and tells him about our old un ; on wich he snaps' and says:

"Ile fight yer for a dollar.'

"Done,' says I, overjoyed at the chance.

"To-night,' says he, at nine o'clock-the old drum, Tom Brown's.'

"All right,' says I; 'I'le be there.' And on he goes quick, to put up the shutters.

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"Well, we stood and put our heads together about the stakes; it were 'pockets to let' with the ole lot, we worn't a no use, for none on us had so much as a sprat,' nor the price of a pint o' beer about us. However, the dollar was bound to be got somehow, and then it occurs to me as Ide got a big wooden bowl full o' bad apence, as I'de saved from circulation at the lush crib, to sell by wate. We rushes home strate, and each on us takes a lot o' the queer browns' and goes out, and as it happened to be a Saturday night, coppers was coppers at the shops, and handy things yer no; so we agrees to try it on, each on us

in different beats, axing a tanner' for sixpennorth o' the 'doubtfuls.' Sometimes the 'blokes' stood it, and sometimes they 'rounded' on us; but anyhow, wot with wot we did get, and wot with wot we didn't, and shoving the rest into the marines' for old stuff,' we raised the almighty dollar, and a trifle over for ex's. In course we goes back in high feather, and arter a drink for luck, we takes the tyke out for a run, as he hadn't been off the chain since I'de had him. We toddles him a bit down the road, and terrible fresh and well he were, considering the down pin' he looked wen I fust took to him.

"Well, we hadn't got far afore we meets a light-cart with a gibber, a performing all he noed in the road. Backard and backard goes the oss, till he gets the trap pretty nigh into the ditch; then the chap as was drivin lets him have it ding-dong, and hollows and chucks at him like mad. Just at that moment our Boxer nails' the weel, a fighting and tearing at the tire and spokes, a squealing all the time. Whether this frightened the gib or not, I kant say; but at one bound, off he starts, and the weel passes clean athort the tyke's hind-quarters, and he lay a twisting and a twirling about like a half-skinned eel, with the blood a coming out of him a both ends. Natrally they says, 'Good bye dollar;' but I as noed him as well as if Ide made him, I says, 'If heel only stand up agen, we haint a lost no dollar.' Home we takes him, and I gives him a warm bath; and there's no mistake about it, he comes to hisself, and trots about the room a rum 'un. Hurrah!' says I; 'heel out-stop tother one; he's terrible tuff, and his heart's as brave as a lion's.'

"A little afore nine we all slopes round to Tom's, and upstairs we goes to the pit-room, wen, punctual to promise, in comes our young swell' with another or two, and a chap as was to be his second, a leading his dog in a slip. He were a pretty creetur to look at, but directly I twigged the tyke I noed him of old; Ide' stopped' him twice, but I didn't say nothing about that, it wornt likely; so we makes stakes, and puts down the dollar each, and Jack Peart, as was a pal o' mine, holt 'em. We has a bye bet of half a bull' each, and then gets into the pit and commences business.

"It looked a horse to a hen for the fust quarter of a hour, the young 'un had it all his own way, till the weteran Boxer, none the wuss for the squeage in the road, gets up and lays holt on him by the gullet. It were soon all over then; they makes a 'go away,' and in course they'd to come into our corner. We showed as small a head as we could, and wen their tyke come half-way across the pit, he stops short like, as if heed took to thinking of his mother and father, and how wrong it were to fight at all, and then he scrambles up the side and jumps out of it. This settles the business, and we has the battle money handed over without a whimper. The swell' looked, and no doubt felt small, werry, and were quite down on his luck, and offers to make another match directly for a quid' aside, with a puppy heed send for to kill rats agen time, his puppy agen my puppy (for he noed I'de got a young white 'un as Tom give me), twenty rats each. I didn't much like it, and tried it on fust for half a sov., but a reglar gent as used to use our crib, he sings out:

"Here, Bill, don't be licked; I'le be the other ten bobs with yer,' and chucks me over the half 'cooter.'

