LETTER FROM LAYCOCK.

Kumara Times, Issue 1369, 19 February 1881, Page 2

LETTER FROM LAYCOCK.

The following letter is from Laycoct to a friend in Sydney : *'Welh old fellow, the big race ii over and we got «done.' 1 stood and looked at it from start to finish. I can assure yon 1 was nonplusse'd—in fact, dtinibfourided, as well I might be, fo£ as I stood up I had not as much as would jittgle on a frying-pan. * * Poor old Ned was terribly cut tip. t never saw a , man. take it 16 heart sd mucb. He lost all he had: Of course; I cheered him np all I could; biit the blow-was heavy; How he lost the race I cannot tell you, for t ; ani confident he is the better ni'an of tile two; The day was fine and everything fair; The only conclusion I can come id is; that when Hanlan headed Hini, which he did, the amount of ,moiiey aria rte£ sponsibility, combined with tlis cdttsequences of a defeat, overcame NBd arici his strength failed him, for after,a mile and a-half he never showed any d*itsh and appeared to row without any strength. He must have done so, for after passing under. Hammersmith Bridge the beggar literally played with him, and I could see our ' sugar 1 was gone. I can account for it in no other way, for in onr practice he always rdwe'd we'll and strong, as well as I ever saw him row,-'and you know wheri he is right, no man can play with him. .He was in 4 good health and appeared tit splendid condition, all muscle. Yes; old felldw; How a little sprat. like him 1 coulid ever beat Ned is and always wilt be a mystery td nteY < " I received your" teiegratiL. with thanks for the welconle riews; Although I art! a brdker, wduld yoii believe it, 1 am the niost popular sculler dpori the' Thames. While I am racing the c'rbwd bawl to rid one. else—' Go it, taycdck,' ' Go it, bitsbranger/ 1 * Go it; bushman,' ' Go it,' Shark Island j' arid tile gree'tings I get when each race is finished n something awful. They stand! in the tow-path in tbousaridg arid tike' their hats off arid give me cheer after cheer.When we get back to Hammersmith' Bridge" it is always crammed,- arid then they begin agaiti, * Well dorie; Laycock/ and cheer after cheer. Wheri we get dowri here I ean hardly get td the house, and tbe last time they very* nearly twietecf triy' wVinfc shaking' hands.I have faced th flag now six times, and} have rowed the whole of them down. In all cases I have been led* at the start, but that never troubled me. Somehow' I always feel quite confident I cfan ro*wthem down, so have never allowed thertf to put me oat of ray.stride at the start; In my last encounter, the final for" the" Hop Bitters, I had three Yanks td contend against, and the-ducks were seen together in the morning knocking their heads together to put me ont of* it. But it was no go. They got id front of me, and each in tarn ran md off in all directions, but I managed to worry the beggars down, and finally won by 100 yards. Just after he started, Mr Ross planted himself right in front of me, and it would have made you laugh to see the rush I made at him, and the way he scampered out of the road. They did laugh on the steamer. Fancy, none of the Englishmen could get a place in the Hop Bittets. I gave ' Bullet-headed' Elliott such a ' doing' in the first heat, and Hawdon also. Poor old Ned cot ap bad in his second heat; and was knocked out. He was kept waiting in the' cold the evening before, which I fandj£affected him. I kept giving the 'ps' the wash all the" way up in frottT of him, and calling him on, but it was no use. I can assure you I am getting full of Old England. Everything looks so unvitirigly cold and dismal. There is any quantity of frost, ice, and snow about. I had a skate on some ice this evening while out for a walk. Ned's race with «flash Ross' winds up on the 29 th. Then I do not care how soon

the John Elder Bails. I feel anxious .to be on the rolling deep once again.— Hoping you, <fcc.-, &c," yours faithfully— Elias L&cqck."