forty pounds a year;" each, however, is represented as having the werewithal to make life's road run smoothly, and each may be fairly said to have had his competence.

By the death of a dear old aunt I became possessed of a competence that rendered me independent of the world; for having evinced an "out-of-door" disposition and a love of rambling, she concluded with judgment that my star of literature was not in the ascendant, and, consequently, that professions and myself would be paradoxical; her liberality has enabled me to become a citizen of the world, and I live to enjoy life in every form and variety: my season has no cessation, I hunt, shoot, fish, yacht, and take all "the good the gods provide" the year round; "hodié vivamus" is my motto, and by doing my duty in that state of life unto which I have been called, both cheerfully and contentedly, I humbly aspire to an accomplishment of the second great commandmant-"To do unto others as I would be done by." I hereby warn and recommend no brother of the craft to throw a line upon the river Otter: if any be found guilty of doing so after this warning, his fate will be as follows:-If he be privileged by a card to catch fish, he will hammer the stream the livelong day, and catch none; he will meet, however, many brethren in the like predicament, who will talk of doing wonders on these streams; but talking and doing he well knows are not synonymous: if on the other hand he be unprivilged, he will soon discover that he is fishing in troubled waters, for ten to one he's hooked himself by a cut-throat keeper, who takes him before the nearest justicea justice Slender; and he being delicately alive to the virtues of Lady Dribble's French cook, imposes a penalty for wilful trespass -so much for the river Otter. Whilst on a fishing excursion in that country, I became acquainted with a gentleman who was formerly master of a sharp pack of fox-hounds, and proprietor of a noble demesne. Conversing with him one day on the subject of poaching, he favoured me with the following anecdote, the facts of which came under his own notice.

"There is a spirit of adventure attached to poaching," said he, "which renders it to some men the most exciting of all pursuits. In the year 1830 Capt. A., of the Regiment, came into this county, and being well equipped with a brace of good dogs, a dogcart, and the et ceteras required for shooting, it was his particular delight to make unexpected calls upon the preserves of the county gentlemen, and being an extraordinary good fag, he was never so well pleased as when pursued by half-a-dozen keepers, and in the utmost jeopardy of being taken by them. Certain covers hard by the Otter, that held a good head of game, received his frequent attentions; and my Lord Dribble one day actually pounced upon his dog-cart, as it awaited his arrival on a high road adjoining his lordship's covers. John Flunky was too wide awake, however, to give his master's name; his master could do that his-self if he'd got a mind,' and shoving his horse into a long trot, he looked over his shoulder, and told his lordship to inquire at the Horse Guards for Col. Clearall, and that pr'aps he might hear of him there.' Lord Dribble would have given the best steed in his stable to have secured

the man that was so well known and so much dreaded by himself and keepers. It remained, however, for me," said my friend, "to make a convert of this gallant captain. After thinning my lord's covers to his heart's content, he took lodgings at the small town of Ch, purposely for the shooting that he expected to get in my covers, which you know are tolerably well stocked and about four miles distant from that place. Fortunately I was apprised of his intentions and performances on the evening after his first day's sport, which he enjoyed on the outskirts without interruption; and knowing his history, I planned a mode of attack against him which proved eminently successful: I wrote him a letter in the following terms :

"Dear Sir,-Having been informed that you paid a visit to my covers yesterday during the absence of myself and keepers, I very much fear that you met with indifferent sport, being unacquainted with the particular spots that the game frequent. If you will do me the favour to let me know on what days you would next like to shoot, I will take care that my keeper shall be in attendance, and that he shall have orders to shew you the best sport of which my covers will admit.

"I have the honour to be your obedient servant,
"GEORGE

"Capt. A.," said my friend, "did not write an answer, but coming over himself and shaking my hand, said energetically, Beat by heaven.'

"Capt. A. was a gentleman, and could not resist courtesy; the charm of his adventure was broken, he renounced the contraband trade, hunted with me for many years, and thus commenced a friendship between us that I trust will only end with the grave."

