THE CALEDONIAN GATHERING.

(From Daily Times, Jan. 3.)

For many years the annual gathering of the Caledonian Society has come to be regarded as the great event of the New Year holiday time ; and His Excellency the Governor could not enjoy a better opportunity of viewing the characteristics of our population than was afforded by his visit to the North Recreation Ground on Thursday. Among the thousands assembled there were to be found representatives of all the races and classes that compose our heterogeneous community. Of course North Britons were in a majority, but English and Irish were by no means scarce, and Germans, Scandinavians, French, Chinese, and Maoris, were all represented in the crowd that thronged the green and grand stand. Nor could the gathering be regarded as merely representing the population of Dunedin. The coaches, during the last week, have brought large numbers of country people to town, most of whom were to be found at the sports during the last two days. The Directors of the Caledonian Society certainly have reason to congratulate themselves upon the twelfth annual gathering, which has proved the most successful of any they have yet held. The heavy showers which fell during the early part of the first day threatened to spoil the sports, butthe weather, during the afternoon, proved all that could be desired, and an immense crowd assembled. The grand stand was crowded to excess, and there could scarcely have been leas than 7000 present during one portion of the day. An equally large number attended on the second day. The pipers*m.ustered in strong force, and the skirl of the bagpipes filled the air from morning till night. The managers of the Gathering, however, very wisely consulted the tastes of that large portion of the public who don't appreciate the bagpipes at close quarters, by securing the services of the Artillery Band. The performances of the latter were justly admired. The selections given consisted largely of Scotch airs, and the manner in which the whole of the music was rendered showed that the Band is making very satisfactory progress. The sports themselves attracted most attention, of course; but abundance of extrinsic amusement was provided for the spectators. Ladies' pool, doodle-em-buck, Aunt Sallies, merry-go-rounds, et hoc genus omne, were largely patronised ; and lads and lasses enjoyed themselves to the top of their bent at the" time-honoured game of kiss-in-the-ring. The entries for the various events on the card were very numerous ; and some of the foot races were well contested. Dances in Highland costume occupied a prominent position, and seemed to excite considerable interest. It might fairly be expected that the Highland costume would be pretty generally worn at a Caledonian Gathering, but on this occasion, as has been the ca«e in previous years, the kilts were conspicuous by their absence. The walking matches were invested with a special interest this year. A little fellow named Scott, aged 12£ years, was entered for all the matches, and even contested with such a v.eteran as M'Gregor. His speed and powers of endurance were marvellous, and in the Handicap Walking Race of two miles, he came in first, beating M'Gregor, Campbell, and J. Spence. Of course, he had a considerable start — 220 yards from scratch — but on even terms almo3t he would have beaten his opponents. Unfortunately, a protest was entered against him in this race, on the ground of breaking when passing M'Gregor, so that it is doubtful whether he will get the prize. The spectators cheered the plucky little fellow most enthusiastically, and after each race he was carried shoulder high. At the conclusion of the sports, he was brought on the grand stand and exhibited for a few minutes to all wlio were present, and was_ loudly cheered. For the future, the Directors might consider the advisability of carrying on several of the contests simultaneously. They do so at present to a certain extent, but when a wrestling match or a dance constitutes all that the spectators can look at, the sports are certainly open to the charge often preferred, of being "dreadfully slow.' The managers of the sports also deserve a Bcolding for their want of punctuality in commencing the sports, which are supposed to begin at 11 o'clock, but were not started until about noon on the first day. This, however, may be attributable to the niggardly spirit displayed by the Directors in not advertising the time or place of the sports. There was a large body of police, under the direction of Sub Inspector Mallard, on the ground both days ; but, notwithstanding the lavish patronage bestowed upon the refreshment booths, they had very little difficulty in preserving the peace. His Excellency the Governor visited the ground on the afternoon of New Year's Day, and wa3 accompanied by His Honour the Superintendent, Captain Jacquemart, and pome of the officers of the French frigate Vire. The centre of the grand stand waß set apart for the use of His Excellency's party. It waa suitably furnished for the occasion, with a flight of steps leading up the front. His Excellency was welcomed by Mr Keith Ramsay, President of the Caledonian Society, who explained that the Directors had not thought it necessary to prflsent His Excellency with a formal address. The Governor returned thanks for the cordial welcome accorded to him, and expressed his approval of the course followed by the Directors in dispenuing with a formal address. His Excellency walked round the circle, and partook of luncheon in a marquee provided lor the occasion, and took his de>

parture after witnessing the sports for about two hours. Lady ..Fergußson was also presentjduring a considerable portion of the second day. She was occompanied by the Premier and Mrs Vogel, Miss Coates, Mrs Fergusson, Lieutenant-Colonel Cargill, and His Excellency's Private Secretary. The party was accompanied to the Grand Stand by the President, Mr Keith Ramsay, the Band playing the National Anthem. The following ia an account of the events contested during

THE FIRST DAY.

