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This year (1842), the turf sustained great loss in the demise of two of its most generous supporters-the Duke of Cleveland and Christopher Wilson, Esq. His Grace expired in London, January 29th, in the seventy-sixth year of his age; and Mr. Wilson on the 25th of May, in his seventy-ninth year. The noble Duke won the St. Leger in 1831, with Chorister. Mr. Wilson bore the title of the Father of the Turf; and up to that time, the only gentleman who had won the Derby and St. Leger with the same horse, Champion, in 1800; and it is a remarkable circumstance that the Father of the Turf breathed his last on the Derby day.

"OWNING A YACHT."

BY LORD WILLIAM LENNOX.

"My bark upon the sea."

BYRON.

CHAPTER I.

In a former number I gave my readers an article entitled “Wanted a Yacht," and I now proceed to point out the delights and miseries I experienced when I found my name entered in the list of the Royal Thames Yacht Club, as owner of the Highland Lassie cutter of forty-five

tons.

The Highland Lassie had been built in the Clyde as a wager boat; albeit, fortunately for me, the shipwright had united strength with speed, and, notwithstanding her crankness from being overmasted, no vessel proved herself more seaworthy than did this little craft, after I had bought my experience at some little cost, and reduced her spars and mainsail by many feet and cloths. My sailing master, called par excellence, the Captain, had donned a new suit of nauticals, and, with a gold laced cap, strutted the deck as proud as any peacock I ever beheld, as the gig, containing my own dear self, and manned by two athletic young sailors, pulled alongside the yacht. "Weigh enough. In bow!' I exclaimed in a pompous tone, but not in time to save my yacht's copper from a severe blow from the stem of my boat. The "skipper" gave a look of horror, and, shrugging up his shoulders, seemed to imply "What a land-lubber!" In a minute, however, he recovered his self-possession, and took off his cap, as for the first time I trod the well-cleaned deck of my own vessel.

"Well, Captain," I said, somewhat vauntingly, "I hope you have found the Highland Lassie answer the description I got of her from her late owner."

"There's no denying, my Lord, that she is a very fine vessel," he

replied; but there are yet many things to be done before she will be perfect."

"How?" I eagerly enquired.

"Why at present she's overmasted, and her boom is large enough for a yacht of nearly double her tonnage; by reducing both she will become a wholesome vessel, while at the present time she is so crank, that I should not like to trust myself in her outside the Isle of Wight; in the least bubble of a sea she's rail under; and it was only yesterday, when I brought her from Lymington, that we were under a close-reefed mainsail and storm jib, when the "Lively," of five-and-thirty tons, was standing well up under a whole mainsail and gaff topsail; that aint altogether right.'

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"In other respects I trust she is all you could expect,"

"Pretty well, my Lord," responded he: "her decks are rather thin; and the starboard bulwarks, which were stove in last season off Greenwich, have been shockingly repaired-all paint and putty. The chain cable, too, is so choked with rust in the locker, that it must be put in the fire and be galvanized; for woe betide us if we get alongside a barge or collier in the river, and wish to let go our anchor with any range of cable."

"I'll see to those things, Captain," I responded, when he proceeded: "The standing and running rigging is very defective, and the mainsail won't stand a puff."

"What do you mean?" I enquired. "I understood her stores to be in perfect order."

"Why the truth is, my Lord, she's been very badly looked after; everything was put away in a hurry, and the sail loft was rather leaky. I don't think she could have had a breath of air let into her during the winter, and the gig and dingy have been most scandalously treated; you will have, I fear, to order two new boats."

Whilst this conversation was going on, the truth of the statement was made apparent to me; for one man was employed baling out the gig, while the other two hands showed me the thin parts of the mainsail. Disgusted with what I had seen on deck, I dived below, and there found I had only escaped from Scylla to be wrecked on Charybdis.

