LEXINGTON, LECOMTE AND PRYOR. 169 



racing, as tlie worst, most dangerous, and most destructive sort 

 of gambling, ran through the commnuity, and took possession 

 even of the legislatures. 



Racing courses were put down and proscribed ; while ti-ot- 

 ting courses, at which — on the most moderate computation — the 

 oj)portunities for fraud are ten times greater, and fraud is fifty 

 times more generally practised, than on any race-course, ob- 

 tained a fixed position and a stand. 



Gentlemen, and persons of means and education generally, 

 have totally withdrawn, in the JSTorthern States, from the habit of 

 breeding, keeping, riding or driving fast horses, or patronizing 

 races at all, except as a mere spectacle to be visited as a theatre, 

 or a field diiy ; and every thing connected with the l^orthern 

 turf has fallen into the hands of professional persons, of greater 

 or less respectability — some doubtless of the highest, some of 

 the most questionable — who practise it, of course, professionally 

 as a matter of emolument. 



A fine new race-course has lately been established on Long 

 Island, and a new jockey club has been set on foot, but it does 

 not appear, hitherto, that the right persons have taken hold of 

 it; although it is said that a reaction is even now in progress, and 

 that there are hopes that we may once more see Northern sta- 

 bles in operation, strings of thoroughbreds in their cosy body 

 clotlies, with natty lads on their backs, and in a word, Long Isl- 

 and, itself again. 



In the mean time, the South has not only been holding her 

 own, but surpassing the 'North, and herself again, in the point of 

 time, astonishing the world, and now challenging Mother Eng- 

 land's Derby and Leger winners, on their own turf. 



First we had Henry Perrit's— an undeniable runner at short 

 distances — unequalled, mile heats. Next Lecomte beating Lex- 

 ington many seconds under the time of Fashion's best race — 

 then Lexington beating Lecomte's best time, by almost as many 

 seconds more — and lastly beating Lecomte himself, in worse time 

 than he had himself made before, because liis adversary could 

 not drive him to make better. 



Then in conclusion, we iiave Br. Dick making the best time 

 ever yet accomplished, at three-mile heats ; and then we have 

 the two, Lexington and Pry or, with a semi-dark mare Prioress, 



