The Sun.
London, England, 1869-06-17 00:00:00

TUE UNIVERSITY CRICKET WEEK.

The cricket match between the Universities of Oxford
and Cambridge commences on Monday next, and during
the present week both elevens are taking preliminary
practice on the metropolitan grounds. Each
has played a match with a strong eleven,
and each has proved victorious. On Alonday Cam-
bridge encountered the Marylebone Club and Ground
at Lord's, and on the same day Oxford met the county
eleven of Surrey at the Oval. The last proved a very
hollow affair. The Surrey men took the batting
first, and were all out for 94 runs ; nobody
making any good score, except a colt, Mr. Akroyd, who
got 23, and Stephenson 21. The University then accumu-
lated the large total of 362, Pauncefote heading the list
with 123, and Evetts and Hill each making 73.
Surrey tried again, but could only reach 172, leaving
Oxford the winner by an innings and 98 runs. The
match at Lord's was much finer, Cambridge ex-
hibiting some very good batting against the
first - class bowling of Wootton and Grace.
Mr. Thornton's play in particular was admirable. The
University scored 87 and 181; the club only 82 and 70, the
famous W. G. Grace obtainingnearly half the whole. This,
it will be seen, was a less decisive defeat than that of
Surrey by Oxford, but the merit of the two elevens
must not be judged by the scores. Lord's is the more
difficult ground of the two ; moreover the bowling of
Surrey has become so weak of late years that the
county, once the strongest in England, is quite incapable
of making a stand against a powerful eleven. At Lord's,
on the other hand, the bowling was of the highest order.
The general opinion is that the Cambridge team
is the stronger. It includes not fewer than
five good bowlers, and its batting team is
extremely powerful. Oxford is not so well furnished with
bowlers, and its batsmen are hardly so uniformly good as
the Cantabs. The match, however, promises to be one of
the most interesting of late years.

The official declaration of the poll at Nottingham
was made on Wednesday, when the Mayor declared the num-
bers to be—For Seeley, 4,627; for Seymour, 4,517 ; ma-
jority for Seeley, 110. Both gentlemen addressed the crowd
from the hustings.

The Globe, the Conservative organ among the
evening papers, still believes that the Lords will throw out
the bill, and publishes a prominent article urging the Con-
servative peers not to expect that amendments will be
accepted by the Government, but to vote against the second
reading.

An abstract of the general parochial receipts and
expenditure on account of the highways of England and
Wales has been published. Tho total income for
Englisb roads is £647,586, of which the greater part
is contributed by local taxes, and only £4,723 by turnpike
trusts. The total expenditure for the year was £644,072,
the largest items being £239,550 for manual labour, and
£118,286 for team labour. The North Wales expenditure
exceeded income.

The inquest on the persons killed by the late boiler
explosion at Bingley was resumed on Tuesday, when some
very remarkable evidence was given. It was stated that a
defective and inefficient safety-valve, taken from an old and
smaller boiler, had been applied to the boiler destroyer;
and also that the deceased engine tenter had either in ignme
ance or recklessness tied down the steam whistle, which
might have warned off danger if the safety-valve failed to
do so. He had even weighted the safety-valve, so as to
Prevent its operating. The inquest was acltourne.

THE IRISH NATIONALISTS ON TUE LORDS

AND MR. BRIGHT.

The usual weekly meeting of the Irish National
Association has just been held. The subjects discussed
were the probable course of the Lords on the Church
Bill, and Mr. Bright's letter on the Lords themselves.
As to the first topic, the chairman declared that " the
bill, and nothing but the bill," and the billin its integrity'
would be accepted in Ireland. No tampering with JO
principles would be listened to. Mr. Bright's letter
was praised as "far-seeing and suggestive." The Bev.
Mr. O'Hanlon advised the holding of an aggrefiste
meeting in Dublin if the Lords should venture to 016'
the bill.