PADDINGTON STATION BY DAY.

and stretches over some seventy acresreaching from the hotel in Praed Street to Westbourne Park station, which is, so to speak, a suburb of the big terminus.

One hundred and forty-six trains leave or arrive at Paddington daily, and some

four millions of passengers use the station in the course of a year.

Although Paddington possesses only six platforms, and the longest of these is not more than 750 feet long, yet, standing on the bridge at the Praed Street end of the station, it appears as large or larger

than any other terminus. This is in great measure due to the transepts, four of which connect the central nave with the side aisles; the light coming from these making a series of lights and shadows which give an effect of distance that would not otherwise exist. The station was designed by the great Brunel, a man with a passion for big things. It dates from 1854, the year that saw the birth of many of the huge broad gauge engines which, back in those days, made speeds that have never since been beaten.

In conclusion, I would remark that the great railway stations of London deserve to be visited every whit as much as St. Paul's Cathedral, the Abbey, or the Tower, and they are as worthy a memento of this century as these buildings are of the days that are gone.

IT is a difficult matter to find anything fresh to write about in connection with our greatest horse race on Epsom Downs. Its surroundings have been discussed from

nearly every point of view. Graphic language has been employed year after year, and season after season, to describe the scenes on the road, by the rail, on the downs, and in Epsom town itself. The lovely costumes, the appearance of the carriages and their occupants, the motley crowd on the hill, and the rail-side, the doings of the horses, and the very characters of their owners and riders, all have been criticised and described to death by the mass of special correspondents. Manytongued rumour has it that some of the slaves of the pen have displayed cleverness in writing about the Blue Riband and its surroundings without ever having been present. The Derby creates quite as great interest nowadays as it did fifty or sixty years ago, although as a race for value it has superiors. Quite as large crowds as ever assemble on the Surrey hills, and whatever may be said about the excitement in the contest itself not being as great as it once was, it is certain that that

famous Wednesday at the end of the merry month of May, or at the beginning of leafy June, is the annual holiday of the sport-loving Englishman. Many a man will go to the Epsom Derby, year after year, who rarely patronises a horse race at any other time. The wicked old Duke of Queensberry, better known as old Q," never missed a Derby from 1780, when the race was established, until 1810, when he himself died at the age of eighty-six, and was buried under the altar

66

GALOPIN, WINNER OF THE DERBY, 1875. From a photograph by H. R. Sherborn, Newmarket.

of St. James's Church in Piccadilly. In our own time the late Lord Palmerston, who died in October, 1865, when eighty years of age also rode down to the Derby on horseback, and was present when the great French horse, Gladiateur, won the Blue Riband of the Turf in the May of that year. Perhaps the man now living who has witnessed most Derbies is that hale sportsman, Mr. James Weatherby, who was present in 1828 when Cadland and The Colonel ran their dead heat, and he has not missed a year since. "Pavo" of

at Newmarket. The various horses that ran were saddled in the Warren, over the other side of the course opposite the Grand Stand, a beautiful property that now belongs to Mr. Ellam, the Piccadilly saddler.

One of the most brilliant anniversaries of the race was in the Great Exhibition year of 1851. Never had there been previously so great a concourse on Epsom Downs, and never has there been such a crush upon the road, such a splendid array of carriages on the classic

raceground. The winner was Teddington, who, although he ran in the name and colours of Sir Joseph Hawley, was really the property of his confederate, then known as Mr. J. Massey Stanley. This gentleman, who in later years was known as Sir John Stanley Errington, only died at Cannes in March last. He was Sir Joseph Hawley's senior by four or five years, being born at Hooton Park, Cheshire, in 1810. Teddington was trained by the veteran Alec Taylor, who in April won the City and Suburban at Epsom with his horse King Charles. As it was, Teddington won the Derby by two lengths. In reference to the race, Job Marson, who rode him, said, "I only had to spur him once to get him out, near the turn, and then he came with such a vengeance as nearly to run over Ariosto." This was one of the heaviest betting races ever known, and Davis, the Leviathan of the ring, is stated to have lost £100,000. On this occasion, to the horror of Admiral Rous, Sir Joseph Hawley and his partner presented Marson, the winning jockey, with £2,000.

the Morning Post saw his first Derby very early in the "forties," and Mr. Joseph Osborne, the owner of Abd-el-Kader, who won the Grand National Steeplechase at Liverpool in 1850 and 1851, rode down with Admiral Rous in 1839.

