The New York herald., 1876-09-12
INTERNATIONAL RIFLE MATCH.
Excursion of the Rival Teams
to West Point.
Opinions Of the Various Captains as to the
Probable Victsrs.
TO- DAYS CONTESTS.

ton and the Amateur Rife Club, jointly to enjoy .
sail up the Hudson rs far as West Point yesterday
and visit the Military Academy thero Tho morning
was worry uEpropitious for such an excursion, but,
notwithstanding the inclcmcnt weather. q num-
Dor OF ladies and nearly all the rInemen Of
the foreign tcams prepared make
the trip The quarantine steamer N. x. Hopkins was
loaned by the Commissioners for the OCCASION and
shortly alter O'Clock sho left tho Battery gay,y
bcdocked with English, Irish, American and other
nags with tho Governors Island Band board She
stopped the pier tho foot Of Twenty fourth street.
whore nearly all Of tho guests mad assembled. Two
hundred and fifty Invitations had beon ISSUED for tho
affair OF which Messrs. d. W. Judd and d. W. Wylio
were the Reception and Arrangement Committee.
Among tho guests who participated in the days event.
beside the members Of tho various ric associations
were Mr.. and Mrs Greenhill, Mr. and Mrs Con, Mr..
and Mrs Thyme aud Mr. and Mrs. Ward, OF Ireland;
Mr. aud Mrs Pontz, OF Livcrroo; Miss
Lynch and Mrs Perkins, of Chelsea, Mass. !;
Quarantine Commissioner Steers and lady, Mrs.
Colonel Giidersccve, Mr. Mrs. G. W. wingatc;
Vice Commodore Clifford OF tho Countess Of Dufcrin;
General Alexander Shaer General George Knox, Police
Commissioner Nichols, General T. MacMahon and
Major Colvio, Superintendent Of Quarantine. Tho
nne rain continued to descend for time after the
party had boarded the steamer, but everybody in
good humor, and, the ladies secured dry placos
within tho pilot house, all seemed comfortable
Just after tho boat had left Twont fourth street
dock this remark made to Colonel Augustus Nor.
rs tho captain OF tho Australian tcam :-'sI suppose
you hope to win tho great mntch Cap,ainS"
"Ah!' replied Captain Norris with good naturcd
smile, Two should not have fnr II did not
hopc 10 win"
"why do you consider your most formidable op-
poncntsf"
"rhat cannot answor," responded the gentleman
who had brought his club for to win tho champion
ship OF the world. ''It depends upon circumstances.
II there is banerng wind blowing over the range IL
will grostly help the Scotch team It will us as
both hail from seaport towna But II the day is calm
and quiet the Americans will have . good chance Of
winning, in my opinion. Tho Americans should
have tho best chance to win, anyhow.
have been watching them for two months
past and have como to that opinion. They have
such largo number OF scloct their team from,
and on their own ground, which, of course, 70 .
great advantage II IL blows hard, however, think
the victory will lie between tho Scotch and my
think l ought TO bc content, though, If wo out
In tho middle We have not our best mon with us,
and II should win the toams who TO Australia
TO shoot against next year will nnd harder club
to boat than now Only Ave of present would
probably be In It"
..Who do you think will have the best individual
scores 2"
"The Americans. am sorry that no prizo has been
onerod for the highest individual score, for member
Of tho last team Tho list might tally the highest
score and thus even that team would carry OF q
| trophy"
"what do you think Of tho Irish teamf'
| "rhey have not their best shots with them More
than that would not like to say II tho day 10 quot
| IL will DO Q close match between tho Americans
| and Scotch. Tho latter arc . very hard
lot to beat II tho weather is pleasant
think tho order Of tho teams will DO be:--Amcrican
composed Of four men from Sidney and four rom Vic
toris- The men from Victoria should have brought
"What do you think OF the change In the American
team TO Messrs. Gilderslecvo and Bodine2"
II should think that at this late hour It was In
AZ this point Mr.. Greenfield. the adjutant Of tha
Irish team, interrupted Captain Morris with the
and know them TO DO valuable. ;"
SWELL perhaps nm wrong" admitted the Captain.
'J IL going to be very close match at any rate ho
continued. .'Tbe range is perfect one, and can SEQ
possibility Of any misarrangement msrrng tho sue
cess OF the sport"
Major Benncrhassett Lcech, the captain Of tho Irish
team, also n,errogsted as to his opinion on tho
result Of the contest When FIRST addressed by repre-
sentative OF the HERALD Major Lecch said that he
only glad to DO offered opportunity express
10 the people Of the United states through tho
| his countrymon felt toward them.
III am hore" said Major Leech, mot only captain
the Irish team but also authenticated
sentative of Ireland, having been waited upon BY q
dcputat,on from the people OF Ireland when first
mentioned ms captain Of me team, who requested
10 accept the position and come hero to show the good
feeling which thoy feel for Americans, and regret
that lack tho power Of language 70 express It, In
gard 10 who viii win this match, say we hope TO-
and have no false modcsly In the ms,ter-we OK.
pect to, every other tcam does, at heart think
shat IL wo do we will win with II the
here. and that is a great satssfacton l consider
the Americans dangerous competitors Not that they
Americans their intellect has been sharponed this
subject with wonderful rapdity, has been that OF
would prove 10 bo IN our favor, ana II such Wind
blows will be duel between tho Scotch and US II
the day is calm the Amsrieans WI probably win.
Friday and Saturday together ITO points, unprecc-
dentod for two consecutive days' prsctca But
then, good luck helps materially 10 gain victory In
shooting a match
score ?"
II think Henry Dyas. " no coachod correctly has
n worry good chance; he Is but nineteen years old,
but I prefer to have young men in my team; old
men arc onlcous, whc young blood can be governed.
Dvas with proper training, will mako tho finest shot
in tho world fwould not undcraketo offer on opinon
as ~ yhe relative positions In which the teams will
stand at the close OF the contcs-thcy are too evenly
matched"
team said that he could not say who would win the
contest In calm, y sad he, 'ihe Americans havc
the best chance for they arc accustomed TO that kind
OF weather. II II blows II Will be good for u.s. Az
home VIC sometimes havo TO ain fourteen feet wind.
ward OF the target. l do not know what Kind of
weather tho Australians accustomed TO- We
usually have 10 make allowance for strong wind, and
some OF so Judge II rs TO enter a buIls-cyc
the 6r.s shO. Las. "Wednesday, when Is blow a
nsh-taIl wind the range mado the
highest score. but next day u blew nearly, thoueh
not quite hnrd and We had tho lowest; though for
the aggregate OF tho two days, were top rhero
Is not much disparity In the members Of my team
They shoot very equally have high scorers and
am glad ofit when we scored $50 points on Wed.
ncsday last no. OF the mon made wonderfully
large score. but four OF them made 200 or over
prcfcr men who slightly inferior, and who Will
work Tor the success OF the team entirety, and
not for glory self alone The atmosphere here ts
much clearer than at home II takes only half as
long to sight here The OF the Americans
which have hitherto been adjudgcd 80 high arc so
from this iact, and not from superior Workmanship"
sIs your the best that could have been got, ten
together 7" was asked OF Colonel Mcdonald
"Considcrng everything, 1t is, and am perfectly
satisfied with H. Tho will be pretty coso to-
sctbcr The Canadians havc not dono much yc. and