"It just suited, as I wornt over sweet on my pup, so then I makes the match, and gets Jack Peart once more to hold the ready,' the two quids.' I then goes over to a cove' called Bugle Eye, one o' us, and says to him, in a low woice, We mustn't lose this yere.'

"Wot, kant yer win?' says he.

"Not exactly,' I tells him.

"Well, get him to kill fust,' says he; 'we may think o' summut as 'll do instead.'

"I got it,' says I, inspirated like; it come to me all of a sudden; weel make a 'a win, tie, or wrangle' on it; and lookee yere, Bugle, I'le tell yer how weel work it: you go outside under the winder, and take Tom's old black-an-tan bitch; she knows her way upstairs better nor any on us, and won't be kept out o' the pit no how. If it taint all right with the pup, I'le give George the wink, and put him 'fly,' to undo the room door, then I'le go to the winder and throw it up as if it were horful ot. Directly you hears me whistle, careless like, you loose the bitch and hi! hi! her on, and she'el be up, and in among 'em in a jiffy, while pup's a killing. That 'll spoil it all. Weel have a row and break up the match; you and Harry must come and help jolly.' Jack 'll stick to the stakes, and weel meet and divide arterwards.

"Well, my lord, it all come off just as weed a-planned it. His young un killed ripping, and made rare good time for him. Then it were our turn, and the white pup got pinned by the nose, and hesitated; so says I, 'how precious ot it is!' and winks to George, who opens the door, and I goes to the winder a whistling. Bugle Eye were at his post, and took the office from above like a hangel; for instantly, helter skelter, a-rushing like a bull, in bolts the black-an-tan bitch; head over heels she bundles into the pit, knocks over the pup, sets to a smashing the rats, and plays old Harry with the whole concern, stopping the match. Such a row as come out of it was never yeard. We pretty nigh' got at it' among us, but it was half gammon' o' our side. Peart wouldn't part with the blunt, but hooks it,' and we just managed to wind up about closing time and get clear of it all. After this, at a late 'boozing ken,' I snacks' the coin between us.

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"There, my lord, although its agen me to tell o' this ere bit o' 'besting' now as I'me respectable, nevertheless its all genuine; its been done afore by my betters at higher games, and will be done agen no doubt, especially by them as lodges in Short's Gardens,' and kant raise a chink in their kick.' There's one thing anyhow I think you'll agree with me-its better nor downright cheating, and I consciences that this way my lord. Old fogies used to say as ow that cheating never thrives.' Now blow me if I aint thrived hever since that blessed night.

set-2s for me, and the They be both dead, and doings and arnings is rit

"The old dog lived to win three-and-twenty young 'un turned out a second Billy at rats. stuffed a top my drawers,' and all their beneath 'em."' Southampton.

THE ENGLISH RACE-HORSE OF THE PRESENT DAY.

Is there any just reason to believe that the English breed of racehorses of the present day has degenerated, as has been alleged, from that reliable speed and stamina for which they have been so long reputed in the contests for the higher prized and most arduous races of the English turf?

To what, if well founded, is this degeneracy to be attributed?

Does the reproach derive solely from the of late years frequent defeat of the unreasonable expectancies of owners and trainers, as of those of the public, who, on the faith of over-sanguine anticipations, founded upon mere report, the previous private or public performances of the horses, and their apparent so-called "public form," consider their winning a race "a moral certainty," and incur loss, as the penalty for relying upon an unvarying exhibition of the same speed and stamina in contests exacted from them in quick succession throughout the same season at two and three years of age ? or,

Are the reasons which would warrant a belief in the alleged degeneracy derived from several anterior concurrent causes? which the selfdefeating practice adverted to, of owners who, slaves to custom, have not the good sense and resolution to forego something in the present for the more reliable ensurance of prospective advantages, renders more influential in eliciting and promoting the alleged degeneracy.

