235 



CHAPTEE XIV. 



GENERAL SPORTING OF VICTORIA THE TURF THE CHASE THE 

 RING, AND CRICKET. 



ALTHOUGH the auri sacra fames is the ruling passion 

 of the colonist, there is a decided taste for field-sports, 

 in fact, for manly sports of every description, among all 

 classes out here. No one enjoys a race, or a good day's 

 shooting, more than the Melbourne citizen ; and a man 

 of business is far more independent here than at home, 

 for he can have an occasional run in the bush, and 

 return again to his office, or counting-house, after having 

 blown the Melbourne dust off him, without being 

 " spotted " as a sporting-doctor, or lawyer, as the case 

 may be. I certainly never, even among the game- 

 keepers of the old country and I had some expe- 

 rience with these gentlemen in my early days have met 

 with better field-shots, take them as a class, than the 

 shooters out here ; and as for riding, half the bushmen 

 live in the saddle ; and it would puzzle some of our best 

 cross-country jocks to stay a couple of miles with three 

 or four stock-riders, cutting out a wild bullock from a 

 mob in the bush. 



It is not astonishing that the turf is rapidly rising in 

 Victoria, where horses are in such general request, and 



