A paper hunt took place on Saturday, 15th October, in which sixteen of the members took part, and ran a course of about eight miles, the shortest time being 54 minutes, and the average 58½ minutes. Particulars of the hunt appeared in the "Glasgow Herald" of 18th October, 1870.

Very little information can now be obtained relative to the old Airdrie club. It survived long enough to be a member of the Scottish Association, formed in 1873. Its own birth was in 1868, a year after the Queen's Park, and it was the first provincial club to adopt the new game. It played on the old Public Park, now run through by the Caledonian Railway, and built over with dwelling-houses. It is asserted that Airdrie invented the wooden cross-bar to take the place of the tape, or rope, which originally marked the height of the goal-posts. This is hardly correct, however, as the Sheffield Association used a bar in 1867. The " Hammer Drivers," as Airdrie were styled, were an Irish organisation, and their ground was at Coatdyke, adjoining Sir John Wilson's residence, now also entirely built over, and the last place anyone would associate with a football field. The club died in the early "'80's," leaving the field to Excelsior, now Airdrieonians.

The Drummond club consisted for the most part of a number of Perthshire youths, who had found their way to that Mecca of all Highlanders, the County of the City of Glasgow, whose streets are believed to be paved with gold. Many have found it so, and are our merchant princes of to-day. The Drummond club played under the colours of Drummond Castle, caps in Drummond tartan, the castle, it is said, being then tenanted by Sir Willoughby D'Eresby. They had their headquarters on Glasgow Green. Their existence was brief, as, apart from their connection with the Queen's Park, little is known of them. They played a roughish game; tripping and charging were their strong points. Against the former the Queen's Park entered a stipulation that it was not to be. Drummond turned up two short, and two pupils from the Deaf and Dumb Institution assisted them.

It will be seen very few football matches could be arranged, indeed as late as season 1871-72 the club played only three games—against Granville, Southern, and the famous English Cup tie on 4th March, 1872, against the Wanderers in London, which ended in a draw—no goals. The club, however, never neglected practice, and this practice was indulged in systematically. Sides were arranged— North v. South of Eglinton Toll, Reds v. Blues, Light v. Heavy Weights, President's Team v. J. Smith's Team (a series of six games), and Clerks v. The Field, etc. In these games the dribbling and passing, which raised the Scottish game to the level of a fine art, were developed. Dribbling was a characteristic of English play, and it was not until very much later that the Southerners came to see that the principles laid clown in the Queen's Park method of transference of the ball, accompanied by strong backing up, were those which got the most out of a team. Combination was the chief characteristic of the Queen's Park play. These essentials struck Mr. C. W. Alcock, and in one of his earlier Football Annuals formed the keynote for a eulogium on Scottish players, accompanied by earnest dissertations advocating the immediate adoption by English players of the methods which had brought the game to such a high state of proficiency north of the Tweed. Nor did these exhortations fall on deaf ears, as was proved in the great International match at Partick, in November, 1872, and in the game in London, when the Wanderers gained the honour of being the first club to defeat the Queen's Park, on 5th February, 1876, after eight years of an unbroken series of victories.

In July, 1869, negotiations were reopened with the Ayr club, and that club was challenged to fix a date suitable to the Queen's Park members, but no game in that season was arranged, nor is there a record that Queen's Park ever played the Ayr club of that day. Airdrie challenged the Queen's Park to a match at Langside, to be played on 22nd June, 1871, which challenge was duly accepted; but on perusal of a copy of the rules, forwarded to Airdrie, they discovered that "hands" were altogether disallowed, and they therefore declined to play unless that rule were deleted. The Queen's Park stuck to its rules, and there was no game. The Granville club was met on 7th October, 1871, and the game ended in favour of Queen's Park by one goal and two touches to nothing. Six Queen's Park men played for the Granville. The Second Eleven had only just been instituted, with the subsequently famous W. M'Kinnon as captain, and they played their first match against the Southern Football Club, and this too was a victory, by two goals to none. This match was "looked forward to somewhat anxiously, but the honour of the club was well maintained." On 3rd April, 1872, the Granville club was again played, the game ending in a draw ; and the Second Eleven played East Kilbride, winning by a goal to nothing. Airdrie were the opponents on 28th August, 1872, Queen's Park being again victorious by the big majority of six goals to none.