"The after-cabin leaks a little," proceeded Captain Miles, " and the bull's-eye in the state-room has got damaged somehow; it's a sad pity, but by rights she ought to have been thoroughly caulked before the new chintz was put up." I looked round, and found my beautiful new lining covered with mouldy marks. "The painter, too, has not made a good job of it; he ought to have scraped off the old coating and ironed it down; you see the stains show through the white; and the bulwarks and companion, to which I forgot to call your attention, are full of blisters; they had not time to dry, so the least touch or chafing will ruin them." I looked aghast, as I saw the white-and-gold after-cabin speckled with buff-coloured marks of iron, giving the appearance of one of Batty's best-trained skewbald horses. "The china door-handles

don't exactly fit, and one of the plates was cracked in putting on; they ought to have had a lining of thin wash-leather."

I was dumbfounded at the catalogue of grievances, when my tormentor continued: "I have made out a sort of a list, and an estimate of what is necessary-"

"Read it," I petulantly interrupted.

"Boats required: An eighteen-foot gig of elm, copper fastened; four ash oars, boat-hook, mahogany back-board, stretchers, brass crutches, head and stern sheets, oak grating, six fenders, brass yoke, white lines, and iron davits; lug sail, mast, and yard-say thirty-five pounds. A twelve-foot dingy complete-say twelve more. Touching the davits, we could manage to do without them, by hoisting the gig up to a tackle to the shrouds for the stem, and another to the runner for the stern rings; but they'd be very handy, and give a handsome appearance if galvanized. Mainsail coat-ours is completely worn out, and is as black as a collier's-say a five-pound note; two new oval eight-gallon breakers, galvanized iron hoops, and water-funnel, copper nozzle-about thirty shillings; about five hundred-weight of rope at three pound fifteen-eighteen pound fifteen; by the way, if we could run over to Cherbourg, we should get better rope at a little more than half the price; a new lamp to binnacle-that's a trifle; starboard bulwarks and companion-door want looking to; chain cable ditto; two cork fenders required, and a new warp. As for the painting, it will of course last this summer; but it does not look well. The decks and sides must be caulked; and with a few yards of chintz and an oilcloth, we can manage pretty well."

I groaned aloud at this statement, not alone on account of the expense, but because I felt I should be detained for at least a fortnight in the Itchin river, Southampton, where my yacht was lying, and the above conversation took place. At last, "screwing my courage up to the sticking point," I sent for a boat-builder, sail-maker, painter, caulker, carpenter, and joiner, and gave the respective orders.

"We shall make a little noise I fear," said the caulker; "but we can commence with the fore-part, so as not to disturb you early." "Never mind the noise," I replied, thinking it would be little worse than that of holy-stoning the decks, and not liking to run up an hotel bill at the not over-reasonable town of Southampton.

Dawn broke the following morning, and with it came the workmen, when I was awoke with the most discordant sounds I ever had the misfortune to hear; fifty anvils at work at the same time would give but a faint idea of the process of caulking, and which, to adopt a phrase of the fast men of the present day, was perfectly "stunning." To sleep was impossible; so, hastening over my toilet and breakfast, I landed, ordering dinner to be got ready the moment the work was over. Twice during the day I pulled alongside the yacht, and what with the hammering and scraping, and the pulverized materials that came from the deck and bulwarks, my ears as well as eyes were in a most awful state. For four days was I subject to the above infliction, and on the fifth the painters made their appearance to give the first coat; this was followed by a second and third, when the oak graining commenced, and I was congratulating myself upon the thought of having the job finished, when the barometer fell, and, true as a needle to the pole, a shower followed. "We had better rig out the awning," said I, "and get all the old sails over the new painting." This was accordingly done, and we managed for a few hours to keep everything nice and dry; the wind, however, got up, and a regular squall ensued, so much so that the painters took their leave,

and I was driven below. "Well, it's lucky," I exclaimed, "that the caulking is finished, or with this pitiless storm we should have had more shower-baths than would be agreeable." But I had reckoned without my host, for upon entering my state room (as the fore-cabin was ostentatiously called) the water was dripping down the bull's eye. I then proceeded to the after-cabin, which I found still leaked in two places. Sending the caulkers as far as wishes went to a place-oh no, we cannot mention it, at least to ears polite-I sat down and indited a very angry epistle, requesting the work might be made good the following morning; while signing my name huge drops of water fell upon the paper and blotted out nearly all I had written a leakage had appeared in the skylight, to keep out which I was compelled to cover it over with a tarpaulin.