Handicap Sprint Race, 100 yards : Heats. First prize, £"4 ; secorid, £2 ; third, £1. There were twenty-three entries for this race. The following ran for the first heat : — Le Fevre, scratch ; G. Wain, 4 yards ; Carey, 6 yards ; Henderson, 6 yards ; E. Hogg, 6 yards. Hogg came in first, Wain second. For the second the following started :— W. Auld, 5 yards ; D. Bowman, 7 yards ; S. Aarons, 6 yards ; Howe, scratch, Murdoch, 4 yards. Aarons and Howe came in first and second respectively. The starters for the third heat were as follows :— S. Collins, 1 yard; A. D. Wilson, 4 yards ; J. Conolly, 5 yards ; N. Carey, 6 yards; and M'Lennan, 8 yards. Wilson, j who ran very well, came in first — time, 11 seCi — allc l H. Carey second. The first and second men in each heat ran the final heat, | and a very good race ensued. Aarons came in first, Wilson second, and Wain third. A protest was entered against Wain on the gtound that he jostled Wilson and Murdoch, but the protest was disallowed. Grand Highland Reel, in costume. First prize, £3 ; second, £1 10s ; third, 10s. J. Murray, Murray (Athol) tartan, Ist ; R. Brown, 42nd tartan, 2nd ; J. Haig, Macduff tartan, 3rd. Youths' Handicap Race, 220 yards. Heats. First prize, £1; second, 10s; third, ss. J. M'Bean, 7 yards, Ist; J. Mayne, 6 yards, 2nd. M'Lennan started, but broke down before the finish. Running High Leap. First prize, £2 ; second, £1 ; third, 10s. There were three competitors for this event. J. Murdoch won the first prize with 4ft. 9in., and .Auld the second with lin. less. Wain broke down at 4ft. sin. Throwing 16lb. Hammer. First prize, £7 ; second, £2 , third, £1. There was a very good contest for this event, the first prize falling to D. Chalmers, who threw the hammer iOOft. 2in. Matheson second, with 92ft. lOin. Webster, who is apparently quite youthful, shaped very well, and gained the third prize with a throw of 92ft. Bin. Handicap Walking Race, two miles. First prize, £5 ; second, £2 ; third, £1. There were six entries for this event, but only four competitors put in an appearance, namely, Murdoch M'Gregor, scratch ; James Spence, scratch ; John Campbell, 75 yards ; and John Scott (12^ years of age), 220 yards. This event proved the most interesting of the clay, on account of the walking of the boy Scott. The latter started at scratch, as the distance given him (220 yards) was exactly equal to one lap. For the first two laps Campbell prpserved his lead, M'Gregor being second, Spence third, and Scott fourth. Campbell haß a very pretty style, closely resembling M'Gregor's. Spence looks very awkward, but he showed himself capable of doing good work. The little fellow soon caught up to Spence, and was loudly cheered as he passed the latter after a brief struggle. He then worked up to M'Gregor, and after some hard struggles contrived to pass him during the last round, coming in second to Campbell with a whole lap to spare, and of course far ahead of all the competitors counting his distance. There can be little doubt, however, that he broke into a run when struggling with M'Gregor. A protest was entered against him on this account, and if the judges sustain it the prizetakers will be as follows :— Campbell, Ist ; M'Gregor, 2nd; Spence, 3rd. One Mile Handicap Race. First prize, £6 ; second, £3 ; third, £1. There were six entries for this event, but Westland failed to put in an appearance, and only the following started : — W. J. Burke, scratch ; J. Buchanan, 15 yards; Le Fevre, 15 yards ; E. Hogg, 22 yards — D. Auld, 45 yards. Burke won easily, in 4min. 45secs ; Hogg, second ; Auld, third. Sailors' Hornpipe, in Costume. First prize, £3 : second, £1 10s ; third, 10s. J. Haig, Ist ; D. Buchanan, 2nd ; J. Murray, 3rd. Wrestling. North Country style. 12 Btone and under. First prize, £4. All Comers. — First prize, £7 ; second, £3 ;

third, £1. F. Fothergill, who displayed considerable skill, carried off the first prize for the light weights. For the All-comers, there were only two competitors — Fothergill and George Robertson — the latter taking the first prize. Youths' Wrestling Match. North Country style. First prize, £3 ; second, £1

10s ; third, 10a. There was a large number of entries for this event. ' The conditions were " catch as catch can." but the competitors elected to wrestle with close gripß. Gorby took the first prize, T. Ramage second, and W. Braithwaite third. Grand Highland Reel for Boys, in coatuine. First prize, £1 ; second, 10a ; third, 10s. , _ J. Murray, jun., let; W, Allen, 2nd; J. Caldweil, 3rd.