Mr. Gardner, the captain, reported to the annual general meeting in April, 1872—at which, by the way, twenty-six members out of a total of sixty-five on the roll were present— that, notwithstanding the increase of the subscription from two shillings to five shillings, the club, so far as membership was concerned, was flourishing like a green bay tree— an evidence of the advancing popularity of the game and of the growing favour of the Queen's Park Club. The fresh blood was mostly of that vigorous and healthy character which made the backbone of such clubs, and several of last season's additions were amongst the first players, and many others were showing signs of rapidly rising in the ranks. For numbers, vigour, and enthusiasm, the club was perhaps never in a better state. The only thing he regretted was the absence of matches with other clubs to test the "metal" of the Queen's Park. In lieu of these, a series of six games, President v. Captain, was played to maintain the interest of the players, develop science, and cultivate style. The followers of the captain, Mr. James Smith, who had just left for London, were victorious by one or two touches, so that " touches " were still counted in 1872 in club games.

The year 1872 was a fateful year in the history of the club. In that year the Queen's Park drew with the Wanderers in an English Gup tie, and opposed the strength of England in the first real International ever played between the two nations, and from these two matches sprang the nationalisation of, and enthusiasm for, Association football. The enthusiasm aroused in both England and Scotland passes belief, and these two games proved to be the main factors in the rapid spread of the sport in both centres. Vale of Leven, Dumbarton, and Glasgow P>.angers were all formed in that year, and, through their contests with the Queen's Park, and each other, took at once foremost places in Scottish football. The Vale were at first disposed to adopt Rugby rules. They also played shinty to some purpose. A deputation from the Queen's Park went to Alexandria to lay before the neophytes the higher perfection of the Association code, with such good results, that the Vale abandoned the Rugby idea. Strong rivals the two clubs became afterwards, yet though the strenuousness of their combats brought about occasional estrangement, after a brief interval their friendship was re-established, and the past forgotten. Rivals they always were, but none the less good friends. But this leans more to a later period in the history of the club. It is recorded in season 1872-73 that the captain, Mr. Gardner, reported that since the last annual meeting the club had played seven First Eleven matches and two Second Eleven and "foreign" matches, meaning from home. The First Eleven drew three matches, one with Granville and two with Vale of Leven, taking one goal and three goals from the Vale in two other matches, four goals from Granville, and six goals from Airdrie. The Second Eleven played East Kilbride twice, winning one by a goal to none and drawing the other game—0-0. The fame of the club had crossed the Border, and some correspondence passed in 1872 with Leeds club, and the Sheffield Association, which latter wanted home-and-home engagements. This was declined for a. season. As the Scottish Association was formed in 1873, the Sheffield match was handed over to the new body, and became an important Inter-Association game, and was always looked forward to with the greatest interest in both cities. It was soon transferred to the care of the Glasgow Association, and became an Inter-City match.

