Year: 1876

The arrival in New York of the gentlemen
composing the team and reserves of the
Irish team, announced in our columns to-
day, is an event which will be hailed by all
lovers of the noble sport Of long range rifle
shooting with sincere pleasure. The history
of the two contests which have taken place
in 1874 and 1875 between the representative
marksmen of Ireland and the United States
is filled with SO many pleasant incidents, the
record of so much genial courtesy and warm
hearted interchange Of good will and regard
between the two countries, that we must rec
ognize in the return match which is to be
shot at Creedmoor more of an occasion for
the further cementing of an international
friendship than one in which rivalry in skill
is to be revived. If there was any room
for doubt on this score the friendly express
sions uttered by the Lord Mayor of Dublin
toward this nation and its institutions, on
the occasion of the departure Of the Irish
riAemen, would be sufficient to convert the
most cynical of mortals into an ardent be-
lever that words are more than combina-
tions Of articulate sounds. Nor were the
departing marksmen less hearty in their ex
pressions of regard for the land they were
about to visit, for their captain and spokes-
man, the gallant and patriotic Major Leech,
tells the world that it is as much to do honor
to our nation on the occasion of the Gen.
tennial as to win victory for Ireland
ocean. The names of nearly all the gen.



tlemen of the Irish party are now
familiar to our readers We have SO
frequently ohronicled their achievements
at the butts that Leech Rigby, Miner and
johnson ore as well known to fame in
America as Dakin, Fulton, Bodine and
| Gildersleeve. As to the new members of
the Irish team who visit this country for the
first time we can only hope that the impress
sons produced on their minds by our efforts
to welcome them becomingly will prove
strong enough to induce them to repeat the
visit many times


! The close contest at Creedmoor in 1874,
the sharp work at Dollymount last year.
which compelled our men to put forth their
best efforts to win the match, and the subse-
quent victory Of the Irish team at Wimble-
don in the contest for the Elcho Shield, lend
| to the coming match ut Creedmoor all the
charm of uncertainty as to the result which
will make it one Of the most exciting con-
tests of its kind ever waged. We have al
ready noticed the excellence of the marks
manship of the Scotch and Australian teams,
and we are certain that our Canadian neigh
bors will cover themselves with honor so
that the grand Centennial match will, with
ont doubt. attract oil the interest such an
event should awaken. When the Canadian
team arrives the contending forces will all
be present. Then we shall be better able to
Judge of the respective merits of each team,
and can more correctly estimate the odds
against our own men. To our Irish friends
we offer, in the expressive language of their
country, "Csad mile tailt"-a hundred thou
sand welcomes--and wish them good place
on the record after our American team.





The Coal TROUBLES. All the endeavors
of the coal monopoly to continue its plunder
have thus far come to naught AS the vari-