By onder of the Provisional Mresident to be chosen for "The Rest," and their clubs would gladly "spare them without depriving the re-' maining players of a game., This is as it should be, and in preventing fixtures being played in this spirit the League is distinctly interfering with the best interests of first-class cricket and is contrary to the spirit of sportsmanship and mutual good-will that is supposed) to characterize the game wherever! and whenever played.
The method of reckoning pointe, irrespective of the proportion of wins to games played; the lack of any provision for proper umpiring, in League games; and the irresponsible way in which certain fixtures) have been arranged without reference to the League Committee or the rules supposed to govern procedure, all furnish ground for criticism of Shanghai League cricket, but I fear I have already exceeded all reasonable limits in this letter, and would therefore close with' the suggestion that no second division league is feasible without a first division league. Failing the latter the former is unnecessary.
I am ete., Grorce HoweLt Shanghai, Aug. 22.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.