LAND & WATER.

Otago Witness, Issue 1761, 22 August 1885, Page 18

LAND & WATER.

The boxing match at Auckland between Matthews and Wilkinson, for £30 a side and tho championship of Now Zealand, was won by Matthews.

In the House of Representatives on Wednesday notice was givei^by Mr Ross to ask the following question on Thursday- :—" Whether ,the Government will take steps to prohibit- those brutal exhibitions known as glove fights which are becoming frequent in the Colony.

The Timaru Herald's Geraldine correspondent in his account of a coursing meeting on Thursday sends rather ah' unusual item of news — viz.. that two valuable greyhounds had been shot dead by a farmer over whose land they were coursing. So far as can be learned the coursing meeting was a private one arranged by Mr Postlethwaite, whose paddocks at Raukapaka were coursed over. Hearing early yesterday of" the shooting of the dogs, and knowing that several lovers of coursing from Timaru had been present, inquiries were made, which elicited the following -—Mr Connolly's dbg Darebin and Mr Scott's Prince were slipped to a strong hare in one of Mr Postlethwaite^s paddocks, and they; coursed it into a paddock adjoining, belonging to Hewson, where they killed. Hewson was in the paddock armsd with a gun, and when the dogs killed the hare he called them to him and shot them. It appears that Hewson was informed the meeting was to be held, and that he told his informant he would destroy any dogs that came on his land, as he had a lot of ewes in lamb and with lambs at foot running in the paddocks. To prevent as far as possible any unpleasantness, the management went to, a lot of trouble to secure Hewson's paddocks in several places, but unfortunately moving further on to some others, the dogs were slipped before the paddocks were secured. It is admitted there were sheep in the paddock in which the dogs were shot, but that they wera not within many chains of tho dogs, nor were they disturbed in any way' by them. Immense excitement prevailed in consequence of the shooting, feeling being so .high that many persons feared something more tragic was about to happen, but beyond certain vague threats of violence, nothing further resulted. It is understood, however, that the matter will come before the law courts shortly.

' ' A cricket match was recently played between an eleven from a well-known girls' school in Surrey and eleven of the ladies of the neigh- ' ' !! bour-hood. The ladies wore their usual costume, 'and the schoolgirls wore attired in white tunics, 'Eton blue caps and sashes to match, black _ stockings, and white knickerbockers. They also •I wore red roses as a badge, while their opponents wore white. The school were the- victors — making as many as' $9 runs in tjieir' second • innings — and retired amid great applause,, wearing the white roses of their opponents. « s A very large specimen of the New Zealand • brill, caught off New Brighton beach, weighing . 11|U>, being 2ft lin long, lft 4in wide; and 2§in in thickness, has been forwarded, packed in ice, to 1 Sir Julius Vogel, from Christchurch, in ■ ''recognition of his efforts in the direction of . developing coast fisheries. A f trial football match' between sides chosen by ButteVworth and Martin was played on the Caledonian ground on Wednesday afternoon, 1 ! Martin's side winning "by , three goals and two tries to two tries. For the winners Ross potted a f'goal from the field and scored a touchdown by a ruu from the centre flag, while Hassal also potted a goal, and Loudon and J. Morris obtained tries. For the other side Tresseder and Drabble scored. Bowler, Russell, Chapman, Menelaus, Martin, Butterworth, Trotter, Dodson, and Dallas played well. Noel also distinguished himself, making some good runs, and Austin at fullt back collared splendidly. ' The billiard tournament at Tapanui was won '. by Mr Day, the local " knight of the hammer " being second. Another is being initiated. There is not much likelihood of the Dunedin cnrlef s being able to visit Naseby this year. A team ,was to have gone up about a week ago, but unfortunately a thaw set in, and the trip had to be abandoned. On the 12th a friendly game took pace at Kyeburn between , ■ the local club there and the Otago Central Club, the Kyeburn Club winning by three . points. There were 1 two rinks on each side. The pupils attending Mr Oscar DavixVs gym- ■ riastic classes are now in active training for the attiletic carnival, which they intend to hold in October next in aid of $he Benevolent Institution ' tion funds. Some 30 of the best performers aye In practice two or three times a week, and the progress made promises a very successful exhibition of gymnastic skill when the tournament takes place. ' The match of 12,000 up, spot-barred, between J. Roberts andW. Cook, the latter with 2000 start, was won by Cook. Both men played well during' the afternoon and evening, and eventually Cook won by 266 points. The best break (during the day was 192 by Roberts. After some capital play the match of 12,000 up, "all in" on level terms between Mitchell and Peall, was brought to a close at the Westminster Aquarium. Throughout the week thfi ■ affair had been well contested, although Mitchell had-been playing a rather uphill game. ■ Peall ' had most pecidedly shown the best form of the , two, putting ' in some capital breaks, whilst •although Mitchell not displaying his best form at thespotend of the table, credited himself the be.st all round break, and thus gained the extra prize ■ presented by Captain Smith. At the close of play on' Friday night the scores stood— Peall 10,001, ' Mitchell, 9830. On Saturday the Sheffielder did but little, and Peall, who seemed to improve as ■he went on, had all the best of the play, and ultimately won easily with an unfinished break . of 612. Clarence Whistler, the American wrestler, met John' Thomas, the Australian 12st champion, at Melbourne' on the 6th, to contest for stakes of ■ £50 a side. There was a crowded house: Donald • Dinnie was appointed referee, to the evident - satisfaction of the audience.- The terms of the : match, which was the first in which, whistler has taken part since his arrival in the Colony, were -' three -falls out of five. The'ijhatch'was a gift i"ito' Whistler, who is 1 a well-built" man of middle ' < height,* and a born combatant. It was seen as 1 ' feoon -as he' stepped on the stage that Thomas .' would -have' no chance with him, for Thomas' • tall spare frame served only as a foil to display ■ ■' to the best 1 advantage' -the great breadth and > compactness of Whistler. Thomas, sitting ■ ' opposite to him, before being introduced to the '• audience; looked with evident dismay at .his formidable opponent. At the close of the match it' was announced that Whistler was • 'ready to wrestle the best man that Australia •'* can ' produce. In response ' to ' loud cries "-•'Professor Miller stepped to the footlights and ••' 'said that as he was cha'mpionintheGrseco-Roman 'Style when he left America 1 in 1880, and as*. Whistler was now' champion in Europe and America in that style, he would make a match • with him,' after he (Miller) had got over his . • match of the 15th inst. f with Donald Dinnie. ; Whistler then came forward and said he' was quite ready to accept - Miller's challenge, but he 'Would prefer first to deal -with Donald Dinnie, ' ■' who, by jShe way, is an old opponent of the visitor. Dinnie, being loudly called for, said he was,, ready, to wrestle Whistler in the Scotch style., Whistler rejoined that he would make the same match as the Miller v. Dinnie match of Saturday last. Whistler's .trainer said" he was prepared to make a match with Miller, allowing him to choose two of the styles, the winner to ' take 'the proceeds of the house. He would also wrestle Donald Dinriiej each to choose one style, and a mixed fall for the final event.