The Queen's Park members were ever greatly daring, and no matter what they undertook they always pushed to a satisfactory conclusion. No obstacles were allowed to stand in the way. When they, at their annual meeting in April, 1869, decided to challenge the Glasgow Academical Rugby Club to play them a match under Rugby rules, and twenty men a side, in their ardent pursuit for opponents at that early stage in their career, they were met by a refusal on the ground of difference of rules, and want of time (it was as late as October that the reply to the challenge was received). Not to be outdone, however, Mr. Klinger moved, and Mr. Wotherspoon seconded, that the refusal be accepted at present, although unsatisfactory, and, to prevent the same thing happening again, that the secretary write to Mr.. Lilywhite for a copy of the Rugby rules, and, if found suitable, after passing through the committee, and with the sanction of an extraordinary general meeting of the club, to adopt them along with the Association rules, so that they might be able to play the Academicals in accordance with any rules they may name. The rules came duly to hand, and Messrs. Gardner, Klinger, and Wotherspoon were appointed as a special sub-committee to revise the Rugby rules, and lay the result before the next committee meeting. The result of the handiwork of the sub-committee was considered afterwards, and certain rules omitted as being applicable to the Rugby school grounds. The rules, as amended, were adopted meantime as interim rules, with the said exceptions. The extraordinary general meeting had a warm discussion over the rules, and the matter was " thoroughly ventilated." The division of opinion was great. Ultimately a motion by Mr. D. N. Wotherspoon, seconded by Mr. Lewis Black, " That the Rugby rules as read be adopted, to be played between the beginning of October and end of March," was carried by a large majority, against an amendment, by Mr. H. N. Smith, "That the club still adhere to the Association rules, without the addition of the Rugby code." The pluck of the Queen's Park in thus placing themselves in a position to play under both codes does not appear to have been rewarded, as there is no record of any game having been played against a club under Rugby rules. As late as May, 1872, correspondence which had taken place during the previous season with several Scottish Rugby and Association clubs was read and approved, but, so far as the former are concerned, without result. At this period there had. been called into being such combinations as Vale of Leven, Dumbarton, Renton, and Alclutha, in Dumbartonshire; Clydesdale, Rangers, 3rd L.R.V., and Thistle, in Glasgow ; Kilmarnock, in Ayrshire ; and Airdrie, founded in 1868 (not to be confounded with Airdrieonians, who were established in 1877), in Lanarkshire. All these clubs were in existence in 1872, and in the following season, with the creation of the Scottish Football Association, many others arose, so that the Queen's Park, from 1872-73 onwards, had no further difficulty in finding opponents worthy of its consideration. Hamilton Academicals do not come into the picture until 1875. Hamilton Gymnasium disappears, having played its part as a pioneer of the Association game. The earliest Edinburgh club was Thistle, founded 1874, then Heart of Midlothian and Hibernian, both 1875. The Queen's Park played a missionary game in Edinburgh to popularise the sport there, 27th December, 1873, on the new ground of the Royal High School (P.P.) Club, at Bonnington. Two teams were taken through, mostly composed of Queen's Park players. This invasion of a Rugby stronghold was arranged by Mr. A. Rae, Queen's Park, then also secretary of the Scottish Association. The result became soon apparent, as the Edinburgh Association was formed in 1874.

PAPER CHASE

The paper chase alluded to above took place on Saturday, 15th October, 1870, and the following racy report of it appeared in the "Glasgow Herald" of 18th October, 1870, probably written by Mr. H. N. Smith, a president of the club, poet laureate and press reporter to the Queen's Park:—

"HARE HUNT"

The Queen's Park Football Club had a grand meet on Saturday afternoon in the Queen's Park, where, as a fitting opening of their winter season, they started a pair of fine hares of the genus homo, not lepus, and indulged in a most spirited hunt over hill and dale, through bush and river, in the picturesque neighbourhood of Lang-side and adjoining country. The "gone away" was sounded at 4.30 precisely, and after ten minutes "law" seven couples of "hounds" were "cast off" in pursuit, and were speedily in the trail of the game, which they followed up closely through all its characteristic doublings over a course of some eight miles. The run was over ground of an unusually heavy and hilly character, well calculated to put the endurance of the pack to its severest test. Though seldom at "fault," they, however, barely succeeded in getting within sight, the " leverets " reaching their "form" in perfect safety—the one in 55 minutes, the other in 63. The leader of the harriers reached home in 54 minutes, the average of the run being 58½ minutes, with little, if any, indication of distress. The novel sport was of quite an exciting and interesting character, not only to the "field" but to many wondering and other spectators throughout the whole course.