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Sporting Intelligence.

Lord's cricket-ground, Mary-lebonne. Great fums were depending in confequence of his having done the fame feat feveral times before, in lefs time, than was now allowed: but having three ftones to fetch, at the expiration of forty-three minutes, the knowing ones were deeply taken in.

March 4.

As Lieutenant Brown, of the Hants Light Dragoons, was paffing over Stafford Bridge, in the county of Bedford, on horse back, he was met by a friend, with whom he ftopped to speak. While he was converfing, a bird flew fuddenly before his horse, on which the ani mal took fright, and throwing his fore legs over the bridge, was in a fufpended ftate for a few feconds. In this critical interval, Lieutenant Brown had the prefence of mind to fpring upon the battlements, and the horfe immediately went over into the river. It is fomewhat remarkable, that neither the gentleman nor his horfe received the leaft injury.

Norwich, March 5.

On Thursday laft, as the fervant of the Rev. Mr. Papillon, of Wymondham, was returning home with his master's horse and chaise, the fpirited animal took fright near Meffrs. Adams and Bacon's, and ran with fuch velocity against the poft by the Trowel and Hammer, as to force one of the wheels of the chaife off, and throw the man out, but providentially without hurting him; the horse then proceeded as far as the first gates of the hofpital, and endeavoured to force his way in, but finding too much resistance, turned round and leaped over the garden wall adjoining, which, by the horfe pulling the remaining part of the chaife againft it, was

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Sporting Intelligence.

darted through a paffage at the bottom of it, fo narrow that but few borfes dare enter; thence galloping through a gateway, at the back part of the fame yard, one of the stirrups caught the gate-poft, and occafioned the girth to break: the poor iad, kicked by the horfe, and dafhed against the pavement and walls, then fell mangled and lifelefs to the ground, a horrid fpectacle!

Suffolk Affizes, March 21. FARQUIER ESQ. v. CROW FOOT.

This action was brought for the recovery of the fum of 6ol. being the purchase-money of a pair of bay coach geidings, bought of the defendant, and warranted found; it appeared, however, that one of the horfes proved broken-winded; in confequence of which, the plaintiff returned them, but they were fent back again by the defendant, and on the former refufing to take them in, were kept at an inn for the space of fix weeks, when they were fold by public auction, to defray the expences, &c, one of which produced at this fale 181. and the other 131. After hearing a number of witneffes on both fides, in which no fmall degree of jockeyfhip was evinced, the one party contending for the foundness, and the other for the unfoundness of the animal, at the time he was fold by the defendant, a verdict was given for the plaintiff for 251. together with the overplus of what the horfes were the fecond time fold for, after defraying the expences of keeping and fale.

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tar and his bride entered the church, and befeeched the parfon in a moft fervent ftile to marry him, declaring that he was bound for fea next morning; the clergyman, very good naturedly, and much to the Latisfaction of the whole congregation, defcended from the pulpit, and united the happy pair in the holy bands of matrimony.

Ipswich, March 26.

As three chaifes were going from March, in the Ifle of Ely, to Wifbech mart, on Saturday morning. the 5th inft. one chaife was overturned down the bank, through the careless and audacious behaviour of the three drivers racing. The postboy of the last chaife being determined to gain ground on the two firft, drove on, and paffing them with great fpeed on the road, before they came to the bank, one of the ladies called, and defired him not to drive fo faft, obferving that it was dangerous, and they were not in any hurry. To this the hero of the whip paid no attention, but kept his pace, which exasperated the other drivers, that they were determined to re-pafs him, which they did on the narrow and most tremendous part of the bank, by which means the chaise, in which were three ladies of March, was thrown down the bank with great violence, 22 feet nearly perpendicular; the ladies were terribly cut and bruifed, and the chaife dashed to pieces..

Newcastle, March 26,

On Monday morning, a gentleman trotted his mare, for a wager, from the Globe inn at Cockermouth, to Branfty-Arch. He was allowed an hour and a quarter, but performed it in fifty-nine minutes. The distance is thirteen miles and three-quarters.

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Sporting Intelligence.

A recent circumftance at Hoath Hill, a promontory at the north fide of the bay of Dublin, muft add to the numerous conjectures refpecting the nature of the woodcock.

