APPENDIX.
THE EARLY HISTORY OF BOAT RACING AT THE UNIVERSITIES)
THE history of early college boat racing is not strictly that of the University boat race itself, but it is closely wound up with it, and it was, moreover, the origin of that aquatic rivalry between the two Universities which led to the first match of 1829.
Osford had_ inaugurated eight-oared rowing ; that introduced inter-college bumping races. Cambridge followed suit and esta- blished similar races, and hence arose the constant study of aquatics which produced the first match. For these reasons, we think that the history here given will be read with interest by all University oarsmen, the more so because it, to the best of our knowledge, has never before appeared in print. No official record of their early races has been preserved ; the oldest boating record in Oxford is the Brasenose Club Book, dating 1837. That of the G.U.B.C, commences with its establishment, 1839. The ‘Charts’ of the boat races from 1837, published by Messrs. Spiers & Sons, and which were not invented till after the year 1850, obtain the rettospéctive racing, prior to the time when they first appeared, from the MS. records of the B.N.C. hook, the contents of which were communicated to the publishers by the late Rev. T. Codrington. But prior te 1837 all is blank. For the lost history here uncarthed we are indebted to the reminiscences and diaries of oarsmen of those days still in the land of the living.
Oxford started college boat racing before Cambridge. 1t does not seem quite clear as to when bumping races actually com-
“ Reprinted from Land and (Water of December 17, 1881.
