CYCLING.

Otago Witness, Issue 1847, 15 April 1887, Page 27

CYCLING.

WHEEL NOTES. By Demon. At the Bicycle Club sports held in Christchurch on Monday, the Teh-mile Championship was won by Bean, of the Christohurch Club, in 32min 59 4-sseo. Hall, of the Pioneer Club, was second, and J. Painter, of the Christchurch Club, third. Mr Melville, hon. sec. of the Dunedin Amateur Athletic Club, who is at present on a holiday in Melbourne, attended the Fernside Club's recent race meeting, and was greatly pleased with the racing. He was most courteously entertained by the -club members most of whom, he says, are genuine cyclists. Tha following letter explains itself :— H. M. Office of Works, Whitehall place, S.W., February 12, 1887.— Sir,— With reference to your letter of December 1 last, I am directed by the First Commissioner of her Majesty's Works, &c., to inform you that revised rules for Greenwich Park have been laid before Parliament, which authorise the admission of cyclists to the park, and which will be brought into force without delay. — I am, Sir, your obedient servant, — (Signed) H. W. Primbose. The Hon. Secretary National Cyclists' Union, 57 Basinghall street, E.C. " Cyclist " records the unexpected news that G. P. Mills, the well-known Anfield B.C. flyer of Liverpool, has recently entered the employ of Dan Albone, the cycle maker, of Biggleswade. We are very heartily sorry, says Land and Water, to hear this news, as G. P. Mills has hitherto been an amateur sans peur et sans reproche. "Evil communications," we know, bear unpleasant fruit, and possibly the attack made on amateurism by his friends and fellowclubmen of Liverpool has had something to do with the ease with which he slips into the new positiou. We are regretful to think of G. P. M. as in the "trade." In our Stanley Show Supplement, says the same paper, we drew especial attention to the

new- olub bicycle,- the tfrivention* of Mr" 'KingsfxSnr Welch; and we' believe that the' new Otto type machine will make a big-mark in 1887. We are' to have an opportunity ere long of submitting-it to a pretty severe test, "and shall then report fully for the benefit of bur^readers, > ■ M In response to a private appeal made to some of the cycling friends of the late H. L. Cortis, | sufficient funds have -been collected to place a stained glass window and [memorial brass in St. Mary's Church, Ripiey. selected is the rose (or wheel) windowing the south aisle "of the church; and this has/been' fixed with rich ornamental stained glass, under which "the memorial brass has been fixed/bearing thefollowing inscription:— "ln" ' Memoriam,' Herbert Liddell Corfcis, born at Filey, Yorkshire, June 7 ! , 1857, died at.Cafcoar, N.S.W.,' December 28, 1885. 'He brought down my strength in my journey, and shortened my days.' " The initial letters are in red, and the, rest black. The brass has a neat border, and in each corner the rose of old England entwined with , an Australian plant or grass. The brass is mounted on a black Blab. Both of these memorials were executed by Messrs Cox, Sons, Buckley and Co., of Southampton street, Strand, and they were fixed in St. Mary's Church, by the kind permission of the vicar, the Rev.- Henry Hooper, and the churchwardens of the parish, on January 26, 1887. We have no doubt, says an exchange, all cyclists will join with us in an expression of satisfaction that the memory of one of- the greatest, if not the greatest rider that -ever crossed a wheel has been so quietly, reverently and decently perpetuated in the remote little Surrey village. We have little doubt that the cyclists who under the. liberal , dispensation of the Rev. Henry Hooper, weekly worship in St. Mary's, will see with pleasure the memorial thus erected by the friends of Cortis; ' . ' ' , The N.C.U. is to be askeiT to'exercise its prerogative, and permit a meeting between the leading amateurs and professionals at the Cathcartian Tournament at ;the Alexandra Park. Everyone will recall the Cortis-Keen matches, and, if the Jubilae year was marked by as successful a gathering, perhaps the at present seriously depleted funds of the N.C.U. might very well be augmentedby such a contest as that proposed. • \~ ~ . At Home, when the mail left, everyone was rejoicing at the fact thab the racing season had practically opened, the Stanley show being the .recognised initiation of -the season, and, as political matters in cycling circles had been settled, everyone was looking forward with pleasant anticipations to a big season, for without doubt the coming year will see a tremendous advance in the prosper itj r of pur sport, always providing that the threatened troubles on the Continent are tided over. On-ajl^ hands there were most pleasant anticipations pf the opening season.' The general verdict over" the Stanley show has been a satisfactory^onei The exhibits, as a whole, showed steady improvement, whilst almost without exception the stalls contained most businesslike machines— machines that are finished in a manner in which an expert' would prefer, and not covered with the nickel and gilding beloved of the novice and the beginner. In many minor details improvementshave been introduced, and the advance since last show was singularly notice- 1 able. . | The Lifeboat Fund had got over £100 when the mail left. James Mackintosh, a Seaman who has lost both his legs, was en route from Dundee to London on a hand lever Excelsior, by Messrs Bayliss, Thomas and Co. Our Scottish contemporary (says Land and Water) recommonds that Mackintosh should be- ''feted." Unless he was "legged" as well as ."feted," we fear it wouldn't be much good to him,, poor fellow ; but- any wheelmen who would like to assist him should watch the athletic and sporcing papers for some note of his arrival in town.