April 1879

THE

PETERITEI Vor. . I .

APRIL, 18 79 .

No . 4.

A TRIP TO GERMANY. EADER ! Beware of making promises which you are not

R competent to fulfil . Sooner or later you will repent of your rashness . I, a victim, warn you . Ten days ago I solemnly pledged myself to provide certain matter of an amusing nature for the Editor of this magazine. Now, Sir, I respect the Editor, nay, I have a fervent admiration for him, but if he asks me again for an amusing article, I feel that I shall out-step the limits of decorum and social propriety. The conflict may perhaps be short, but it shall be bloody . Nine days have elapsed since that rash promise was given . The intelligent reader will infer that this is the tenth . It is . I have sat in my chair since daylight gnawing quill pens . I am at present digesting my fifteenth at 6d . the bundle, and titirating my pericranium with my digitory extremities. You smole, or at least you ought to, but, reader, the philosopher bath said "truth is sadder than fiction, " and, sir , the philosopher I know, on the best authority, was sober at the time, so cease smiling and attend to me . " An amusing article."

Grim irony ! No, Mr . Editor, no .person who has suffered as I have for the last three hours can be amusing . No person who has denied himself breakfast and fed on quill pens, though it is Lent, can make the Peterite community smile aught but the sickly smile of disappointment . What saith the Poet ? You know ? I am pleased to hear it, sir. I don 't : so we will continue : and if, reader, in the following account of a trip to Germany, I recall a smile to your despairing face, it is quite unintentional, I assure you.

To be exact as to time—a great point, you will always find, in writing accounts of trips, tours, expeditions, and the like, it being, as the advertisements have it, of absolutely no value except to D

50

A TRIP TO GERMANY.

the owner "—on the evening of a day in a year I found myself— how I never precisely ascertained, being happily entirely ignorant of the town in question—standing on the edge of the Hull Basin.

I was searching for the S . S . Fairy, but could see no vessel that at all answered to the name . It being a leading principle of my life never to do for myself what others can do for me, I asked a passer-by if he could inform me where "the Fairy " might be.

He looked sadly upon me, the lamp at the street corner illuminated his features, and breaking out into a quiet smile he said "you ain 't a trying to 'umbug me, young feller, but if you was I'd let you know wot's wot. " I passed on, crest-fallen, for I had been polite. I had been informed that in seeking experience—the chief object of my trip—politeness and affability were indispensable . I was ultimately directed to the Fairy, and found her anything but suggestive of her name . She was dirty, and ill-favoured, and, as I soon found out, her motion was most confusing-like . After sundry little annoyances, such as feeing porters and finding luggage, I found myself in the cabin—I beg her Fairyship's pardon—the " saloon " of the steamer, in the presence of my fellow passengers. As we had 48 hours of voyage before us, (our destination being Hamburg) it was worth my while to examine them, which I accordingly did . There was an inevitable commercial traveller in his inevitable black over-coat and top hat ; he hailed from Hull ; he was quite the funny man of the party, and his name was ' Arry : a very-much-married and equally tired-of-it couple hailed from the same town : an ideal young German of the lower middle class, of fair complexion if he had but washed it—this I should not have ascertained, but it was very hot and he perspired rather ; thus I discovered his real colour,—and two interesting young females completed our mess ; these last were from York where they had been at school, and they knew St . Peter ' s very well (!) After this survey of my fellow-passengers, I went on deck to see if there were any signs of our departure . It was now past midnight, but they were still l oading . Our cargo consisted of mangling and threshing machines . If the former are cheap, thought I, what :a chance for the linen of our German friend below . I am glad I did not make my remark aloud, as a voice behind me suddenly said, Vor why are des machines, zar ? Pleeze to tell me . " Here was an opportunity for the shirt, thought I, eyeing the gentleman's

JI

A TRIP TO GERMANY .

cuffs and collar . " We sometimes use them in England to wash our clothes," I replied, " we call them mangling machines ."

