The Sun.
London, England, 1870-04-18 00:00:00

CRICKET PROSPECTS.

The programmes of the great clubs, and the promise of
healing the feud which has injured cricket so long, seem
to denote the prospect of a most brilliant season. The
Marylebone Cricket Club have annexed Guy's nursery to
their grounds, and a new carriage entrance has been made.
The programme contains nearly fifty matches. Of these
that between the Right and Left-handed players (formerly
an "annual," but not played since 1828, when the former
won by 226 runs)may be regarded as a gratifying revival,
as is also that between the North and South for the benefit
of the " Cricketers' Fund," on Whit Monday, when
the full strength of the North will be concentrated, and
the reappearance of George Par, Carpenter, Hayward,
&c., will afford the highest satisfaction to the London
public. The United North and South elevens also play
at Lord's for the benefit of the M.C.C. "Professional
Fund." The great "annual" contests between the
Gentlemen and Players, Oxford and Cambridge, Harrow
and Eton, Woolwich and Sandhurst, &c., will doubt-
less prove as attractive as ever. The " Old Club "
plays three first-class counties, viz., Surrey (out
and home) Notts, and Yorkshire. They also con-
tend against Hertfordshire (out and home) Hunting-
denshire, Gloucestershire and Derbyshire. There
are the usual military matches. The club will also play
against the two Universities (out and home) before they
meet finally at Lord's, and the undermentioned schools,
viz., Winchester, Rugby, Eton, Cheltedham, Marlborough,
and Westminster will have their usual matches on the
ground. There are also the three matches—
North v. South (return), M. C. C. v. County
of Kent, and the I. Z) v. Gentlemen of Kent,
to be played during the most enjoyable period
of the whole cricket season—the " Canterbury week."
The Surrey Club bill of fare is also extensive. It includes
out and home contests with Nottinghamshire, Yorkshire,
Lancashire, Middlesex, Kent, and Sussex. In addition
to the county matches, Surrey plays M.C.C. (out and
home) and the Universities. The Oval will also be the
scene of the annual matches between the Gentlemen and
Players of England and of the South, and a grand contest
between the Northern and Southern professional
players for the benefit of W. Mortlock. The
Lancashire return match is to come off during
the "Canterbury week." The balance of Surrey's
list of thirty-three is made up of club matches.
Why does not Surrey strive to get together a better
eleven ? Some time ago—say from '6O to '65, or there-
abouts—the Surrey County Eleven was the most formid-
able in the country, and frequently contended against All
England with success. But the old players are vanishing
and there are none to fill the vacant places. Caffin, Cwsar
Mortlock, Miller, Lane, Lockyer, and several others have
retired, and but few have come to thefront in their stead,
and there are no present expectations. The County of
Kent Club play out and home matches with Surrey,
Sussex, Nottinghamshire, and Yorkshire. The former,
which is for a benefit, will come off at Mote Park,
Maidstone ; the Sussex and Notts (home) matches take
place at the Crystal Palace, and that against the
" Tykes " at Gravesend. Nottinghamshire begins on
Easter Monday with the model colts match. The county
matches to be played by Notts are (out and home) against
Kent, Surrey, and Yorkshire, and their eleven will also
contend at Lord's against M.C.C. and Ground. Yorkshire
plays three out and home matches, viz., with Kent; Notts,
and Surrey, also one with M.C.C. and Ground. Sussex
plays only two out and home county matches, viz., with
Surrey and Kent. The Sussex Club, now incorporated
with the County, has numerous engagements.

The half-yearly balance sheet of the Civil Service
Supply Association may shortly be expected to make its
appearance. It will, if we are not misinformed (says the
Civilian), disclose a very satisfactory state of affairs. The
trading during the past six months shews a profit of up-
wards of £3,000.

AN XXPENSIVE PAUPER.—There has just died at
the Hull borough asylum, of dropsy in the head, a
person named Christopher Hardy, who has been there for
upwards of forty years. He was an inmate of the Old
Charity Hall, and during hislifetime has cost the borough
upwards of £l,OOO.

Various reports which have been published lately
on the Continent give the number of poor as amounting
in France to two and three-quarter millions, in Germany
to two millions, in Austria to one and three-quarter
millions, in Italy, Belgium, and Holland to three-quarters
of a million in each country, in Spain to half a million,
while in Sweden, Switzerland, Portugal, and Denmark,
the number does not exceed 150,000. Taking the
whole of the continental population as approaching
150,000,000, it would appear that the proportion of poor
people amounts to something like one-fifteenth of the
whole.

MUSICAL NOTES.—The present opera season will
(it is well understood) witness the " last appearances" of
Signor Mario.—Liszt is just now in the ascendant at New
York, where there has been a " celebration" in his honour.
His " Dante " symphony has been brought forward with
success, and all the available talent of the city has been
brought into requisition.—The harmonium is making rapid
strides in France as a domestic musical companion. M.
Edmond Savery has undertaken an artistic tour, having
for its chief objeet the spread of a knowledge of the be-
witching instrument, and of the kind of music proper to
it.--Musical Standard.

A HEN AND HER Pups !—A correspondent of the
Surrey Standard writes :—" An extraordinary freak of
nature can be seen at the keeper's kennels at Stanmer
Park, the seat of the Earl of Chichester. A common
domestic hen., two years old, has been in the habit of lay-
ing her eggs in a dog kennel in which a beagle bitch has a
litter of six puppies now six weeks old. She wanted to
sit ; she was shut up for ten days. Now let-loose, she has
gone to the kennels again, and taken charge of the pups
as a mother would do with her chickens. She covers them
with her wings ! she scratches about as to learn them to
feed ; she calls them, the puppies follow her, and she
shews fight to any one that touches them. But the poor
thing cannot nourish them."
LARGE BEQUESTS BY AN ECCENTRIC TESTATOR.
—A man named Peter Greenwell, of Bolton, who by in-
dustry and the most rigid economy rose from very humble
circumstances to a position of affluence, has died this
week, and left some large bequests to local institutions
and personal friends. In early life he was employed as an
operative spinner, but soon acquired a large sum of money
by his frugality, and many people remember the pride
with which he used to boast of having a stocking full
of penny pieces. In later years he engaged in
some successful building speculations, and these,
together with his practice of limiting his expendi-
ture to, it is said, between 4s. and ss. a week,
speedily enabled him to a 'quire great wealth. He was a
man of most eccentric habits, and his long lank figure
caused him to be nicknamed " Long P," an epithet by
which he was invariably known. He was never married,
and having but few relatives he has left his money chiefly
to personal friends. He has bequeathed a sum of £2,000
to the Bolton Infirmary ; £5,000 to Mr. A. L. Briggs, a
young cotton spinner, no relative whatever, but whom he
has appointed his executor ; £l,OOO to the Rev. Thomas
Loxham,oxhain, raecbtorrotohferGrteoattLheevelras;t2Zomo teodth;enteevm.
anßic;haanrcid
=am* singlaTly lArge bequests to other friends,