forest and stream. 
SAUNTERINGS 
ONTARIO. 
[nr oim special traveling oobhespokdbxt] 
T O the tourist who is desirous of seeking a quiet re- 
treat and the luxuries of home, together with aqua- 
tic sports to repletion, perhaps no better resort could be 
found than the Muskoka district of Ontario, Canada. Its 
ready access from the States from almost any direction gives 
it an advantage equal to that of any other locality — not 
only by rail, but by water through the vast chain of lakes 
which skirt our northern boundary from Duluth to Colling- 
wood, the extreme point to the eastward, which is con 
nected by rail with Lake Simcoc and the almost unlimited 
number of smaller lakes to the northwurd. 
The tourist, after reaching Niagara Falls, can take the 
cars at Clifton and go down the river to Niagara, where 
the fleet steamer Rothesay Castle will take him to Toronto 
distance thirty-six miles by water. At Niagara, directly at 
the mouth of the river, on a slight bluff, is located the 
Queen’s Royal Hotel, overlooking the mouth of the river 
and bay, with the walls of old Fort Niagara on the Ameri- 
can side looming up, presenting a very picturesque appear- 
ance to the observer from the hotel; which, by the way 
is of the first class, and well patronized by visitors from 
both sides. In the waters adjoining is the favorite fishing 
ground for black bass, which affords so much sport to the 
angler. 
In Toronto one should spend a few days at the Rossiu 
House, or the Queens, both first class hotels, and visit the 
various places of interest about this interesting city, or take 
a sail in her bay or a drive in her parks and highways, pre- 
paratory to a trip to the lakes north. The Rossin House 
is the resort of sportsmen from all parts. The proprietor, 
j;,., ear8, I l 0ng an(1 favorably known as connected with 
he Clifton House, Niagara Falls, is a thorough sportsman 
himself, and will extend to all the hospitalities which spring 
from the heart of every true lover of rural sports, let him 
come from whatever quarter he may. 
The Northern Railway forms a connection between all 
the ports on the lakes and the Muskoka territory through 
different, railways running into Toronto, and steamers from 
Niagara, Rochester, Kingston, and Montreal. This railway 
is under good management. It has a fine bed, good track 
fine palace cars, makes good time, and is thoroughly 
equipped in all its appointments, so that one may feel as 
much at home as on any of the roads in the States Bv 
this road you can go to Lake Simcoc. Here you can stop 
over at Barrie after a two hours' ride or so from Toronto. 
It is a pretty little town on Kempenfelt Bay, an arm of 
Simcoc. Here you can find good quarters at hotels, and 
fine fishing in the lake. This bay was named after the 
commodore who went down in the Royal George, of his- 
toric notoriety. From this town you can take the railroad 
or steamboat for Lake Couchiching, at the head of Lake 
Simcoc, separated only by a nurrow strait half a mile long 
called the “Narrows." It is a beautiful lake, twelve miles 
long, studded with many islands and indented with some 
pretty bays. The little town of Orillia is on the south end 
and the Indian village of Rama on the cast side. This 
lake abounds with black bass and trout, and discharges its 
waters by means of the Severn through beautiful scenery 
into Georgian Bay. 8everal little steamers ply upon its 
waters. Yachting and fishing is the pastime of Summer 
visitors, with other sports, which serve to fill up their 
pleasures. To-day, which is Dominion Day, there is a 
yacht race on the lake, consisting of eight sail, one of the 
tonnago of eleven tons. This adds much to enliven the 
scenery, which otherwise is charmiug. 
As all Indian names are supposed to bear some local sig- 
nification, some of them highly poetical as well as appro- 
priate, it may not be out of place to render the word Cou- 
chiching into the Queen’s English. The surface of the 
lake, always stirred by varying breezes, will attest the 
name of “lake of many winds." It was owing to these 
cool and varying winds that suggested to the enterprising 
capitalist the propriety of establishing a Summer resort 
where all the advantages of aquatic sports and rural plea- 
sures could have unbounded sway, with all the comforts of 
fashionable life, without the burthens and trammels of 
etiquette and court life. For this end a splendid hotel has 
been erected at great expense at the point of a narrow pro- 
montory, projecting a mile and a half northward into the 
lake, und surrounded on three sides by water. Thus it is 
fanned by every breeze, aud every prospect pleases. I can 
scarcely conceive a more charming spot. Mr. Scully, the 
proprietor, is au old landlord, and a gentleman who studies 
to please his guests. His boats, his tackle, his servants, 
himself — “at your service, sir." I could dwell on this sub- 
ject long, which would accord with my feelings, but I do 
not intend this ns a “blow," and for fear it mny be taken 
as such by the many readers of Fouest and Stream, I 
will desist, and hasten to complete my letter. 