Running Lotto L«ap. First prize, £2; Second, £1 ; third, 10s. J. Murdoch, 16ft 10#n,- 11st;1 Ist ; Home, 16ft lOin, 2nd ; W. Auld, 16ft Birf, 3rd. Youth's Handicap Walking Sace'. One mile. First prize, £1 ; second, 10s. There were only four entries for this event, but only two started — the lad Scott and Campbell. The former had a start of 100 yards, Campbell at scratch. Scott came in first, but a protest was entered and sustained. Seauntreus, in Highland costume. First prize, £3 ; second, £1 10s ; third, 10s. Haig, Ist ; Murray, 2nd ; Brown, 3rd. Handicap Hurdle Race. 220 yards. Heats. 3ft hurdles. First prize, £5 ; second, £2 ; third, £1. There were nine entries for this race. Wain came in first in the final heat, after a very good contest ; Home, second ; and Le Fevre, third. Handicap Sack Race for Boys. A large number of prizeß were distributed amongst a crowd of competitors, whose performances created much merriment. SECOND DAY. Bagpipe Music, consisting of Pibrochs, Marches, Strathspeys, and Reels. Ist prize, £8 ; 2nd, £3 ; 3rd, £2. Ist, Duncan M'Coll ; 2nd, John Baxter. There were no other competitors, and the third prize was not awarded. Bagpipe Music, special competition for young pipers. Prizes £2 and £1. Ist, Archibald M'Coll. There waa no other competitor. Quoiting. Prizes, £5 and £2. Ist, M'Rory ; 2nd, Cramond. There were four competitors, two of whom were thrown out in playing on the first day. On Friday the two winners played off with the above result. The play was very good, the game at one time being 9 each, after which M'Rory began to go ahead. When he had scored his 21 points, his opponent only had mads 15. Handicap Race, 220 yards. Prizes, £4, £2, and £1. This race was run iD heata. There were five starters for the first heat, which was won by L. Westland, who received 6 yards' start, by a yard, with W. Henderson, 9 yards' start, second. Time, 25sec. F. Wain, 5 yards' start, fell. There were five j starters for the second heat, which was won by about a yard by J. Murdoch, 7 yards' start, with J. Howe, 2 yards' start, second. Time, 25£ sec. In the third heat only two started, Hogg, 6 yards' start, being the winner in 28sec. J. Collins, 6 yards' start, fell when he had accomplished half the distance, and while he was running close to Hogg. There were four starters for the fifth heat, which was won by E. Hogg ; 6 yards' start ; S. Collins. 4 yards' start, second. Time, 244 seconds. This was a well contested heat, and the result would have been closer had not Collins been put back a yard at the start, for jumping off before the signal. There were seven starters for the final heat : J. Howe, 2 yards ; S. Collins, 4 yards; E. Hogg, 6 yards; L. Westland, 6 yards ; J. Murdoch, 7 yards ; W. Hogg, 8 yards ; and W. Henderson, 9 yards. This was a splendid race. S. Collins won by about a quarter of a yard, and took first prize. Westland and Henderson ran a dead beat for second place, and divided the second and third prizes. Time of the final heat. 24& seconds. Reel o' Tulloch, in Highland Costume.— Prizes, £3, £1 10s, and 10s. Ist., J. Murray, Murray (Athol) tartan ; 2nd., H. Brown; 3rd., R. Brown. There were three other competitors. Youths' Handicap Rack, 440 Yards,— Prizes : £1, 10s, and ss. Ist, W. Nightingale, 12 yards' start ; 2nd, W. Hogg, scratch ; 3rd, J. Mayne, 12 yards' stark. There were only four starters, but the race was well contested ; the time being 59 seconds. Putting the 221b. Ball. — Prizes : £7, £3, and £1. Ist, D. Chalmers, distance, 32ft. 2in. ; 2nd, W. Matheson, 28ft. 10in. ; 3rd, D. Johnston, 28ft. Bin. There were two other competitors. Wrestling, Cornish and Devonshire Style.— Prizes : £7, £3, and aSI, and 10s given to standards. The first tussle was between G-. Robertson and F. Fothergill, and after a good contest Fothergill was thrown. RobertBon and B. Hoare then competed, and they wrestled for nearly an hour and a half, neither man gaining an advantage. Hoare cams to earth five or six times, but was never fairly thrown. The contest caused a good deal of excitement, the difference in the size of the competitors making it even more interesting. It was at length decided that Robertson and Hoare had tied, and that they would divide the firßt and second prizes, Fothergill getting third prize. These were the only competitors. Handicap Hurdle Race, 440 yarda, over

3ft. hurdles. Prizes, £5, £2, and £1.

