The Sun.
London, England, 1852-05-15 00:00:00

MAY 15,

~~~•

ROYAL THAMES YACHT CLUB.

The-grand
grand challenge cup race,-the very ne plus ultra of
yachting contests, took pleca yesterday, but although
affording considerable gratification, was divested of the
very powerful interest it would otherwise have crested
by an accident happening to one of the favourites at the
moment the most excitieg part of the race was about to
c mmence, and when the finest opportunity presented
itself for the development of nautical skill and supe-
riority of craft.
The Ruby steamer had been chartered by the club, for
the accommodation of innabers and their friends, but the
assemblage on board was neither so numerous nor so
aristocratic as we have witnessed; but the very early
period of the, season, and the uninviting character of the
weather of the last few days, coupled with the heavy
hail storm of the morning, had necessarily a tendency
to materially lessen the number of visitors, and
mainly those of the higher classes, who ordinarily
take considerable interest in the matches of this
distinguished club. All things taken into con-
sidertbln, the attendance was much greater than

could have been anticipated, and amongst the company
we observed Lord Londesborough, hip .on, Captain
FleeStel), R.N., Captain Barwell, R.N., and several
other distinguished y achtmen, Besides the Ruby, the
Dryad, and Waterman 3, accompanied th race with
vary respectable parties on board, urd there were several
schooners and cutters of Royal Clabs under way for the
same purpose.

The prize, as we before stated, wag for the Grand
Challenge Cup or piece of place,
amongst all royal clubs, and the
g
ErTithhetofottioewtogr erFLe irge hftoaunndd baat ctkh. courseiv e n for
extendedcompetition
from
their stations:—
S 1 tnirNouasme Name. Tons.
iodns.LPoonrdto.n
..Bed,Distinguishing Flag
with mouse in centre.-
2 Volante ..48 Ditto ....White flag.
ISoontidthotnon.:lßu+unee
pgireorcuendd,wrhamite's,
rheedadmyaelltleoswe.
5 3i
cross.
3 Pauline .. 35 Ipswich.. Blue square flag.
4 Cyus.
gnaeuti ;530 5
6 War Hawk 66 Teignmth. Blue flag, gold hawk.
Half-minute time per ton for difference of tonnage.
Of the above all were fine craft, but the Volant6 and
the Musquito were the favourites. The former was the
holder of the cup, and the winner of it last year; but as
the Musquito and Cygnet had also been victorious com-
petitors for it since it was first presented for competition
in 1849, either would be entitled to its permanent pos-
session, in the event of again winning, as it was not ne-
cessary, according to the stipulations, that success should
smile on the same yacht two successive years. From
the day she was launched, the Volante, built by Harvey,
of Ipswich, bad fully realised the expectations of her
friends, and the power she displayed in her beautiful
race and long-continued struggle with the America, had
increased her reputation in no small degree. Of the
second—and first favourite with some—the Musquito:—
Her merits have been so often tested, and she had so
fully established her repute as one of the most beautiful
and powerful boats that ever was launched, that it
would be a waste of time and space to dilate upon her
qualifications; it is sufficient to say that she was built
by the celebrat(d Meyer, of Blackwell. The Cygnet,
although a new boat, was hardly considered to have
" legs' enough for either of the other two, and the
same notion applied with perhaps more force to the
Mouse; but there were two strangers, new boats built
for this occasion, the War Haak and the Pauline, the
former by Pope, of Plymouth, and the latter by Harvey,
before named. Report spoke well of both; but what
they could do remained to be shown, and as well-tried
boats are better than " dark" ones, it would create no
surprise that they found but few backers.
Mr. Green, the eminent ship-builder, and owner, yes-
terday officiated, in lieu of the gallant commodore, Lord
Alfred Paget, who is in Paris; and under his direction
all preliminaries having been duly adjusted, the start
was made at 11 h. 50 min. 30 secs. There was a stiff
rf efing breeze from W.N.W., and owing to the circum-
stance of its being very squally at the moment, the boats
canted, and these having rather close berths, the start
was not so good as might have been wished, two of the
boats having blown upon each other and becoming foul
for a moment, the Cygnet's bowsprit fouling the Mus-
quito's topping lift. This threw the Pauline and Volante
out of their course, and materially Celayed the latter.
The Mouse was first in view, but the War Hawk, with its
capital position, went in advance a minute after the
start, followed by the Mouse, who, overpowered by her
rival, soon dropped in the rear. With a fair wind and
plenty of it, they spanked on with a reef on and a jib-
headed topsail, at an amazing pace. It was declared by
good judges that this was just the Musquito's day, and
the most sanguine expectations were indulged in by her
friends. In the lower part of Long-reach, the War Hawk
led by a quarter of a mile, the Musquito had acquired
the second place, the Volante, from last in the start, had
run by her opponents into the third place, the Cygnet
was fourth, and the Pauline fifth. At Greenhithe the
War Hawk and Mosquito clewed up their topsails, and
it was thought were about to shift, but it was merely to
set them again to rights, their having become foul. In
this course they continued down to the Chapman Head,
however, where the War Hawk, taking time by the
forelock, shifted her jib, and got ready to go to wind-
ward, but from that moment the Musquito, which was
at that time half a mile astern, gained considerably upon
the leadieg boat, the Volante having been third from the
end of Long Reach, where she had overhauled the
Cygnet.
