The Sun.
London, England, 1869-06-14 00:00:00

DIARKE7 S---2 MS DAY.

LIVERPOOL COTTON MARKET.
June 14.—Sales probably 8,000 bales. The market
steady.

The course of----------schange at New York on Loudon for bills at 60
lays sight was on the 7th inst. about 091 per cent. At this rate
there is no profit 011 importation of gold froth tile United
Stated. - • --

VELOCIPEDING AT THE AGRICULTURAL

HALL

The Agricultural Hall at Islington was opened to the
public on Saturday in a novel capacity—that of a veloci-
pede practise school and racing arena. A better covered
space for this purpose could not be found, and favoured
by the strong bicycle mania which has broken out amongst
us, the speculation, properly managed, ought to be
remunerative. The Hall has been converted into
something as near a ring as possible by enclosing
in an immense oval the whole area of the Hall. A
handsome silver cup was offered for competition amongst
velocipedists, and all comers were invited to enter the
lists. The card contained twenty-three entries, although
there was an entrance fee of 10s. There were six heats,
and then the competition was confined to two young
velocipedists. Mr. R. B. Turner and Mr. J. Hook. Each
race was nine times round the course a distance
of about a. mile. The deciding heat was an exciting
one. The riders kept close together, Hook evidently
running purposely a yard in Turner's rear. In
the last 1: and Jut one, however, Hook put on
a tremendous spurt, and shot ahead o° his opponciit
amidst loud cheers. Turner soon after gave up, and it
was said he had by a previous tumble injured his foot, and
therefore placed himself at a disadvantage. Both are
excellent velocipedists, but the general opinion was in
favour of Hook. The races were run at an average rate
of fifteen miles an hour, a speed which it would be impos-
sible to attain over a less smcoth surface. The
attendance of spectators was large. It is a question
whether the presence of the betting fraternity, shouting
their slang from barrel heads, is likely to be an attraction
for such a quiet sort of assembly, or whether the tolera-
tion of ragged and unscrupulous sellers of "c'rect cards"
within the Hall will invite the attendance of timid ladies
and nervous gentlemen. Of course, if velocipeding is to
become a new kind of "national sport," with the
" national" attributes of betting, bookmaking, and
welshing, these are the proper things to do, not
otherwise. The proceedings were varied by flume-
tons accidents. The spectators, we are told,
appeared to be on a pinnacle of delight when a
velocipedist spinning along at ten or twelve miles an hour
came crash against the barricade, and rebounded head
over heels, while numbers two and three, hotly pressing
on behind, and too late to stop or turn aside, made rapid
cannons, and, in the twinkling of an eye, became part of
A singular moving mass of wheels and legs on the floor.
IsTo serious injury appeared to be sustained by the fallen.
Some of the riders or fallers leaped into the saddle
again at once, and hurried off upon their mission.
Tho best riders were those who sat bolt upright,
and preserved a rigid seat, leaving the legs, and especially
the knee-joint, to do the work. Simultaneously with the
skilled riding in the arena, ordinary amateurs and learners
were rattling round the galleries with various degrees of
success, oftentimes to the great amusement of the
spectators.