SPORTING NOTES.

{Collected by the Otago Daily Times). Bird, the pedestrian, ran 11 miles in 40 aeconds over the hour, at Adelaide, on the 24th ulfc.. The annual tennis match between the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge has "been won by the latter. Ifc is stated that Mr Savile gave 5000 f. to the poor of Paris, and 1250 f. to the English Church in fche Rue d'Aguesseau, in Paris, in commemoration of Cremorne's victory in the Grand Prix. For years hawking has been a favourite pastime with some of the British residents in Japan, but efforts are now" being made to put a stop to ifc. In June last aMr Bevill was prosecuted in one of the Courts of Yokohama, for cruelty in having sewn up the eyes of a pigeon for the purposes of hawking. Mr Acting Judge Hannen dismissed the case, as he did not think the acfc •could be deemed one of cruel ill-treatment, ' but he expressed a hope that fche practice of hawking would be discontinued. Mr Steinmetz tells us (Cornhill Magazine) ! that in 1813 a Mr Ogden wagered 1000 guineas to one the "seven" would not be thrown with j & pair of dice ten successive times. The wager ; was accepted though it was egregiously unfair, •and strange to say his opponent threw seven nine times running. At this point, Mr Ogden ! offered 470 guineas to be off the bet, but his : opponent declined (though fche price offered was far beyond the real value of his chance). He cast yet once more, and threw " nine," so ' Mr. Ogden won his guinea. An American paper says the enterprising \ citizens of Jacksonville, Florida, have been , amusing themselves with an alligator race. Five young animals were entered. The purse was fifty dollars ; best two in three. Spotted tail, a ifrisky youngster, bolted fche track, and " went for" the spectators. Then Gazelle and Boston Bay acted in the samo unseemly ' manner, and thereby lost a good place on the ' track, and were outstripped by Nimble Jack and Champion Maid. Afc fche second heat ; Champion Maid came in ahead ; but afc the ! third, Nimble Jack again did justice to his name. All the animals were in training for j another race. One of the most interesting cricket matches ! of the present season was that between Eng- ' land and Notts and Yorkshire, in which Eng- '. land won by nine wickets. Mr W. G. Grace ' played for fche winning side, and he accom- I Elished the extraordinary feat of going in : rst afc ten minutes past twelve, remaining four hours and a quarter at the wickets against the acknowledged best bowling of the two ] strongest counties in England, and carrying ! out his bat for an unfinished innings of 170 ' out of 288 runs, without having given a fair ; chance. Mr Grace's hits comprised a six, : four fives, eight fours, fifteen threes, sixteen ; twos, and singles. We (Land and Water) saw tho Harrow : Eleven pitted against a picked team of old ; and present Oxford ■ Harlequins. Of course i the boys were easily beaten, and considering ' that the wickets were very easy, we did not • wonder afc fche result. : However, the fielding ! was not so smart as we hope to see it at ■ Lord's ; and, as the Oxonians went early to \ London, we regretted to see practice wickets ■ unoccupied on a beautiful evening. How do the younger players hope to learn? It is easy to lay the blame upon masters, and to a certain extent we believe there has been cause for complaint, but the truth appears to be that boys do not love cricket for itself as they used to, and hence the present falling off. Cricket is greatly increasing in popularity in the West of Scotland. This circumsfctmce is said to be greatly, due to the liberality of the Earl of Egliuton, who, several years ago, presented a beautiful cup, value £40, to be competed for annually by tho various clubs throughout the county of Ayr, together with several other minor prizes for particular districts. The fruits of this have been that every year new clubs are springing up, both in the larger towns and villages, and this season no less than ten clubs have entered for the cup, which is played for in ties. The conditions are, that any club winning tho cup three times in succession retains it. The Ayr Club has won it wico in succession, but ifc is thought that the Kilmarnock Club will be the successful club this season. Dr Bourne arrived in San Francisco on July 9th, from Portland, Oregon, having ■walked the entire distane — over 800 miles — in thirty-four days, or about 300 hours walking time. He started from Portland May 27th, and stopped afc several places to lecture, rest, and transact professional business. The Doctor is 66 years of age, and performed his herculean task for the sole purpose of demonstrating to scientists and the rest of mankind the value of a purely Vegetarian diet, his only subsistence during his long journey being unbolted Graham flour-crackers, ripe fruits (when ho could obtain them), and water. The largest day's journey was forty-six miles in Bixtoen hours, and he weighs but about threo pounds less than when ho left Portland. Lord Anglesey's horses were sold the other day by Mr Edmund Tatfcersall. Coronet was bought by Mr George Chefcwynd for 800 guineas. One of the gemß of the sale was a brown colt by Beadsman out of Ischia. With good size and strong limbs, he is a most taking specimen of the Beadsman stock, and though an untried colt, Colonel Carleton put bim in at " three hundred " and from " seven hundred" he jumped to 1000 guineas, which settled his ownership in favour of Lord Lonsdale. The advent of Somerset set everybody on the stir, as his turning of the tables on Kniser in the Hurstbourne Stakes was thought to have considerably increased his value. This view was correct, for Sir F. Johnstone gave 2800 guineas for him. The undefeated Acropolis was purchased for 1600 guineas by Lord Aylcsford. The thirty lots, realiied the sum of 12,760 guineas. An American paper says :—" It sometimes.) looks to vi m if this American people were

