2 ON AND OFF THE TURF. 



to find bad instead of good in men and things, 

 because it is easier and less trouble. Any critic will 

 acknowledge '^ slating/^ to use a slang word, is easier 

 than praising. 



It does seem the lieigbt of presumption for men 

 who have merely scampered through a country at 

 the rate of a tourist, to sit down and write autho- 

 ritatively about it. 



Over ten years' residence in the Australian Colonies 

 has shown me the fallacy of men attempting such 

 works. 



It must be amusing to a Colonial to read the 

 glaring errors writers about Australia fall into, not 

 from any desire to do so, but through ignorance. 



In these pages I shall merely relate facts, and 

 anecdotes and descriptions given are from personal 

 knowledge of men and country. Of the Australian 

 turf I may fairly claim to have a considerable know- 

 ledge, and it is mainly owing to the persuasion of 

 many friends in the Colonies I am writing these 

 reminiscences of an exceedingly pleasant sojourn 

 there. 



There is a vast difference between racing in Aus- 

 tralia and in England, as the reader will not fail to 

 discover if he is interested enough in the preliminary 

 canter to go on with it to the finish. 



It was shortly after Harvester and St. Gatien ran 

 their ftmous dead heat for the Derby at Epsom, I 