Not very far to the eastward of the Otter lies a river famous for its trout, called the Axe: thither let the fisherman hie, and, if the weather permit, he may rest assured his labours will meet with success. Should he visit that stream during the season of the fern, web, or small-chafer, he will kill the finest fish in the river by having recourse to its use in the natural state; with a long rod, a short line, and two fern-webs on his hook, tail to tail, he may fill his creel in no time. In fishing with the fern-web too he has another advantage. Sunshine has not the effect of foiling him, and he may drop his fly into holes and on dead water, where he could not venture to throw his artificial fly. I believe the renowned coch-a-bonddu of the Welshman to be made in imitation of the fern-web: the word itself, I am given to understand, implies a red-fly with a black butt, which is exactly descriptive of the fern-web. The Welsh, however, use the coch-a-bonddu at all times of the fishing season, and I am ready to confess that at all times it is a good standard fly. The true coch-abonddu hackles are very difficult to be procured: I have known as much as half-a-guinea given for a cock of the colour for the sole purpose of its feathers. The hackle is of a deep red at the extremities, with a black list running down through the middle from the point to the end thereof. Feathers are dyed to imitate this fly, and in this

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a arvature unched to poaching," said he, e most exciting of all pursuits. Capt. 4. of the Regiment, came into this WAY. IN MY vel scupped with a brace of good dogs, a dog3. Du des sens bequired for shooting, it was his particular wigs o make mespected calls upon the preserves of the county SHOHER IN erinary good fag, he was never so vel near as the pursued by half-dozen keepers, and in the IBS pri f being taken by them. Certain covers hard by toties, but hell a good head of game, received his frequent temas aing Land Debble one day actually pounced upon his act, as tamiled his rival on a high road adjoining his lordshe's ames. Jun Flimky was too wide awake, ho be aser's mines his master could do that his ank and shoving his huese into a long trot, svecser, and will his lordship to inquire at the C. Cerul, and that pegs be mirbt hear Trrible wall hane gun the?

form they may be procured at Chevalier's, Bond's, or at any of the great "tackle shops."

I hold a man, however, to be but half entered at the craft who cannot make his own flies; to do this neatly is not only a very amusing accomplishment, but it enables the fisherman, by comparing the colour of his feathers with the natural fly on the river, to tie an artificial one that may suit on any emergency.

THE ASCOT MEETING,

WITH SOME HISTORICAL REcords of early RACING.

BY SARON.

We

If any one had prophesied five-and-twenty years ago, that in the year 1845 thousands and tens of thousands of the liege subjects of the sovereign of Great Britain would have been transported from the metropolis to Slough and Woking in less than half-an-hour by railway, such a prophet would have been looked upon as an impostor, and would scarcely have escaped a berth for life in Bedlam; and yet such has been the case, and we doubt not that in the course of a few years Epsom and Ascot will be brought within an hour's "steam" from London. Goodwood, too, when the line to Chichester is completed, will be accessible to the cockney sportsman, enabling him to run down for the day's racing between breakfast and supper. own that this to our ideas is not " a consummation to be wished for," and in this opinion we shall be borne out by those who witnessed the crush and rush at the Paddington and Slough stations, on the last Cup day at Ascot. Those who, like ourselves, took the rail at the Nine Elms station, and proceeded by the South-Western train as far as Woking, had no cause for complaint; but in another year we have no doubt that the crowd will be equally great on both the lines. In former days half the fun of the race was the going and returning. It was delightful to quit the sweltering metropolis upon a bright sunny morning in June, and in a well appointed barouche and four, or neatly turned out "drag," to be whirled away at the rate of twelve miles an hour, through a picturesque country, realizing one of those exquisite descriptions of the poet Wordsworth:

These hedge-rows, hardly hedge-rows, little lines
Of sportive wood run wild; these pastoral farms
Green to the very door."

Now one is boxed up in a close carriage, for it is necessary to keep the windows shut, to prevent the sparks and dust intruding-and are shot forth like an arrow from a cross-bow, at an awful rate, amidst a hissing, whizzing, ear-piercing, shrill, sharp noise, something between