THE WRONG RING FOR LADIES.

“My dear Mr. Punch,

“This morning I found such an extraordinary newspaper which Frederick – I mean my brother – had left lying about, and in it such a dreadful account of a shocking exhibition, under the title of “Great Fight between Joe Nollan, of Birmingham, and John Hicks, of London, for £60 aside.” I had no patience to read it through, as it was full of stupid words which I could not understand; but at the end of it I noticed these shameful remarks:-

“The battle lasted two hours and forty minutes. On leaving the ring neither man was by any means heavily punished.”

“Well, then I say it was very wrong, and they ought to have been – the horrid wretches; knocking and mauling – as they call it – one another about. They deserve to have been very severely punished for mauling one another so, according to what it goes on to say:-

“Nolan, in fact, has but little the matter with his upper works, although about the body he was heavily mauled.”

“Mauled, indeed! They ought to have been both taken up, and put into prison, and done – I don’t know what to! Well worked, at any rate, both upper works and under works too. And I think gentlemen ought to be ashamed of themselves to encourage such savages to bruise and hurt one another. Talk of cruel sports, I am quite sure that boxing beats cock-fighting.

“Ever your affectionate,

“Emily.”

“P.S. Are any women prize-fighters? I am afraid so; there is an American one I am told, called Benicia; some say it is a boy; but those Yankee girls are such strange creatures, and Benicia is certainly a woman;s name. Perhaps Benicia is a Bloomer – but how unlady-like!”

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