satisfaction only, as there was no audit, and I was accountable only to my comrades in the eight. The races between old and present Westminsters and against the Leander Club were then rowed in outrigger eights, a boat being hired beforehand for practice and use in the race, and kept at the Old Swan.

These boats-i.e., the heavy fours and the two eights were the only school boats; light fours, pairoars, sculling boats, and sailing boats, were all hired by the day or hour at fixed prices, and paid for by those who used them.

'The Barges was the name in common use for our landing-stage, but the barges themselves, of which there were always a large number, were moored mostly head and stern above our landing - stage, and had great attraction for us at all seasons of the year. Some were fast moored, some moored by a rope from their bows only, and swinging out in the

stream.

The bottoms of these barges when empty were a favourite resort for boys desirous of a quiet smoke, for which offence you were always liable to a licking from the seniors. We also used them for shooting-galleries, for either pistols or toy cannons. The only objection

to this was that the bullets rebounded from the hard oak bulk-heads of the barges. The bargees, too, were always trying to catch us on their barges, in order to make us pay our footing. On one occasion Grosvenor and I had made our way out to the furthest barge, which was well out in the tideway; to get to this we had crossed a long plank. Here we were discovered.

by the bargee in charge; he called to us to come off. Grosvenor went across the plank first, and got a cuff or two from him; I then stepped on to the plank; he took up the far end and shook it about, toppling me over into the river. I could not swim then-I was washed away down-stream and nearly drowned; but Grosvenor and the bargee ran across several barges to one that jutted out far into the tideway lower down the river, and as I was swept past managed to catch me by one hand, held on tight, and hauled me out. We ran back to Grant's, and I changed my clothes; by that time the bargee had arrived in Little Dean's Yard, claiming a sovereign for saving my life. I explained what had occurred to some big fellows, and the bargee got no sovereign, and was lucky not to make the acquaintance of Dean's Yard pump.

But I am straying from my subject, and must now take up again my personal recollections as to the water. Reverting to my earlier days as an oarsman in 1850, 1851, and 1852, I do not think that I joined in any real races during this time, except, perhaps, for the Town Boy Rudder, the only water prize that I never won. In 1853, to my great delight and pride, I was chosen for the first eight, and rowed '2' when in my proper place, although we shifted about a good deal, for we were a raw crew and had to find our places. Sometimes Freeman was stroke, sometimes Steward, and the oars amidship-3, 4 and 5-were often changed, ranging between Bourke, Morton, Hawthorn, and Gray; Wilson and Williams keeping generally to the same thwarts at 6 and 7. The crew that rowed

against Leander on Thursday, July 12, was about correct, the places being as follows

We rowed from Battersea to Putney, and they beat us by a length. Before this we had tackled an Old Westminster crew, on June 16, when we won by three lengths, the Old Westminster crew being composed chiefly of men who had rowed in the eight in former years-Jack Wright, Upperton, R. Berens, A. Slade, etc. I rowed also for the new four-oar challenge cups, stroking a very moderate four and coming in a good last. I was beaten also for the Silver Rudder, rowing with Bankes, with Rowland (the judge) or Watty Williams for cox. I had not then taken much to

* This list is taken from 'Rowing at Westminster.'