It is not our purpose to discuss the motives that may or may not have actuated owners in the past or present to subject a property, because so costly, and always so damageable as a race-horse of goodly promise, and assiduously trained, to the untimely ordeal of contending at two years of age with the wonted frequency in their first running season for the prizes of the Turf; that being a matter altogether within the domain and volition of the proprietor, and which, all else failing, has, for its clenching justification, custom, and "the owner's right to do what he likes with his own."

But of the number of those concurrent causes which may be the primitive agents of an alleged degeneracy, is not the long-continued practice of breeding in too close consanguinity, or breeding in-and-in, one of the most potent, and more detrimental in our climate, restricted choice and area, than is generally thought? Duly considered also by the light thrown upon it by eminent practical authorities and writers, it may contribute some elucidation of the grounds for a belief of a very possible degeneracy induced thereby.

Contemplating the several points comprised in the above interrogatories as embracing a subject of public interest, we think it should be considered in the same light that it has at length been found necessary to regard other subjects which have now irresistibly forced themselves upon public attention, and which are being discussed on broader grounds of national interests than has hitherto been the wont in this country. We will therefore go beyond the narrow sphere within which this subject has also been restricted by too much self-sufficiency, prejudice, and a regard for individual and class susceptibilities, which have

A A

so long formed self-raised obstacles to a concurrent real progress with other nations in many departments of political economy.

Convinced, by years of observation, that the long-prevalent selfgratulating belief that we were in advance of all the world in every thing, and that the highest efficiency in every pursuit, art, and profession was to be acquired without travel to it by the road of science, was a sentiment illustrative only of "the pride that pulled the country" back, if not "down"-that, had we but deigned more to look beyond the pale of our insular individualities and notions to the light diffused by thoughtful and practical students of progress in other countries, we should not have been behind them in many, instead of in advance, and in front line with them in very many more-that, as on several other subjects, many of the most important contributions to the knowledge and advancement of the hippie science in all its relations to the noble animal, whose generous instincts and faculties are utilized by man to his wants or his pleasures, have been made by men neither English born nor bred, and that many of those contributions from without, have of late years become not only known to, but accepted as worthy of note by the more enlightened professors of a calling which, heretofore but little considered in England, has now raised itself here also to the dignity of a science-we shall avail ourselves, wherever bearing upon the questions before us of the light thus held to us from without, in aid of their discussion and approximate solution.

What is the meaning implied by the term degeneration? What are the circumstances in which it is correctly applied, and which it is considered to denote by practical authorities and writers of eminence who have made the horse the study of their lives, as a science and a profession?

M. Ephrem Houel, professor and lecturer for several years at the Ecole des Haras, in France, says in his "Cours de Science Hippique :" "A horse is degenerated when he is no longer fit for the particular purpose for which he was precisely destined; a horse is also degenerated when he deviates so much from the characteristics of his primitive stock that his organization is considerably affected by it. There are thus two kinds of degeneration-one which relates to the unfitness of the subject to a special purpose; the other to his aberrance from the primitive stock."

Although this proposition will be evident to the most ordinary capacity, M. Houel cites for its better comprehension the following example:

"I was one afternoon at the house of a farmer who occupied himself with the breeding of horses; and we examined together a filly, the production of a strong draught mare, by a half-blood stallion. She was a fine beast, of strong build, with good loins, a good head, powerful limbs, and a croupe in the right direction. Nevertheless the farmer, accustomed to the hollow backs, the projecting hips, and big massive heads of the heavy draught-horse breeds, considered this filly was degenerated. She did not at all come up to his idea of a draught mare. In point of fact, and considered by the light of reason and science, she was ameliorated; for she deviated less from the primitive type, without losing the advantages of strength and bulk which her destination might require. Nevertheless, the breeder would have been in the right if the mother had been served by a horse of spurious breed, badly conformed,