which but a few minutes before was perfectly bright, and suddenly, while alive, had become totally discoloured and black in the water, though apparently uninjured in any way; and probably, in a few minutes after being liberated, it would have regained its former beautiful hue. Could this sudden and singular change have arisen from fear? or from what other cause? A SALOPIAN.

May 12, 1841.

A SHAKESPERIAN FRAGMENT.

EDITED BY RIGDUM FUNNIDOS.

Miss Angelina Brown, in London, to Miss Amelia Green, in the

Country.

"DEAREST AMELIA :- -If I did not put the most implicit confidence in your prudence and friendship, I should not now entrust you with the important matters which I am about to confide to the inmost recesses of your heart's core, as the immortal bard of Stratford-on-Avon so sweetly observes.

"What do you think? Since my last letter I have joined the Shakesperians! Yes, I have at length attained that consummation so devoutly to be wished: -I have the honour of enumerating my

self in the immortal band of Dramatis Persona.

But, to descend from the realms of poesy; dearest Amelia, I must let you into some of the secrets of the prison-house,' as we Shakesperians (so often) say. First of all, how I managed to attend the rehearsal, &c., unknown to my two aunts. As you are aware, my two aunts are not cousins; therefore, when I want to go out, I so manage it that dear aunt Ellen thinks I am gone to dear aunt Kate's, and vice versy, as Molière remarks. This is the more easy, as my maid Toinette (whilom Sally Muggs, only I have changed her heathenish christian name for one inore dramatis-personæish) has also manifested a strong taste for the stage, and of course a votary of the lyre must be excused now and then for a bit of a twang.

"My first character was Lady Macbeth, which it took me upwards of three months to learn; for, being rather new to stage matters, I had unthinkingly got by heart the whole play-Hecate, Witches, and all. Mind your P's and Q's' is a good maxim for every day life; but, for dramatics, mind your cues' is the order of the day. The usual way of learning is by what are called lengths;' and I must say some of our ladies and gentlemen go very great lengths indeed. I was once or twice very near being found out by my aunts, from burning so many ends of candle in studying the sleep-walking scene; and one day my uncle detected me in the very act of stealing his red

'

ink to incarnadine my little hand with; and I had much ado to persuade him that I only wanted it to charm away my warts.

"Toinette got into a still worse scrape; for, having been cast for one of the Witches, she stained her face to that degree, that it wouldn't wash off; and aunt Ellen, thinking it was the jaundice, out of compliment to me, insisted on having the doctor; and poor Toinette, to prevent disclosure, was obliged to submit to all manner of doctor's stuff for the three weeks that the dye was wearing off. She has consequently given up the Witch, and is now studying for a Spirit, which will only require a little rouge and ivory paste. And here I must not forget to mention the kindness of Captain O'Cormoran, a fellow Shakesperian, who, seeing the poor girl is lamentably deficient in her elocution, &c., has actually consented to attend her, under the rose, after the rest of the servants are gone to bed, to give her an insight into the intricacies of the drama. For the stage effects of all this I look forward with no little interest.

"We shall have a full dress rehearsal to-morrow, of which more anon. "P. S.-Oh! dearest Amelia! friend of my bosom; such a shock! I told you of the full-dress rehearsal, in which I was to make my first appearance as Lady Macbeth. In the sleep-walking scene I had taken alas too literally the stage directions of the immortal bard, and, in my anxiety for the legitimate drama, unfortunately appeared in nothing but my bedgown and nightcap, aud hair in bobs; the result of which was a complete cataract of laughter from the whole house, which made me drop the candle into the fiddler's gallery, and soon after fall in a fainting fit in the middle of the stage. My situation was most distressing: but, luckily, one of the Witches very kindly came and covered me up with a tattered cloak, and carried me into my dressing room; where I remained a good quarter of an hour in the Witch's arms: but jumped up very much horrified at last, on remembering that the Weird Sisters were performed by three moustachio'd officers from the Knightsbridge barracks. What I saidor did in my unguarded moments, I dare not think!

