MELBOURNE TROTTING RACES.

Southland Times, Volume 2, Issue 62, 12 June 1863, Page 2

MELBOURNE TROTTING RACES.

(From tbe Argils, June 1.) The fourth annual Melbourne Trotting M ing was bold at Emerald Hill on Saturday al noon. The general depi-ession in turfmatters not been unf'elt in this branch of (Le sport, an: one time it seemed as if "our American cousi would forego for tbis year their special am; ment. Tbe usual date, in fact, was allowed t( by, and when a meeting was resolved upon stewards did rot feel justified in engagiug metropolitan course, but arranged for th«_£i to come off on a suburban giound. Acs; course was laid out at Enerald Hill, altoge avoiding the swamp ; and the public manifest fair interest in tSe meeting, for some 3,000 sons assembled on the ground. The course b sans all conveniences, tbe proceeding could no entirely couleur de rose. For instance, mounte the highest car, one could not see more than hal race ; but ihe spect itors put all such inco niences on one fide, and appeared to find a t< a'i'e afternoon's enjoyment in ihn sport. Two events, a maiden trot, a handicap fcrol gather with a hack race, made up a not verj midable programme. The falling off in the i! wis even greater in decree than this, and cc quently it was not to be supposed that any n' country nag;s who on former occasions have pi a successful part on the Melbourne course « r'.sk the chances of a frip to town. On thi count, though tbe entries were tolerably numc there was nothing to excite the admirers of tiaor in the way of the meeting of old and (ai performers. In fact, the only point of sj interest was tne debut of Mr. Peek's horse Moore, who showed himself a first-class former. The horse was only broken-in a t : me aso, and was sold in the first instance ole of the Bourke-street yards for £7 10s. wan the first race easily, and if he had noti; tunately broken in the push home in the last he would probabiy, though heavily bandica have carried off the other legitimate event i day. Several private matches between " fast Ders" well-known about the city were made d th? afternoon, and run off. The arrangements, as far as circumstance mitted, were gool. Mr D. F. Hamilton offii as clerk of the course, and once more res efficient service in that capacity. In the following return of the runnini horses marked * were driven in harness, the were ridden under saddle. MAIDEN TEOT, Of 20 soys ; optioi al, saddle or harness, mile. Hrats. Best three in five, withoi mounting. Riders to weigh lOst 51b. wit die and briddle; and drivers to weigh oi the same, independent of vehicle or b Entrance, 2 soys. *Mr Peek's br g Tom Moore.. .. 1 Tbe following also ran : — *Mr Trotter's b g Wallaby, aged *Mr Holland's b m Topsy, aged * VTr Harm's br sr Big John, aged Mr Petty's b g Munroe, agad Mr Bennett's br g Jacky, aged Th : s race call i for little description. Ton in eae& "heafciook the lead at the start, an in first, without having been approached, ran second in the first and third heats/ 1 John was second in the third heat. HANDICAP TEOT. Of 30 soys.; optional, saddle or harness miles. Beits. Best two in three. We above. E itrance, 3 soys. * Mr. TTann's b g Big Jihn * Mr. Peck's br g Tom Moore, The f .Slowing also run : — *Mr. Trotter's b g Wallaby, aged. Mr. Clee'and's b m Cranky Poll, aged. *Mr. Burro .v's b g Archimedes, aged- < Mr. B-rmett's, Jaoky, aged. *Mr. Pitt's bl g The R\>rer. C .anky Poll and Tom Moore -were hant to start at scratch, Bg John to start at 13 and the others at 200 yards from scratch. First Heat.— Cranky Poll and Tom Mot I play at once, but the former broke half times in th.3 race, and quite put her cba \ Big John ran through the first division ea i coming round the first time held the J( Tom Moore, some twenty yards in the real Tom Moore's speed enabled him to dimi gap materiilly, but he could never get <] 1 nd Big John won a fine race by half a lei Second Heat.— Tom Moore made stro ! and was well up with the leading horse, B when half the journoy was accomplished, at the end easily, by a couple of lengths. Third Heat. — Only the winners of the vious heats started. Tom Moore gainfl opponent all the way, and fifty yards from ning-post was within half a length of ' Here, however, Mr. Peck's gelding broke I Big John to come in easy winner. * I Tbe proceedings were closed with a ha( ! three miles, und*>r saddle, for twenty so Wen by Mr. Trotter's Wallaby, beatu others. The betting on the different events w«! as not to be worthy of men.ion.

Ladies' Costume in Rusbia.- How shall I describe their -dresses? As my pen cannot do themfull justicclshall only say that they consisted, in some instances of fl™"™}^ pnasks of every color ; in others, of velvets which hPd, some time or other, cost no end of money, and of satins which dotvbtless were quite the thing some eighty years ago, when Catherine Alexowina 11. was Empress. Most of tfilb dresses were trimmed round the edges^th gold fringe or gold borders. Over Sir shoulders they wore shawls of very gay colors; whilst on their heads they wore handkerchiefs not very tastefully arranged I his handkerchief is a new feature in their costum^ Formerly the unmarried women Had no^feing on their heads, but plaited the hair, and covered the ends with smart ribands, which hung gracefully over their shoulders. The married* women wore a something betveen a cap and a turban concealing their hair entirely. I saw this head-dress afterwards in St. Petersburg upon a rather pretty nurse, and thought it extremely becoming. *tfow it would have looked on an ugly woman (if there be such a thing,) I am not pieparea to say However, since the peasants in our hostess's part of the world have become free, they have all adopted the handkerchief, fancying that that costume brought them somewhat nearer in Equality to their superiors in rank. And so the world goes on Progress is the order of the day, and whether it takes the form of a six pound franchise, or a change in a Russian peasant womaus head-, dress, the principle is pretty much the same. —Bentley's Miscellany. An Ankcdote fou Dean Rasisay.— The Eev. Dr. Macfarlane, late of Erskine Church Glasgow, boasting in company what he had done in the way of improving his congregation by missionary and other operations, an old lady, who had been listening with much apparent interest to the enthusiastic diatribe of the lowing divine, during a short lull in the conversation, very quietly interposed he remark-" Eh, Docter, but ye hae muckle need to pray for humility.'*