Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1845-10-07

he will have 10 bear will be light compared 10 the
amcloration of his fellow man. Do This, and re-
ligion, virtue and intelligence will succeed vice.
depravty and ignorance. ANXIOUS.
FER he Enquirer.
SEA SIDE Us. BAY-SlDE.
"Thc racer of the land may back he wild horse in his
bride;
A Arrcrr sleed We daunlles. hrcasi,-ihe antamed
Ocean tide"
WHITE MARsn, Accouack, Sept. 10Th.
MessrS. Editors There appeared in the Er-
qurer oflhe 18th, an entertaining description Of
"boat race" which took place some few weeks
ago in Mciompkin bay. 1t MAY seem trivial IN
US 10 attempt a correction OF the unintenllonal
errors into which the excusabe partially Of the
writer has betrayed him; but &, he statement
which you have published, emanaiing doubtless
from The friends OF the boat, does great injustice
to the merits oflhe Canoe, We respectfully desire
thai you should give both "aJcs" hearing-lhe
Bay-side, as well as the Seaside We wish III
however, TO be clearly understood, hat We occupy
neutral ground, being higa-rcodsrs and Pick
wickianS, and as such altogether impartial in our
attempts 10 furnish an accurate description, but
The errors Of which il is our sole design 10 cor
rect.
We protest against this being heralded as
ricto,y attic Seaside Orcr TIC Bai.sidc, for the
following reasons:
Pr,m0-The boat possessed the decided adrau-
iagc Of running on her own ground. Her friends
have repeatedly refused 10 make lral OF her
speed upon the beautiful waters q the Chesa-
peallc where the advantages 10 all parties are
equal, the water being deep and Did, the tides
regular and OF moderate movement, and atlordins
in all respects, as is universally conceded, the
sairest field for navicUlar contests. Ii is utterly
impossible thata lair race can be hal in Meionp-
kin bav unless between pilots of equal hnowl-
edge in the peculiarilies oil its navigaion abound
ing as il does, in concealed shoals, powerful and
widely extended eddies, numerous uldcr.curTen,s
OF deceptive rapidity and tides OF singular irregu-
larity in different places circumstances, winch,
whilst they ale TUNED 10 incaiculaol' advantage
by those 10 whom they ale familiar, present IN
surmounlable difficulties 10 those VIII are isno-
rant of them. The reason must, therefore, be OBJ
vious to every one why the friends | The boat
have invariably refused 10 accept The challenge
her own ground And By the way, III Sc circum-
stances may afford plausible solutiono The fact,
thai since the race, the termination ofwhich has
caused them TO crow SO vuciielousy hey have
declined bets of hundred dollars TO ttl upon The
waters Of the Chesapeake.
.Secundo-The Sea-sders had grealy the ad-
vantage in another very important palicular.-
Il was singular condition imposed bytnem, be-
fore they wonld conS'nfio run eren IN fose rates
Nth rh,ch then mere perfectly familiar that the
ronesling canoe should not be OF greaer width
than tco feel and eigM inches IT is wei known,
that The best sailing canoes are OF mud greater
width than The one in question; and 'hen il is
considered, that the bay.siders, thus cilcum-
scribed within these narrOtc limits, wee unable
to select real champion, The Disadvantages mn
der which they ahorcd will be Instantly rrcrivcd
the more strongly, loo, when il is ackbwledg
ed by the sea-siders themselves, that hi' boat is
the fastest craft thew have among them
I,riio.-Concedng for moment, hat the
boat and canoe ran with equal advantase-were
both sailed By crews of equal knowleds OF the
walers-and that the canoe was in all especls
fairly beaten, (he contrary of which hi, been
partly shown, and will more inlly appea was
this, in truth, a seaside victory? II was sG,ed in
The letter OF your correspondent M md The
tact is well known here, that the boat is New
York, Whitehall, Ingersoll built copper listened
clipper. The canoe, on The contrary, isEewn
from red pine log, which grew on The Eastern
Shore, Va by old man Tommy Ayres, o. Half
Moon Island, who has chopped out for hmself
reputation for skill in the construction ca
noes as yet unsurpassed By any sea side riff
GERS and competitor OF whom, II wcnd Gem,
can be found only in the person OF MIR. lneesoll,
the celebrated New York boat builder ! Solhat,
if il he victory al all, (Which We deny) Ills a
Nor York, and mol a seaside ricf0ry
Quayio-Whlst we acknowledge The hat 10
have come out ahead in the race, we confidently
maintain, that il was in consequence OF ACCIDENT,
and not of any superiority in sailing. As Suited
by your correspondent, in short time al er Start
ing, The canoe passed the New Yorker he
windward, and left her in style that was alto
nishing for its rapidly; or, as Mr. Mantlni wclld
say, had he been present,
"on eagle wings Of sht size stretched before the nj
liant wind,
And left the dull and sluggish boat, prA'o sn,ll
speck, behind"
She kept The lead down 10 the stake-boat, and
turned il about half mile ahead About his
time, the wind which had been fast freshenir,
from the start, was blowing tremendously; in
consequence Of which, being unable 10 carry 50
great press Of sal as now bore upon craft q
her inches, (only Two feet cish;,) she was compe.
led to take in her mainsai leaving only her lare.
ioresail Standing For long distance The canoe
continued 10 run under only one sail, and 10 The
greatest disadvantage, il being impossible for he
thus 10 run as close 10 The wind as the New Yorker
who was able to carry her two sails, which SD,
was now doing with great ease and rapidly =
The crew OF The canoe finding that she could no
work well with but one sail, and that she wa.
losing ground, took down The heavy foresail unde
which she was staggering, and substituted i've
smaller sails in lieu OF IT, Several minutes were
necessarily consumed in etecting This change
dnring which time the boat was rapidly orgins
ahead, and The canoe was not only not gong ahead
but was drifting long way 10 Inc Reward, by {
strong wind and Tide. Immediately upon making
the change, as if assisted by some good deity o.
the sea- The little canoe was seen proudly career.
ing onward, whilst from her prov she gaiiy dashed
the up-curled pillows foam. She at once begar
10 gain upon her adversary, as was percepiible L
every one-to us, who are mere land .lubbers, q!
we'll as to the pracised eye of the old tar; and q
mile further, we doubt not, would have given ar
entirely different aspect 10 the " hole affair. As
is our own opinion, so also We believe il 10 be tht
opinion of all other impartial spectators, that ih,
success OF the Netr York boat was the result o
accident and NOT to be considered as any proc
whatever OF superior sailing And as an evi
dence of the opinion entertained by the Bay
siders themselves OF the merits OF The respectiv,
crafts, il is due 10 them TO say, thai bets of any
amount can he obtained 10 Iun the same boat
again; and that The Identical old man, whose
"selt-reiance and solemEity of demeaEor" have
been so graphically described, has been heard L
remark in his own serious way, that he has {
hundred dollars of his hard earnings laid by il
the till OF his chest which he is willing to hazart
in anothar eopt.., of cpoed hetupen his E1SIeY,