"Mangle, dat is to rend, to tear, so my dictionary tells to me," he answered, "we do not tear our clothes in Deutschland ." " Nor wash them either, do you, " said I . " Vash them, Oh yah, once a mont ! Dat is cleanliness ! " This triumphantly . We remained silent, and I tried to calculate in English miles the distance of that poor object from godliness . I had not arrived at a solution when two hours afterwards the steamer's "great heart began to throb," and the watery Jehu began to drive through the main—I was going to say drain. I should explain that the drain alluded to is the passage through which one has to pass before reaching the open mouth of the Humber . It was quite daylight when I retired to my berth in fear and trembling.

Why, you ask ? Reader, I have a dread of committing feline atrocities . I object on principle to providing piscatory provender ; nausea is my aversion, and sea sickness my horror . Don't ask, then, why I retired in fear, or why I groaned in spirit, when I smelt—saw I should say—the German in the berth below me.

My apprehensions were groundless, and when I awoke at 6 .3o, I felt quite merry, so merry that I forgot the existence of the German in the berth below me, and stepped on his head in climbing down . He turned in his sleep and muttered something about " Teufel," which of course I did not understand . When I reached the deck I found we were fast losing the sight of English shores,—a long low line extended north and south, and this was out of view by breakfast time . It was the first time I had experienced the feeling of leaving England behind me, and the sentimental reader will therefore conclude, as a matter of course, that I stood in the stern of the vessel on one leg, and quoted " Childe Harold " with a tear in either eye, while my native shore receded from my longing gaze . He is mistaken,—on the contrary, I stood in the bows, and on both legs, and whistled "Trial by Jury " with a tear in neither eye.

The sea was quite calm, the sky perfectly clear, and the heat something scorching . The day was a monotony of blue and gold, one could hardly call it a nocturne . I amused myself with chatting to the fair damsels, and several rubbers of whist with the commercial traveller, the much-married man, and the unclean spirit—onr German friend . The game was pleasant, had not D2

rry

A TRIP TO GERMANY.

our German had an unfortunate weakness—acquired I believe in Germany,—for contemplating his neighbours ' hand with a view to his own lead . It was pardonable in a man who did not wash.

We began to roll and pitch rather towards sunset ; I felt my internal economy being made the victim of disturbing innovations, so went to bed soon and slept it off . Our fair friend from York had to arise rather precipitately from the tea-table, and the captain darkly hinted that some one else would leave us soon.

He alluded to me, but he was mistaken, and I am thankful to say I was well till my arrival . Next morning we came in sight of Heligoland, which appeared to our sight like a distant rock.

At noon we entered the Elbe, and now came the pleasantest part of our voyage . At first we could only just see a long low line of yellow sand on either side of us : this gradually came more distinct, and soon trees and houses appeared, with a low spire here and there, and the smell of new-mown hay was wafted to us by the land breezes . How glad one was to see land again, though it had only been out of sight 14 hours ! The sun went down, and was succeeded by a most brilliant moonlight, by which we could clearly distinguish the orchards, woods, and villages, on the banks of the Elbe . At 10 .30 p .m ., we were within two hours of Hamburg, and we were all sitting on deck enjoying the cool air after the heat of the day. Presently the German, who had been getting more and more talkative, the nearer he came to his native land, left us abruptly . We were at a loss to think what might be the cause of his sudden disappearance ; but he presently returned with his face washed and a clean collar ! This was too much.

The commercial traveller nervously eyed his own dirty appearance and retired . I almost embraced him with joy ; the wife of the much-married one sat by him all the evening, while one of the young ladies, to my disgust, made eyes at him under cover of the wheel . I need hardly say that our happiness was unbroken (after this pleasing incident) until the end of the voyage . We reached Hamburg at mid-night, and there let me leave you, reader. We will meet on the Hartz, perhaps, in our next number.

OUTS .

53

A TWELFTH NIGHT" STUDY.