Ist, L. Westland, 8 yards' start ; 2nd, T. W. Le Fevre, scratch; 3rd, D. Auld, 9 yards' start. There were eight competitors, and the contest was very good. Auld got to the front directly after the start and led up to the last hurdle where he hesitated before jumping. Lefevre and Westland then ran by him, and came in as stated above, Westlaad winning by » oouple of yards ia 6S»fo«

!sw<h> Dance, in Highland Costume. Prisjea,

£3. £1 10s, and 10s.

Ist, J. Mtttrajr ; 2nd, Meldrum j 3rd, Brown. There were six competitors. Vaulting with the Fore; Prizes, £4>

£2, £1.

Ist, D.- Auld— height, 9ft 2m ; 2nd, D. Mmrhead— Bft Ilia; 3rd, J. Murdoch— Bft 6in. There were four competitors. Handicap WalkiS^ Match, one mile. Prizes, £3, £Z, £I.

Ist, Murdoch Macgregor, scratch- ? 2nd, J. Campbell, scratch; 3rd, D. Spew*; 20 yards' start. There were four starters. D. Spence brested the tape second, but as he had broken into a run during the race, the judges disqualified him for second place, and he only got third prize. The competitors had to go eight times round the course to complete the mile. Tbe first round was done in 42gec, and the following is the time that had elapsed at the finish of the other rounds :— 2nd round, lmin. 38sec. ; 3rd, 2min. 33sec. ; 4th, 3min. 30sec. ; sth, 4mm. 32sec. ; 6th, smin. 35sec. ; 7th, 6mm. 37Bec; Bta and final, 7min. 40sec. TossiSG the Caber. Length of pole, 13ft. Prizes, £3, £1, and 10s. Ist, D. Chalmers, distance 31 ft. 6in. ; 2nd, W. Nichol, 30ft. Sin. ; 3rd, J. Grant, 29ft. 4in. These were the only competitors. Grand Challenge Dance— for youths of 16 and under. Each competitor to choose his own dance. Prizes, £1, 10s, and sa. | lßt, J. Murray, jun. The other competi. tors were W. Allen, Alex. Allen, and Caldweil, and the judges, considering them equal in point of merit, decided to add a further prize, and allow them to lump the last three prizes and divide them equally. Half Milb Handicap Race. Prizes, £6,

£3, and£l. Ist, L. Weßtland, 20 yards' start. W. J. Burke, scratch, and E. Hogg, 10 yards start, ran a dead heat for second place, and divided the second and third prizes. There were seven starters. For the first 200 yards Burke ran up and got through his men ; but he only held firat place for a short distance, Weßtland passing him. Murdoch, 22 yardi start, gave up m the middle of the race. The struggle at the finish was very good. Time of first round, 27sec. When the aecond round had been run lmin. had elapsed ; third round, lmin. 32sec. ; fourth and final round, 2min. 11 sec. Single Stick. Prizes, £3, £\ 10a, and 10s.

Ist, R Glover ; 2nd, W, Whyte ; 3rd, G. Falgar. There were four competitors, none of whom exhibited much skill. Youths' Handicap Walking Rack, Onb

Mile. Prizes, £1, 10s, and ss.

There were four starters for thus race. Campbell, scratch ; Scott, 25 yards ; M'Lellan, 40 yards ; Humphrey, 60 yards. Scott and Humphrey were both little boys, and the former walked very gamely. Campbell led until just before the seventh round was completed, when Scott, amid the applause of the on-lookers, went by him, and passed the post first. The competitors then stopped, having been told by the judges that the mile had been completed. They really should have gone round once more, and the mistake was not discovered until soon after. Campbell then walked once round the ground, and claiming to have walked the mile, entered a protest against Scott receiving first prize. As the mistake was on the part of the judges, they decided to give first prizes to both Scott and Campbell— Humphrey getting third prize. Bunnino Hop, Stkp, and Jump. Prizes,

£2, £1, and 10a.

Ist, D. M'Master, distance 38ft. 6Jin. 2nd, J. Murdooh, 38ft. 4in.; 3rd, D. Auld, 36ft. 3in. There were five competitors.

Irish Jig. Prizes, £3, £1 10s, and 10s.

