ness and monotony; but every change of wind, every increase and decrease in the force of the propelling power, creates variety aboard the vessel. Even the stillness of a calm brings charms along with it; for there is much, very much, to admire in a noble vessel riding at anchor in the slumbering bay, its tall and slender spars peering upwards towards the sky, and casting a pretty reflection in the mirror-like waters below. The change from a gale to a calm is one full of thoughtful suggestions, and has often formed a pleasing subject for our poets. Tom Moore, in one of his sweetest strains, has thus sung of such a scene on a summer's-evening: "How calm, how beautiful, comes on And yachting is delightful on a summer's-night as well as on a summer's-day. By moonlight, particularly, it has peculiar charms. With pleasant companions, aboard a good-sized, comfortable yacht, a night on the sea is too delightful to be soon forgotten. We have had many such in our time, and have danced the hours away on deck, with charming companions, until we felt our hearts were being stolen from us, firmly as we attempted to hold on by them until daylight dawned. But there are roughs as well as smooths in a sailor's life; and many yachters enjoy some of the roughs quite as much as others do the smooths. For instance, a sailing-match in a heavy sea and strong wind is to some men the very delight of their hearts; whilst others venture only on smooth seas and in steady winds. To our minde, nothing is more exciting than a closely-contested sailingmatch, in a strong, fierce-blowing wind, provided our vessel be equal to the strain and struggle of such a contest, and a good, sound, seagoing craft. A few such matches have been sailed this year, but generally speaking the wind has been rather light at most of the principal sailing matches of the present season. At some of the regattas the sailing has been postponed on account of there not being sufficient wind for the competing vessels; but until the last few weeks, during which so many wet days have intervened, the weather has been highly favourable for yachting, and some excellent matches have been sailed. At the Thames matches of the Royal London Yacht Club the weather was especially unfavourable. On all three of the match days there was scarcely any wind: the first day was considered calm for sailing, but the second was calmer, and the third calmest of all. This was truly a succession of disappointments to those who had been reckoning on good breezes in which to test the merits of their vessels. Certainly the Club had provided handsome prizes, and the entries of competitors were numerous; but with the exception of occasional cat's-paws, and a light breeze at the close of some of the matches, the weather was not such as to test the merits of any of the vessels in a satisfactory manner. At some of the matches of the Royal Thames Yacht Club the wea ther was more favourable, and some very fair sailing took place; though the entries were not so numerous as we have seen on former occasions. As regards liberality in prizes, it exceeded all precedent. On the occasion of the fourth and last of their sailing-match days this season, as much as £900 was distributed in prize money among the winning yachts! There was one match sailed on this occasion which we regret to say was not carried out with that spirit which was expected. We allude to the Corinthian match, at which two yachts only contended, although four were entered. A Corinthian match, as most of our readers are aware, is one in which the competing vessels are all manued by amateurs, such amateurs being members of a Royal Yacht Club, or officers in the army or navy. One would suppose that among our spirited yachters such a match would be one of the chief attractions of the season, as it affords a means of testing the capabilities of yachters as sailors and sailing-masters, and gives a splendid opportunity for skilful yachters to distinguish themselves in public performances. But the reluctance with which the so-called amateurs came to the post, does not give one a very favourable impression of the genuine skill of English yachters in general. It is true that there must always be more or less difficulty in getting a number of such hands together, sufficient to navigate and manage half-a-dozen racing vessels; but we think there ought to be no such difficulty. It is true, undoubtedly true, that among English yacht-owners there are many gentlemen thoroughly competent as sailing-masters to keep the helm from first to last in the race, and finally to win the match; but we question if, among that class, there are very many to be found who are competent to perform all the ordinary duties of a sailor in regard to the handling of the vessel under trying circumstances of wind and sea. In order to go aloft with skill and safely in a heavy sea, and perform the duties of a sailor above the cross-trees, a man must be frequently practised to such work. It is no child's-play to haul down a reefearing in a gale of wind, nor to lay out on a yard-arm in a tumbling sea; and yet these, and scores of other such duties, are but the ordinary occupations of a sailor. We imagine, however, that there are but few gentlemen-yachters equal to such emergencies; and indeed it is seldom that such duties would be required of a yacht-owner, except in a very small vessel, all yachts of ten tons and upwards being provided with a crew of sailors. We think every yacht-owner should be competent to manage his own vessel as a captain; and if he is well instructed in the other duties appertaining to the navigation and management of his yacht, he will be the better able to see that all the sails are properly set, the tackles kept in order and readiness, and that none of the duties appertaining to the crew are neglected or carelessly done. A yacht is always an object of attraction into whatever port she sails, and a yachtsman who takes a pride in his vessel will take care that all aboard is ship-shape, neat, and trim. At the Corinthian match alluded to, the Vampire was the winner, beating her competitor, the Dudu, several minutes beyond the time allowance of the race. The two other vessels that were entered (Whisper and Kitten) did not start, owing to the difficulty experienced in getting together an efficient crew of amateurs, Two of the very best matches that have been sailed this season were those of the Royal Mersey Yacht Club, which came off under highly favourable auspices as regards the weather. At these matches were assemlbed some of the most sterling clippers of the English racing fleet; and among them a very old but very celebrated racing yacht (the Mosquito), which on these two occasions was pitted against a bran-spanking-new clipper of most promising pretensions, and 18 tons larger than the Mosquito. But the invincible old clipper proved victorious in both matches, after two of the finest races and most splendid efforts ever witnessed at a sailing. match in those waters. The first race was for the Ladies' Plate of the value of 100 guineas, presented by the ladies of Liverpool for yachts of 20 tons and upwards. The following