"

H ow n

many Englishmen understand Shakespeare? " asks a thoughtful and brilliant writer, who is, perhaps, scarcely read as much as he deserves to be read, and he answers his own question in this wise : "To judge from what has been written about him, the Englishmen who understand Shakespeare are little more numerous than those who understand the language spoken in Paradise . " The words are strong, but hardly too strong, and they ought to be sufficient to deter a novice from the foolhardiness of attempting to write about Shakespeare . Ilow comes it, then, that I have been bold enough to take a pen and write on the top of a blank sheet of paper, A " T'icelftla 11't lit Strad) , ?" Is it because "fools rush in where angels fear to tread," or because, as the author whom I have quoted consolingly admits, " you will now and then meet with ingenious remarks on particular passages, and even on particular characters, or ratlicr on particular features in them ? " Doubtless, the School Hall, that last December was resplendent with the glitter of footlights, and the bright lines of varied costumes, is sombre of aspect once more, and echoes the bouts of anything—but—sweetness " lonb drawn out, " as Second Eorin boys lose themselves in the labyrinths of Ti17r7w. Hcu, qualillitu viutatits ab illo— ! Yet those of us who listened to " Tr e,l "Ih Night" three months ago, can scarcely have forgotten all axe learnt from it . For, surely, there were lessons to be learnt from it, lessons for the eye and ear of every observer ; deep lessons, worth the learning, for every one who would take the trouble to learn them, for every one who would approach, lovingly and reverently, the work of the great poet whom Coleridge called the myriad-souled ."

All I am going to crave leave to do now is, to set down a few of my impressions of sonic features in one character in the play- ; I mean the character of Olivia ; and I should be ungrateful if I were not to acknowledge that I owe any thing of any value in the not very " ingenious " remarks I shall make to the beautiful interpretation of the character given by its school exponent last

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A " TWELFTH NIGHT " STUDY.

Christmas . I might have chosen a character at first sight more promising. There are not, perhaps, many lines in the part that (in Bacon ' s words) " come home to men's business and bosoms, " and so have become to us as household words, to be treasured up and remembered . And yet I think it is a character well worth the studying, and the more so because, as it seems to me, it is peculiarly a nineteenth century character . I will try to explain my reason for saying this, premising only that there is nothing strange in the fancy, if fancy it be, since Shakespeare is preeminently the poet " not of an age, but for all time ." One of the especial characteristics of our age is its self-consciousness,—a tendency to self-anatomy, to appraising phrenologically feelings and natural qualities, and this without any ulterior purpose but merely out of a morbid curiosity. Now we shall find this to be one of the main features in the character of Olivia.

When first we are introduced to her, she has resolved to give herself up to the love of a dead brother, but this resolve she soon forgets in her love for Cesario. To this she dreamily yields herself up ; for all that she says, " I do I know not what, " she understands perfectly what she is doing ; she analyses her feelings and her emotions, not that by a wise and healthy self-scrutiny she may avoid the temptations that beset her, but only to throw the blame on an external power over which she has no control " Fate, show thy force : ourselves we do not owe ; What is decreed must be, and be this so ."

Surely the fatalism of these lines is not altogether strange to us to-clay. What follows ? All her overtures are rejected by Cesario, but she persistently renews them ; yet, through all her strange courtship, she is true to her proud, womanly, refined nature, she never forfeits our respect . Suddenly there comes a change ; she is accepted, as she thinks, by Cesario . But hard on her happiness follows a cruel undeceiving ; she sees Cesario cold and unimpassioned as before, and she is fain to cry out in her wretchedness that she is detested and beguiled : and she has been beguiled, yet not unhappily so . The Cesario she had looked for was not to be hers, but here in Sebastian was another Cesario, like unto the first, yet unlike, because free to return her love to the full . A strange denouement this, truly : we should laugh at it as absurd in a modern novel . And yet, as we listened to the play, did not its

A " TWELFTH NIGHT " STUDY .

55

ending seem the most natural in the world ? To criticize it would have seemed profanity ; it was better for us to become for awhile as little children, entranced with a delightful fairy tale.

"Tlae rain it rainetle every day ." As we heard the last echoes of the wise fool's song die away, did we not fancy, some of us, a correspondence between the world of nature and the world of spirit? How that the rain, the dispiriting rain that we were so ready to cry out against, had its own good purpose, how that it laid the hot dust and freshened the grass and the flowers, and how that, not alone in the natural world, but in the spiritual world also, there was set in the cloud a glorious bow of promise, for a token of an everlasting covenant, that we should not be destroyed by the waters.

THE OXFORD LETTER. N a few more days Oxford will be almost deserted, and, save a few Dons who remain to coach and a few Undergrads who remain to be coached for the Schools at the end of May, scouts and tradesmen will have things all their own way . There has been plenty to do this Term, a judicious combination of reading and amusements having made the time pass very pleasantly, while the weather of late has been much more propitious than we are wont to have it this Term.