Her Most Gracious Majesty Queen Victoria only once saw our great race decided. This was in 1840, when Little Wonder proved successful. In that year Kingston was the nearest railway station to Epsom. Betting took place before the races, at a post on the Downs, and people rode about on horseback in much the same way as they have done in later years

The great West Australian was the first horse to sweep the decks of the three classic races, the Two Thousand, Derby and St. Leger, in 1853. The flying West belonged to Mr. John Bowes, "the Squire of Streattam," as he was called, who also won the Derby with Mundig in '35,

and Cotherstone in '43. West Australian was trained by John Scott at Whitewall, and when he went there as a yearling he took the fancy of all the best judges at first sight. He was ridden in his races by Frank Butler. "The splendid grunt of Frank," says the Druid, "when he first caught sight of the West, delighted John Scott and Isaac Walker, above all things. 'What's that?' he said. 'That,' quoth John, quite gravely, 'Oh! that's only a rough thing by Freedom; we'd better pass him.' 'What a pretty pair you are,' replied Frank as he went up to introduce himself to his love at first sight."

Another Yorkshire Derby winner, and the second filly that won both Derby and Oaks, was Blink Bonny, the heroine of 1855. The Malton mare beat Black Tommy by a neck, but some thought that the latter had proved successful. "I have won the Derby, and not one of my friends are on a penny!" was the jubilant yet selfish remark of her owner, Mr. Drinkald. So lightly was this Black Tommy's chance esteemed that one bookmaker actually laid

Mr. Drinkald £20,000 to a suit of clothes, hat, boots, and Malacca cane, against him. Amongst other bets his owner had such odds as £10,000 to £20, and £10,000 to 150 against. Sir Joseph Hawley was fortunate enough to win the Derby of 1858 with Beadsman, and in the following year with Musjid. Harry Custance, the only living man who has ridden three Derby winners, had his first mount on Thormanby for Mr. Merry, the Scotch ironmaster, in 1860, and but for Dundee breaking down the same horseman would have landed the popular yellow and black the following year; Kettledrum, however, won by a length.

Caractacus brought off a great surprise in the Derby of 1862, as he started at 40 to 1. Jim Goater was offered the mount, but he declined it, and steered The Sprite, owned by his brother. Caractacus was ridden by the stable lad, Parsons, and horse and boy were very fond of each other. In the race Parsons frequently spoke to his mount, stroking him and patting him on the neck, and encouraging

him with such words as "Get along, Crackey," and "Good lad, Crackey." After Caractacus won Mr. Snewing went to see Parsons weigh in. Full of excite

ment, to his horror the jockey failed to draw the weight. The bridle was sent for, and, Mr. Snewing often said afterwards-"Oh, the agony I felt at that moment I would not undergo again for a thousand pounds!" This set matters right, but all was not yet over. Lord Stamford objected on the ground that only his own horse, Ensign, and three others, had gone the full course, the flag having fallen when a lot of the competitors

"Make haste down, uncle, and see the drawing-room hung with light-blue ribbons,' " she replied. Even that did not satisfy him, and he said, "Send out for a newspaper, and let me see it in print." A copy of The Times was brought him, and looking over it, he said, "Now I am satisfied; I know that I have won the Derby."

Another great occasion for Yorkshire was Blair Athol's victory at Epsom in 1864. Mr. l'Anson's horse was known to be a good one, but there was always a lot of mystery whether the horse would run or not. John Jackson of Fairfield, the

were in front of the starting post. Admiral Rous, however, was at the head of affairs, and he was about the only man present that did not lose his head. On his lordship making the protest, Admiral Rous took his watch out of his pocket, and noting the time, said, "Twenty minutes! The objection to hold good should have been lodged within a quarter of an hour, according to the 60th rule of racing." All those events so upset Mr. Snewing, that when he woke in his house in Euston Square the next morning, all seemed like a dream to him. "Is it true that I have won the Derby, or have I dreamt it?" he called out to his niece.

north country bookmaker, had charge of the monetary arrangements. He stood to win £25,000 if either General Peel or Blair Athol won the Derby. It had been originally intended to keep Blair Athol for the St. Leger. One night Jackson became excited, if not something worse, and backed Blair Athol more heavily. After this his love for his favourite was intense, and as he now stood to win more money on him than on General Peel it was resolved that he should start for the Derby; and in the end Blair Athol just beat General Peel. A tale is told that on the day of the race Mrs. Jackson was staying at Mr. Bland's