THE CARBINE MATCHES.

Evening Star, Issue 4061, 2 March 1876, Page 3

THE CARBINE MATCHES.

To the Editor.

SIR, —With reference fc i n extract f om the Wcl.irgt n ‘ i’.vetiin;' Best,’ commenting Uj o.i my etter in your join nd of a few days since, appe ring io your usue of this evening, allow m ■, t rough the nv diuni of y. ur columns, to offer a few fu ther remarks upo i tin Mibj ct n refu atioa of the sweeping ass.rtiona of the ‘Evening Post.’, .1 would,, in the first place.

point out that- even the virtuous, and nigh toned effusion of your Wellington contemporary d es not in any degree detract from the tiuth of my former statement, viz , that the We’lington Artille:y have uncreditably c’aimed glory for victories gained under “borrowed plume O’ The champion does not appear to be able t > gainsay the composition of the team purporting to be that of the “Wellington Artillery.” When one lottery challenges another to a competition of any description, unless special sripu’ation is made for the inclusion of supemumerarirs, I think any mere recruit will tell you that it is umhrstood that it means oivy the active members of that battery will compete. And I am quite convinced with reference to the point at issue that this was the understanding und-r which the Artillery matches against the ‘Wellington combination team” were fired, and not even the gushing tirade of maudlin sentiment indulged in by the ‘Pi st’ can sm .ther the fact that the Wclliugtpa team have taken advantage of the absence of any special stipu'ation in the conditions excluding band and honorary members. And as the to hardships under which this much honored team labored by firing dtirin4? the week their challenge stipulated for, there would not have been the s ightfst difficulty M grooming a postponement it they had deemed it advisable, by te’egraphing the un suitability of the weather ; the Dunedin team would only have been too glad to meet them half way in this respect. The reason the latter company did not fiie during 1 their compel it o ■ during,the same week w.s this*: they ha.l fired two matches' against Invercargill 'and-Christ-church that week, which had been fired during extremely indiffer nt weather, and the last available day allott d ' or the Wellington match turned out ape.feet;Btorm; and although the team were upon the ground they were reliicianejy compelled--to p n & i -pone it to the first d.y in the e; suing week, the Wellington re--1 re mutative being present at tin time, and did u<>t ‘‘coolly wait for a favorable day ’ asyour ingenious contemporaiy has it, The refit shingdisp'ay of pure and unulul erated vhtue exhibited by this gifted team must be apparent to the m<-st casual reader,” in theft- g nerous refrain, from claiming author competi ion under .the fla,<rant|outrage committed against them! Tiu'y Such virtue should be far more than its own leward, but no doubt this was a trump card held in case the result of the ma'cb had been differ eat.. The champion for truth and honor then goes on to say, “ directly they heard by teL gr am they were beaten, ignoring their own manifest breach of’ agreement, thsy at once, after the match, be it noted, entered a protest against the’coraposit’ou of the Wellington team.” Now, sir, this is nothin/ more or less than a deliberate falsehood. The Dunedin team discovering by the merest accident from the ‘New Zealand Times’s’ notice cf the match against Christchurch the composition of tlrs * Wellington Artillery team ’ immedia 1 ely telegraphs (thirtysix hours previous to firing, or the remotest idea cf the result of the Wellington competition) a remons ranee against these addition i to the team. 'Hie characteristic rep’y of doubtful courtesy, received next day, was as follows ; “Will not comply with conditions (i.e., that only the active membt-rs of the corps should fire); unless .match fired at ones cla ; m victory;” Upon receipt of this reply, couched in such bombastic s'ra>ns, the coram’ttee of the Dunedin team mule one mistake, viz., they decided to fire the match rather than give any]handle-for misinterpreting their motive*, instead of refu ing such unexpected terms. Time would not then permit of securing the services of the several excellent shots amongst their honorary members and band, who would, no doubt, have rallied round the old company had they been called upon,in itni!alien of, their opponents. With reference to the remaining portions of the c’ap trap of the ‘ Evening Post ’ regarding “hard-earned laurels” and “British Vohv.teers,’ I think it is scarcely worth dilating upon, as the last-named animal is, I think. a v out played, out. But if this longsuffering and much - enduring - “ band of heroes’’still ft. el themselves aggrieved (as the little effusion of their misguided champion would lead you to suppose) Jet them fo.sake their ‘ ‘ wiya that are dailc and the tricks that a- e vain,” and accept the twice-repea‘e 1 chal- , lenge of the Dunedin team to shoot upon their 1 own merits without supernumev o y ai'. Apologising foe to Ing trespassing upon your space, believe me to remain, Faib Play. Dunedin, February 23.

Lord Airlie remaking to one of hi* tena ts that it .was a very wet siaon “ Indeed, my lord,” replied the man, “ I think the spiggous o t a't ifgither.” Same yo'm ? men in Louisville having formed an anti-Uft-your-hat-to-a-woinaa-iocLty, the young laoies of the Western city purpose forming an ami-bow-to-a-puppy-club. It is a rath r curio us para .’ox that w hen people come to what is c ommonly called high words, they generally use low langu .w A Yankee ed tor in response to a subsc.iber who y rumbles that hismo.ning paper was intolerably damp, says “that it is because there is so unu-h due on it ” ■