Glasgow Courier. — 1847-01-28 (Glasgow, Strathclyde, Scotland)

ENGLISH AND AFFGHAN SPORTS-ASTONISHING  TUE NATIVES.  The game of cricket was not, however, so congenial to the taste of the Affghans. Being great gambler% in their own way, they looked on In astonishment at the bowling, batting, and fagging out of the English players; but it does not appear that they were ever tempted to lay aside their flowing robes and huge turbans and enter the held as competitors. On the other hand, our eountrymen attended them to their mains of cocks, quails, and other fighting animals, and, betting freely, lost or won their rupees in the best possible humour. In like - manner our people indulged them from time to time in trials of strength and feats of agility, on which they much pride themselves ; and to their own exceeding delight, though very much to theastonishment of their new friends, they in every instance threw the most noted of the Caboul wrestlers. There is a lake abont five or six miles from Caboul, in the direction of Istalif, which, thought partially saline or rather metallic in its waters, is frozen over in all winters if the weather be commonly severe. In the winter of 183940 it was covered with a coat of ice more than ordinarily thiek, on which the Alfglians used to practise the art of sliding, far more skilfully, as well as gracefully, than their European visitors. Indeed it was the clumsy manner in which the Fel inglices assayed that boyish spurt which induced them to reiterate the conviction that heat, and not cold, was the white man's element. Forthwith our young gentlemen set themselves to the fabrication of skates: the artifiet m's soon shaped the wood-work according to models given; out of old iron, smelted, and hardened afterwards, the blades were formed; and in due time a [party of skaters, equipped for the exercise, appeared on the lake. The Atrghans stared in mute amazement while the Accra were fastening on their skates; but when they urose, dashed across the ice's surface, wheeled and turned, and cut out all mummer of figures upon the ice, there wss an end at once to disbelief in regard to the place of their nativity. "Now," cried they, "we see that you are not like the Infidel Hindoos that follow you : you are men, born and bred like ourselves, whore the seasons vary, and in their changes give vigour both to body amid mimid. We wish that you had come among us as friends, and not as enemies, for you are fine fellows one by one, though as a body we hate you."—Saler Brivadi ii. Allihanistan.  The Edinburgh Advertiser of Tuesday says, we have been favoured with the following extracts of letters, received in town, from New-Zealand ;- " Wellington, New-Zealand, August 5, 1816. "When I wrote you last, we were in a state of great alarm, from a threatened attach upon the settlement by the rebel Maorics. Fortunately, our fears were without foundation, and confidence ia again restored, owing principally to the opportune arrival of the Governor, who broke through the line of defensive operations acted on by the imbecile authorities who had charge in his absence. He has now turned the tables upon the enemy—captured the bloodstained cannibal Rauperhaha, and is now in full chase of Ran beets and his band of murderers. We expect the war will be speedily terminated, and order and tranquillity restored."  . " August 4, 1816. " The affairs of this colony, I ti ink, begin to look a little brighter, and I have no doubt in a short time will go on prosperously. We have got a Governor now of some sense and activity, and who has already made capture of some of the principal rebel chiefs. I, bs-. lieve the Governor intends, s hen the war is finished, to_put the soldiers to road-making, which will be greatly to the benefit of the colony, as the roads at present are scarcely pareble."