THE TURF. 
Holland, as being very advantageous to the spectator. 
Your waistcoat and drawers (sans culottes, we presume) 
must be made close to your body, and on your head a 
little cap, tied. Let your boots be gaftered up fast, and 
your spurs must be of good metal." The saddle that 
this living object this " figure of fun" was placed 
upon, also bade defiance to good jockeyship, being 
nearly a fac-simile of that upon a child's rocking-horse ; 
and which, from the want of a proper flap, as well as 
from the forward position of the stirrup-leathers, gave 
no support to the knee. 
Cowper says in bitter satire 
""We justly boast 
At least superior jockeyship, and claim 
The honours of the turf as all our own !" 
The abuses of the turf we abhor, and shall in part 
expose ; let it not, however, be forgotten that, had we 
no racing, we should not be in possession of the noblest 
animal in the creation the thorough bred-horse. Re- 
member, too, that poor human nature cannot exist 
without some sort of recreation ; even the rigid Cato 
says, " the man who has no time to be idle is a slave." 
Enclosures, and gradual refinement of manners have 
already contracted the circle of rural sports for which 
England has been so celebrated, and we confess we are 
sorry for this, for we certainly give many of them the 
preference over racing. Hawking has disappeared ; 
shooting has lost the wild sportsmanlike character of 
earlier days ; and hare-hunting has fallen into disrepute. 
us 
