The Sun.
London, England, 1870-06-29 00:00:00

THE ALL ENGLAND CROQUET CLUB.

The All England Croquet Club opened their annual
prize meeting on the new ground which lies close to the
South Western Railway, near the Wimbledon Station,
and which, viewed from that line, must have been an ob-
ject of admiring envy to hundreds of croquet
players travelling between Surbiton and Waterloo. This
ground, being laid out on what was originally a slope,
has been levelled into three terraces, one above another,
trimly ambanked and communicating by means of short
flights of steps. The long drought has told somewhat
against the condition of the turf ; but by the unremit-
ting use of the roller and the garden hose a good
deal has been done to supply the want of those heavy
showers which are looked for at this time of the year.
In fact, the ground was wonderfully good, considering all
the disadvantages which have beset the formation—a work
only commenced last October. The club, which has for
its president the Earl of Essex, enrols many ladies among
its members ; and the play on Monday was well maintained
by the fair experts, among whom was the wearer of the
lady's medal, won at Bushey, and of other marks of dis-
tinction. Competitors were matched single-handed, the
best out of three games to be winner. The three terraces
afforded ample space for four -pairs of players each ; and
eleven games were in full swing at the same time, the
twelfth space being appropriated to addition and
substraction sweepstakes, open to all comers during
the meeting, the gentlemen at twenty yards, and
the ladies at fifteen. Tents were pitched on all the
three terraces in anticipation of rain, which seemed
to be impending, but which did not fall. On the upper
terrace a refreshment pavilion was well supplied and
assiduously superintended by Mr. Darke, of the Swan
Inn, at Wimbledon. There was a very fair attendance of
members, but the number of strangers on the ground was
small, the principal attraction being reserved for to-day,
when play will be opened for the champion prize, a
silver cup of the value of fifty guineas. The holder
of this trophy will have to play the winner of the All-
comers Contest next season, or to resign the prize ;
but, should the champion be victorious in three consecu-
tive seasons, the cup will henceforth belong solely to him.
Five matches by ladies were played on Monday, and nine
by gentlemen ; and only two of either list were decided.
On the whole, the present meeting gives promise
of being as entertaining and agreeable as that which
was held by the members of the Club last year i while
the acquisition of ground which they can call their own,
and which is so prettily situated that fetes unnumbered
seem to shine in its future history, must have an addi-
tionally encouraging influence.

—Mr. W. Johnson, M.P., has brought in a bill to
alter and amend the law relating to the municipal fran-
chise in Ireland. He seeks to lower the qualification of
burgesses from £lO to £4.

A new and original operatta, composed by
Virginia Gabriel, and entitled " Lost and Found," the
words by Mr. George March, was performed at the
Alexandra Theatre, Liverpool, on Monday.

Mr. Toole will start on a short provincial tour
through the principal towns on the 4th July. He will be
accompanied by Mr. Billington, Mr. J. Eldred, and Miss
K. Irwin.

Tuesday was the thirty-second anniversary of
her Majesty's coronation. The ceremony took place on
June 28, 1838.

The New York Times says that it is now definitely
ascertained that the cotton crop of 1869 is very largely in
excess of what it was estimated to be.

The most encouraging accounts of the state of all
the crops are arriving from every part of Ulster. Of the
flax crop particularly the reports are very favourable.
The Leeds Mercury understands that the Poor
Law Board has decided to grant an inquiry into the case
of fabricating voting papers at the recent election of
guardians for one of the Leeds wards.

A. case of murder and suicide is reported from
Westmoreland. The wife of a labourer, at Deepdale,
drowned herself and her infant son, under circumstances
which leave no reasonable doubt that the act was preme-
ditated.