The New York herald., 1877-10-11
BRITISH AND AMERICAN MAEKSMEN.
From tho Sporting Gazette, Sept 90 ]

From tho Sporting Gazette, Sept 29l
Few persous who had carefully studied tho records
OF American long range shooting during the past year
could have had much doubt TO the OF tho
tcrnational contest decided at Cresdmoor the l3h
and l4th Tho best individual and aggregate
scores In the competition tor the Elcho Shield had
been frequently exceeded in America, and the two
victories OF American teams over the "crack" Irish
teams showed that In long range shooting cousin
Jonathan meant TO 'whip creation" II must. there
FORE with something Of the feeling OF for
lorn hope that Sir Henry Hstord's team OF British
marksmsn sot out Tor shc States. That feeling must
have deepened during the practice at Creedmoor pre-
vious the match. The two teams shot regularly al
the practice targets every day, aud their
we're always carefully compared. Tho result OF tho
last six days OF PRACTICE was that tho American team
scored points against 40 scored by the Brush
team Inis gave prsponaerancs OF ~ points IN she
these SIX days shooting to the British team was that
on i've out OF tho six days 'hey were headed oy tue
American team and only once dld they hold their own,
and then only by two points tho American score being
tna day ory-sx points lower than on any other day.
The difference between the two teams thoroughly
discounted before the match, and was evident that
the contest must, bar accidents. end IN favor OF ths
Americans The only rcdeeIning feature about The
days practice was that the highest ndi
vidual made by Milner OF the Brtisn
team, ~ho scored 10 out or possible l350 Hyde,
| OF the American team, running nm very close with
liza Under these depressing circumstances It would
not have been surprising II the Brush team had
made but poor fight IN the great match. But II
bounds greatly to thcr credit thar they made mos,
gallant and piucky struggle when the crucial test
came Each team outdld It's previous best record,
and the shooting both sides Was such has never
been seon before. Ii Is now matter oil history that
the American. victorious In the two days shoot
ing by ninety two poinsa decisive victory Tor them,
no douOl but not an IN ngorous defeat Tor us There
must we have said, have been hanging over tho
| BRUSH team the CONSCIOUSNESS OF u grim ioregone
conclusion against them, aud lhcr manIui aud
crednapie 70 them IL Is now placed
beyond possibility Of dispute that America
fha llar an m ma
There Will OF course, not be wanting grumbers here
home VINO viii insist upon II that SIR henry haord
dad not take out with hiin the best team thai could ba
got together We shall not deny that there were soma
well known names absent from the iist--names OF men
who are rcckoned better shots than some vino
went out. But We are conndeut that nothing could
altered the result and that the eight best marks
OF America are superior to tho best eight which
Great Britain could produce. one thing only have
regret ana 10 De ashamed OIL and that Ia
that the efforts OF SIR Henry Haford aud those
who sacrificed their time and convenience to sas.
tam the honor anu prestige Of thls country dd nos
support which thoy deserved We arc always boast
III that we are nation OF r'nemen. and that the RHO
Is as peculiarly the Epgiishman's weapon now as tho
long. bow IN the MIDDLE Ages. Yet the appeal 10
rasc by pubic subscription the modest SUN of tl 900
To cover the expenses OF our representative marks
" W. not responded TO. This was not crcditabe 10
US Tb moro Than lbv, 600 volunteers ia tho
United Kingdom, all OF them especially Interested IN
mark sma uahip humble subscription OF threepence
from each volunteer would have than suihced 10
pay all ths expenses Of tue team, and surely no
one can s.y that threepence IS u very heavy tax
| 10 pay ior tho maintenance Of our reputation
az nation " marksmen. la point oil fact we are,
we bcncve ~ Spye the mark when we say that 500
persons coutr SDuted the iund Tor paying tna
expenses oil til Brtth team, and thcir uhiled con-
rbutions only amounted TO twothrds q the sum re-
auued In Am pica the sum woud nave been iorth.
coming ten tim, over tor similar purpose But then
| tho Americans ,Ue enthusiastic ia everything they
take up aud espe valy 50 Ia theirs sports We heartily
wish lnat We could infuse some oil that vigorous en-
tLusiasin INTO our own sports and sportsmen; u
purify many oil oai' sports from the tainted atmos-
phere OF low cunning and greed that surround thcp.
| but to return to be rifle match itself. IL has ben
suggested that tie American victory ~ victory OF
| superior rifles not ca superior marksmen And, in
deed. in the sharp TIE the Americans seem 10 pave
at last secured IN, sch riho which Tor accuracy ~
long ranges unsurI ssscd perhaps ubequalied int
tho last fifteen years our experts have been engaged
cadeavorng 10 oDtah the best possible long range
rlno. yet here are che Americans, with whom
! long range shooting has not Deen IN vogue
four years. producing a rife better, they a'iese
than We have been able TO produce after hneen
years close experience ~ course u VIII DO urged tba
American runfaakers have had the advantage Of our
experience ic them nd that they have ~ reality
started from point al witch We LETT on Neverthe
less the fact still romans that the Americans with
only years xperoDce o ioLs range shooting are
! able 10 beat ua both rifles ana marKsmon, though
we have had fifteen years "a periencc. Tho sudden
growth and rapid sluead of TAO tas.o Tor IoIg range
shooting IN AmcrcA are sely IN aan bra I'D
| latent, undeveIoped a,~itudc ior inArksmanship.
which only required 70 DO cailed INTO exist
cnce 10 become unvoreaL Years ago, indeed,
tho Americans had repuL upn as rino shots ana tho
exploits OF tue kentucky btckwoodsttsn and hunter
are familiar 20 ali readers Of Feninnore Cooper IL
! might have been expected that tho civil war would
have developed any laeut taiont or nnooting which
the Americans possessed but ~ does not seem 10 have
done so There was 10 rema vkable display OF marks
manshp either on tho fedci nj or Confederate SIDE.
Nor after the war when the sceui contests at VIM
blcdon had made the reno vn 0f EuBilsh rile-
men world. d.wIde, did this sudden rise OF q
mania tor rife shooting ex cite any emulation
IN Amcricl IL not until Ma or Leech The captain
/ Victorious Irish team VINO won teo Eschc
shield In 1873 Issued a challenge W American marks
that long shooting hrst started ntoNbeinG
IN America since then II has bsscomc increas pSly
| popular, and thero be doubt that America can
not only produce better marksmen than England, N
1 That she produce far more There could probably
be ten teams OF long range marksmcn maze up OF
"crackr shots who would the the recent
Greedmoor match very close for nrst honors This -
s unequivocal proof that IN ride shooting the Ameri-
culs have found not only their most popular pastimc