their native land, or the land of their fathers, and religiously believing that Great Britain is the greatest country on the face of the earth, they look, and quite naturally, it must be admitted, somewhat askance at innovations in that line emanating from other shores. So strong and elemental is the tie which binds in this respect, that we find the peoples of the Antipodes sending their wool to England to be made into hats, caps, clothes, and then returned as the manufactured article, to be bought at high prices, and, after the twofold voyage across the seas, to be worn by the people of those far-distant possessions. Accustomed to pay tribute to the mother country in this way, Australians have seemed never to think that they might themselves reap the benefit of their natural resources, and at the same time give employment to thousands of skilled workmen, by establishing manufactories of their own. I refer to this matter—quite foreign to the text—to explain why a sport that has in a short time made such headway in America has been so slow to advance in the great island continent of the South Pacific.
And yet, while Base Ball has not supplanted cricket in Australia, and probably never will, it is making fine progress and becoming exceedingly popular wherever played. There are teams in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Ballarat, and many other prominent cities of Australia.
Following is an extract from a letter written by Mr. Harry W. Hedley, an Australian, shortly after the world's tour of the American ball players in 1888. It will be of interest as giving the opinion of one who was certainly