And now for our final criticism on the ' Varsity crew . They have at, last got into very decent form, and, taking them as a whole, they are a much better crew than we expected they would make . They pull well together, slide well and feather cleanly, but they are wanting in strength. We should not be surprised to see them leading Cambridge for the first two miles or so, but after that they will probably fall to pieces and beat a retreat to the rear. We do certainly hear of doubts as to the stamina of two or three men in the Cambridge boat ; but with their superior weight and strength they ought to win . We are glad to see that G . L . Davis is steering them for the fifth year . I have it on good authority that F . 2M . Hargreaves has been written to by the President of the O . U . B . C . telling him to keep himself in semi-training and to meet the crew at Putney in case of accidents.

We almost hope that some one may break down so that he may get a seat in the boat and thus represent his School and University in the great aquatic contest of the year . May the dark blue be seen flying over the light blue flag at Mortlake at the conclusion of the race .

I

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THE OXFORD LETTER.

The Torpids were most successful . Favourable circumstances, glorious weather, immense crowds, a large entry, crews much above the average, and most exciting racing, combined to make the Torpids of 1879 memorable (as the guide books say) in the annals of Oxford rowing. The conclusion of the six nights ' racing found Pembroke for the third year in succession at the top of the tree, a position they hardly deserved, as there were two or three boats who would have beaten them easily in a level race ; these were Trinity 1st, Keble 1st, B . N . C . 1st, and perhaps Balliol . Trinity on three nights overlapped Pembroke, but could not bump them ; Keble got unpleasantly—for Trinity—near Trinity on more than one occasion ; while B .N .C . made it very hot for Keble before the Gut on the last two nights . Pembroke, with their two lengths' start and smooth water to row in, just managed to keep ` head ' and that is all . They were ably coached by P . E . Tuckwell, late of Leeds Grammar School . Exeter owe their escapes to the skill of their coxswain, whose steering was the admiration of all who saw it . Queen ' s fulfilled our predictions by making two bumps : they were unfortunate in losing their stroke a week before the races, through an injury to his knee in getting out of the boat, but they found an able substitute in W . E . Moore : the bow oar was wielded by C . H. Chadwick . Of the other boats, University (that great aquatic college, as the Standard hath it) were very bad, and fell four places, and would have fallen more, had not Balliol on the first night broken their rudder string, which rendered them an easy prey for University, though they regained the bump the following evening . A similar interchange of favours took place between Merton and S . Catherine's (unattached), and between Hertford and B . N . C . 2nd, owing to accidents . S . John ' s made four bumps, chiefly owing to good luck.

I ought to have mentioned in my last that C . A . Skelton was rowing No . 5 in this boat, and for this negligence I ask his pardon.

Worcester made most bumps, viz . 5, but they started very low down, and made havoc among the small fry . The chapter of accidents,— none of them, happily, very serious,—was longer than usual . University broke their new boat into two equal halves a week before the races by running foul of a sunken post at Iflley Lasher ; they had only used the boat four times previously . Queen's in practice ran into a dinghey and took their bows off ; Oriel, on passing the post on the first night, were run into and sunk ; Balliol broke a rudder-string ; Hertford ran into a small forest floating down stream, and were in consequence bumped ; and Merton, Wadham, and Corpus all smashed oars and suffered . So much for aquatics.

After three postponements we were beaten by Cambridge in the Inter- ' Varsity Association Football match by one goal to none . Our

THE OXFORD LETTER .

57

defeat must be attributed, however, to these postponements, as several of our best men, including the Captain, had gone down, having kept their Term.

Footballs are now put away till next October, and will make way for cricket balls. We have already, at this early period of the season, owing to the mild weather, seen several men taking the rust off their Cricket on the White House ground.

In the Athletic line much has been done : all the meetings, including the O . U . A . C . competitions have been brought off. The Inter-'Varsity meeting has been fixed for April 4, at Lillie Bridge, as usual ; and, to judge from what we have seen and heard, we shall win all the races, with the exception of the Hurdles, which Cambridge will secure : they will also win the High Jump, Weight, and Hammer ; while, if Kemp jumps for us, we shall win the Long Jump.