There were three competitors, and J. Haig and F. Hannagan were judged equal. They divided the first and second prizes. No third prize was given. Consolation Handicap. Open to competi* tors who had run at least one race eaoh

day. Ist, E. Hogg, 4 yds Btart j 2nd, J. Collins, 14 yds start ; 3rd, T. W. Lefevre, scratch. There were six starters, and the winner run the distance in 57iseo. 220 Yards Match: a flat race, ounce round the course, for a prize of £1 10s. This was arranged between Robertson and Hoare, the men who divided the first and second prizes for wrestling. Hoare got tyro yards start, but Robertson soon passed him, and won easily. GYMNASTICS ON THS HORIZONTAL B*.R.— I Prizes given in trophies, £10. On the first day the horizontal bar pro. vided was not in order, and the competitors had to postpone the trial until next day, when another bar was put up. This was not aa good as it might have been, butthe performers went through some clever feats. F. Booth was awarded first prize, R. Lookheod second, and J. B. Finlayson, third. Mr Long also performed, and went through some difficult feats with great skilL

The supplementary sports in connection with the Caledonian Gathering were held, according to announcement, on Saturday afternoon. Unfortunately, the weather proved unfavourable, and the drizzling rain doubtleßS deterred many from viaiting the grounds. A goodly number assembled, however, and the various events were contested with considerable spirit. The foot races wore divided info three events : a hAudioap of 220 yard*, ftaotlior of 440 y*r<u,

I

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and a handicap hurdle race of 220 yards. The first man in each division received a prize of £1, and the second 10s. Three prizes of £5, £2, and £1 were also given to the three men who scored the highest number of points in the whole of the events, the points being adjudged as follows : — First man in each division, 3 points ; second, 2 points ; third} 1 point. For the first heat of the 220 yards event the following men started : — Le Fevre, scratch ; J. Howe, 3 yards ; L. Smith, 3 yards ; G. Aarons, E. Hogg, J. Murdoch, 4 yards ; and Burke, 5 yards. Murdoch and Burke tied for first place, Smith occupying third place. Time, 30 sees. The following started for the second heat :— J. Collins, 1 yard ; F. Wain, R. P. Wilson, 3 yards ; W. Henderson, 4 yards ; J. Collins, 5 yards ; D. Auld, 6 yards; J. Bowman, 8 yards. J. Collins came in first in 28k sees. ; R. P. Wilson being second. In the final heat Burke came in first. Murdoch second, and Collins third. For the 440 yards handicap the following started : — Lefevre, scratch; J. Collins, F. Smith, E. Hogg, 3 yards ; Burke, 4 yards ; R. P. Wilson, It. Howe, 5 yards : F. Wain, J. Murdoch, 6 yards ; T. Auld, G. Aarons, 7 yards ; W Henderson, 8 yards ; Bowman, 10 yards ; J. Collins, 12 yards. Murdoch came in first, Burke second, and Hog? third. This made Burke and Murdoch equal with seven points each ; and also Hogg and Collins, with one point each. For the final division -the 220 yards handicap hurdle— the following started :— Lefevre, scratoh ; S. Collins, R. P. Wilson, 4 yards ; E. Hogg, R. Howe, F. Wain, J. Murdoch, 5 yards ; F. Smith, Burke, Henderson, D. Auld, 6 yards; S. Aarons, 7 yards ; J. Collins, 8 yards ; Bowman, 10 yards. Murdoch unfortunately came to grief at the first hurdle, and fell very heavily. He was thus put completely out of the race. Auld came in first, and Burke second. Burke scored a total of 9 points, and secured the prize of £5 ; Murdoch, with a snore of 7 points, won the second prize of £2 ; and Auld with 5 points won the third prize of £1. Auld won the first prize for vaulting with the pole, after a pretty stiff contest with Muirhead. Auld went as high as 9ft. lin., and Muirhead came to grief at a little under 9ft. A handicap walking match (one mile) between M'Gregor, Eade, Treseder, and Thomson, wa3 won easily by M'Gregor, who carried off the first prize, £2 ; Eade securing the second, £1 ; and Treseder the third, 10s. A youths' wrestling match brought forth quite a host of athletes, who tumbled a\>tl tossed each other, and tore each other's shirts with great spirit and the utmost good humour. The first prize was awarded to Campbell, and the second to M 'Skimming. _ A number of less important events were decided ; but the most amusing of all was one not on the programme. Mr Murray, the well-known undertaker, undertook to walk one mile in ten minutes. After making almost superhuman efforts, he succeeded in doing the mile in two minutes too late. He was loudly applauded by the spectators, and carried shoulder-high to the nearest refreshment booth.