The Express.
London, England, 1866-05-07 00:00:00

AMATEUR BOWING CLUBS.

On Saturday afternoon there was a general as-
semblage of the metropolitan rowing clubs at Putney.
Several specially chartered steamers left London-bridge
freighted with ladies and gentlemen, and distinguished
from the ordinary passenger boats by gay streamers flying
above nearly every stanchion. The pleasures of the
aquatic festival were considerably marred by the cold
driving showers which commenced just as the excursionists
were leaving London-bridge, and continued perseveringly
during the whole of the voyage. The worst feature of the
rain, however, was, that it drenched the crews who had
been for some time fidgetting about in their boats
at the usual boating rendezvous at Putney. There was
nothing particularly difficult in what the boats had to
do, but what was done was ably organised and conducted
so as to give great pleasure to those who were present.
Shortly after five o'clock, the boats having been previously
stationed opposite their numbers on the towing path, the
signal to " move on " was given. It was recommended in
one of the paragraphs of the printed programmes that the
order to start, when given by the commodore, should be
repeated in a loud voice by the various coxswains, and we
should do the coxswains the justice to say that their wet
garments did not prevent them from paying marked atten-
tion to the recommendation as to loudness. The boats
proceeded up the river, steering for a time near the Surrey
shore, while the steamers monopolised the opposite side in
order to keep pace with the boats ; guns of varying calibre
were fired at intervals from the banks, along which
considerable crowds were posted, and the proces-
sion started amidst the plaudits of the spectators
and the strains of a volunteer band on board
one of the steamboats. There appeared to be
about 50 boats of twelve, eight, six, and four oars, whose
crews wore their rowing dresses, and there were about
half as many ordinary shore boats, amongst which, one
rowed by a couple of young women and three police
wherries, were generally very conspicuous. There were
probably 2::0 members of the amateur rowing clubs taking
part in the procession. It was a very lively and pretty
sight to see the little fleet of slender, freshly-painted
outriggers shooting along under the sturdy and re-
gular oarsmanship of so many smart young Londoners ;
and the healthy, hearty appearance of each crew, and the
skill they showed in the management of their boats, said
all that was required in favour of the popular amusement
which employed their leisure hours. There appeared to
be no kind of system in the procession, and no attempt to
progress in single file, double tile, or any other specified
order. The boats kept moderately close to each other,
and pulled at irregular speeds as near as possible in
the middle of the stream through the bridges, gradually
nearing the Middlesex shore, until they reached a flag
boat otf the ship Hostelry, at Mortlake. Here they turned
and came back along the Surrey shore to the White Hart,
at Barnes, where the crews were advised that the order
of procession need no longer be maintained. The banks,
especially on the Surrey side, and the bridges, were much
crowded with spectators, and on the neighbouring road
there were numbers of carriages and horsemen. The repre-
sentative eights were the London Rowing Club, West
London, Anel, Twickenham, North London, Corsair, Ilex,
Nautilus. Phenix Rowing Club, Thames, King's College,
Guy's, Waverley, Inc, and Alexandra.