Thus we shall get the odd event . M . R . Portal, of Balliol, has beaten the flying Trepplin for the Hundred Yards in the magnificent time of ten seconds . The Cantabs cannot beat this.

The Billiard matches have both fallen to us, but these are insignificant contests, and hardly worth mentioning.

A 'Varsity Lawn Tennis Club has been started, which has secured a large number of members, a good ground with pavilion, and pretty uniform, so it is certain to be a success.

Fancy a Paper Chase on Bicycles ! Such a thing has, however, come off. Suffice it to say that they did not go across country, but kept to the roads .

O . P.

THE CAMBRIDGE LETTER. rdvra jiei : away goes another Term with all its joys and sorrows.

Many a hansom and portmanteau begin to be seen round the College gates, and Cambridge will soon be dismally empty, with only Dons and gyps left to disport themselves in it.

The Lent Races began on the 12th of March, and were rowed in weather varying from summer heat to arctic cold, diversified with blustering gales : but " its an ill wind, &c ., " and however unpleasant to the enthusiastic spectators, it gave every boat, light and heavy, polished and rough, its fair chance . The most fortunate crews were, Caius 3rd, which made five bumps in the four days ; Downing ; 3rd Trinity 3 ; S . Catherine 2nd (the successful challenge boat this

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THE OXFORD LETTER.

year) ; and Cavendish, which all made three . The three first Trinity boats rowing, which have all the year's Freshmen to draw from, contrived to lose eight places among them . Owing to an obstruction caused by two boats which had easied after a bump on Thursday, the three or four boats following got " dreadful mixed," the result being much indignation on the bank, and an unpleasant gash in a King's man ' s arm from the iron nose of a boat . Now that the races are over, and the 'Varsity departed, the river looks deserted and forlorn, except for sundry pairs, funnies, and rudimentary first eights practising for next Term.

We see, not without alarm, that Marriot is stroking the Oxford Boat, but are still confident of victory.

The Classical Tripos saw the best degree which has been taken for some years : a man, who like E . V . Arnold, of Trinity, can come out 15th Wrangler, win a medal, and be bracketed Senior Classic, ought, in the language of the sporting press, to be heard of again . No Peterite appeared, while, to confirm the remarks made by the Oxford correspondent, some six rowed in, coxed, or coached their college boats.

Cricket has been effectually checked almost as soon as it began by the bitter winds of the last few days . Lawn Tennis, which has been kept alive by some few ardent devoters all through the Term, is bursting forth into renewed vigour . To judge from the results of the late Athletic Sports, the Oxford and Cambridge meeting at Lillie Bridge will be a very close affair.

Some few entertainments of different kinds have taken place . A visit from the renowned Joachim, with one or two Oratorios ; and I ought to mention that Weston favoured us with an address, decidedly brief and doubtfully eloquent, in the Guildhall ; his natural charms were enhanced by breeches and top boots, a huge blue tie, and lavender kids.

The Scholarship Examinations are just beginning, but unfortunately few O .Ps. will be up to greet any Candidates from St. Peter's who may appear : at any rate all good luck attend their efforts.

K . K.

THE DEBATING SOCIETY. On Saturday, February 22nd, the Society debated on the motion of le Maistre "That Pompey was not a great General ." The hon. member began by reviewing Pompey's career, and endeavoured to

DEBATING SOCIETY .

59

demonstrate an absence of great generalship throughout, treating contemptuously all his successes . His speech, though forcibly delivered as always, was chiefly remarkable for prolixity . GRIFFITH maintained that the mover had failed to establish his point, and instanced many substantial services rendered by Pompey to his country . BASKETT and MALLINSON supported the motion, which was opposed by the PRESIDENT and by WADE, who entered his protest against the cynicism of refusing to believe in a man because he is praised . Shades of Niebuhr and Arnold ! The conflicting ideas prevalent as to historical facts were a rather remarkable feature in this debate . The motion was ultimately negatived by a majority of two.

On Saturday, March 1st, GRIFFITH moved " That the execution of Mary, Queen of Scots, was unjust ." His glowing speech aroused in his hearers such enthusiasm, and such sympathy with the ill-fated heroine of a hundred fictions, that no one rose to oppose him . The motion was carried ?rein . con . WADE then moved " That in the opinion of this house the Zulu war is justified ." The brief speech of the proposer was followed by a conversation rather than a debate, and a suggestion that, in the absence of sufficient information the question should be adjourned, was adopted.

