The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1866-05-29 00:00:00

Till azaArrA.

This being Whit-Monday, all men, women, and
children, not beteg bedriddm or under • stern
gmler's look and key, evidently think that they have
a perfect right to enjoy themselves. It, • time-
honosred custom —invented, it may be presumed, by
the tailors and maatua-makers—to put on some new
article of wearing apparel in honour of Whit.
flundnv, and wear it again on the following day
lot !lie purpose of cleanups a holiday. It is true
that the "sport. and pastimes of merry England"
have 'really changed in their character since lb*
days of our great grandfathers, for the fact WWI to
hews hays grown more nioney-getting and prosaic
of late years, and antiquarians can now only descant
nem hundreds of genial observances tense common to
the people. Tbe visit tif the Q.O.R.Y.C. to Way.
mouth on Whitaun week, however, has given • hood
pretest for reviving tome of »weld English customs,
and the "sports commas*" got op • goodly bill of
fare for every evening's enjoyment throughout the
week. All honour to them, we say, for their seal in
this matter, but though man may appoint, how often
alas! is he doomed to disappointment. Monday
evening was set down in the programme for the
regatta with which were to be connected rations
nth., aquatic sports. No place could be hatter
adapted than our beautiful bay for the anjoytnent ef
such • pastime, and many a time ha. it heen our
good fortune to see the esplanade lined with thou-
sands of spectators witnessing with pleasure the
hosts and galleys shooting along on the surface of
the water se though they merit 'thing, of life."
The keen, cold, fiere• teat wind on Ilooday eYening,
however, spoiled "all the tun of the fair." The
waves, to use • common expression, "ran mountains
high," and it would have been madness indeed to
hay* ventured oat on water foaming like some
fjord of the Halide. It is all very well to sing "1
peddle my own oanoe," bet what boat or mune could
ever live amidst such a surf I The consequent» was,
the boat racing in the hay bad to he given up. yet,
to cense the disappointment to fall as lightly as
possible no the " thoomands" who bad set their hearts
upon the affair, it was resolved to try what could he
done in the harbour. But the "cribbed, minim&
confined" space thus afforded was • sorry substitute
for the floe open bay, and the wind and tide merle
It a vary unequal contest between agility and
strength. It was not the beat rowers—the mast
agile and scientific—that bad the best ohm.» of
winning, hut those who nommen»l the grestem
amount of muscle and endurance. It is perhaps well,
that such contests should sometimes take place, but,
somehow or other, few of our boat-club crews oboes
to try their prowess on the occasion, and the tion•
sequence was that as moon as four of the prizes
offered had been contested for, the Aquatic ports of
the evening were brought to • clogs. The following
prises were contented for :

lit A swimming switch for Li, distance from the
pinr head to • buoy about 60 yards distant and back.
Only two contended for the prise. Hampton and
Palmer. They both Ent off well but on turning the
buoy. Palmer was struck by throe seme-sive area, and
but for • boat putiing off and pinking Lim or, he must
hare sank. He was brooght in in an szbasiited state.
Hampton swam the diatanes and won be prise.
2nd. The nett armless wag walking the greasy bow.
TVere were form..., time but three carmpetitors,
but enbsponntly a forth entered tim Many
efforts were made but all 14140 to carry off the prize.
3rd. A rsos boteeen two twelve-oared launches be-
longing to 11.11.8. Pd. Gimes'. Noe 1 and 2., and
manned by m••mf-w.e. men belonging to that ship.
Prig. CI listanee from the mouth./ the h•rboor to.
bone monied just abcrint the twidige, twice round. N.,.
I boat which bag hitherto carried off the prise hen the
two have contested, tank the Inad at Arse and maintain...l
it till rounding the buoy the ascend time, when No. 2
boat took the Inad and came in Ant by • distance of
about flee length., thus beating No 1, a sister boat, tor
the first time. It was • capital mos.

415. A match b teems four-oared galleys, belonging
to the Weyns will boat club, for O. Dieters.e twig,.
round buoys tore.red near the month of th• harbour and
just shove the b lige. There were three eotrim :—let.
red—J. Smith let o•r, A. Poarr, 2nd our, W. Martin,
and H. Mace; H. HAM, eriagerein 2nd dark blue—A.
IFlrn.tt. 1.1 nor, B. Rails. 2nd oar, I'. Sheen n .ed A.
Stroud; R Mae.. einewein. 3rd hag bige_c
let oar. fl Chalker. %dna. S. Wallis, and J. &oaten,
Aykebsty, C sewain. Red and light-blue got off
well together. dark bine being slightly in the seer, tat
after peseta, tie buoy above bridge, when light.bine
being lb. lightest•manne3, aas unebbe to contend
against the istroug head wind. Red then look the lead
and meintained it till returning the mimed time to the
starting point, winning the race by shout 40 yards.
The wind continuing ooid and boisterous, the
public began to show an impatient* to get home.
Tbe boats crews, too refused to row in the other
raoes that were announced in coesequence of the
strong headwind down the harbour, and the 'teener&
announced that, the aporta would for that evening
omen

Tomer.
New exercise grouo4 WS/ provided for the
Yeomanry oo To ay, in i field near Rockland,
belongiog to Mr. Dale. This wee a greet improve-
ment on that of the day before, being mocb bearer
Weymouth. To add to the pioneers of the jaarney,
Lb. taropik• road wait watered the greater portiGn
of the way.