Majesty had been graciously pleased to bestow upon this province a King's plate of fifty guineas, agreeably to the memorial of the said trustees and stewards, to be run for annually over such course as His Excellency the Governor may deem proper to indicate. On the motion of Mr. Chisholme it was "Resolved, "That Lord Aylmer be solicited to convey to the foot of the throne the humble and dutiful thanks of the meeting for this gracious token of the King's royal munificence; and respectfully to assure His Majesty, our royal benefactor, that this meeting will never cease to be gratefully affected with a due sense of the honour and favour thereby conferred on His Majesty's loyal subjects in Lower Canada; being, as this meeting believes, the first instance of a similar royal donation having been conferred on any part of the King's dominions abroad. "Resolved, "That the grateful acknowledgments and affectionate remembrances of this meeting be conveyed to Lord Aylmer, the constant and generous patron of the Three-rivers Race-course, for having laid our memorial before the King, and secured to this province so great and beneficial a mark of the royal bounty as a King's plate of fifty guineas. "Resolved, "That Mr. Bell be requested to transmit a copy of these resolutions to my Lord Alymer, with the most ardent prayers of this meeting for his Lordship's health and happiness." Thus, sir, you have a sketch of the rise, progress, and complete establishment of the manly and interesting sport of racing in those hyperborean backwoods, and to which I trust you will be induced for the future to devote a small portion of your attention and regard. I beg leave to enclose a memorandum of this year's sport at Three Rivers, which I hope may prove gratifying to your readers. The ground there is inferior to none in the world; and for extent and beauty of prospect cannot be surpassed. I always am, dear Mr. Editor, your sincere admirer, A SUBSCRIBER. THREE RIVERS RACES. First Day, Thursday, July 28.-The King's Plate of 50 gs. Entrance five pounds; heats, two miles and a distance, open to all horses bred in the province of Lower Canada, that never won match, plate, or sweepstakes; weights, 3 yrs. old, 8st. 21b.; 4 yrs. old, 9st. 81b.; 5 yrs. old, 9st. 9lb.; 6 yrs, old, and aged, 10st. Mr. A. P. Hart's b. m. Brunette, aged, by Cock of the Rock ..... 31 1 1 2 2 Mr. W. Sharp's b. m. Witch, by Sir Walter, dam Countess, 5 yrs. old ...... Mr. W. M'Grath's b. g. Shellaleh, aged... ..... Mr. Gibbs' b. m. Victoria, by Sir Walter, dam Roxana, 4 yrs. old-(Bolted) 2 3 dis 5 St. Maurice Stakes of 40 dollars, open to all horses, entrance five dollars; heats one mile and a distance; weights, 3 yrs. old, 7st. 71b.; 4 yrs. old, 9st. 3lb.; 5 yrs. old, 9st. 9lb.; 6 yrs. old, and aged, 10st. Mr. Yarker's g. g. 5 yrs. old ..... .. 2 2 Mr. Judah's c. h. Walterson, by Sir Walter out of an imported mare, aged The Ladies' Purse of 50 dollars, open to all horses, entrance 10 dollars, heats one mile and a distance; gentlemen riders; weights, 10st. Mr. Yarker's c. m. Rival, aged Lieut. Weir's, (32nd Regiment,) b. g. Shamrock, aged . .... Mr. Provandie's c. m. Juno, 6 yrs. old. FRIDAY.--The Three Rivers Stakes of 501. open to all horses, entrance five pounds; heats two miles and a distance; weights, 3 yrs. old, 7st. 4lb.; 4 yrs. old, 9st. 3lb.; 5 yrs. old, 9st. 91b.; 6 yrs. old and aged 10st. Mr. Yarker's c. m. Rival, aged .... Mr. Cuvillier's c. h. Walterson, aged ... 1 1 2 2 The Produce Stakes of 20lb., open to all horses bred in the district of Three Rivers that never won match, plate, or sweepstakes, entrance five dollars; heats, one mile and a distance; weights, 3 yrs old, 8st. 2lb.; 4 yrs. old, 9st. 31b.; 5 yrs. old, 9st. 9lb.; 6 yrs. old, 9st. 12lb.; aged 10st. Mr. J. Bell's b. g. Minatoo, 4 yrs. old.... 1 1 Mr. C. Carter's b. m. Adelaide, aged (bolted) 2 2 The Farmer's Purse of 40 dollars, to be run for by Canadian Agricultural horses, bred in the district of Three Rivers, heats one mile and a distance, entrance ten shillings. Mr. H. Denis's b. g. Vassal walked over. The Beaten Plate, entrance five dollars, to which the stewards will add 40 dollars open to all horses beaten at the meeting; heats one mile and a distance. Weights to be handicapped by the Stewards. JAQUES DE FOVILLOUX, (THE FRENCH BECK- MANY of our readers will be surprised to hear, that in France, a country confessedly a century behind-hand in every thing relating to field sports, a treatise on hunting, and on the management of "sporting dogs," &c., was published so far back as the reign of Charles IX., (who, it is hardly necessary to inform our readers, was the contemporary of our Queen Elizabeth,) containing as many bright ideas and sage recipes as the most curious in canine pathology can desire. What reception the work met with in that country, we are unable to state; but having in the course of our peregrinations stumbled upon a copy in the possession of a lineal descendant of the author, one William O'Leary, Esquire, a small gentleman of large substance residing near Cork, whose immediate ancestor changed his name for sundry acres of surrounding bog, we determined, in our devotion to the cause of sporting literature, either to "appropriate" the book (as modern legislators designate their schemes of plunder), or lay ourselves under the heavy obligation to Mr. O'Leary that the loan of the ancestral volume must impose; an alternative that the well known urbanity of that celebrated and aristocratical family rendered unnecessary, by his most readily causing the same to be transferred from the O'Leary book-case to our portmanteau. It now lies before us in all the elegance of gilt calf-skin, and though we are unable to convey a just idea of its beauties from want of the wood-cuts that are most liberally distributed throughout it,—representing the Chase in every possible variety, with all the accuracy of a scene at Astley's, and giving specimens of several most ante-diluvian-looking dogs-we purpose, nevertheless, with the aid of a sworn interpreter, occasionally to illumine our pages with extracts of the Frenchman's instructions, in the hopes that they will prove as interesting to the majority of our readers as they were to ourselves. The Frontispiece represents Jaques on his knees, booted and spurred, with a bugle horn slung over his shoulder, and a long rapier by his side, in the act of presenting his inestimable work to Charles "the IX. of his name," who in a pair of leopard-skin slippers, with his courtiers and divers javelin-men at his back, stands in a place very like the Piazza in Covent-garden to receive it. The title of the book, which is in old French, is "La Veneriere," (On Hunting,) by "Jaques de Fovilloux," (Lord of a Manor, and Nobleman of Gastine in Poictou), and is dedicated to the very Christian King Charles IX. The dedication is curious as well as ingenious, and worthy of being translated. Thus it runs. NO. LXVII.