Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1889-04-18
CRAWLING, MICHIGAN, THURSDAY. APRIL ls 1889.

The time Of the visitors was not, h,wever.
entirely taken up With receptions and dinners.
They had come TO play baseball, and play they
BY the time the spalding party finally left
Melbourne, after playing In sydney. Adelaide,
and Ballarat, there were eighteen clubs already
organized In the three provinces of Victoria, New
South Wales, and South Australia, and Mr.
simpson, who has accompanied the party thus
far, was left In Australia as sort Of instructor
and organizer general for the Australian leagues.
IL may be mentioned here, too, that New lea-
land league was formed also, with clubs at
Auckland Wellington, Brisbane, and other
places. The single games the teams were able
to play at Auckland stimulated q baseball fever
that had already been caught, and the New
Zealand league seems likely to prove n success
The stay In Australia was shortened by the
determination to return home by way OF India,
Suez and Europe. IL was the intention mt first
10 60 from Colombo 70 Calcutta and play few
games there and at Bombay but on reaching
Ceylon the adyices from Calcutta were not en-
couraging, and after playing one game ON the
ancient island, very much to the astonisnment
of the natives, who could not understand why
men should exert themselves in such a violent
manner who were not compelled 70 do So the
players continued to Alden and Suez.
Cairo was the next objective point, and on
Feb. 0, the day after Suez was reached the party
were under the shadow OF the pyramid OF
Ghizeh, and I'm full view of the Sphinx. Here a
sasds 81 the isssrt made GoiIins rather
the players felt that forty centuries were looking
down upon them, and exerted themselves to the
utmost. Such a sight was never seen before,
and may never be again; the most ancient
monuments Of almost prehistoric man and the
most modern diversion OF the newest ma han 1h ana
here were face to face. Tho game at the pyra-
mids was the only one played In Egypt No stop
was made at Alexandria, and the quickest time
possible was made to Brindisi.
Rome used to be q great place for physical
contests, but the Italians of the present day are
not sportsmepn p Almost the only spect@ofSs reSsUt ~
there, more especially the Irish-American
youths attending the College Of the Propaganda.
To be sure, King Humbert and the Queen are re-
ported to have passed by the Villa Borghese
while the game was going on, and even TO have
stopped for a moment or two but there were
very few Italian spectators. AZ Florence fne
Rome, was almost entirely OF American resi-
dents and travellers together with few English
men. Al Nice the experience was repeated AZ
Paris there was q large concourse OF people, but
the French did not at all understand the game,
and are not likely to take to it.
After short stay IN Paris the party crossed
there for years, and reached London ON the 9th
of March.
The experience of the party rs guests of the
Marylebone Cricket Club was very like their ex-
periencein Australia. The first game on Kensing-
ton oval was honored by the presence Of the
Prince Of Wales, the Dukes OF Buccleuch and
Beaufort the Earls of LondeHborough, Coventry,
Sheffield, and Bessborough, Lord Randolph
Churchill, and no end of smaller lordlings, be-
sides that great civic dignitary, the Lord Mayor
OF London, and about 5000 people without any
title at all. The next game IN London was
played ON the famous Lords ground, long sacred
10 cricket. Others were played at the Crystal
Palace and at Leyton's in the famous East
End, where there an immense crowd OF
spectators. 1t is possible that baseball may
now be added to the list of the diversions OF
the peoples palace"
The journey from London through the prov
inces" was made i'm grand style in a special train
OF seven cars, which included two sleeping and
two dining cars of the American pattern. No
body but the Queen has ever before travelled in
such fashion in Great Britain. Games weru
played in Bristol, Sheffield, Manchester and
Liverpool, which were all well attended, and
which ELECTED some enthusiasm among the on.
lockers In fact the English trip was as pleas
ant as possible, and the great American game
was fHvorably received everywhere. Still there
Is small likelihood that baseball will take any
such hold of the public mind in England as IL
did in Australia, or that il will very soon be.
come even a serious rival Of cr;cxtt.