destined to break down in the very flush of its powers, from physical causes. As a people we do not know how to play. Of all arts we are most backward in this. We can work ; we can talk ; we can fight — but we cannot play. We do not play. We are always intent on business. Our very fun flashes out as an incident in fche midst of strenuous activity. We are for ever going. When ifc is not our own business, it is the business of the church or of society. We stop long enough to eat and sleep, simply because we cannot help ourselves. But fche eating and sleeping are thrust in edgewise, as ifc were. They are intrusions ; and we despatch them afc the highest speed, and carry our cares to our meals, and into our dreams. If we profess to take amusement, we so manage as to keep up the full tension of the system j we do it hard. The result of this excessive pressure is not only physical disability, but moral infirmity ; the innate need of diversion breaking out afc last hi some sensuous and destructive form." : The Some News remarks that, "since the year 1839, no victory by one University over fche other afc the annual cricket match has been so hollow as that which Cambridge gained last week, both in batting and bowling ; and also in fche field the Oxonians were inferior as an eleven to their rivals. Yet the majority of professional cricketers predicted the victory of Oxford. Nor is this the only instance of power in athletics not being knowledge, for almost to a man the Thames watermen preferred the chance of the Americans in the late boab race to that of the Londoners ; and yet again in the lasfc University boat race Oxford had far more supporters among the watermen than Cambridge. Thus men who may be said to have made these sports the occupation, but not the study of their lives, were inferior in judgment to many second-rate amateurs, and a greafc number of fche devotees of cricket and boat- i ing would do well to take a hint from this, i and not make professional cricketers and watermen too greafc heroes, for there can be ' no doubt that there is a considerable ten- \ dency to this both among members of the ' Universities and tho metropolitan clubs ; it is as bad for the amateurs as the professionals, '< Thereis enough of this kind of thing on the turf without bringing ifc on to the cricket-field and fche river. ■ Dexter's time has been beaten. Mr Bonner ' of New York can again be happy in the ' possession of the fastest trotter in America. | His famous horse Jo. Elliott, which has been at the Mystic Park, Boston, for the lasfc few weeks, has earned for himself the ■ proud distinction of making a mile in less ; time than any other horse in fche country, i For several days he had been regularly ; i tested, aud on one occasion he accomplished his mile in 2:17. On the 29th Juno, however, ' he did still better, making fche distance in i 2:15£, which stands as the fastest time on ' record. Tho ribbons were held by Jack ' Bowen, who has had the horse in training, and over the course Jo. Elliott was sent to ; the best advantage. The one-quarter pole he i passed, and was noted there in fchirfcy-four and a quarter seconds, and by the half in 1:07£. ' .With a grand stride ho came down the home- : stretch and under the wire, in 2-.15 J. The \ judges were C. Chase, Albert Worcester, Lon Morris, W. W. Comee, and B. S. Wright. All \ of these gentlemen timed tho horse, and, with one exception, their record was 2:15^. The timor who differed gave him the mile in 2:14J, but ifc was decided to record the slowest time indicated. When Jo. Elliott was five years old he trotted in 2:19 J. When he was six he trotted in 2:19£. When he was seven Mr Bonner nimself drove him half a milo in 1:06. He is now eight. Tho Field, referring to a recent Golf competition afc Westward Ho, says : — " Some ; writer has said, ' golf is played with sticks, but \ the greatest sticks are those who play.' This fortnight afforded a study on this subject. Here are men of wealth and position in fche great city — merchants, bankers, brokers, shipowners, engineers, officers in the army and : navy, clergymen, members of Parliament, Ox- ' onians and Light Blues, men of professions or ; in business, and men without business or professions, doctors, and lawyers, &c., all mixed together, youthful and aged. Men who have '• afc their command fche means of fishing, hunting, shooting, and yachting ; men who stand high in rackets, football, and cricket ; who can resort for change to the Continent or elsewhere, meet on the Westward Ho links, and for a whole fortnight are striving incessantly to put a two-ounce ball into a four-inch hole in less strokes than their special antagonists, or anyone else. Whatever station they may