Temple race and several others.’ A new eight called the ‘Challenge’ was launched in 1824, and the record says this boat did beat every boat that it came alongside of, as also did the ‘Victory’ And again in April 13, 1825, this boat (‘Challenge’) started from the Horseferry at four minutes past three in the morning, reached Sunbury to breakfast at half past seven, and having taken Juncheon at the London Stairs, just above Staines, went through Windsor bridge by two o’clock in the afternoon, After having seen Eton, the crew returned to Staines to dinner, and ultimately arrived at the Horseferry, haying performed this distance in twenty-one hours. The locks detained them full three hours, and, including ail stoppages, they were detained seven hours. A waterman of the name of Ellis steered the boat in this excursion, and both steered and conducted himsclf remarkably well.
Such are some of the early Westminster School annals, as collated by Mr. Brickwood. One cannot help feeling that if these long journeys were samples of the school aquatics, it is not to be wondered that parents and guardians of old days imbibed prejudices against rowing, and considered it injurious both to health and to study.
In the following decade there seem to have been plenty of aquatics current. ‘The ‘Bell’s Life’ files of those days teem with aquatic notes. One day we read (dated May 26, 1834) a self-exculpatory letter from Ir. Williamson, head-master of Westininster School, explaining why he did not approve of his scholars rowing a match against Eton, and complaining of the ‘intemperance and excesses which such matches lead to.’
On July 3, says ‘Bell’ of July 6 in that year, a match was rowed between a randan (Campbell, Moulton, and Godfrey) and a four-oar (Harris, Eld, Butcher, and Dodd, Cole cox.)—from Putney to Westminster. ‘The randan were favourites, and led; but Moulton fainted, and the four won. The race was for a purse of 70l—50l. for winners and 20l. for-losers. In the same paper, Williams challenges Campbell to a match—apparently for the incipient title of Champion of the Thames, Williams wishes Campbell to stake 40l to 30l, because he is six yeats the younger. Compare the modesty of these stakes
