Page:The history of yachting.djvu/356

172 The Lord Mayor's procession by water to Westminster was made annually until 1856; in that year it was discontinued. The barge of the Lord Mayor was a superb galley, richly ornamented within and without, rowed by watermen, and accompanied by the barges owned by the various city companies and guilds. These processions were beautiful river-pageants; hence their discontinuance is much to be regretted.

An illustration is here given of the Lord Mayor's barge, accompanied by other barges, at Westminster, from a painting by David Roberts, R. A. It enables us to form some idea of the beauty of these old-time river craft.

In 1720 the royal yacht Catherine was built at Deptford: length on gun-deck, 79 feet; keel, 62 feet 3 inches; breadth, 22 feet 4 inches; depth, 11 feet 2 inches; 166 tons. This yacht is chiefly notable as being one of the first English royal yachts of which a portrait has been discovered,—to appear in due time, together with the ancient Fubbs,—as they were among the fleet of yachts that escorted Queen Charlotte from Cuxhaven to England, in the year 1761.

It seems quite natural and appropriate that the jovial, sport-loving noblemen and gentlemen of Ireland should have been the first to organize yachting in the United Kingdom. It is therefore not surprising to find that in the year 1720 the Cork Harbor Water Club was firmly established and flourishing under the auspices of Lord Inchiquin, the Honorable James O'Bryen,