possess, whatever politics or creed they may hold, no matter now old or how young, here they are only golfers on equal terms, and the man who in eighteen holes makes the fewest strokes is the greatest. He receives fche hearty congratulations of all competitors, he sits as the most honoured guesfc afc the right of fche president, his health is the prominent feature of the toasts. It is a game for fche sober judges in Scotland, ifc is a game for the prelates and learned professions in England, as it is for all ages and grades. And when a game is played and appreciated by learned divines and judges, by our best generals, and by some of bur finest sportsmen, past and present, in England and in English possessions and colonies, let him that thinkefch others ' sticks ' take heed leßt he become a ', stick ' himself." A kangaroo drive, which was nearly having a tragic end, is reported by the Gipps Land Times -. — Lasfc Tuesday about 70 people assembled at the second gate on tho Fiddler's , Creek road, in order to take part m a kangaroo drive. Many of those present carried guns, in | order to shoot any of the kangaroo that endeavoured to break back. A line having been formed, the word to advance was given, and the horsemen, moving at a foot pace, commenced driving all the kangaroo that appeared ih front in the direction of the yards. As the j horsemon approached the wings that led to the j yards, numbers of the kangaroo tried to break! back through the advancing line. Iko excite*

menfc became intense as those engaged in the drive tried by loud -shouts and the cracking of whips to force the frightened animals into the wings, and to add to the noice, those who carried guns commenced firing at the kangaroo that in spite of tho frantic efforts made by those on horseback, had managed to pass through the intervals that intervened between horse and horee. Whilst this firing was going on Mr W. B. Cunninghame unfortunately received a wound in fche leg. The accident was caused by his moving from fche jolace where he had posted himself, and from the gentleman who was placed near him not hearing him call out that he had done so. Although seven large shots struck him about fche leg, one of them passing almost completely through the fleshy part of the the thigh, none of the large blood-vessels were injured, and a buggy being at hand M>* Cunninghame was placed in it, and enabled to reach Sale without undei'going much suffering. Mr Cunninghame is rapidly recovering from his accident, and no unpleasant consequences are likely to ensue from ifc. This unfortunate occurrence threw a damp on fche spirits of all present, and the drive that took place after luncheon was a very tame affair, few kangaroo being found, and only a small number of those shot or yarded." We take the following remarks about taking and laying the odds from a recent article in fche Cornhill AMAagazine: — Ifc is easy to understand why in the betting on horse-racing in this country and others, success ordinarily attends the professional better, rather than the amateurs, or, in the slang of tho subject, why " fche ring " gets the advantage of " the gentleman." Apart from his access to secret sources of information, the professional better . nearly always " lays tho odds " — that is, bets against individual horses, while the amateur " takes fche odds," or backs the horse he fancies. Now, if the odds represented the strict value of fche horses' chance, ifc would be as safe in fche long run to " take " as to " lay " the odds. But no professional better lays fair odds save by mistake. Nor is ifc difficult; to get the amateur to take unfair odds. For " backin " is seemingly: a safe course. The backer risks a small sum to gain a large one, and if the fair large sum is a little reduced, he still conceives that ho is not risking much. : Yefc, to take an example, if the true odds are i nine to one against a horse, and the amateur . consents to take eight to one in hundreds, then, though he risks but; a single hundred 1 against tho chance of winning eight, he has i been as truly swindled out of £10 as though . his pocked had been picked of that sum. This 1 is easily shown. The total sum staked is j £900, and afc the odd 3of nine to one the '. stakes should have been respectively £90 and ! £810. Our amateur should therefore only < have risked £90 for his fair chance of the '. total sum stated. But ho has been per- ! suaded to risk £100 for that chance. He has . therefore been swindled out of £10 ; and, in the long-run, if he laid several hundreds of wagers of the same amount, and on the same plan, he would inevitably lose on the average about £10 per venture. We learn from the Scotsman of the death , of John Croall, eighty-one years old, one of the oldest whips of the north. All who have : ever travelled much beyond the borders must be familiar with fche name of John Croall, and esteem him as a great benefactor of the road. , He was a native of Airfchrie, near Stirling, and | was born in 1791. Already at fche age of , eighteen he came under notice as an extra- ', ordinary whip, and started his first coach from Stirling to Castlecary. Having embarked in his father's business, he very soon became tho most extensive coach proprietor ! in the world, and formed most elaborafco plans for tbe establishment of coaching routes ; which