From the Couchiching hotel you can take a steamer or 
railway to the head of the lake. Here you will take the 
stage to Muskoka Lake, distant twelve miles, where a 
steamer awaits to take you through this lake iuto Lake 
Rosseau and Lnko Joseph. The Northern Railway exten- 
sion to Lake Muskoka will bo finished by October next, 
making a continuous line from Toronto. Hero the most 
enthusiastic. sportsman and angler can luxuriate to his con- 
tent. The great uumber of smaller lakes in the neighbor- 
ood can be reached by short stages, and tho angler’s hand 
tried on maskinougo, black bass, pickerel, salmon trout, 
and thousands of speckled trout in the streams emptying 
»nto those lakes. The season of black flics and mosqui- 
toes is now passing away. I have found other bills not so 
Itailway, reach the hold nfS I’ by lhe Mi<II “" d 
be a preferahlc rou ? or S“ UOhlch '^ which may 
and eaatwardto That I f ™" 'be .o„,h 
of making connection- Z, fa pr " V,,led he is 
Niagara Falls which th \ th 1'° WOuld lo8c vlsit to 
can never sce’too oRcn ^ ^ grand “ nd 8Ubli,ne 
yon^ll7Lfr P “'“"ing has been said in 
Couchiching Ontario , Canada, July Ut, 1875. 
} ie 
\iffe. 
thJ^l A>,E 7 CA ^ TEAM ABHOA °.-Our last summary of 
!5 apl >»c dispatches regarding the movements of 
the Amor can Riflemen in Great Britain brought us down 
to the loth lust, when they were still sojourning in Scot- 
aud On that day Col. Gildersleeve wrote to Mr. Mildmay 
cunff7n lh ^ Na r! i0na,Rifle Nation accepting t,m 
p offered by the British riflemen for competition among 
c Am b uta8Uus arrangement was independent 
of B e team organization it was not certain that all the 
members would enter for it. 
On the 16th the team reached Wimbledon. Shortly after 
they arrived at their tent, Lord Wharncliffe and Lienf. Col. 
I hillips visited them and accompanied them to the Council's 
tent where they were received by Mr. Mildmay, Secretary 
wen' e s l C o OUnCl ' ^ ter tb ® USUaI COUrtesies the Americans 
were shown over the camp. They were to shoot first in the 
St. Leger Sweepstakes, at 200 yards range. Each compet- 
itor to have ten shots. 
They were also to compete individually for the Albert 
Cup valued at £500, the Arthur rifle, worth £100, in the 
Derby and St. Leger Sweepstakes, for which there are nu- 
merous entries In several of these contests the rules re- 
quire the use of the English military rifles. The Ameri- 
cans had some practice with these arms in an extra series 
of matches that day. Gen. Dak.n, of the American team, 
made 28 points out of a possible score of 35, and Sir Henry 
Halford, a crack British shot, made 34. The scores of the 
other members of the American team who took part in the 
shooting were not remarkable. 
On Saturday the 17th, the Wimbledon competitions com- 
menced, the weather being rainy the match for the Ameri- 
can cup was postponed, yesterday being the day named. 
The first contest was for the St. Leger Sweepstakes at 200 
yards range. Each competitor had seven shots, and the 
possible score 35. There were several hundred competitors. 
Of the Americans, Fulton scored 35, Gildersleeve 34, Yale 33 
Canfield 31, and Dakin 27. The match was not concluded 
unt il Monday, Mr. John Rigby and Mr. Mitchell having tied 
* ulton, but in shooting off the ties Fulton won, Mitchell being 
second and Rigby third. The Albert prizes were also shot 
for on Monday. The ranges were 200, 600, and 900 yards. 