yachts were entered, and among them will be seen the names of some of the very flowers and fliers of the racing fleet (a time race)— For the guidance of those who are familar with the course, it may be as well to state that the yachts were to start from the Prince's landing stage, then down Queen's Channel to the Fairway Bell Beacon, leaving it on the port hand, the N. W. Light-ship on the port hand, the Fairway Bell Beacon of the Horse Channel on the port hand, the Fairway of Queen's Channel again on the port hand, to the Fairway of Horse Channel on the port hand, and the Bell Beacon Queen's Channel, for the last time, on the starboard hand; and so up Channel to the flagvessel off Prince's landing-stage. The start took place at about eleven o'clock. Mosquito was first to get away, with Vindex second, Kilmeny third, Astarte fourth; then Glance, Fiona, Speranza, and Banshee. At the time of starting the wind was from south-west, and strong; but in less than half an hour it suddenly flew round to north-west, still blowing strong, and thereby giving the fleet a fine chance of testing their powers in a dead beat to windward. Mosquito soon took a commanding lead, whilst Vindex continued second, Glance third, and Fiona fourth; but in less than an hour Fiona had taken the third place, and soon after she collared Vindex, and took the second place. Up to 1:30, the Mosquito was still leading; but the new clipper (Fiona) had been pressing her hard, and making every effort to pass her; and it was just about this time of day that her efforts were successful, and the noble Fiona ran through the lee of the Mosquito, luffed across her bows, and took the lead at last. But the Musquito clung to her like a cat. The beautiful and majestic Fiona tried in vain to leave a wide gap between herself and the famous old clipper, but it took her full three hours to get even a four minutes' lead of her; for again and again the Mosquito recovered her losses, and ran up close in the wake of the Fiona; and once afterwards Mosquito carried away her topsail sheet, by which mishap she lost several minutes, but picked them up again in gallant style. At half-past three there was but one minute difference between these two vessels; but in the final struggle, in which some of the most splendid seamanship we ever witnessed was exhibited, the Fiona continued to increase her lead two or three minutes; and on passing the flagship it was found that she was just four minutes ahead of Mosquito not enough to entitle her to the prize. Meanwhile, a most exciting race was going on with the other yachts, Vindex, Speranza, and Astarte struggling nobly for pride of place. The race was altogether one of the best arranged and hardest fought of any we have witnessed for many a day. The arrivals were timed as under: Fiona (79 tons) The rest not timed. Fiona, though first by four minutes, was not within her time allowance with Mosquito, and therefore the famous old clipper, on this occasion added another laurel to her venerable, but golden wreath; &nd it may truly be said that the race was the fairest fought, and as nobly won as any that stand on the long list of her splendid victories. But the fame of the Mosquito was not to slumber here. She had yet another opportunity of trying her powers against her new and formidable rival before she left the waters of the Mersey; for Mosquito could not rest until she had come in (regardless of time allowance) ahead of the great Fiona; and, accordingly, on the day following, another match came off in the same waters, over the same course, and for another prize of the value of £100. A time race. The following yachts were entered: On this occasion, also, there was a fresh breeze, and the race was, in every respect, ably contested, and won by Mosquito, though Astarte came in first, but was not within her time allowance of Mosquito by nearly two minutes. In this race, Fiona was six minutes behind Mosquito at the close of the race. The following is the time of arrival of each yacht: Mosquito was declared the winner by one minute fifty-five seconds. And thus that justly celebrated old clipper actually won both the one hundred guinea prizes of the Royal Mersey Yacht Club, though opposed to her were some of the finest modern cutters which talent and money could turn out; built by the most experience yacht-builders in the land, with every modern improvement carefully carried out, and no pains spared to give them the greatest speed which the combined skill and science of the most talented builders could produce. We gave the age and other particulars of this vessel in our first chapter, but do not hesitate to repeat them here. The Mosquito is an iron boat, and was built in the year 1847, consequently she is now eighteen years old; and yet it appears there is nothing of her tonnage that can beat her. All honour to the designer and builder of the Mosquito! She was built by Messrs. Mare, of Blackwall-her model and design, we believe, by a gentleman named Waterman. Why, we ask, cannot another Mosquito be turned out upon the same lines and from the same models as the present one? Such vessels are a national pride; and ere the old hull decays we should like to see a sister-vessel afloat, though it would probably puzzle any yacht-builder, though with the same models and lines before him, to produce a new Mosquito that would beat, or even equal, the old one. (To be continued.) THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF A PET SPANIEL. (Continued.) It was the first time in my life of my riding in a carriage. I had always imagined that no luxury could be more enjoyable, more agreeably exciting, or complete, than that of being borne along by two beautiful, light-footed steppers. I now found that the motion was not only disagreeable, but troublesome, for as we went bounding over the stones I could neither sit nor stand at ease: this unsteadiness also affected me with a nausea, and altogether I felt extremely awkward and ashamed, although I might have consoled myself, had I thought of it, by the fact, that few, excepting those "in the manner born to it," have the art of appearing elegant in their carriage. Your wealthy citizens' wives, even to the Lady Mayoress, look both uncomfortable, out of place, and lumpy in a carriage, and seldom acquire that ease with grace which seems to entitle the high-born to ride. As we approached the West End I gazed with wonder and delight on the magnificence of the shops, and buildings, and the many superb equipages that crowded around us. In my attempts to look nearer at them from the window, my foot slipped, and I was precipitated roughly to the bottom, and should assuredly have broken my nose, had I been possessed of one of any length, or had not that operation been more than once professionally performed upon me in very early youth. His Lordship, kindly replacing me, said, "Never mind, my little Prince, try again; custom will make it a matter of easiness," and resumed his reading, with which he had all along been much absorbed. We drew up at a splendid mansion, deserving rather the name of a palace, so grand and commanding was its po:tico and appearance. |