The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-09-17
ROWING MATCHES IN ENGLAND.

Harvard and OXfOfu, tho hO'''oN -
pives the following interesting sketch OF the
rise and progress of the art OF rowing in Eng
land:--
People who date rowing matches from the
reoaftas which Lady Worley Montagu is sup
posed to have brought into England, iii the
last century, forget Doggett and his badge, and
the water contests of the previous century.
The fact is, that the origin of the sport defies
being fixed by the chronologers. 1t was always q
noble sport. The young Caradocs and Cuno-
belines, doubtless, pulled many merry
match in their wicker coracles covered with
leather. and Britons on the banks laughed till
their eyes smarted with the woad they rubbed
into them, as either of the coracles toppled
over and defied its struggling master to get it
right and to jump into it again.
As for regattas, the first in England was
not that of 1915, the talking about which in
duced ladies to do away with the fashion
of vapors, and of weeping hitherto
much in vogue: and the getting-up of
which actually made the men for awhile
forget the American war. The first re-
patta on record, but not so in fact, was
fhat splendid show upon the river Dee, when
King Edgar himself at the helm, was rowed
bv the most remarkable Eight of that day,
eight captive kings, from his palace at West
Chester right up to the church of st. John
This was looked upon as royal frolic, to
which all the rank, fashion, and commonalty
of the surrounding districts thronged down to
the river or upon it, TO witness a sort of
match against time, the royal oarsmen being
bound to land their still more royal freight at
st. Johns. before the bell struck its last
stroke for mass. When they pulled galley
and king back again, river and banks were
probably more crowded than before.
If king of France was not half king of
France if he could not ride, SO Saxon noble
man was not half noblemen if he could not
handle an oar with skill and dexterity. He,
of course, could ride as well as row. Both
achievements belonged to the heroic race.
The stout champions in romance are as skill
full as Hiawatha himself upon the water. Arms
they have that never weary; and the seething
world of waters greets the passage of the
hero And speaking of heroes reminds us of
one of that family but of the historical pc
Tiod, who occasionally enlivened the monks of
Ely by boating gala. The monks sang well,
and Canute loved good fellows with voices
TO match. The King would jump-per-
hops Of such an imposing character as
Canute we should say step-into his barge
and be rowed to the convent, where his spirit
was soothed by the hymns and his heart
moved by the songs chanted by his ecclesi-
astical friends. Now these men lived among
such waters that it was impossible not to be-
lieve that they were good men with oars and
Sculls. Why should not the monks have
pulled against each other in single matches
There was a tradition that one of them had a
match with Satan, but that the faster the
devil pulled the farther he dropped behind.
so, 81 sic semper - said or thought the win
ner of the match, as he jumped ashore and
entered the chapel. He probably had no idea
of making pun when he finished his thanks
giving to the Virgin for saving him, with an
''Ora pro nobis" and hung up one of his
Sculls as a votive Offering.
Excursionists to France who, in the great
holiday seasons, witness the ousts upon the
rivers, will certainly not forget the water
tournaments. Two champions, in the oppo-
site bows Of two boats, press against each
other with lances broad and flat at the ends.
With these each tries to unship the other, and
1T lssthe duty of the oarsmen so to ply their
craft as to aid their champion in his object,
and not to bring him to grief by toppling
him over instead of his adversary. Thou
sands of people, ten days ago, were gazing
and shouting, and sdcre-ing and n0Bl-G6-djeW-
ing and mMe-tOnRerre-ing, as they
watched these jousts on the Seine. The
loudest eXultation was elected whenever a
champion Topped, head, back and heels at
once, into the waters to reappear humiliated,
but blowing like grampus. Well save for a
difference IN the costume, these were exactly
like the matches that took place on our rivers
IN the Norman time. Quite as much depended
on the ro%ers as on the filters. These were
no doubt, for the most part, Saxons; but the
t1tZsomethings, the Front-de- -Boeufs, the For
tenbras, and the De Bois Guilberts looked on
and betted deeply, or they were not true
Normans. And you may fancy if you will,
how the Adelinas and Eleanoras had their
little wagers with young gentlemen who were
but pages yesterday, and who had to pay to
the ladies their half dozen of ''muffiers. -
which were as much like gloves as a sock for
the hand can be, with one department for the
special convenience of the thumb. The fun
of these matches was increased by the fact
That they were not over, like our rowing.
matches, in few minutes. They lasted witt
the day. The pluck of the antagonists was OF
the old Roman quality; and the old Romans
we know, never consented to treat of peace
after defeat.
subsequently water-pageants were common
enough on the Thames, but we hear nothing
that can be fairly called traces" except it be
sort of matches between wickedly-inclineC
people and their pursuers. In the Plantagc-
net time all boats, at night, were brought over
from the Southwark side to the Tower side.
where they were moored On the Southwark,
shore, however, were places of dissipation, on
the rents of which the Bishops of Winchester
hourished. Thither the wickedv-inclined
they could not get passage by the bridge
We're expressly forbidden to go after dark.
But wlckedness is power which will have its
way; and, after dark, boat would be nm.
moored, and with its saucy freight shoot out
into the stream; but into the obscurity would
perhaps shoot another boat, in apparent mn
suit, but whether it held Master Constable
and his men, or wenches and apprentices
SHOuld have taken all tha Ian M