The shooting at the first two ranges being finished, showed 
that Gildersleeve was ahead, having made 68 points out of 
a possible 70. At the first range Gildersleeve, Fulton, and 
Coleman, of the Americans, each made 34 poiuts out of a 
possible 35, while Hamilton, Petty, Wyatt, Greenhill, and 
Rigby, (the latter two of the Irish eight) made 35 points 
At the second range only Greenhill and Rigby maintained 
close competition with the Americans, scoring 32 points 
each. 
Sir Henry Halford, the crack British shot, was the win- 
ner of the first prize, scoring 98 out of a possible 105, Col. 
Gildersleeve taking second prize with a score of 92. 
In the match between the House of Lords and House of 
Commons, the range was 500 yards. The Commons won, 
making 313 points, against 220 made by the Lords, out of 
a possible total of 375. The following are the individual 
scores, the highest possible bcing^:— 
LORDS. 
Tne Forest and Stream Badop ti , 
tition for this trophy, as well as for th ^ f ° Urth <:om Pe- 
badges added bv Mr f'onlin wo 8,, l*plemental 
lery No fm Rrf i ' ° CCUrred Mr. Conlin’s gal- 
inj V ,!r° ,T y ' on Wcfln esday evening, the 14th 
4 Ae. were* rC," 1 TZT 
the scoria being Lt, r a * hr,8k co,n P ( -' t 't'on ensued, 
competition. Mr. W,« Hayes^with^ 0 at an > ’P^ous 
t- ly ,„ ur co rtitors , 
Robert Miky.: SJ lnu,m ° n 
SKCOSn BA DOE. 
Name. . . 
Wilson MacDonald., 
TIURD RADGE. 
Tnehea. 
II 8-18 
Ml 
T. C N r o no .... /"ms 
Fforl 1C ^ I ,S I'-IO 
Fred. Ketolcr 
R >V Floyd Jones 
A Ill'll wig 
Inches. 
Name. 
W. A. Sherman ".jiT 
J- J. O'Kelley 
H. T. Burton 
Name. 
A. B. JoDBtone 
O B. Wntaon 
16 U-io 
.18* 
■19 1-16 
Inches. 
271 
a R T l -••••' .*• ••*<> O. H. cliff 2 
O. B. Johnson. O. B. Rome, and W. W. Uarrl.on withdrew 
The Luther Badge.-TIds trophy was contested for at 
Creedmoor on Saturday, and won by Mr. L. Geiger of the 
conditions of the match were: open to members of the 
Ama eur Rifle Club, distances 800, 900 and 1,000 yards- 
position any: weapon any breech loading rifle Sn « he 
rules o the club; five shots with two siting shot; 
The wind * ' l ° 6 T" ,hree timea ^ tb « 8 »nic person. 
The wind was very changeable, blowing freely from the 
bv »,H h nmlh qU “ rtCr ' TllC 
made by all the contestants:— 
15 16 
uoSST: S""- 
A. I Hi-nnion, Jr ao 
R- Rath boric *a 
h. s. iiweii 
A. Andenion tr 
W. B Farwell ! ' ' . . 17 
Colonel B. E, Valentine 
* Hyde |i 
H. S. Ilw " 
score.- 
900 yds. 
18 
16 
23 
16 
18 
15 
18 
1.000 yds. 
23 
16 
10 
Total. 
61 
62 
44 
42 
■II 
38 
an 
COMMONS. 
Name. Score. 
Hon. Randle Plunket 67 
Daniel Peploe M 
Arthur Vivian w 
Marquis of Lome m 
Robert Lindsay 67 
Total sis 
Name. Score. 
Earl I errors gg 
Duke of Marlborough 45 
Lord W aldegrave 40 
Earl of Danruveu .36 
Lord Wharncliffe [35 
Total 220 
In the match for the Rifle Association Cup, in which 
each man had ten shots at 600 yards range, Coleman scored 
49 out of a possible 50, leading a large number of compet- 
itors. Gildersleeve made 48. The excellence of the 
American marksmanship caused astonishment. 