"You may light the lamp, and bring dinner," I said.

"Beg your pardon," replied my culinary artist, thrusting his head into the cabin," but we have had an accident with the funnel: one of the ropes that fastened the oil-cloth over the newly-painted bulwark got foul of it and carried it away, and all the soot has fallen into the saucepan and oven; the broth, fish, and beef are not fit to send to table."

"Then I must be satisfied with the pickled salmon and the cold lamb."

"I'll serve it immediately," said the cook, taking his leave. "Why, what has happened to the fish and the joint!" he exclaimed as he unlocked the door of the safe on deck, and in which I kept my cold provisions. "I declare they are all spoilt."

Remembering the old adage that "misfortunes never come singly," and feeling extremely hungry, I rushed up the companion ladder, and there saw a scene that almost baffles description: my bread, butter, cheese, pickled salmon, cold lamb, and currant tart were immersed in green paint, which the cook was in vain trying to get rid of. The cause of it was soon explained; the safe being made of perforated zinc, had been "touched up," as the lad called it, with two coats of paint, without the precaution of removing the contents; so every dab of the brush which was meant for the out found its way in-side, and completely destroyed my provision for the day. Knowing from the able statement of that enlightened friend to humanity Doctor Hassall that there is always enough "death in the pot" without the aid of additional poison, and fearing the men might be tempted to take parts that might not be deemed affected, I ordered the food to be thrown overboard.

"Man the boat," I said, "and hand up my waterproof cloak." "You forget," responded the Captain, "that, as you said you would not want her this afternoon, we gave her a coat of paint, and she won't be dry until to-morrow morning."

Cut off from all communication with the land, I was about to give myself up to despair, when a collier's boat passed within hail, and pulling towards us, I soon got a passage to the landing stairs.

"I fear you have damaged your jacket a little," said one of the men; "there's a nail that I did not see when you sat down." "And your trousers," remarked another, are a trifle the worse for the pitch. I thought it would have dried up sooner."

66

A huge rent and a large stain proved the truth of the assertion, and upon reaching the wharf, my piebald nether garments and torn jacket. gave me more the appearance of a ship-wrecked mariner than a yacht-owner. Fortunately I had left a cloak with Payne the boatbuilder, and borrowing a basket from him, and securing one of his gigs to take me off to the yacht after I had catered for my dinner, I proceeded to the High-street. Few towns can exceed Southampton in shops, and having purchased some excellent pickled salmon at Miles's, a cold chicken and tongue at the pastry cook's, and other eatables at the baker's and grocers, I hastened back to the wharf, and with appetite for sauce, enjoyed as good a dinner as ever I sat down to.

"Just bring me that small hamper which came down from London yesterday-week," said I, intending to enjoy a glass or two of Randolph Payne's best claret.

The man went upon his mission, when a loud groan and an “Oh, dear!" soon showed some accident had happened.

"Why, who'd have thought it?" muttered he; "that land-lubber, the glazier's boy, used it as a stool to stand upon, when he was putting in a pane of glass in the after-cabin, and more than half the bottles are broken. There's one consolation," continued he, "the young rascal must have grazed his shins nicely. And only to think of his slyness in hiding the hamper away under the companionladder."

The breakage proved more than I expected; there was not one sound bottle left out of the three dozen. So what with the loss of the Château Lafitte, the fumes of which ruby liquor trickling down the floor tantalized me not a little, I was as miserable a dog as any in the kingdom.

My further adventures, or misadventures, must be reserved for another chapter.

NATIONAL SPORTS, ANCIENT AND MODERN.

BY HOARY FROST.

ARTICLE III.

Amongst the remaining sports which fall under this head, none are of more ancient origin, nor have been followed from generation to generation with greater relish by ardent pursuers, than those of angling and fishing, in their various branches. It is not every sportsman who takes delight in so quiet a recreation; for few, who may be endowed with sufficient patience, have the requisite skill for killing a six or eight-pound fish with a single horsehair line: but such, it ap

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