"I have thrown up the character of Lady Macbeth; not without regret, as there is no other, in the whole range of the legitimate drama, so calculated to set off-excuse my saying it-my little hand. At present I am studying Juliet, in the play of Romeo and that lady, which we shall rehearse on Friday night; after which we shall have a grand fund banquet in our character dresses. We expect to be very

full.

"P. S. 2.-The gentleman who plays Romeo to my Juliet is a charming fellow, and we have had several private undress rehearsals of the tender scenes, &c.: but of that more anon."

P. S. 3 (In the hand-writing of Sally Muggs).

"O mis Mealy! awl the world's a Stage, ass Shakespere ses, Only wus! for wen yew git a Hupset off of the top of it yew carnt cum uppon the perpriaters for Broaken arms and legs, wich my cuzzen Bob mnst got a 100 pound for only Puttin out his and. But to return to myself and Deer young missis, namely, poor thing Bean unable to conclude this epistol herself xcuse me takein the libberty to Finish her off. O the divvle tek them nasty playrs! they've bean the Ruin off evrythink. Fust and formust mis Angeleaner is Loped away with Roameo and I'm Ruinated! there's for a begining. But to take things moor cool and cumfurtabel. Mis Angeleaner told yew about the supering ass was to be. Wel, we was awl there, and unlike at rehearsals non of us sent no sik xcuses and makebeleaf dockter's sirtiffycats. Ass lung ass the eting was going on evrythink was Awl rite, ass Shakespere ses, but when Spirrits began to be interduced made a grate change in the state of the legittimat Dram-a. Fust of awl Macbeth and Duncun had a row about the Goodood Cup, and then Othelow and Yargow had a shindy about sumbdy priggin a wiper, wich litel mister tom Thumb wood have a Finger in the pi and got a prety rap on the Nuckles in consequents, wich nokt 2 off his frunt teath down his throte, to sich a Degre as Cartrite thinks wil be oblegt to go upon wires as lung as he lives. The goast in Amlet was sune obleegt to yeeld to moor powrfull Spirrits. Amlet himself was so tipsy he coodent Stand, and his Step Farther coodent stir a Step Farther. The only sober man in in the rume was Fallstaff, and the most of a gentelman was mister Calliban.

"Poor mis Angeleaner who was Cuming out ass Jewliet was fullish anuff to xept Roameo's hinvitashon to cum and Luke on at the balkany, wear he evvery now and then wood make her tast a Drop of this and a Drop of that, til poor thing Bean sune overcum by the Likker he perswaded her to Lope away with him, wich I am Sory to add was not the real Roameo after awl, but nothing but a poor Suppernoomery, who Bean drest out in his Roameo Coates and things, with lung blak air and Feerce curly mousetaches, poor mis Angeleaner coodent tel the Diffrence, and so in Adishon to Disabeyin her Farther and muther and sakkrifizin her unfortynat Larg fortin, ass yew may say Has run away with nobdy.

"In regards of myself and the Capting xcuse my Bean over partickler, ass so much Hevvy noos wood xcede Roland Ill's legle Wait of a bounce.

from yewr umbel to Comand

TOINETTE MONTEFIORE, aliass SALLY MUGGS."

THE NEWMARKET SPRING MEETINGS :

BY THE EDITOR.

THE FIRST SPRING MEETING made some amends, in company, in weather, and in sport, for the disagreeables and defaults of the Craven; not, however, that any events of paramount interest came off, but that the results, such as they were, "let the cat out of the bag," as the saying is, and cut down the Derby field to a very moderate compass.