After much shilly-shallying it is finally decided that the 
American team will not again shoot in a team match, al- 
though Col. Gildersleeve is anxious to make a match with 
a team representing tho United Kingdom to be shot in the 
United States next year. The captains of the English, 
Irish and Scotch teams petitioned the council of the 
National Rifle Association for permission for the Ameri- 
cans to shoot at the same time with the Elcho Shield com- 
petition, but without waiting for a reply, the substance of 
which had been amply foreshadowed, the question was de- 
cided iu the negative by the Americans not concurring in 
the petition, Col. Gildersleeve explaining that tho team 
left New York with instructions to 6hoot a team match 
only with the Irish. Moreover, the team is just uow crip- 
pled by tho illness of one of its members, who is au excel- 
lent shot. 
The Americans had been entertained at dinner by Lord 
and Lady Wharncliffe, and were otherwise the recipients of 
much attention. 
I well and Colonel Valentino retired before completing Ul.ir 
J" Rem IN oton Diamond Badge. -T he match for this 
badge will be shot on Saturday next at 2 o'clock. The 
conditions are as follows:— Open to members of the Nation- 
al Rifle Association; weapon, any breech loading rifle 
within the rules; distances, 500, 800 and 1,000 yards- posi- 
tion, any, without artificial rest. Rounds, seven, with two 
sighting shots at each distance; to be won three times (not 
necessarily consecutively) before becoming the winner’s 
personal property. Entrance fee $1. 
—The Inspectors of Rifle Practice will hereafter wear a 
distinctive uniform, consisting of a pith bat or helmet 
known in India as the solar topee, a coat of blue flannel’ 
single breasted, with a rolling collar, and no embroidery’ 
and plain blue flannel pants. The insignia of rank will be 
worn on the front of the helmet instead of on the shoulder 
straps. 
-The several committees of the National Rifle Associa- 
tion have been revised, and will stand as follows until fur- 
ther notice:— Executive Committee, Gen. Alexander Shaler, 
President, Gen. J. B. Woodward, Vice President, Gen. 
M. T. McMahon, Treasurer, Major Henry Fulton, Secre- 
tary, Col. G. W. Wingate, Col. H. A. Gildensleeve, aud 
Hon. D. W. Judd; Range Committee, Col. G. W. Win- 
gute, Col. H. A. Gildersleeve, and Col. Richard Vose- Fi- 
nance Committee, E. H. Sanford, Hon. D. W. Judd, und 
Hon. N- P. Stanton; Prize Committee, Col. Johu Ward 
Capt. J. G. Story, and Capt. W. C. Casey. 
The Laflin & Rand Medals.— The Laflin & Rand Pow- 
der Compnny are now having executed a medal of exquis- 
ite beauty and high intrinsic value, which they propose to 
offer as a prize to be shot for at Creedmoor, L. I. The de- 
sign and execution is intrusted to that celebrated artist and 
medalist, Mr. George H. Lovet, 181 Broadway, which is a 
guarantee of the high order of which the medal may be 
regarded. The Laflin & Rand Powder Company, we un- 
derstand, intend to give three prizes:— To the best shot, a 
gold medal; to the second best, a silver medul, and to the 
third best shot, a bronze medal. The gold and silver medals 
will be made of perfectly pure metal, and as there is no 
limit put on the cost, it may be fairly inferred that Mr. 
Lovet will do full ere it to his already widely extended 
fame. All the medal* will be alike in design and finish, 
any one of which will be highly prized by the winner, aud 
from the fact of there being three prizes offered, the crack 
shot cannot carry all away. At an early day we hope to 
give our readers a full description and illustration of the 
medal, together with the conditions of the match upon 
which they are to be shot for. 
Rifle Clubs.— The great success of the American rifle- 
men abroad -has stimulated the already growing interest iu 
rifle shooting to a very great extent. From Chicago we hear 
that a number of prominent citizens, including Gen. Ducat, 
Gen. Strong, Mr. Handy, Mr. J. A. Shaffer, A. W. Shaffer, 
V. C. Blackburn, A. G. Alford and others, have turned their 
attention to the formation of a rifle club, with every pros- 
pect of complete success. In pursuance with ibis object 
Gen. Ducat and Mr. Handy have visited Creedmoor to ob- 
serve the regulations aud working of that range. Nor 
will their exertions end here. Mr. Handy offers $100 to- 
wards the establishment of a ruuge, and other liberal con- 
tributions will follow. To give emphasis to their earnest 
desire to pursue this intention, they met and shot a thou- 
sand yards match at Oak Park, situated about ten miles 
