An Autobiography of an Ancient Athlete & Antiquarian

AUTOBIOGRAPHY 21 on the gloves, and spar with me, when with great pleasure I thrashed him soundly. On rst April, r86r (most appropriate day), I saw a running ground, the West London Cricket Ground, and about the same time I walked 3 miles in 27½ minutes in my clothes. After having been 3½ years at office, practically on probation, I executed my articles on 13th June, r86r. I attempted cricket, without any success, but did a little better at pistol shooting, 1 and went out in a light boat for the first time. We used to go out from a boathouse near the " Magpie and Stump," at the bottom of Oakley Street, Chelsea, and two of my earliest reminiscences were going down at night to see my old brother scull back from Harry Salter's, the "Feathers," at Wandsworth (carrying A. A. Casamajor crouched at his feet in the wager boat, a feat sufficiently dangerous but necessary for pecuniary reasons), and seeing him very thoroughly thrash a waterman who had been beating his wife. This must have been about 1852, which was the year Casamajor and he rowed together, and won at Staines, sculling back to Wandsworth after the racing was over, opening the locks for themselves. Shortly after, my brother had to leave off rowing as be had got into debt for his training bill, and could not afford to go on with rowing. He borrowed the money to pay the bill from a Welsh friend,. the Rev. W . Evans, and stinted himself for three years till he repaid it. How he afterwards came back to the water, after an interval of many years, I shall mention later. Ou the 29th June being then of the mature age of I 7½ I made my :first appearance in a public race by running in a 300 yards race at Beaufort House, at the Volunteer Fete there, when I fell at a turn while going third, and on 14th July did a long collecting walk 38! miles, with a butterfly net, through Croydon, round Kingston, &c. On the rst August I went to Walton-on-the-Naze, having a mad man in the next room to us ; also walked to Colchester, &c. ; a slow dull holiday, for I bad no companion. Some of the year was spent copying nearly all (the MS. I afterwards gave to Mr. Hovenden) the inscriptious 1 In later life I was very foud of tlJis, and became a fair shot,. far better than I was with a rifle or bow.