Passing over the little events of the Monday with the mere observation that the race between Oakley and Revel was not such a "hollow" thing as some people would have us believe, we come to the day of the week, Tuesday, which, with a bright sun over head, and a good firm turf under foot, commenced with one of the most sporting four mile races we ever beheld, for the Queen's Plate of 100 guineas for Mares-Round Course-between Currency, Maid of Ipswich, Barbakin, and Mountain Sylph. Rogers's mare, (the Maid) had the lead nearly the whole of the distance, and defeated Barbakin up the new T. Y. C. without much difficulty; but she found a different customer in Currency, who caught her at the hill, ran her a tremendous race home, and won by a neck on the post.

For the 2000 Guineas Stakes, for which Ralph, Joachim, Mustapha, Eringo, Metternich, Cæsarewitch, Arundel, and Mobarek, started. After repeated fluctuations, the betting closed at 9 to 4 agst. Ralph, 3 to 1 agst. Eringo, 4 to 1 agst. Metternich, 9 to 1 agst. Cæsarewitch, and 10 to 1 agst. Joachim; no others mentioned. Two lines will describe the race. Ralph made his own running at a Derby pace, was always one, and sometimes two lengths in advance, and won in a canter by a length; never was the 2000 Guineas Stakes run more truly, or won in a style more encouraging to those whose speculations on the winner extended to the Derby. Joachim and Mustapha surprised their masters by running clear of the other beaten horses, and making a gallant struggle for second. Eringo and Arundel were over-paced at the beginning, but ran honest, and disputed the fourth position so vigorously with Mobarek that it was almost a dead heat with the three; Ford's nag and Cæsarewitch turned out sad wretches; a consummation which it will be remembered we ventured to predict, in our account of the Craven Meeting, in last Month's number. For the others, there was, of course, a crowd of excuses; Mustapha "had bad hocks, in consequence of an accident in the van." Joachim "was too fleshy." Eringo" lost several lengths at starting, from the boy retaining his hold of the rein," &c. &c. &c. But as it is not our business to make apologies for cripples, we make it known

"by these presents, to all whom it may concern," that the race was won, by an undeniable superiority in all the qualities of a racehorse; viz.-speed, temper, and stoutness.

We shall note but two more races in this week's work, the rest being of mere "Calendar" interest. We allude to a Sweepstakes of 200 sovs. each, h. ft. A. F., for which Mr. Greville's Palæmon (Nat), and Mr. Combe's The Nob (Robinson), each receiving 3lb., ran a dead heat. The Nob having made the running, Palæmon was disposed to show temper, and throughout the race gave Nat some trouble to keep him straight. The Nob's trainer was anxious to run a deciding heat, and to our mind would have won it, but, strange to say, Robinson took a crotchet into his head that the horse was blind (!), and refused to ride him; a division was the consequence. The race, however, was considered conclusive, as to both horses for the Derby, and 1000 to 10 was immediately offered against each.

The other event to which we have alluded was the Thousand Guineas Stakes, won by Potentia, whose claims to public notice were also set forth by us in our summary of the Craven Meeting. She cut her horses down in this race in a style which surprised even her own party.

It boots little to indulge in conjecture, when, before these pages meet the reader's eye, the mystery of months will have been solved. I will therefore conclude my account of this meeting with the remark that the three year old running had a great influence upon the Derby, and that by it the machinery of that great stake was reduced into a very narrow compass.

THE SECOND SPRING MEETING

May be disposed of in a very few words. Barren as were its original prospects, the event was rendered even less attractive than the promise from the great Whig and Tory Match, across the Flat, at St. Stephens. The entries were poor, the sport poorer. The Jockey Club Plate, once so fair an apple of honourable strife,-was divided between his Grace of Grafton and Lord Albemarle; the Whip was not challenged for; and the whole affair was at once so flat, stale, and unprofitable, that we are fain to repeat our exhortation of last month to the Patrons of the Turf:-GENTLEMEN OF THE JOCKEY CLUB! IF YOU LOVE SPORT-ABOLISH THE SECOND SPRING MEETING.

NO. VI-VOL, I. -NEW SERIES.

3 M