They rounded the Noro Light in the following order:—
The War Hawk
Musquito
Volante 2h. 9 min. 37 sec.
Pauline
C) gnet ... 2h. 20 min. 5 sec.
Now should have come the great treat of the day. The
coming down had done nothing more than to show that
the boats could run or reach, the beating up, with the
tide wanting something like an hour or more to flood,
was the thing to test their capabilities. Everybody was
anxious to see what they could do to windward, and
while the greatest anxiety on this score prevailed, the
accident, to which we have before alluded, and which
threw a considerable damper upon the pleasure of the
day, occurred. The War Hawk was in the act of
rounding, and white doing so the Musquito came
inside to windward of her. and evidently with the
intention of going about between her rival and the
light boat, which they rounded, but finding it
impossible, from the strong set of the lee tide,
to clear the latter, attempted to bear up under
the stern of the War Hawk, and in doing so carried
away her own bowsprit. which broke short off at the
stem, by fouling the War Hawk's main sheet. Thus
were the hopes of the Musquito party entirely de-
stroyed, while
the beautiful craft herself, driven by the
tide and wind, floated a mile below the light ship, while
her crew were engaged in rigging another bowsprit, and
an interval of twenty-three minutes elapsed before she
could make any endeavour to retrieve her position, with
a mile of leeway, and the time we have mentioned to
make up. Immediately after the turn the Volante held
a much better wind than the War Hawk, and not only
fore-reached her, but after going about, came out a
quarter of a mile a-head, and well to windward—a po-
sition she maintained and improved to the end. In
Sea-reach the pretty Cygnet weathered the War Hawk,
and became second, in which way the race finished,
with the following time, the Pauline having unfortu-
nately gone aground at Chapman Head :
Volante 6 h. 47 min. 21 sec.
Cygnet ..... .
War Hawk

The prize was then presented by Mr. Green, in the
usual manner.

GETTING UP BEHIND.
There is a great deal of this " getting up behind'
practised in the world, on a large as well as on a amal
scale. Let a great cause arise, and immediately a hosi
of small objects leap up and take a ride with you. You
see how ready people are to get up behind Rbyalty in
this country. Over how many doors do you see the
royal arms mounted! What hosts 'of purveyors to the
Queeu—friseurs, chemists, dentists, umbrella-makers,
sausage makers, and so on! It all means " getting up
behind ;" or, as the Yankees call it, " tailing on." Some
new project is announced, and is bailed as absurd. It
can never work; it is ludicrous—impracticable—stupid
—insane. But it is tried, and is found to work;—it
even works well. Instantly all the deprecators make a
rush at the identical project which they had been abus-
ing, and now try to "get up behind,"—he it railways,
or screw ships, or electric telegraphs. If balloons were
to succeed, there would soon bo nothing but balloons;
and every balloon would have its parachute, or parasite,
"getting up behind"—" tailing on." Thus also are all
manner of successful commercial speculations imitated.
. . .' Let any individual achieve notoriety, it matters
er o
h iCobden,ef
or Paxton,—and s
not how—Jenny Lind, Tom Thumb, Kossuth,
forthwith you have handkerchiefs,
hats, songs, umbrellas, pipes, &c., called byr names,
—books dedicated to them,—portraits of their
em engraved
and sold as long as they will sell,—and their
n
verted to trading purposes by that enterprising atnepsorctoilion-
of the community which is ever so ready at " getting
up behind." The same class starts " organs of public
opinion," to advocate whatever opinionis uppermost; and
you witness the sudden advent of British Blazers, British
Protectors, British Lions, and alll sorts of short-lived
heroes and defenders of what wilselland go down with
phraseohave which is now co-
the wind. " The People" is a
this, things to dispose
piously worked up by those wh
that, aid the other;
of. You have the " People's"
the ascendant. We see
for the said " People" are in th
one enterprising clotheir is now using
trowsers, coats, and gaiters; it to get rid of
as the " People's', clothier. He
him.,ants to " get up ls puffing himself off
be-
hind;" and thousands are like°
up. behind" the Great Exhibition! How many "got
drink to them. What ingenuity It was meat and
exercised in turning
the penny by that grand event! was
novel and striking vehicle drives But wait till the next
sweep will be jumping on t the along, and loLthe little
gallant equipage. Aod
not only he, but thousands lore will he waiting their
opportunity of " getting up behind!"—Eliza Cooks'
Journal.