On March 8th a happy suggestion of the President's was acted upon, and the house suspended its deliberations to " do observance " —readers in the Sixth Form are requested, in view of the approaching English Subjects Examination, to note the Chaucerian phrase—to a glorious Spring afternoon.

On March 1 jth WADE again introduced his motion on the Zulu war. He held that Sir Bartle Frere was better able to judge of the advisability of war than Englishmen at home ; and contended that war against a nati on of robbers and murderers was necessarily right and just. MALLINSON and the PRESIDENT opposed the motion, and maintained that the war was neither just nor expedient . The war party in the house were either satisfied that their leader was quite competent to conduct their cause unaided, or felt themselves incompetent to assist him, for they left him to fight out alone a tough battle with a rather formidable opposition, only encouraging him with intermittent bursts of admiring applause . His indomitable courage was well rewarded, however, when, on a division, a large, if speechless , majority declared for his motion.

PIGGIN then moved " That the introduction of Phonetic Spelling is to be deprecated," and attempted to show that its introduction was impracticable, and that, if it were effected, it would not put a stop to,

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DEBATING SOCIETY.

though it might retard the change which was continually going on in pronunciation . WADE seconded the motion briefly ; but, to judge from the tameness of the proceedings, the introduction of the motion was as much to be deprecated as the introduction of Phonetic Spelling.

The house once more showed its staunch conservatism by carrying the motion unanimously.

On the following Saturday, March 22nd, no meeting was held.

BOATING CLUB. Before giving an account of the boats and races I will briefly answer two letters which appeared in our last month's number . In reply to " Pristis, ' I can only say that I fail to see what he is aiming at, unless it be that he wants the day fixed for the Scratch Fours to be advertised in the Peterite, so as to give all Old Peterites who wish and are able to avail themselves of it, a chance of rowing in them.

If this is all, I shall be happy to oblige him : the day fixed is Tuesday, April 6th, when all the other races will be over . The preceding Saturday would, perhaps, be more convenient, but the increased traffic on the river on that day makes racing almost impossible, especially in the present enlightened state of the minds of the bargees, whose ideas of accommodation and manoeuvring (if we may use the term of such fellows), are probably of an ante-diluvian date.

Al] Old Boys who wish are at liberty to row in the Scratch Fours, if they will send in their names to the Captain of the Club before Saturday, April 5th . We may possibly, if the ordinary races are finished pretty early, have Scratch Fours for present Peterites only, but this is not settled yet . The course of the Scratch Fours is from the bottom of old ` cat ditch to the ` white railing . ' With regard to the letter of " C . H . C ." we are all indebted to him for his advice and information : but I am sorry to say that at a meeting of the boating competitors which it was necessary to call, the proposal to give up prizes, or even to be satisfied with pewters, was met by. loud cries of " No, " and rejected by a majority . " Pot-hunting " is a word which the practices of late years have necessarily forced upon the English vocabulary, and, to judge from appearances, it stands but little chance of growing obsolete during the present generation, at any rate . It has been suggested that we should let the school boat-house go the ordinary course of nature, and, when rotten and good for nothing, that we should remove our boats to Hill's boat-house .

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61

This would be all very well if Hill had room for our boats, and we intended never to increase their number ; but unfortunately Hill has not room, and we intend, I hope, some day to add to their number.

The races began on Tuesday, March 18th . The weather was a decided improvement on the few preceding days, when we had been favoured with snow, and dispelled the gloomy forebodings about the impossibility of racing and the anticipation of a flood . But the races were by no means of an exciting character, and the labour of running down with the boats from start to finish was anything but adequately repaid, except in the case of the Junior Fours . The first race was the first heat of the Junior Sculls, between Brockbank and Chapman . A good number of spectators had assembled at the White Railing (evidently christened on the "Tutus a non lucendo" principle) to see the start of the first race . Directly they are off the usual din arises from the banks, and shouts of " go it," " well pulled, " " you ' re winning, " &c ., &c ., effectually prevent any reasonable advice reaching the ears of the rowers. Chapman, who had the advantage in weight, size, and choice of sides, pulled away at the beginning with a long stroke, and left Brockbank a length and a half before he had gone fifty yards.

