Page:Boating - Woodgate - 1888.pdf/354

 meneed. Two or three colleges had boat clubs and manned cight oars, and at first it seems to have been the practice for out-college men to join the club and crew of colleges to which they did not belong.

The eight oars seem to have been in the habit of going down to Sandford or Nuneham to dine, and of rowing home in company. From Iffiey to Oxford they were inclined to race to see who cauld be home first. They could not race abreast, sv they rowed in Indian file, and those behind jealously tried to overtake the leaders. Hence began the idea of starting in a fixed order out of Iffley Lock, of racing in procession, and of an overtaken boat giving place to its victor on the next night of pracession,

dn 1822, at all events, there were bumping races. Christ Church seems to have been head. There was a disputed bump between B.N.C. and Jesus, and some violence seems to haye occurred, B.N,C, trying to haul down the Jesus flag, and the Jesus men defending their colours. The dispute was finally closed by Post of B.N.C. saying, ‘These crics of “Jesus” and “B.N.C.” remind me of the old saying —

Different people are of different opinions; Some like leeks, some like onions.

(The oars of Jesus were decorated with leeks.) The quarrel was made up, and the crews went together to Nuncham in their racing boats. Unfortunately Musgrave, one of the party, fell overboard and was drowned during the festivities. Jn 1823 there were no eight-oared races, the sad accident of the year before having cast a gloom over the pursuit.. But several boats were manned. Christ Church refused to put on a boat in consequence of Stephen Davis, the boat-builder, rowing in the B.N.C. eight, and Isaac King (who eventually took lavis’s business) in the Jesus boat. Some strong feeling was displayed on this peint. When the B.N.C. boat came up the river, the Christ Church men used to run alongside of it for many nights shouting, ‘No hired watermen,’ After this year no watermen rowed in the college crews, Exeter had a boat afloat that year, built by Hall of Oxford. She was called the ‘ Buccleuch’ in honour of the Duke of that ilk.

Among the Exeter men was one Moresby, who was a relative of a naval captain of that name, and through his advice Exeter ordered an eight-oar of Little, of Plymouth, She was finished in time to be put on in 1824, and became fainous as the ‘Exeter