SPORTING HINTS AND SPORTING PUBLICATIONS. 303 



engraved or coloured it must be artistes of the first 



o 



eminence. I do not know who they are, but their 

 production speaks for itself. Having seen the picture, 

 I am quite sure the artist must highly estimate the 

 justice done to his very clever production. 



I have been led into observations on this subject to 

 a much greater extent than I at all contemplated; 

 but I am sure that every brother sportsman will 

 allow it is one on which an abler pen might write at 

 far greater length and to a tenfold advantage to its 

 cause. If I had seen that cause more warmly advo- 

 cated than it has hitherto been by writers on sporting 

 subjects, the foregoing pages would never have met 

 the public eye ; but where, in the absence or rather 

 want of use of better talent, any man who does his 

 best, however more advantageous it would be to the 

 cause that others should do better, he has at least the 

 equivocal merit of doing something. 



I know of no more appropriate medium through 

 which the merits of sporting pictures or sporting 

 prints can be laid before the public than through that 

 of sporting publications. Any criticism of mine on such 

 subjects will have little weight in biassing the judg- 

 ment of others : but an opinion ventured, on such pro- 

 ductions, may have this solitary good effect, it may 

 call the attention of others to works of merit on sport- 

 ing subjects, and thus induce them to exercise that 

 better judgment on the works themselves, and doubt- 

 less to truly appreciate the merits of those who 

 produce them. 



