•REPORTING' RIDICULED 247 



Still, we shall persevere. Conscious of the rectitude of our 

 motives, and solemnly impressed with the nature of that 

 • duty towards the public ' which forms, or should form, the 

 first half of a sporting journalist's creed, we shall, in the 

 face of revilings, envy, abuse, misconstruction, bribery, 

 intimidation, or any of the usual weapons employed by our 

 opponents, continue in the course we have marked out — a 

 course in which we shall, we believe, be upheld by the 

 suffrages of that high-minded, enlightened, incorruptible 

 portion of the British public which — agrees with ourselves. 



'The "reports" from the various training 

 grounds followed. The extravagance of the jest 

 will be sufficiently gauged in this place by the 

 "report" from " Kingsclere," which I subjoin. I 

 confess that I am unable at this distance of time to 

 quite see the fun of it. 



KINGSCLERE 



The baronet's horses — need I say that I allude to the 

 team of the accomplished Sir Joseph Hawley ? full 

 particulars of whose title will be found in 'Tomkins's 

 Twopenny Baronetage' — have all arrived at their new 

 quarters here, and, as might be expected from a member of 

 the aristocracy who has won the Derby thrice (I refer to 

 Teddington, Beadsman, and Musjid, portraits of all of 

 which may be obtained at Daub's great Emporium, 

 1001, Strand), are in the pink, or rather ' cherry,' of health 

 and condition. Wolsey, our Derby nag (and curiously 

 enough Spouter's great part), is a remarkably good-looking 

 one, and has all that fine size and substance obtained by a 

 use of Beach's food (3^. ^d. per cwt, order direct). Xi is a 

 very much improved animal (which he need to be), for his 

 performances last year, every one knows, were (see report 

 in the ' Fiery Dragon ' racing journal) disgracefully bad. 

 Old Argonaut carries his years well, and does not look, 