Under the Railway Bridge, (technically called Scarborough Bridge), Brockbank gained a little, but Chapman kept a good way ahead, and finally won by several lengths.

The next race was the first heat of the Junior House Fours— School House v . Rev . T . Adams ' . The former was the stronger and bigger crew, but the latter pulled much better together . At the start, the bottom of old Cat Ditch, the crew of the School House rowed away, and by the School boat-house was nearly a length ahead, and still gaining . When they arrived at the White Railing, about midway on their course, their opponents, who had the advantage in the side of the river, began to gain at the same rate as they had been previously losing, and when they arrived at Lendal Bridge had just put themselves on a level with the other boat, which immediately stopped, leaving Rev . T . Adams ' boat victors by nearly a length.

The stroke of the losing boat pulled very well throughout, but was not properly backed up by bow and 3, who seemed to think that time was of secondary importance, the latter even advocating a round back . The winners pulled very pluckily throughout, Legge (stroke) pulling especially well . Meanwhile the excitement on the bank had been intense ; one unfortunate gentleman lost his footing in his excitement, and went head over heels into the mud which lined the banks.

The third race was very poor . I need only give the result, which was that Kaye and Lane beat Williamson (C . I . H .) and Brady in the

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BOATING CLUB.

Junior Pairs by about ten lengths . The time of the winning pair was particularly good, and stroke (Kaye) pulled in very good style.

We are sorry that we cannot say the same for the other crew.

On Thursday, March loth, the first race was the second heat of the Junior Sculls—Kaye v . Leatham . The start was very even, but Kaye, who was rowing on the station side of the river, to prevent going into the bank, pulled straight into his opponent ' s water and was immediately fouled ; Leatham, contrary to expectation, thus winning the race . There is not much doubt, if it had not been for this accident, that Kaye would have easily beaten.

Final heat of the Junior Fours—Day Boys v . Rev . T. Adams' House . For the first hundred yards the boats kept very even, but at the boat-house the Day Boys went ahead and gradually left the other boat until they arrived at the White Railing, when the Boarders showed some signs of recovering their lost ground . But soon the Day Boys got into the current at the right side of the river and left their opponents some way behind, eventually winning by about three lengths . The Day Boys Junior Boat, it may be interesting to know, is the heaviest boat on the river, the average weight being not far off z t stone, and two of the crew are several pounds over 11 stone.

Wade, however, (No . 3) took care that no one should have to pull any of his weight, and pulled very well throughout the race, getting a long stroke and finishing off neatly.

The third race was between Calvert and Walker for the Canoes, first heat . Calvert, with the right side of the river, won by several lengths . There was to have been a Senior Pairs race this afternoon, but two boats (Crawshawe ' s and Calvert' s) successively scratched ; Brady also scratched for the Junior Sculls on hearing that he would have to pull.

The races on Saturday, March 22, were of a most peculiar nature.

The first, Chapman and Brockbank v . Baldwin and H . Wood for Junior Pairs, came to an untimely end a little way past the White Railing, where they both violently charged the bank and fouled one another in their attempt to get away from two barges and a steamer which effectually blocked the river . The second race was kept waiting some time by a stupid bargee, who took exactly twenty minutes in moving his barge four yards, and obstinately refused any assistance or advice . The race was between the Sixth Form and Civil : but the Civil fouled the Sixth in the middle of the river before they had gone three hundred yards . After a short easy they both pulled on again, and the Sixth Form came in about a length ahead, though the Civil lost, perhaps, half a length in the foul . Tt will

63

BOATING CLUB .

probably have to be rowed over again . The third race was between Daniel and Eadon for the Canoes, second heat . After an exciting and close race, both boats came in together, their sides almost touching . Eadon had the right side of the river . This race will also have to be paddled again, like the other two.

List of the Boats : SENIOR HOUSE FOURS. School House.

bow J. H . Mallinson 2 F. T. Griffith 3 F. E . Watson str . J . H . Daniel cox. P. Heaven

Rev . T. Adams ' House.