The man who attends the lighthoufe, whilft trimming his lamps lately, was forprised by a violent ftroke against the outfide of the windows, which broke a pane of plate glafs, caft for the place, and more than three-eighths of an inch thick. On examining the balcony which furrounds the light, he found a woodcock, which had flown with fuch violence as to break his bill, head, breaft-bone, and both wings. The fame man had often found birds which had killed themselves by flying against the windows, but never before knew the glafs to be injured.

One day last week, as a man was at work in Mill-wood, in the parish of Brightling, he discovered a badger lying bafking himself on a funny bank hard by, but which he quitted on fight of the man, who followed the beast as long as he could track him, and then went for Mr. Fuller's hounds, which foon ftruck into the fcent, and after an excellent chafe of two hours, they come up with him, and kept him at bay till he was facked, in order to be turned out for a future day's fport.

March 28.

On Thursday afternoon, at three 'clock, a match took place between two young men to walk a mile on the South Lambeth road. for three guineas a-fide, The favourite loft, although he walked the ground in eight minutes and twenty-five feconds. The winner to the astonishment of every one prefent, accomplished the mile (fair walking) in feven minutes and fifty feconds.

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March 29.

Friday laft, Mr. Wilfon, of New+ caftle, undertook to ride his cart horfe over the King's Hundred Courfe, on the Town Moor, dif tance three miles and fixty yards, carrying fixteen ftone fix pounds, horfeman's weight, in nine minutes and one haff; the race-ground was very wet, and high odds were against the horse. He ran the first two miles and forty yards in fix minutes, and five feconds; and the laft mile and twenty yards in two minutes and twenty-fix feconds, making the whole eight minutes, and thirty-one feconds.

Same day as Mr. B. D. Cock, was driving a curricle round Camden-place, near Bath, the horses, in confequence of being too much curbed, became reftive, and one of them having broke the bar, fuddenly dashed over a precipice upwards of a hundred feet deep, by which the gentleman was literally dafhed to pieces, the curricle deftroyed, and the horfes killed on the spot. Mr. Cock has left a beautiful and affectionate wife with two young children, to lament his fhocking fate. Previous to his going out, he endeavoured to prevail on Mrs. C. to accompany him, for the purpose of taking the air, but, happily, the declined accepting the preffing invitation.

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Sporting Intelligence.

Lately as two boys at HaydonBridge, in Northumberland, who had been watering a pair of horses, agreed to have a race. They were going at full speed, when the foremoft horfe leaped over the parapet of the bridge; the latter followed; one of the riders fell into the water; the other clung for fome time to the parapet, when he also dropped in. It is a very fingular event, that neither the boys nor the horses received the least injury; though, from all the circumstances, nothing short of destruction to the whole might have been apprehended.

Lately died in Scotland, James Anderfon, a well-known itinerant tinker, at the astonishing age of 114. After carrying his budget fince his fourteenth year, time at laft made a hole in his mortal kettle, which death configned to the common drofs of nature, in the hope of being melted down and refined by the Universal Founder.

March 30.

On Thursday fe'nnight, as a youth of Spalding, went to water his mafter's horfe, in the river Welland (which runs through that town) at a place not frequently ufed for that purpose, the animal, either through fright, or having ftumbled into a hole, plunged into the water, and threw the young man therein; notwithstanding great exertions were used, and it was in the midst of the town, through the rapidity

of the stream his life could not be faved; for, in a fhort time, he funk never more to breathe.What makes the circumstance more fingular is, out of feveral perfons affembled on the occafion, none could (wim.

PATRIARCHIAL LONGEVITY.

At a hamlet called Portway, in the parish of Rowley Regis, in the county of Stafford, are now refiding a Poftdeluvian pair, the husband upwards of one hundred years of age, and the wife more than ninety. They have been married more than threefcore and ten, and have had fix fons, all now liv. ing. The perfon who vouches for the authenticity of this fact, is one of those fons, and now a broker in Birmingham: but what conduces to crown the anecdote is, that this very fon, who though but fifty years of age himself, has brothers bordering upon feventy, and was in the state of wedlock twenty years with one of the largest women in England, who never bore him a child; but during the lapfe of his matrimonial state, he has had no lefs than ten illegitimate bantlings fworn to him as the father, and he takes no little pride in proving that he himself has not been brought into the world without fulfilling the first great commandment, increafe and multiply."

The dashing Mr. Wharton has become a bankrupt. His foxhounds, hunters, brood-mares, &c. have all felt the flourishing ftroke of the auctioneer's hammer.

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