-VOL. XI. 3 I "To the very great, very mighty, very excellent, and very valorous Charles, very Christian King of France, the ninth of his name. "Sire,-It is certain and known to every one, that men in all ages have given themselves up to several high and hidden sciences, some to philosophy, to divert their minds, some to mechanics, to acquire riches. The inventions of which have in such a manner become dispersed, that to reduce and number them in detail would be impossible. For which reason, after having well examined and considered them all, I have concluded in the words of the great and wise King Solomon, That all things under the sun are only folly and vanity, as much as there is neither science nor art that can lengthen life more than is permitted by nature. Therefore, Sire, it seems to me, that the best science we can learn (after the fear of God), is to make and keep ourselves happy by following honest exercises, among which I have found none more noble or recommendable than the art of hunting. And further, having since my youth constantly exercised myself in it as far as lay in my power, following the example of my predecessors, I would not be accused of negligence or idleness, in not putting into a few words what experience has hitherto taught me. And though I know that several good and virtuous noblemen compose your court, who could have acquitted themselves of it better than myself, still I have so much confidence in the charity and clemency of your Sovereign Majesty, that I have neither shame nor fear in presenting this to you such as it is, hoping you will regard it with a favourable eye, and receive it with good grace, as coming from the hand of him who is your very humble slave, and very obedient servant and subject, "JAQUES DE FOVILLOUX." The first chapter is "On the Race and Antiquity of Hounds," telling us" who first brought them to France," and is appropriately embellished with a large wood-cut of a Dutch-built vessel in full sail, with divers couple of hounds on deck, from which the fertile imagination will easily infer that the capacious hold and two vessels in the rear are similarly filled. Hark to Jaques ! "I have looked over attentively," he commences, "what ancients as well as moderns say on the subject of whence the first race of hounds in France came, and I have neither found chronicles nor histories which speak of them further back than one which I found in Bretagne, written by one of the name of Joannes Monumetensis, who says, that after the dreadful destruction of Troy, Æneas came to Italy with his son Ascanius, who was king of the Latins, and who had a son named Siluius, from whom descended Brutus, who was very fond of hunting. It happened that his father and he being one day in a forest hunting a stag, they were surprised by night coming on, and seeing the stag before them overtaken by the dogs, went up to kill him. Fate ordained that Brutus instead of killing the stag, killed his father Siluius, which caused a mutiny against him among the people, who thought he had done it from a wish to reign, and have the government of the kingdom. Therefore to escape from their fury, Brutus was obliged to fly the country, and undertook a voyage to Greece, to go and deliver a number of Trojans, his companions and allies, who had been detained captives since the destruction of Troy, which he did by force of arms. After having liberated. them, he assembled a great number of the Trojans, and made them swear never to return to their country, as well on account of the insult they had received, as the irreparable loss of their goods, and the relations and friends who had been killed in battle. He then fitted up a great number of ships, in which he and his men embarked, and took with him a great number of hounds and grey hounds. "They passed the Straits of Gibraltar, entered the Ocean, and landed on the Armoriques Islands, now called Bretaigne, from his name Brutus, which he took without resistance, and was at peace for the space of four years. After which time one of his captains, named Corineus, erected the town of Cornouaille. Soon after they had come to an understanding, Brutus and his son Turnus, who had, as we before mentioned, brought a number of hounds, went to hunt in the large forests which are situated between Tiffauge and Poictiers, part of which country is now called Gastine. At this time there reigned in Poictou and Aquitaine a king named Groffarius Pictus, who always resided at Poictiers, who one day heard that the Trojans were always in his forests hunting, and that they had a race of dogs that as soon as they found a stag never left him till they had killed him. When the king heard it, he was so enraged that he immediately determined to make war against them, and consequently assembled all his forces. The Trojans, forwarned of his intentions, marched along the banks of the river Loire, and met their enemies. On the spot where is at present situated the town of Tours, a battle ensued, in which Turnus the eldest son of Brutus was killed, and in memory of his death the town was built and called Tours. I have mentioned this story in order to show how long since it is that hounds were first brought to Bretaigne, and I certainly think that the Trojans were the first people that brought that race of dogs into this country-for I do not find them mentioned so particularly in any other history. And it is certain that the greatest part of the race of hounds that are at present in France and the neighbouring countries, were first brought from Bretaigne, with the exception of the race of white dogs which came from Barbary. I have often inquired of sailors about them, and an old man called Alfouse, who had often been at the court of a King of Barbary called Doncherib, told |