Day Boys.

bow Carroll 2 G . Crawshaw 3 H . Walker str . J . Calvert cox . N . S . Fox

bow F. Eadon 2 A . Stephenson 3 T. Moss str . A . Wood cox . E . Lane

FORM FouRS.

Civil.

School Boat.

bow Carroll 2 G . Crawshaw 3 F . Eadon str . F . E . Watson cox . Chaplin

bow A . Stephenson 2 J . Calvert 3 T . Moss str . A . Wood cox . N . Stephenson

Sixth Form.

bow J . H . Mallinson 2 F. T. Griffith 3 H . Walker str. J . H . Daniel cox. E . Douglas School House.

JUNIOR HOUSE FOURS. Rev . T. Adams' House.

bow J. C . Bailey 2 A . P . Chadwick 3 W . J . L . Richardson str . M . R . D . Newby cox . P . Heaven

bow E . A . Douglas 2 R . Heaton 3 F . Greenhow str . L . F . Legge cox . N . S . Fox

Day Boys.

bow G . Baldwin 2 J . Chadwick 3 G . H . Wade str . B . G . M . Baskett cox . N . Stephenson

SENIOR PAIRS.

bow T . Moss str. F . E . Watson bow G . H . Wade str. W . W . Garwood

bow J, H . Mallinson str . F . T . Griffith

bow H . Walker str . J . Calvert

bow A . Wood str . J . H . Daniel

bow F . Eadon str . G . Crawshaw

SENIOR SCULLS.

A . Wood

J . H . Daniel CANOES.

J . H . Daniel

F . E . Watson F. Eadon

J . Calvert H . Walker

JUNIOR PAIRS .

bow W . E . Brockbank str . F . W . Chapman

bow H . Wood str . G . Baldwin

bow N . Brady str . C . I . H .Williamson

bow Kaye str . Lane JUNIOR SCULLS.

F . W . Chapman Kaye

W . E . Brockbank Brady

G . Baldwin Leath am

64

CORRESPONDENCE . ADDITIONAL SUBSCRIBERS.

CORRESPONDENCE. To the Editors of the Peter/le.

DEAR SIRS,—In vindication of the decision come to by the Boating Club in regard to the use to be made of the boating subscriptions this year, I think that there is much to be said . In the first place, what use will a new boat be when we have got one ? There are two foar-oars in the boat house now, besides the regatta boat, which any one can get leave to pull in who can row at all ; and how many go out in them ?

The heavy sliding-seat boat has been used only once this Term ; the othef one has not been used at all . I do not think that any boats that we could get would be used more, unless we were to get enough to be able to race in our own : and if we were to get boats enough for that, (which would require a long time), every year the whole of the subscriptions would be required to keep them in good repair, so that there would continue to be no prizes . And I do not think that any one would go in for the races except, perhaps, the ` house race, ' and then not with the same energy), if racing merely for honour.

As for raising the boat-house and making a brick foundation, it could not be made high enough, where the boat-house now stands, to prevent the water from damaging the doors, without making it so high as to make it very inconvenient to get a boat of any weight out of it . And besides, I do not think that it would be worth while to spend so much money on the boat-house when the ground on which it stands is not our own . But if the Committee think that it would be of advantage to alter the boat-house, I feel sure that an appeal to the fellows for a voluntary subscription would be handsomely responded to .

I am, yours truly, STARIUS. To the Editors of the Peter/le. need hardly express my thanks to the Secretary of the Dramatic Club for pointing out the important omission in my account of the Theatricals . I can only say that it was quite unintentional, and was due to my not having a programme by me at the time . Any further tribute of thanks to Mr . Yeld ' s valuable assistance after G . H . W'Vade ' s letter would be unnecessary on my part.

I am, Sirs, yours obediently, Outs.

DEAR SIRS,—I

ADDITIONAL SUBSCRIBERS. George Lees ; J . C . Daniel ; R . H . Christison ; G . L. Davis ; J . Walker ; H . E . Donner ; W . Overton ; B . Mulcaster ; H . M . Hardcastle ; J . C . Rogers ; E . Bellerby.

The lines " Life, " and an Article, are unavoidably held over for next month .

OXFORD : PRINTED FOR THE PROPRIETORS BY W . R . BO\DEN, ;9, HIGH STREET .