embraced fche whole of Scotland. Ho provided comfortable and swift conveyance . across mountains and valleys where it had hitherto been deemed impracticable. He had, however, to contend with many difficult ie3, and met with much opposition from other whip 3, who combined with the inn-keepers on the road to increase those difficultien by refusing their aid in tho way of horsing teams. By dint of much perseverance he succeeded in building wooden stables along the different routes, in Ireland as well as Scotland, and he soon became of great service to the United Kingdom by undertaking tho mail service ; but Pat objected to his coaches, and not unfrequently stoned them. In the execution of these contracts he displayed such ability that he attracted the attention of foreign Governments, and afc fche solicitation of tho Emperor of Russia he perfected tho postal communication between Moscow and St. Petersburg. Still coaching to the backbone, he latterly started a largo undertaker's establishment in Scotland, wishing to bring down the very high prices charged. Like the horses he loved, he worked to the end, passing away at a ripe old age, but not, lot us hope, forgotten. On June 17 the officers of the Royal Horse Guards (Blues) and tho 9th Lancers played a match of " Hockey on Horseback " in Windsor Great Park. The officers wore " jockey " costume of divers colours, and were mounted, as a rule, upon stout, hardy cob ponies, about 13 or 14 hands high. It was a somewhat pretty sight as these woll-trained cavalry officers, bearing long hockey sticks held like lances in their hands, dashed up the slope to the more level ground. The two sides were speedily placed in position, the Royal Horse Guards taking possession of the goal afc fche Queen Anne's Ride end, fche 9th Lancers having that nearest the cemetery. When the trumpet sounded the advance a man stationed in the middle of the ground threw a white wooden ball in the air, and tho players instantly galloped from the goals towards each other, all striving to obtain the first blow — charging, wheeling, now spread over the field, then in a heap, so that one might almost throw a cloth over tho 16 horsemen, and each striking as the ball came within reach ; tho game was thus continued, the Royal Horse Guards having the best of it, the Hon C. Fitzwilliam about five 1 o'clock getting a goal. The sides then changed • places, Captain Clayton soon after getting a I

t gool for the 9th Lancers. A half -hour's more ' P la 7 g* r C another, goal, made by the Marquis > of Worcester, to the Blues, who finally won ' by two goals to one on the part of their opponents. The match ended at half-past five o'clock. It is but justice to remark that the horsemanship of the officers of both regiments who wero engaged in the contest was of a high order, and from the spectacle it was evident that the game is one well calculated to teach a firm seat, and therefore its practice may prove serviceable to many a cavalry regiment. The following appears amongst Turf Notes in the Australasian : — A very deep feeling of sympathy has been generally expressod by all classes of the community afc the greafc misfortune that; has befallen Mr George Petty in the loss by fire of his three splendid brood mares, Gildermire, Lady Heron, and Agitation, together with their foals. On Sunday afternoon Mr Petty was showing the mares and foals to a few friends, who greatly admired their finely developed frames and healthy appearance. As the weather had been so bitterly cold of late, the mares, since foaling, had been put into some loose boxes in tho lucerne paddock. At 7 o'clock in fche evening Mr Petty made his usual visit to the mares, and saw that they were all safe. He ■ then returned to the houso, but had not been inside more than an hour when tho sound of < some one cooeing on the other side of fche river attracted his attention. This being a i very unusual thing, he went outside to see what was the matter, and then saw the ; strong glare of a fire in tho direction of the sheds where the mares were put up. He ' made to fche spot with all haste, but by the : i time he arrived afc fche sheds, the whole j building was enveloped in flames, and the ( threo mares and foals were literally roasted ' alive. The screams of the poor creatures in ' their agony were distinctly heard down at tho < hotel kept by Mr John Alves, afc the bridge across tho Saltwater River. So strangely human did they sound that the persons who < heard them were for some time firmly con- ! vinced that a human being had perished in ( the fire. The origin of fche fire is afc present ' unknown. The loss cannot be estimated at ' under £4000. Gildermire was a grand old mare, a good performer in the old country, ' and the dam of some fine stock in Victoria. 1 Lady Heron was by Fisherman, out of Omen, by Melbourne ; she promised to prove the most valuable brood mare in Australia, having ' already produced such animals as Beatrice and ' Argus Scandal. Her third foal, Fireman, a * two-year-old now in training, is a colt of great promise. Agitation was purchased by Mr ! Petty afc Mr J. Thomson's sale in March lasfc. ' She was the dam of Romula and Lady Exeter. * Gildermire's foal was a fine filly by Marquis. 1 Lady Heron had a splendid filly foal, also by Marquis. Agitation had a filly foal at foot by 1 Angler. i